Journal Entry #19
Wednesday - Wednesday
November 12 - 19, 2003
After my monthly commitment to attend the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Ambassador lunch meeting, I took off for Phoenix to visit golf courses and get my 90-day check-up following prostrate cancer brachytherapy surgery. Dr. Gordon L. Grado has done it again. He has succeeded with over 4.000 successful procedures and I am now added to that list. His words to me, after consultation and checking me over, were, "do you want the good news or the good news?" That was quite a relief. Back in July my urologist in Colorado Springs had told me, "I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you have prostrate cancer." The good news from Dr. Grado was that there was no more sign of the cancer. He wants to see me again in six months.
If you want to know more about prostate cancer and brachytherapy see my #14 article in the archives. If you know someone who may have prostrate cancer ask them go to the following website: www.prostatecancer.com. They may also call or email me for support: 888-264-7966, john@SeniorFriendlyGolf.com
Upon arrival in Phoenix I had the pleasure of playing a round of golf with Jim Fletcher, the father of one of my very dear friends in Colorado Springs. We played at the Grandview Golf Course in Sun City West. I evaluated the course and it scored a SFG rating of 6.5 on a scale of 10 for most friendly. All Sun City West courses are private, but there is one that is not. The one open to the public is Hillcrest Golf Club at Sun City West. It looks nice. You can bring it up by going to www.SeniorFriendlyGolf.com and on the "select a state" link pull up Arizona courses and then Sun City West.
 JIM FLETCHER GOLFING BUDDY |
 GRANDVIEW SIGNATURE HOLE #13 |
After golfing with Jim, I drove over to Gilbert to stay with my niece and nephew. That evening we enjoyed dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant. The next morning I was off to Sedona to accept an invitation for a round of golf with a new friend, Wayne Williams, who is the President of www.GolfTestUSA.com. What beautiful country. In a couple of weeks Wayne is off to Africa on a mission to enhance trade between that country and ours. Wayne is multi-business talented. We had lunch at the Sedona Golf Resort where I met their Director of Golf, Dale Samar. The restaurant was excellent. I wish I had had time to play the course. Maybe I will on my next trip in May. He mentioned a new course, StoneRidge, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Check out this site: www.suncorgolf.com. After lunch we played the Oakcreek Country Club Course, which is open to the public. The Director of Golf is Gary Pearce. Call 928-284-1660 to arrange a tee time. The SFG course review and rating is coming soon.
 SEDONA GOLF RESORT VIEW FROM CLUBHOUSE |
 WAYNE & DAVID WILLIAMS AT THE OAKCREEK COUNTRY CLUB |
After Sedona, I drove up to Flagstaff to spend the night and the next morning I searched for the Elden Hills Golf Club, which is public, but the name has changed to Continental Country Club. I missed the Golf Director, who is Leon Schwebke, but discussed UCCS/PGA/PGM with Mark Robinson, the Head PGA Professional. The view is great and the course is undergoing watering renovation. www.continentalflagstaff.com or call 928-527-7997. You can also email info@golfflagstaff.com.
 CONTINENTAL COUNTRY CLUB CLUBHOUSE |
 MARK ROBINSON, PGA HEAD PROFESSIONAL |
Next stop, Winslow, Arizona and the Santa Fe Station Golf Course. Only problem is that it is closed down permanently and has been for some time. So, so much for Arizona this trip.
Gallup, New Mexico was at one time a famous stop on historic route 66. I was surprised there was so much community south of the off-highway business strip. I was able to find the Gallup Municipal Golf Course after driving through a nice residential area. It had just opened after heavy rains several days before. Even the desert gets rain once in awhile. Ramona Quintana greeted me in the pro shop. The PGA Golf Professional is Alex Alvarez, but he was not available. The golf course is in a flood plane situated well below the clubhouse and looked interesting. Call 505-863-9224.
