I write about travel troubles in the magazine and on this blog. In fact, I wrote a lot about my lost golf clubs a few times. To recap: Three months ago, en route to Chambers Bay in Washington for the current Away Game (a destination story that leads the travel section of Golf Digest every month), American Airlines lost my clubs. It was the same week they grounded their DC-80s for inspection. After they found the clubs in Los Angeles, they handed them off to Alaska Airlines so they could fly them to Tacoma. My clubs will never be stuffed into or pulled from my trunk ever again. My guess is someone is carrying around my Adidas golf bag, splitting fairways with my Hi-Bore driver, flushing my Taylor Made irons, spinning my Hogan wedges, marking his ball with a Turnberry coin, and winning bets with my Tommy Armour putter. If it rains he has two pairs of golf shoes, a nice rain suit and a pair of sneakers to change into after the round. (A pause to wipe the tear from the top of my cheek.)

After filling out all the necessary paperwork and waiting patiently by the phone, I did hear from American Airlines.

Here's the letter I received:

Dear Mr. Ginella,

Please accept my sincere apology for the difficulties you experienced when you traveled with us recently. From the information I was able to review, it certainly seems that your entire experience was aggravating, and I am genuinely sorry that we did not provide the level of service you expect and deserve.

Our tracing efforts have not been successful and regrettably, we have not been able to locate your belongings. As a result, we have enclosed our check in the amount of $3,000; this amount represents our maximum domestic liability and it is full settlement of your claim against American Airlines.

We appreciate your business and I hope that we have not lost the capacity to express our sincere regret for this unfortunate incident. Meeting the highest expectations of our customers is our primary goal and we look forward to welcoming you on another American Airlines flight very soon.

Respectfully,

R. Fraga
Central Baggage Service

That is a nice letter and a fantastic settlement. There's nothing better than flying one airline. I get to the front of the check-in line, I constantly get upgraded and if I lose my golf clubs, I get letters and checks that help ease the pain.

Just last week my direct flight from Cancun to New York was delayed four hours . . . then it was delayed six hours . . . and then it was canceled. I played like I was on the TV show, Amazing Race, got on the phone with my travel agent, booked another seat on a flight transferring through Dallas back to Newark. I got my clubs out of the belly of the plane that was no longer taking off, back through customs, back to the ticket counter, got my seat on the new flight, back through security and was home by 5 A.M. (I was originally due home by 8 P.M. the previous night. Even with all the lost time, it felt like I won the race.)

I never filed any complaint, never called the airline, but I just received this e-mail:

Dear Mr. Ginella:

As hard as we try to ensure that our flights operate on schedule, there are occasions when that just doesn't happen--like on June 20. We are truly sorry for disrupting your trip.

We hope you will accept the 15,000 bonus miles that have been deposited into your AAdvantage account as our making amends. You will see the mileage in your account soon.

We'll look forward to providing you with a better travel experience very soon. Thanks for flying with us.

Sincerely,

B. J. Russell
Customer Relations
American Airlines

I just checked my mileage balance. Since 1996 I've flown 750,000 miles with American. In 2008 my total Available Award Mileage is 90,000. That's including the 15,000 bonus miles they deposited in my account.

I'm not defending the airlines or coming to their rescue, but what I can do is give praise where praise is due. I hate the fact my clubs are gone and I hated the craziness of June 20, but I appreciate the acceptance of responsibility and compensation for my loss.

Loyalty is a road that should go both ways. That's not always the case, but American Airlines is trying.

--Matty G.

If this golf outing last Monday was the "who's-who" of the Hamptons, then why was I there?

I saw that David Tyree, the hero of the Super Bowl, the special-teams specialist and backup wide receiver for the New York Giants who went over the middle during the final drive against the undefeated Patriots, pinning the football against his helmet to make one of the greatest catches in the history of the game, was the host of the event. For my Q&A every month I interview an athlete, celebrity or player about their passion for the game, travel and a handful of relevant topics. If Tyree played golf, I was going out to talk to him about it.

The Fourth Annual Hamptons Golf Classic at Hampton Hills Golf Club was put on by Hamptons Magazine and Get There PR. It's designed to "benefit a great cause and create a competitive atmosphere with the spirit of the Hamptons."

