My Clubs
St. Ives Country Club
When I first got into golf, I had to have a place to play and practice. St. Ives is less than fifteen minutes from my
house, has a great range, many of my friends play there, and has many other amenities that my family and I
enjoy. The course is a Tom Fazio design that is rated 72.2/140 from the 6,600 yards green tees, which are the
ones I normally play. I’ve come to have great relationships with many of the members and the staff at St. Ives,
which is just as satisfying to me as playing a great course.
Rivermont Golf and Country Club
I was first turned on to Rivermont through Golf Club Atlas. There was a discussion about spending time on a golf
construction site in an attempt to learn about golf course architecture. Chris Cupit, the owner of Rivermont, was
doing some course renovation at the time and he invited me to check out the work he was doing. This proved to
be educational and opened the door to a great friendship. I believe Rivermont is a golf course architecture fan’s
dream come true. The club doesn’t have the prestige of an East Lake or Atlanta Athletic Club, but the actual golf
course is one of the best in the entire State of Georgia. It was designed by Michael Riley (and Chris Cupit) and, if
given the right opportunity, Mr. Riley will become the next big thing is the world of golf course architecture.
Dismal River
Dismal River is my favorite place to be on the face of the earth. And the reasons for this are numerous.
First off, I LOVE the golf course. The course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and his team and in keeping with the
Nicklaus style it is dramatic and interesting tee to green. On top of that, Dismal was designed after Nicklaus’ work
with Tom Doak at Sebonack and the greens at Dismal River reflect that extra layer of amazing-ness.
Secondly, the land of the Nebraska Sand Hills is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It is, literally, like being on the bottom
of the ocean without the water; amazing dunes, hills, valleys, and slopes. Adding this amazing landscape to the
dramatic design yields a unique and awesome golf experience.
Thirdly, like at Rivermont, I’ve come to know the owner of the club, Chris Johnston, and his interest in golf course
architecture takes the experience of being a member to the next level.
Fourthly, the people in the Sand Hills are some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. Again, this takes the
experience to the next level.
Fifthly, seeing the new course being designed by Tom Doak and his crew is really interesting.
Sixthly, the lodging, food, and clubhouse is 5 star. For a National/destination club, I find this to be very important.
And finally, being a member of Dismal River also allows you to access Dismal’s sister clubs: Concession in Florida;
Cruden Bay in Scotland; Kingsley in Michgan and the use of Pittmore Castle while in St. Andrews.
Give me some time, I'll probably come up with a few more reasons why I love the place.