 RAMONA QUINTANA PRO SHOP ASSISTANT |
 GALLUP MUNICIPAL VIEW FROM CLUBHOUSE |
Next stop, Grants, New Mexico. As I approached the town on the south access road I noticed what appeared to be a golf course of some kind or another. It looked like my Grandfather's pecan orchard in Lucedale, Mississippi used to look, only with fairways cut through it. The course was of the pasture type. Flat. Lots of leaves too. I don't believe I would like to play this course because I probably could not find my golf ball most of the time. There appeared to be no character to the layout.
When I finally found the golf course there were two stucco buildings. On one there was a sign, Zuni Mountain Golf Course, painted on it. Mountain? Not. The other was green. I chose to go into the green one because it was the newer of the two. Not the right choice. I woke a guy up who was on a sofa snoozing with the New Mexico vs. Air Force Academy football game on his television. All was not lost, however, since he was the girls' basketball coach at the high school. He took the UCCS/PGA/PGM materials to give to the golf coach.
So, I went next door to the clubhouse, if you can call it that. Ashley Metzer greeted me and accepted the materials I had. She would not let me take her photo, camera shy, and she called someone to get directions for me to get to the other Grants golf course, Coyote del Malpais. After about 30 minutes, and being stopped by a Grants policeman for going 45 in a 35 MPH zone, I found the course located near the New Mexico State Women's Prison and a huge tomato growing complex. They grow tomatoes inside in Grants.
The Clubhouse was beautiful and the course reminded me of the Glen Rose, Texas Squaw Valley Apache Links course. The similarity was that both courses have burns or moguls arranged on the course. In Grants the problem is flat land, so the fairways had to be carved out of the desert to give them character. Later I saw on the score card 17 bodies of water, which I did not notice from the clubhouse. The course was built by the City of Grants and the clubhouse was attractive and attests to the community's commitment to make the town a stop for the golfing public. I hope to play it on my next trip south. Manny Martinez is the class "A" PGA golf professional. Manny, sorry your photo did not come out too well. Too much back glare. Call ahead or just walk on. 505-285-5544.
 COYOTE DEL MALPAIS CLUBHOUSE |
 MANNY MARTINEZ, PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL |
 TOMATO FACTORY |
 VIEW OF THE MOGULS |
Sunday morning I'm off early on my home stretch to Colorado Springs. I took exit #259 to fill up at the Indian owned Phillips 66 gas station just north of Albuquerque. Gasoline is about 25 cents a gallon less there than anywhere else I know of in New Mexico. As I approached the station on New Mexico road 22 I noticed a sign. "Golf Course 15 miles." Since I had an early start I decided to drive out to see what kind of a golf course would be in this desolate rocky brush desert. Twenty-five minutes later a sign welcomed me to the town of Cochiti and then another to the Pueblo de Cochiti Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Wow! The clubhouse must have cost millions to build and I am sure millions of tons of good earth had to be trucked in. This course is country club quality and open to the public. It is also rated by Golf Digest as one of the 75 most affordable courses in America. Elva Arquero, Pro-Shop manager and her assistant, Jude Suina, welcomed me. I could not resist playing the course. I also rated it and it turned out to be one of the most challenging I have played this year. The SFG rating is 5.5 and that is challenging. However, the beauty of the course and country around it merits your taking a day out of your trip to play. Holes #9 and #18 are signature holes. On number 10 I met another friend, a coyote. The Director of Golf is Steve Schoch. 505-465-2230/2239. The price was right at $39 including cart, and if I had played Monday through Thursday a free lunch would have been included.
 WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF TOCHITI LAKE |
 GOLF COURSE SIGN |
 PUEBLO DE COCHITI GOLF COURSE CLUBHOUSE |
 EVA AND JUDE IN THE GOLF SHOP |
 SIGNATURE HOLE #9 |
 MY FRIEND ON #10 |
 SIGNATURE HOLE #18 FROM TEE |
 HOLE #18 APPRACH |
*The Pueblo de Cochiti Golf Course is one of six on Golf on the Santa Fe Trail. www.santafetrailgolf.com. If you have ever played the Robert Jones Trail in Alabama you will enjoy this one. You may even enjoy it more, since the green fees are probably a better buy.