The great cause was the Make-A-Wish Foundation. One of my favorites. What's not to like about an organization that gives a child with a life-threatening medical condition a genie in a bottle?

The format was a four-man scramble. There were 35 teams, 140 players and I was starting on the 11th hole. It was clear from the beginning this was going to be a competitive atmosphere, but I wasn't sure what they meant by "the spirit of the Hamptons."

We didn't play by all the rules, at times we weren't complete gentlemen, and we didn't always hit great shots, but this group had a blast. It never ceases to amaze me how the game of golf can be the common denominator. Regardless of the fact that we didn't know each other and came from different backgrounds, professions and generations, for a little more than six hours, with an assortment of alcohol, hot dogs and a $100-per-man side-bet between two foursomes, we had the game of golf.

To keep a close eye on our competitors, we played as an eightsome. I know that puts a ripple in the pond of the purists, and it didn't go over so well with the Hampton Hills' rangers, but my group had pull, and we played on.

As Lee Trevino once said, "Pressure is playing for 10 dollars when you don't have a dime in your pocket."

I had $140 in my wallet (thank God) and could cover the bet, so I wasn't feeling much pressure. Handicaps were not revealed, barely discussed, and we had to use only one tee shot from each guy. Other than that, it was get the ball in the hole before those four guys that we can see. As in most scrambles, you automatically assume there's a foursome of heavy sandbaggers somewhere on the course and there's no chance of actually winning the thing, so the side-bet kept my group focused. Most of the time.

It seemed like on every tee box we were greeted by a new form of alcohol, served by a young, scantily clad representative of the liquor company. The Hawaiian Tropic Zone Girls attended this function, also scantily clad, and we had an occasional visit on the course by a rogue cart full of marinated members of the gallery. Was THIS what they meant by "the spirit of the Hamptons?" Other than that, we had razor-sharp focus on the side-bet.

I'll condense the day of competitive golf down to the fact that my team won. I use "competitive" loosely here, and it's always a relative term. Each group and each player had good shots, clutch putts, lucky breaks and cold-tops that made you want to bury your head in the bottom of your bag. We had an above-average amount of smack-talk, change-shaking, chest-bumping and fist-pumping, but a portion of that has to be attributed to the "swing-oil" and an unusual number of pit stops.

My group established an early order of play. I like order, and I like to know my role on the ball club. I was batting fourth. One of the big reasons we won is the fact that, as the guy putting last, I had to putt only six times.

My cart partner, Glenn Roberts, who was a very nice guy, also happened to put on one of the great scramble putting performances in the history of the Hamptons (not sure how to fact-check that, but you'll have to trust me). Mark Selden, a lefty dressed in all black with white shoes, batted leadoff. He was the closest thing we had to a celebrity. He works for a company called CDInc. International. I have no idea what that is, or what he does, but I knew from the very beginning that I liked that he was on our team. Golf isn't necessarily his game, but that didn't stop him from giving lessons to any female in need of a swing tip. I say he was our celebrity because, by the time we were done, all the females knew who he was, knew about his swing tips and loved the fact that he wore a Hermes belt (the pronunciation of the brand, Hermes, was butchered throughout the day). Batting second on our squad was Jeff Rackover. He sells high-high-end jewelry to the likes of Oprah and Denzel Washington. I was certain he had more than $100 in his wallet, certain this match wasn't straining his nerves, and I was certain he made five or six deals worth more than what I'll make in my life, all via cell phone in the time that it took for us to finish the round.

The team putting up the good fight was made up of Glen Cho (Mr. Clutch), Topher Grubb (their ace), Andrew Goldberg (a member of management at Marquee, one of the hottest clubs in Manhattan) and Matt Shendell (owner of Dune, one of the hottest clubs in the Hamptons).

After the golf there was great food, more alcohol and more interaction with scantily clad young ladies. But what ended up being the spirit of the Hamptons were the donations to charity. In a flash, and among flashes of cameras, an audience consisting of Hamptons heavy-hitters such as Steve Tisch, owner of the New York Giants; Debra Halpert, publisher of  Hamptons Magazine; Richie Notar, owner of Nobu; and the honoree, Neal Sroka, president and COO of Douglas Elliman Worldwide Consulting, raised more than $15,000, which is enough to grant wishes for three children through Make-A-Wish Foundation.

