Journal Entry #3
Monday, 5/19/2003
by: John K. Darling
My wife, Marilynn, and I recently flew down to Houston, Texas to visit our son, Eric, who is finishing up his Ph.D. work in Bioengineering at Rice University. Of course I was also going down there to play some golf. In my college years I learned to play golf, if you could call it learning…or golf, at the Memorial Park Golf Course. The course is near and dear to me as well because my mother, Anne Darling, was the municipal champion there back in the 40s or 50s.
The trip down and back was uneventful except for the elevators not working in the Ramada Plaza Hotel, Sonic being out of onion rings, and the coffee machine being broken on our flight back on Continental Air. In defense of Continental, we departed on time going down and were only modestly late on departure coming back, and we got all our baggage coming and going. That has not happened in awhile on other airlines. One last eventful thing is that my artificial hip did set off the metal detector at the airports. So did my belt buckle and the metal eyes on my Top-Sider loafers. I guess I have to resign myself to the "wand" every trip now.
The Memorial Park Golf Course architect was John Bredemus and the course was constructed in 1936. Hey, that's the year I was born. Way to go, Mom. In 1995 the course was completely renovated by Baxter Spann Riviere/Marr. If the Marr was Dave Marr, I met him when I was a pre-teen and he was a friend of my mother's as well. There is a Dave Marr Golf School at the course and the current head professional is Glenn A. Childress. I missed meeting Glenn in the morning, and he was gone when we finished our round. I wanted to update him on the new PGA/PGM program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, but had to just leave him brochures.
If you get to Houston I recommend you play Memorial. The course is not extremely difficult, but it is a challenge. I give it a provisional SFG-6.5 rating. Tee times are by lottery but you can make them by visiting the web site: www.MemorialParkGolf.com. You'll need to go to the web site to find all the rates too. There are a bunch of them including senior and twilight. Weekend rates are higher. Can you believe it, senior rates, 65 and over, are only $8 Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. We paid $32 on Friday, which is considered a weekend day. A large bucket of balls is only $6. What a deal. We shared one.
I remember Memorial as a flat and heavily wooded golf course. It had been about 40 years since I had played it. The course has been beautifully renovated and the flat fairways have been replaced with some nicely sculptured configurations. There are now 10 hazards, nine of which come into play, and 54 bunkers, which as you know all come into play for us seniors. I am not sure which hole is the signature hole, but it's probably number 15 which requires a 144 yard carry to clear the water and settle immediately on the green. I just called to confirm this information on Tuesday and found that the course is closed on Tuesdays, so don't plan to play on that day. Tournaments are held fairly regularly, so check and make sure one isn't being held, or else you won't get on the course.
Most of the four and five pars give room to fade and draw the ball. That's scratch golfer lingo for what I know as hook and slice. However, there are several tight exits from tee boxes as well. Most of the water takes an effort to get into and the rough is for the most part kind, but in some rough you can just forget about finding your ball.
You get a free drop out of planted wildflower areas, which are easy to find your balls in. Eric found this to be true. The beds look like links grass this time of year; i.e., dry and stringy. He walked into one of those wildflower areas to hit a shot only to have the course marshal come over and scold him to "get out of my flower bed." "Sorry, Sir"…shank!
The greens are still coming in, but contours are not too difficult. The traps are about what I would call medium size. No huge Saharas to cross or get out of and the consistency is good, not too soft or hard.
Joe Chan joined us on our round. He is a third year resident at Baylor Medical School after completing his pre-med at Vanderbilt following undergraduate work at The University of San Diego. After his Baylor tour he will be off to Oregon Medical School to complete his education. Eric asked him if his residency was anything like the TV show "Scrubs." He said it was including the surgeon "athletes" and all the rest. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall there?
Places to eat? My son makes sure that we enjoy some of Houston's finest cuisine when we visit. Typical of college students on a limited budget, wouldn't you say? After all, it's on Mom and Dad, isn't it? The first night we went to a fine Greek restaurant, Mykonos Island Restaurant. It is located at 2181 Richmond Avenue. Prices were modest, $15 to $20. The Island was Greek, not Hawaiian or Caribbean. The next day we had lunch at the Amazon Grill on Kirby Drive. Prices also modest and the meals could double for dinner they were so good. $10 to $15. That evening was the best, the Sierra Grill on Montrose Boulevard. Prices in the $20 to $35 range but well worth it. We celebrated Mother's Day at Kam's Fine Chinese Cuisine which was good. Prices were modest $10 to $15 and Eric picked up the check. After all, it was Mother's Day. Since I will miss being with Eric on Father's Day, they reminded me that this dinner was also to celebrate my day.
Was it hot? Houston in May, a record 92 degrees with probably 110% humidity. I took Butch Harmon's advice and played with only my odd numbered clubs just for fun and to limit weight load for our flights. It worked. I shot a 95, my best for this year.
One last thing. We enjoyed Houston's annual "Art Car" parade. I'll write an article with lots of photos for our new web link soon.
Email comments to: john@seniorfriendlygolf.com Handicap: 21.7
Postal mail: c/o SeniorFriendlygolf, PO Box. 38951, Colorado Springs CO 80937