Taking A Walk in the Park with Jay Flemma
Jay Flemma is a New York-based entertainment, copyright and trademark lawyer who is passionate about golf. So passionate that he decided to make golf, and writing about golf, an avocation: Jay began visiting golf courses around the world, searching for the best public golf. Courses that are terrific places to play, that are open to the public, and that don't break the bank. As he writes on his blog, "If you are sick of skyrocketing green fees, boring layouts, scrambling for tee times, and those muni-course blues, take heart.
We make egalitarianism a part of the game again. We tell you which courses are worth the money and why."
Jay's efforts have culminated to in two intertwined projects: a frequently updated blog on golf course artchitecture and great public golf values, A Walk in the Park; and a planned series of golf guidebooks under the same name. The first book is currently planned for a Spring 2006 release, with regional volumes to follow.
Along the way, Jay has visited numerous countries, most of the states and hundreds of golf courses. You can follow along with his travels at his blog; you can also find some of his golf course photos here on About.com Golf. We spoke with Jay recently about his project and his passion.
What is the basic outline of your project, "A Walk in the Park"?
I'm writing a series of purely public golf course travel guides called "A Walk in the Park." I have played over 200 courses ranked in various magazines as well as some courses ranked highly in their states, and am evaluating them by two main factors: first, the excitement in the design, and second, their value.
The goal is to tell the consumers which courses are really worth their hard-earned money and why. The guides also offer playing tips, interesting stories from the designers and pros and travel tips, such as the most economical time to go.
For example, at $260 per round, Troon North could break the bank - but at $75 in the summer it's a steal. Yes it gets hot, but you can put together an epic trip in the Southwest with a little extra sunblock and water.
Then every 9 months or so we will do regional volumes - "A Walk in the Park Florida" or "A Walk in the Park Virginia-Carolina," etc., until we cover the nine regions into which we divided the country. We'll also update the national volume every four years or so to add new courses and intersperse volumes of British courses or private courses, too.
The goal is increasing the accessibility of public golf to everybody and helping people get the most bang for their buck.
As a bonus, I have had the good fortune to meet and interview some terrific course designers. So the book will feature interviews with greats such as Mike Strantz and Brian Silva - sharing their philosophies on design and the golf world. Their insights really give the project an added dimension that's informative and fun.
What motivated you to take on this project, and when and how did you get started?
There were three main factors.
First, most golf books are pretty much useless. Some are "Top 100" or "Top 50" and include private courses. These books sell poorly because who wants a book mostly filled with courses you can't play? That's no fun.
Next, some guides offer hundreds of courses with a little blurb about each one - but the blurb is inaccurate. Take Zagats for example. If you believe them, then 5 of the top 11 courses in the country are in New York City.
Many such guides feature only comments from people who've written in to the authors, people who will naturally favor their nearby course. For example, there's an entry on Montauk Downs that says it is "Shinnecock Hills for the masses. A fantastic links course. Skip Bethpage and play here." That's so wrong as to be laughable; or it would be laughable if it did not totally mislead the consumer! Montauk is a classic Robert Trent Jones parkland design. It has no links elements whatsoever except, one, it's near the ocean and, two, it's windy. Other than that, the approaches are severely uphill and are not welcoming to bump and run shots. There are many forced carries, especially on approaches. Don't get me wrong, Montauk is a solid course, but its not a links and is not on the same level as Shinnecock or Bethpage. To skip Bethpage to play there would be to skip the Louvre Museum to go to out for a nice dinner.
(Continued on Next Page)
We make egalitarianism a part of the game again. We tell you which courses are worth the money and why."
Jay's efforts have culminated to in two intertwined projects: a frequently updated blog on golf course artchitecture and great public golf values, A Walk in the Park; and a planned series of golf guidebooks under the same name. The first book is currently planned for a Spring 2006 release, with regional volumes to follow.
Along the way, Jay has visited numerous countries, most of the states and hundreds of golf courses. You can follow along with his travels at his blog; you can also find some of his golf course photos here on About.com Golf. We spoke with Jay recently about his project and his passion.
What is the basic outline of your project, "A Walk in the Park"?
I'm writing a series of purely public golf course travel guides called "A Walk in the Park." I have played over 200 courses ranked in various magazines as well as some courses ranked highly in their states, and am evaluating them by two main factors: first, the excitement in the design, and second, their value.
The goal is to tell the consumers which courses are really worth their hard-earned money and why. The guides also offer playing tips, interesting stories from the designers and pros and travel tips, such as the most economical time to go.
For example, at $260 per round, Troon North could break the bank - but at $75 in the summer it's a steal. Yes it gets hot, but you can put together an epic trip in the Southwest with a little extra sunblock and water.
Then every 9 months or so we will do regional volumes - "A Walk in the Park Florida" or "A Walk in the Park Virginia-Carolina," etc., until we cover the nine regions into which we divided the country. We'll also update the national volume every four years or so to add new courses and intersperse volumes of British courses or private courses, too.
The goal is increasing the accessibility of public golf to everybody and helping people get the most bang for their buck.
As a bonus, I have had the good fortune to meet and interview some terrific course designers. So the book will feature interviews with greats such as Mike Strantz and Brian Silva - sharing their philosophies on design and the golf world. Their insights really give the project an added dimension that's informative and fun.
What motivated you to take on this project, and when and how did you get started?
There were three main factors.
First, most golf books are pretty much useless. Some are "Top 100" or "Top 50" and include private courses. These books sell poorly because who wants a book mostly filled with courses you can't play? That's no fun.
Next, some guides offer hundreds of courses with a little blurb about each one - but the blurb is inaccurate. Take Zagats for example. If you believe them, then 5 of the top 11 courses in the country are in New York City.
Many such guides feature only comments from people who've written in to the authors, people who will naturally favor their nearby course. For example, there's an entry on Montauk Downs that says it is "Shinnecock Hills for the masses. A fantastic links course. Skip Bethpage and play here." That's so wrong as to be laughable; or it would be laughable if it did not totally mislead the consumer! Montauk is a classic Robert Trent Jones parkland design. It has no links elements whatsoever except, one, it's near the ocean and, two, it's windy. Other than that, the approaches are severely uphill and are not welcoming to bump and run shots. There are many forced carries, especially on approaches. Don't get me wrong, Montauk is a solid course, but its not a links and is not on the same level as Shinnecock or Bethpage. To skip Bethpage to play there would be to skip the Louvre Museum to go to out for a nice dinner.
(Continued on Next Page)
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