I spoke to Tyree. It turns out he's not much of a golfer and won't work for a Q&A in Golf Digest, but I shook the hand that made that catch and congratulated this David for taking down the Goliath that was the New England Patriots. The game of golf, even though Tyree doesn't play, was still the common denominator at Hampton Hills. A great charity was the winner.

--Matty G.

On Aug. 28, 2006, Casey Reamer shot an 80 at Cypress Point. The next day Reamer, the head professional of one of the greatest golf courses in the world, made eight birdies, a bogey and an eagle for a 63 and tied the course record. He joined Jim Langley, the former head pro, and a name maybe more familiar to the masses: Ben Hogan. "It was an out-of-body experience," said Reamer.

I was a guest of Reamer's recently for 18 holes at Cypress. It was my first time at the Alister Mackenzie course that opened in 1928. On the back of the scorecard there's a quote from Mackenzie reflecting on his creation:

"I do not expect anyone will ever have the opportunity of constructing another course like Cypress Point, as I do not suppose anywhere in the world is there such a glorious combination of rocky coast, sand dunes, pine woods and cypress trees."

I was even par through the first six holes. Then I proceeded to hit balls onto the rocky coast, climb sand dunes in search of the results of bad swings and hit shots that bounced off pine woods and cypress trees. I carded a smooth 91 (that's 19 over the last 12 holes). I'd like to blame the back nine on a three-club wind, but it had more to do with the fact that I suck as a golfer and as a human being. I've never felt so small or pathetic and I came very close to throwing myself off one of those rocky coasts.

That being said, my score didn't matter. After all, it was Cypress, and it was so good. I put it in the block of my favorites (in no particular order): Turnberry, Pine Valley, Lahinch and Baywood (the 5,900-yard course in Arcata, Calif.)

Cypress was the site of the 1956 battle between Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson versus Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward, recently written about by Mark Frost in the book, The Match.

Much like Reamer, the entire facility is non-pretentious. There's no guard gate at Cypress. Just a simple and small green wooden sign as you approach the clubhouse that reads: "Cypress Point Club--Members Only." There's a little locker room where members such as "J. Welch" or "C. Schwab" have their names written by hand on their old wooden locker boxes. The understated green rugs might need changing. The black-and-white photos of Eddie Lowery are crooked and in most cases, could use a new frame. The golf shop is small and overlooks the first tee, which runs along the understated six-stall driving range. There are no yardage markers on the course, and it's one of the only places I've played in awhile where the original blue tees are still the back tees. Cypress tips out at 6,509 yards. (The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines was stretched to 7,643 yards.) Cypress has plenty of natural defense mechanisms and challenging shots without having to back up every tee box 50 to 80 yards. It's the Wrigley Field of golf courses. It might not be big, but it has history, charm and exclusivity.

It's not hard to be blown away by Cypress. Literally and figuratively. My first tee shot on the par-3 16th (one of, if not the most famous hole in golf), from 218 yards into the wind, was hit hard and straight with a driver but still came up short. My ball rested quietly with all of the other lost balls, baby waves and baby seals at the base of the rock wall. I re-teed and hit it left of the green, chipped up and made 5.

I'm told ANY member of the staff can play Cypress on Monday or Tuesday, and they're allowed to bring a guest once a month. (It turns out you don't need to join Cypres--you just need to get to know the cook.)

My caddie, Laurent Ruffie, has been at Cypress for three years. Ruffie's from France, and members have a hard time with his name, so most of them call him Frenchie. On Nov. 3, Frenchie became the 19th person, and the only caddie, to have aced the 16th at Cypress. Frenchie's real name is now on the same plaque that includes the likes of Bing Crosby.

As I was walking off the tee at the 17th, Reamer called me over to a patch of ice plant. Inscribed on a plaque was a quote from Clarke W. Bearden, a member who died in 1998. When Bearden played Cypress' 17th, he liked to say, "Gentlemen, I suggest that we pause for a moment, admire the beautiful view, count our blessings. Very few of us are privileged to pass this way."

