December 4, 2010 - Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta, California

Walking into the lobby of the clubhouse that the Jack Nicklaus and Stadium courses share takes you to a different place and time.  Dark wood surrounds you, cases with memorabilia from golfing greats beckon you at every turn, tile floors with the names of legends that have won titles on these courses are under your feet, and possibly the greatest pro shop in the world is a few steps away.  

With a sweeping vista of the course sits Ernie's, a restaurant and bar that carries on the burnished feel of the place.  Ernie's Bar & Grill  Stan and I sat down for breakfast; he ordered the Western Home Breakfast (scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon and toast - what else?), and I had oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, and orange juice.  Stan wasn't mad about his breakfast (he's never happy with the bacon, no matter where we are - he's on an endless search for good bacon, and, I have to hand it to him, he just keeps on trying), he didn't like the potatoes or the eggs, but he thought the coffee was delish!  My oatmeal was pretty bland, but it sticks to my ribs, which is what I was after.

Hearty breakfast fare at Ernie's at PGA West.

We saw Joe and his adorable wife, Kristi, and the soon-to-be-born Baby Dougherty at breakfast.  We warmed up a bit on the driving range (Joe wanted me to practice my chipping) and got to the first tee.   

Joe and Kristi Dougherty

The Nicklaus course is stunningly beautiful and more difficult than the Norman Course. Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course  The Greg Norman course can be forgiving in that if you miss the fairway, you usually wind up on hard dirt which can cause your ball to roll down to the fairway.  No such luck with the Nicklaus course.  The fairways are set apart by dormant grass hills and ravines (it looks like dead grass to me).  They are emerald green jewels surrounded by beige.  If you miss the fairway you are essentially screwed because the ravines snake around and through the fairways, cutting them off and making it difficult to make a shot.   

The dormant grass is deep and it seems to swallow your ball.  I had to dig out of that a number of times today, both in the ravines and on the hills.  Joe said that if he had known there were so many hills, he would have given us a hill lesson before we came.  He said that there was a quote in the clubhouse lobby about how this course was friendly to women.  I guess if you’re a female golf champion it’s friendly.  Otherwise, not so much.

Swallowed up by grass and the enormity of the hole.

I started out pretty well with a bogey on the first and third holes and a double bogey on the second.  Then, in rapid succession, came an 8, 10, 7 and 9.  Hoo boy.  Stan started out with an 8, then had a 7, 4, 7, 6, 7 and 10.  The great driving he had yesterday had somehow disappeared.  He said he lost his mojo.  But he sure had it on the 4^th hole where he had a 273 yard drive.  Amazing!  He was stoked, to say the least.  Stan is marking the scorecards with an “F” if we make the fairway.  Every time one of us would land on the fairway, we’d shout out “I get an F” which, when we were in school would not have made our parents very proud.  Today, it’s a different story.  Of course, Joe would smile at virtually every hole with a “Give me an F.”  He’s awesome!

We stopped in the clubhouse at the Market Cafe for a sandwich.  I had a turkey wrap and Stan had a hot dog.  Joe and Kristi had ordered and run off before I knew what they had for lunch.  No pictures of the food, but Stan loved his hot dog and my wrap fell apart.  I wasn't too happy with that; trying to keep myself clean and fed while bumping along the cart path and eating my sandwich.  It sure was great having Kristi along today.  Joe seemed so happy she was there, and I can see why.  She is so easy to be with and as cute as can be.

The back nine was a little better for me, but about the same for Stan.  He shot a 61 on both the front and the back for a total of 122.  I shot a 63 on the front and 60 on the back for a total of 123.  I hit 8 out of 14 fairways, but Stan hit only 3 out of 14.  Stan thought that after he had his hot dog he would get his driving mojo back, but it wasn't to be.  

We both had 43 putts today.  Even though our scores don’t tell the story, it was a very good instructional and learning day.  My chipping had improved quite a bit, although I still have a bit of trouble on my fairway shots.  My driving was so-so, and I never had more than a three-putt, so that was good.  My head is still traveling all over the place, and I have to learn to stay low, keep my head down and steady and use my legs.  Oh, I wish I could remember everything and not have my adrenaline kick in and my heart pound when I’m actually making a shot.

Happy playing golf together.

Joe, Kristi and the future Baby Dougherty.

After clearing out of the clubhouse, we headed for the hotel room and a quick shower before we met Gretchen, Stan's longtime friend, at The Homestead restaurant in La Quinta.  The Homestead  Gretchen and her husband, Rollie, live in La Quinta year-round.  They are avid tennis players and have no interest in golf, but I think Gretchen is happy we play golf here so she can see her old buddy Stan.  Rollie developed a case of the flu earlier in the day and decided it best to stay home, so it was just Gretchen, Stan and me.  The Homestead has to be one of the most charming places I've seen in a long time.  It kind of reminds me of a restaurant we went to in Atlanta, Georgia, all white clapboard, brick and homey-feeling.  It was originally a ranch home, built in the 1930s.  There is a fire pit in the back of the house where you can relax and have a cocktail or roast s'mores.  I got a beautiful glass of Murphy-Goode Pinot Noir.  Stan got a white zinfandel and Gretchen was already nursing a Chardonnay when we got there.  She was bundled up in a red plaid shawl, supplied by the restaurant, and looked like she could be on a Christmas card, sitting by the fire, wrapped in red plaid and a white fluffy scarf she had knitted herself.

Stan and Gretchen.  Note the long s'mores sticks.

We were seated by the fireplace inside where it was toasty warm and ordered our dinners.  Gretchen ordered sauteed calves liver with caramelized onions, apples and bacon ($19).  Stan ordered spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce ($13.50) and I ordered the New York steak, a 10-ounce hand cut steak with maitre'd butter for Stan and I to share ($28).  Each entree came with soup or house salad, fries or mashed potatoes (I asked for mashed but got a baked which made me happy), fresh vegetable (a sautee of julienned carrots, green beans and squash) and homemade rice pudding.  The prices were unbelievable for all the food we got.  We all ordered salad, which was chopped, and I ordered Ranch dressing on the side.  Their dressing was very good, and Stan, who is a salad guy, adored the creamy balsamic vinaigrette that was tossed on his salad.   

A simple salad, but very good.

My New York steak on the left and Stan's spaghetti and meatballs on the right.

Gretchen and her fantastic calves liver.

My steak was very tender and flavorful, so worth what we paid for it.  The maitre'd butter was tangy and good and added just that something that elevated the steak beyond ordinary.  Stan loved his spaghetti and meatballs.  He said the only meatballs that were better were the ones I make at home from Ina Garten's cookbook.  Gretchen said her calves liver was "fantastic."  

We left The Homestead knowing that we had a 5:00 a.m. wake up call for a 7:00 tee time.  I was ready to hit the hay and dream of perfecting my swing for the most difficult golf course in California.