Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2016 - 13

The Alchemist Brewery
shacks scattered throughout this Commonwealth
island, independent since
1966, at the eastern end of the Lesser
Antilles. More likely than not, the rum
comes from the Mount Gay Rum Distillery,
which has been making spirited use
of the island's sugar cane since 1703.
There's much good golf in Barbados,
including Sandy Lane, where Tiger
Woods was married (not that that
turned out so well). But the must-play
is Apes Hill, a private golf and polo
residential community which is open to
rental guests. Jeff Potts and Chris Coles
designed the course for the Landmark
Land Co. I was able to play and tour it
with them shortly after it opened in
2009, and it immediately shot to the top
of my Caribbean favorites list. And that
was before the rum.
Think American distillates, and most
of us are thinking bourbon. And when
you're thinking bourbon, you're thinking
Kentucky, most likely around Lexington.
I'm recently back from an event
there, as the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort
& Spa introduced its own house
blend: Marriott Maker's Mark Private
Select blend, made with the famed distillery
which is about an hour away.
The Griffin Gate Golf Club right on
the resort grounds is a 1981 Rees Jones
design, recently spiffed up with a $1
million bunker renovation. If not in the
world-class category of our other courses
here, guests will find it an agreeable
handful, sporting a 133 slope for men
Mount Gay Rum Distillery
Clos LaChance Winery
even from the 6,196-yard tees.
No trip to Kentucky would
Griffin Gate Marriott
Resort & Spa
be complete without its other
signature: horses. The Keeneland
thoroughbred track is minutes
away, racing in April and
October but open all year for
tours and dining.
As for beer, I'm a little spoiled living in
Vermont, where we have more breweries
per capita than any other state and,
according to various beer rankings, the
best brewery in the world (Hill Farmstead)
and, for a few years running, the
best beer in the world: a double IPA
called Heady Topper. The only problem
is actually laying hands on any of the
hard-to-find beers. But The Alchemist
brewery opened a brand-new facility in
Stowe in July, so stocking up on Heady
Topper should be somewhat easier.
It surely would be if you were staying
at the Stowe Mountain Lodge, which
introduced its own
house blend: Marriott
Maker's Mark Private
Select blend.
allows access to Stowe Mountain Club
Golf Course, a 2007 Bob Cupp design
that is a masterpiece of concision. The
course has nonpareil views of Mt. Mansfield,
the state's highest, and Spruce Peak
not far behind, and it is a wild mountainous
journey, with a 141 slope rating
for those foolish enough to play it from
the 6,411-yard tips. Settle for a 131 slope
from 6,041 yards, enjoy the views and
look forward to topping off the round
with a Heady Topper. MG
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Fall 2016 MINNESOTAGOLFER
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2016

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