Wise words and a healthy perspective rising from a clump of shrubs.

--Matty G.

To ambush: The act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.

In May I Ambushed Tom Messmer, Tim O'Neill and Mike Cornelius at Pinehurst. They were there to celebrate their 40th birthdays. I gave them golf balls, scotch glasses, hats, cigars and a round of golf. We played Pinehurst No. 2 and Pine Needles. We ate, drank, set land-speed records on bikes doing the loop in front of the Manor Inn and together we ambushed one of golf's living legends--Peggy Kirk Bell. You can read more about the trip in the August issue of Golf Digest.

I've Ambushed five groups out of 800 entries so far. It's time to pick number six.

I've narrowed it down to the following five buddies trips taking place in June. One of them will be featured in the September issue of Golf Digest.

From Michael Chao of Broomfield, Colo.: When: Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th. Where: Keystone Resort, in Colorado on Friday. Breckenridge Golf Club and the Ravens at Three Peaks on Saturday. We have a group of 20 guys who have been getting together annually for 15 years. Most people in the group are old college buddies. We've named our event "Birdies and Beer." Our event is unique for a number of reasons: 1) The format. We play 3-4 rounds over two days. First day everyone plays their own ball. Based on the results of that day, we nominate captains at dinner who draft a scramble team for Saturday's trophy tournament. 2)  The players. We've got all levels of playing ability. A handful of scratch players who played college golf. Several single-digit handicappers. A bunch of weekend warrior 15-25 handicappers. And a couple of 30-plus handicappers who attend more for the social aspects. Everyone is welcome. The only rule is that it's a guy's weekend. No wives and no kids allowed. 3) The trophy. Like the Stanley Cup, the trophy for the winning scramble team is handed down from one year to the next. Winning team members have their name engraved on the trophy. And each team member gets to keep the trophy in their house for a month. 4) The tiebreaker. In the event that more than one team ends up with the lowest scramble score, the winner is decided based on a beer "boat-race". In 15 years, its come down to a "boat-race" only a couple of times. 5) Location. This group is partial to Arizona, Palm Springs, Las Vegas and Monterey. It's the first time we're playing mountain resort golf. Getting our group photographed and mentioned in Golf Digest would be a highlight of the 15 years of this event!

From Steve Fraser of Toronto, Ontario: The "Mad Max Annual Invitational" in Prince Edward Island, June 25th through 28th. Our group started in '03 with a buddies trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. The invites are sent early in the year by our good friend (and better organizer) Dave Power. The lively banter continues until we all arrive in Halifax on the day of departure. The group is mostly made up of guys from Corner Brook, Newfoundland that have been the best of friends since before we can remember. The first year we had nine players, we've had as few as four, but we refuse to miss a year. It's a lot more about the camaraderie than the golf. Plaques are awarded for the "Top Golfer" based on money won in our daily skins game and for "Best Newcomer/Best Laugh" for outstanding performance in the off-course activities. We have an annual "Beer Match", which consists of two man teams. The scoring is a little unusual in that one stroke is deducted from your overall score for each adult beverage you consume. If you shoot 92 and have 12 beers, it's a total of 80. As Dave points out in one of his many e-mails about the trip, "It is a great time. If you're not a good golfer, don't worry about it. The best golfers the last three years have been Ari, Chipper Sr., and Higs. Guys like Shane and Dr. Rum have also enjoyed success while not breaking 100. It is more about having some laughs." I don't think I could sum it up any better. The beautiful part of this is the investment. It will cost no more then $500 all-in, per person, and maybe less once we get things confirmed (last year was $480). This covers the four rounds (carts and range balls), cottages, and vehicle rentals. I certainly hope this qualifies our group as "unique" and would look forward to seeing you in a beautiful part of Canada at the end of June.

