Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2018 - 11

* BY TOM BEDELL *
T
a
mngolf.org
here are surely
enough course
rankings
in
the
world of golf for
any sensible person
to dare enter
that fray. But
a
notion stirred
within us that nostalgia isn't what it
used to be, and the yen arose to choose
a few " old-school " venues-courses and
resorts where it's still fun to play, but
with a more than a hint of the past clinging
to them. Maybe even a little mold,
from those old Jackie Gleason spikes
on display, Sammy
Davis Jr.'s old gloves,
or a well-worn bar
seat still reserved for
Phil Harris.
If those names
mean nothing to
you, you may want
to turn the page.
But if you have a
sentimental bone
in you that sometimes
yearns for the
way things used to
be, stick around. In
short, we went looking
for courses with
some pedigree,
brush with history
and/or celebrity,
and some classic
design out on the
course, in the clubhouse,
or in the resort architecture.
Turns out there are plenty of candidates.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
In the celebrity category, the West rules,
thanks to Hollywood's proximity. But we
found a few gems east of the Mississippi,
too. One could naturally make a case
for other resorts and courses-perhaps
many of them-but we doubt there will
be many arguments over this list of 10
old-school classics. If so, well, that's what
letters to the editor are for.
Crosby and Harris-as great a tippler as
entertainer-were over in Scotland playing
golf. After one two-round day, they
were on the road near midnight when
they passed a distillery clearly operating
a late shift. Crosby said, " Look, Phil,
they're making it faster than you can
drink it. " To which Harris replied, " Yeah,
but I've got 'em working nights. "
Speaking of Jackie Gleason, I was dismayed
to hear that one of his old stomping
grounds, The Diplomat Golf Resort
in Hallendale Beach, Florida, has closed
pending real estate development. The
Great One produced his variety show
in those parts, so he often teed it up at
The Diplomat, a genial 1958 Robert von
Hagge design (later redone by Joe Lee),
as did performers at the resort hotel-
Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Bob
Hope, Sammy Davis Jr. and the rest of
the Rat Pack. Maybe even Phil Harris.
And speaking of Phil, let's make time
for this classic story, about the time Bing
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Get Out the Persimmons
Florida still has The Biltmore Hotel in
Coral Gables, near Miami. It also closed
its 1925 Donald Ross course in July, but
that's only for a $2.5 million renovation
by Brian Silva aimed at restoring the
course to its original grandeur.
Grandeur the resort has, its classic
GERALD FORD
Mediterranean styling long a draw for
kings and counselors; even the Sultan of
Swat took his left-handed swipes out on
the course. The Miami Biltmore/Coral
Gables Open Invitational took place here
in 1931-37 and 1959-62. Walter Hagen
and Henry Ciuci tied for the title in 1931.
But you knew that.
Omni Bedford Springs
Resort in Bedford, Pa.,
dates from the early 19th
century. With supposedly
healing springs nearby,
it
CLARK GABLE
too became a luxury magnet
for the wealthy. Ten
presidents visited,
while in offi ce.
it was named a National
Historic Landmark.
In
1986, it shut its doors.
In 2007, they reopened,
JOHN & JACKIE KENNEDY
seven
In 1984,
RICHARD NIXON
Fall 2018 MINNESOTAGOLFER
11
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2018

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