About the Old Man

The Old Man (history), a mostly disembodied, online creature, took up golf in May 2010. He writes about it in his life, mediated by the arts, primarily literature.

The site map and library list influences. His narrative equipment: fiction, memoir, photo, video, scorecard, map, event planning, taxonomy, product placement and more. He started with the commonplace that art can be found anywhere, even in golf. The Old Man (“With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.” Humpty Dumpty) and the stereotypical golfer play different games.

Current Writing

See Previews at Future Fairways.

Other Writing

During breaks from club business, the Old Man withdraws to a Room with a Keyboard.

Fictional Site Visits

California
Sunnylands (design: Wilson), Rancho Mirage

Georgia
Augusta National Golf Club (A. MacKenzie/Jones), Augusta

New York
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (Flynn), Southampton

Oregon
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Old Macdonald: Doak/Urbina), Bandon

Pennsylvania
Allegheny Country Club (Ross/Hanse), Sewickley Heights
Linden Hall (P. Snead), Dawson
Wingfield Pines (Palombo), South Fayette/Upper St. Clair

England
Heythrop Park (T. MacKenzie), Oxfordshire

Germany
Trümmerbahnen (Weber), Braunschweig/Berlin

Ireland
Taylor’s Hill Pitch & Putt and Galway Golf Club (A. MacKenzie), Galway

Mexico
Agua Caliente Casino and Resort (Wm. Bell, Sr.), Tijuana

The Netherlands
Deposition of C. H. W. d’Artillac Brill (Colt), Zandvoort

Non-Fictional Site Visits

Arizona
Fred Enke (design: Benz/Phelps), Tucson

California
Admiral Baker, North Course (Daray), San Diego
Admiral Baker, South Course (Daray/Halsey), San Diego
Arrowood (Robinson), Oceanside
Balboa Park 18 Municipal (& Balboa 9) (Wm. Bell, Sr./Halsey Daray), San Diego
Bonita (Wm. Bell, Jr.), Bonita
Boulder Oaks (Sanderson/Fleming), Escondido
Carlton Oaks (Perry Dye), Santee
Castle Creek (Daray), Escondido
Cathedral Canyon (D. Rainville), Cathedral City
Chula Vista Municipal (Casper)
Cimarron, Boulder Course (Fought), Cathedral City
Cimarron, Pebble Course (Fought), Cathedral City
Coronado Municipal (Daray/Halsey)
Cottonwood, Lakes Course (Moorman/Sears), El Cajon (No Longer Extant)
Cottonwood, Ivanhoe Course (Moorman/Sears), El Cajon
Desert Dunes (Trent Jones, Jr.), Desert Hot Springs
Eagle Crest (D. Rainville), Escondido
EastLake (Robinson), Chula Vista
Emerald Isle (Gandy), Oceanside
Fallbrook (H. Rainville), Fallbrook (NLE)
Goat Hill Park (Keehn), Oceanside
Indian Canyons, North Course (Wm. Bell, Jr.), Palm Springs
Marine Memorial, Air Station Miramar (Daray), San Diego
Marine Memorial, Camp Pendleton (Wm. P. Bell, Sr.), Oceanside
Meadow Lake (Sanderson), Escondido
Mission Bay Municipal (Robinson), San Diego
Mission Trails (Wm. Bell, Jr.), San Diego
Mt. Woodson (Schmidt/Curley), Ramona
National City (Bermudas), National City
Oaks North (Robinson), Rancho Bernardo
Oasis (D. Rainville), Palm Desert
Oceanside Municipal (Robinson)
Pala Mesa (Johnson), Fallbrook
Presidio Hills (par 3), San Diego
Reidy Creek (Olson), Escondido
Riverwalk (Robinson), San Diego
Rustic Canyon (Hanse/Shackelford), Moor Park
Sail Ho (Spalding), San Diego
Salt Creek (Bickler/Cook), Chula Vista (NLE)
Shadow Mountain (Sarazen), Palm Desert
SilverRock (Palmer), La Quinta
Singing Hills at Sycuan, Pine Glen Course (Holingsworth/Robinson), El Cajon
Singing Hills at Sycuan, Oak Glen Course (Holingsworth/Robinson/Fleming), El Cajon
Singing Hills at Sycuan, Willow Glen Course (Robinson), El Cajon
Suncrest (Watson), Palm Desert
Tahquitz Creek, Legends Course (Wm. Bell, Jr.), Palm Springs
Tecolote Canyon (Trent Jones), San Diego
Torrey Pines Municipal, South Course (Wm. Bell, Sr. and Jr.), La Jolla
Twin Oaks (Robinson), San Marcos
The Vineyard (D. Rainville), Escondido
Warner Springs (D. Rainville), Warner Springs
Woods Valley (Ginkel), Valley Center

Colorado
Flatiron Municipal (Tucker), Boulder

Connecticut
Shennecossett (Ross/Mungeam), Groton

Pennsylvania
Mt. Lebanon Municipal, previously Castle Shannon Golf Club (Ormiston)
Ranch View (par 3), North Strabane (NLE)
Schenley Park Municipal (Ormiston), Pittsburgh
South Park Municipal (Loeffler/McGlynn), Library

South Carolina
Charleston Municipal (Adams)
Springfield (Johnston), Fort Mill

Mexico
Bajamar, Vista 9 (Clifford) and Oceano 9 (Von Hagge), Ensenada

As observer
The Farms (P. Dye/Fought), Rancho Santa Fe CA
Mission Hills, Dinah Shore Course (Muirhead), Rancho Mirage CA
Oakmont (Fownes), Oakmont PA
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa (Thomas, Bell Sr., Morrish), Ojai CA
Sunnylands (Wilson), Rancho Mirage CA

Under scrutiny of Golf Widow
Admiral Baker, North Course
Balboa Park 18 Municipal
SilverRock
Suncrest

Non-Fictional Wish List

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon OR
“Hidden Gems” (incl. nine-hole courses) of Pennsylvania
National Golf Links of America, Southampton NY
Pine Valley Golf Club, Pine Valley NJ

Hometown (Pittsburgh area) Visits

Bethel Park (Crystal Drive), Castle Shannon (Crystal Drive), Dawson (Linden Hall), Downtown (Exit the Son), Millvale (The Secret of the Orphanage), Mt. Lebanon (Crystal Drive; Ordale, Home of Golf; Putting Green), North Strabane (Ranch View Father-Son Challenge), Oakmont (The Secret of the Orphanage), Sewickley Heights (Deposition of C. H. W. d’Artillac Brill, Folly, The Molyneaux Invitational, The Old Man Invitational), South Fayette (Mayview), Library (The Open) and Upper St. Clair (Mayview)

Selected Equipment

The Delinquent (Cleveland driver)
The Geologist (Kenneth Noble Sandefur putter, club head provenance: Tecopa Hills CA)
The Grandpa (maternal grandfather’s Spalding persimmon 2-wood, for honorific and decorative purposes)
The Portmanteau (golf bag)