From Sam Pavoni of Aliso Viejo, Calif.: We're playing the Peter Hay, par 3 course at Pebble Beach on June 22nd, Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz twice on June 23rd, and then Poppy Hills and Bayonet on the 24th. This is the "Second Annual Cheers To Honor Invitational" (I'm a founding member and the 2007 champion). The other two founding members, who are also my only other friends as I am theirs, are friends from High School. One of them played on my high school team and is 26 years old but he looks like he's 12. The other guy played for a rival team in high school and decided to get married and ruin all of our lives (I still haven't forgiven him for this). In fact, he almost tried to ruin this year's trip by getting his wife pregnant again, but luckily the arrival of the baby won't interfere with the trip. Back to golf. We even got a perpetual trophy for the tournament. It currently sits in my office at home. We literally send 15-30 e-mails a day for the nine months leading up to the trip and they're hysterical. My buddy's wife made me sign a contract saying that I wouldn't drive unsafely and endanger her husband's life. (Apparently my friend told her stories about last year's trip). So what do you think?

From Brandon Dean Lowery of Charlotte, NC: One of my really great friends, Jack Burris and I, started a golf trip five years ago. We realized, as we were reaching our mid-twenties, that life was getting faster paced and it was harder and harder to see all the guys we knew from our days in college at Chapel Hill. We started the "Barou Cup," named after the famous putter that failed Judge Smails in Caddyshack. The Barou is a Ryder Cup format pitting Team Charlotte against Team National. We have a group of 20 guys; 10 who live in or are from Charlotte, and 10 from around the country. We have shirts, hats and even a Claret Jug that we ordered from St. Andrews for the team captain to retain. We have team logos, pairing sheets, best-ball formats and singles matches. We have been to Myrtle Beach, Harbour Town, Innisbrook, and Sugarloaf, Maine. For '08 we will be in Charleston, South Carolina playing at Wild Dunes from June 26th-29th. Team National goes for its fifth in a row, but Team Charlotte thinks we've made some progress. This trip has taken on a life of its' own and has become something everyone refuses to miss. We have everything from scratch golfers to guys who could not break 100 on a par-3 with Butch Harmon on their bag. Some guys turn in early; some drink their face off until the next tee time. Come on, step it up, AMBUSH the Barou!

From Larry Wagner of Bixby, Okla.: We will be in Kansas City from June 26th through the 29th. There will be a round of golf every day and baseball (Royals vs. Cardinals) on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoon. Baseball tickets are already procured and the tee times will be set a couple weeks in advance. This is a unique trip because at its' core is four guys (I am one) who went to grad school together at Oklahoma State. Then we went our separate ways with jobs and families, but for 11 years now, we have blocked off a weekend every summer to get together, play golf, watch baseball, and treat each other like dirt. This summer we'll have eight guys in our group (other years there have been as many as 16). We've taken our trips to Houston, Arlington, St. Louis, and Kansas City and there has always been one constant--cherished camaraderie. There's a guy in our group who plays to a single digit handicap and there's a guy in our group who plays four times a year--those four times are all on this trip. The rest of us are somewhere in between. But it doesn't matter, we pair up, tee it up, and have more fun than we deserve. So I'll do to you like we do with a lot of our friends; I'll extend the offer to join us for a great time with a great bunch of guys who have used golf for 11-plus years not to occupy our time, but to enrich our time together and create memories that will last forever. Oh, and I'm hoping your publication doesn't mind if we take liberty with the USGA rulebook. We play by the rules, but have added one; "There shall be no stroke counted if the individual playing from the tee box area is able to catch their drive prior to it landing." It almost happened once so we thought we better address the issue before it actually happened.

Use the "Comments" link below if you care to weigh-in on the decision. I'll be busy "concealing myself and lying in wait to attack by surprise."

--Matty G.

*Want to submit an itinerary and be Ambushed? Go to http://www.golfdigest.com/contact/ambush.

I received this e-mail from Dave Allen, Senior Editor at Golf For Women. It was worth a post:

Matty G,

Just got back from Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic last week. You DEFINITELY need to get down there. Soon. Roco Ki, Cap Cana, Puntacana...all three resorts are building new courses...and, while it's private, you need to check out the Corales Golf Club scheduled to open this fall at Puntacana Resort & Club (Tom Fazio design). The 18th hole carves around the Caribbean at 180 degrees and requires a 300-plus yard carry from one of its eight tees—clearly there for show. It's breathtaking, and the tee is built over several caves which help to spray water up in front of the tee box. A new course is breaking ground just about every month, and Jack Nicklaus' Punta Espada might be the jewel of the Caribbean (although I did not get to see Teeth of the Dog). At Roco Ki (pictured), a Nick Faldo-design scheduled to open this fall, they used the wicker drain system to build several of the greens on the mangrove portion of that course. It's quite fascinating. A specialist from MIT came up with the system which allows the greens to settle when constructed on 10-20 feet of muck. Best thing yet: Punta Cana is only a three-hour, 15-minute flight from New York!

Regards,

Dave

Dave Allen
Senior Editor
Golf for Women

Thank you, Dave. I also add this related question and answer with Mike Greenberg, ESPN anchor and ESPN Radio talk show host of "Mike and Mike in the Morning." A portion of my interview appears in the July issue of the magazine--click here to read the entire Q&A.

MG: You go to the Caribbean every year for Christmas? What's the draw there?

Greenberg: I like any number of things about it. Last year we went to a resort on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, which has a Greg Norman-designed golf course, and what I like to do there is see how many balls I can lose. When you're in the Caribbean, and it's the same in Hawaii, all the courses are right on the water, and there's a ton of wind. And so it's windy, there's water, that's the only time I will go and buy the cheapest balls they have because I know I'm leaving sleeves on the course on a per round basis. That's the only time I will actually buy the used balls in the big bucket that have been fished out of the water. I take a dozen of those because I know I'm not leaving with any of them in my bag.

--Matty G.

I won the lottery (not really). I have an unlimited budget to build the C.C. of Matty G. (never going to happen). But if it did, here are the first five things I’d approve on the to-do list of my very own country club:

1-Fast greens

The farther I have to take the putter back, the greater the chance of me missing the putt.

2-Caddies with a legit single-digit handicap

Here’s a crazy concept: People who know the game, play the game and especially play the course on a regular basis, make better caddies than the ones who don’t. I like my caddie to be better at the game than me--which isn’t asking much. If you’re a retired guy with bad knees who’s carrying bags once a week so you can get free golf, you're not doing it at my club. I’d rather carry a golf cart cart for 18 holes than have a bad caddie.

3-Salty bar snacks

I’ve destroyed the manliest of appetites by pawing bowls of salty beer snacks after a round of golf. “More snacks?” they ask. Goldfish, pretzels, anything that makes you want to lick your fertilizer-infested fingers. “Yes, please.”

Which leads me into the next most important item on the menu (that is, until I get to No. 5) . . .

4-Blue cheese olives for a dirty martini

Forget shaken, not stirred. I like ‘em cold, dirty, on the rocks and with three olives stuffed with blue cheese. 

5-Conscientious and cute bar-cart girls

Is it me or has there been a significant drop-off in bar-cart girls in this country? When did smile, positive attitude and knuckle-biting looks leave town? Ashley (pictured) at Hunter's Creek in Orlando is a dying breed. She got to our group six times a side. It was as though she had a twin (which would be too good to be true). And in an amazing display of bar-cart courage, she tried chasing down two high school kids stealing practice balls from the driving range. Dumb kids. If they had been smart they would’ve slowed down and taken their punishment.

Any list spurs debate.

Blair (Weeman) Leburn of our sales staff has played golf all over the world. He had some thoughts on this subject.

At the C.C. of Leburn there would be:

1. A great barman (or woman)
2. A great logo
3. A great showerhead
4. A great porch outside the bar overlooking the 18th green
5. $2 beer (not draft . . . must be bottle)

Sweet swinging Bruce Taylor, Godfather of our West Coast bureau, notes the C.C. of B.T. would feature:

1. Single digits only
2. Walking only, except after 4 p.m. for emergency nines
3. Chinese foot-massage therapists on staff 24/7
4. A fluffy leather couch with matching chairs, 60-inch flat-screen TVs, wood-burning (preferably cedar) fireplace in men's-only grillroom.
5. A great cheeseburger (bun must be fresh)

I call a good friend who works for TMax Gear the human blur. You can’t keep up with Greg Hemphill’s tee shots, and you simply can’t keep up with him. The C.C. of Hempy chimed in:

1. A great short-game/putting-green practice area
2. Great greens
3. A men’s grill with the atmosphere of "Cheers" and flatscreens displaying nothing but sports—EVER!
4. Quality grub at the turn
5. Fun guys (I don’t care about handicaps, I want guys I can hang with and laugh with)

Rick Hall, another member of the sales staff and editor of the website, The Best In Golf, offers the best things at the C.C. of the B.I.G.:

1. Floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in men's grill
2. Wasabi peas in a large crystal goblet on every table
3. Martini glasses kept at 0 degrees
4. Manners, not rules
5. (And most important) . . . Large shade tree on driving range under which a small, hand-painted green sign stating "Reserved For Friends of Rick"

What are the five featured items at your C.C.?

--Matty G.

Ernie Banks played 19 seasons for the Chicago Cubs. He was a 14-time All-Star and won back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player awards in 1958 and '59. He finished with 512 home runs and 1,636 RBI. He answers to the nickname Mr. Cub, and he's famous for the phrase, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame. . . . Let's play two!"

With this job I play two in one day a lot. That's the only way to get to 75 rounds on 65 courses in 12 states in seven months. I recently played "two" at the Quarry and the Legend at Giants Ridge, ranked No. 19 and 59 respectively on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses. Last week I played Pinehurst No. 2 (ranked No. 3) and Pine Needles (No. 43). At the end of April I picked up the mother of all doubles, Pebble Beach (No. 1) and Spyglass Hill (No. 11). I was in the second group out at Pebble, second-to-last group at Spyglass. I squeezed in 18 at Peter Hay for lunch. It's the nine-hole executive course across the street from Pebble (all-you-can-play for $25). We'll call that playing two and change.

For the June issue of Golf Digest I produced a Grid. It's the skinny on the best deals if you play twice in one day at four of the courses among the top 20.

Here is the complete list and the rest of my report. All prices represent peak seasons, cart fee if carts are allowed; fees are based on being a guest of the resort, if applicable.

1)    Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach. ($495/No replay rate). Can I negotiate a deal to play only holes 6 through 10, 17 and 18?

2)    Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore. ($210/$105). What's cool about Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails: You pay $315 for 36, but if you have the right tee times, enough tread on your shoes and a Sherpa for a caddie, your third round under the same sun is FREE!

3)    Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort & C.C. (No. 2). ($410/No replay rate). You can  play No. 2 only once per stay. On those greens, once is enough. Play No. 4, No. 8 or go down the street to play Pine Needles. They're all in the top 100, and they don't leave you with an uncontrollable urge to chew glass.

4)    Whistling Straits (Straits) in Haven, Wis. ($390/$290, and four hours prior to sunset it's $230).

5)    Bethpage State Park (Black) in Farmingdale, N.Y. (New York residents pay $50 during the week, $60 during the weekend. Out of state, you will pay $100 during the week and $120 on weekends.) There's no replay rate. You can play the Black course only once in a month.

6)     Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas, Nev. ($500/No replay rate). Not only do they not have a replay rate, you have to be staying at an MGM property to book a tee time Monday through Thursday, and you can play Friday through Sunday by invitation only. At five large, I'd be OK if that invite gets lost in the mail.

7)    Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Ore. (See No. 2, Pacific Dunes).

8)    The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C. ($298/$110).

9)    The Prince Course in Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. ($200/$55).

10)    Arcadia Bluffs in Arcadia, Mich. ($180/$75).

11)    Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach. ($330/$180).

12)    Blackwolf Run (River) in Kohler, Wis. ($248/$154).

13)    TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. ($350/No replay rate, but after 3 p.m.  it's $210).

14)    Tullymore Golf Club in Stanwood, Mich. ($125/$60).

15)    Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island. ($250/$125).

16)    The Homestead (Cascades) in Hot Springs, Va. ($250/$40).

17)    Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction, Colo. ($100/$49).

18)    Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. ($300/$175).

19)    The Quarry at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minn. ($95/$62). I liked the Quarry, but the Classic is the best public course in Minnesota. Read my "Away Game" about golf and fishing in Minnesota in the August issue.

20)    Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, Mich. ($150/$75).

If it's a beautiful day for golf, go play two. Or, in the case of Pacific Dunes, play three.

--Matty G.