http://chrissantella.net Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:12:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A few weeks back, I visited New Orleans for the International Fly Tackle Dealer show.  I would have preferred visiting Denver, the historical site of the show, as New Orleans in August is a little sticky for my taste.  (The day I touched down, the temperature was 97 and the humidity 90%, giving the Big Easy a heat index of 116 – nice!)  Nonetheless, it’s always fun to walk through hotel lobbies where almost every ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/books/1075/of-new-orleans-branding-and-awards Every generation or so, the subject of paving the Deschutes River access road from Sherars Falls to Mack’s Canyon is brought up for discussion. The notion is always quickly shot down, with the guide community leading the charge.  “The crowds will be unbearable on an already crowded river,” is the sentiment.  Prospects for a paved road are tabled for another 10 or 20 years, and some of its opponents proceed to drive the roughly 17-mile ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/fly-fishing/1072/the-karma-of-broken-trailers As a non-fish eater, I was taken aback when Peter Kairaoi, lead guide for Christmas Island Outfitters, took a healthy bite from a dead and rather pungent milkfish he was shredding and tossing into the water for chum.  My gag reflex was pre-empted by a burst of adrenaline as Kairaoi interrupted his sashimi snack to yell “Trevally!”  A large shadow moved onto the flat, zigging and zagging in search of its next meal.  It sped ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/fly-fishing/1066/giant-trevally-%e2%80%93-a-%e2%80%9cchristmas%e2%80%9d-gift-for-anglers I wake each day to National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.  One recent morning, the story corresponding to the opening of my eyes did not concern troop withdrawal in Iraq or flooding in Arkansas.  It was about America’s glut of golf courses and how the laws of supply and demand are compelling many courses to close.  “The golf courses that were built, in many cases, were built purely as an amenity to sell real estate, where ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/golf/1053/pronghorn-tryingeconomictimesarepublicsgain There’s a thrill that comes from visiting a new destination and finding that it rebukes every one of your expectations – but that it’s still wonderful.  There’s also a thrill that comes from reaching that destination and finding that it perfectly matches the image you carried in your mind’s eye.   The latter is how Darrin Gee characterizes Mauna Kea.  “For me, Mauna Kea frames the mainlander’s vision of Hawaii golf in every conceivable way.  There’s ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/golf/courses-and-travel/1019/mauna-kea-hawaii-recommended-by-darrin-gee Given the imperative to show return on investment as soon as possible, golf course developers cannot afford to take a “build it and then they will come” approach.  Smart impresarios know that they should begin building buzz before the first bulldozer arrives at the proposed sight. Indeed, a high level of pre-pre-opening excitement about a course can keep seed money flowing should unexpected development bumps (like extra drainage work on the back nine or a ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/golf/1009/building-a-good-buzz-the-promise-of-cabot-links Having recently moved to Oregon and been bitten by the steelhead bug – and having a friend in the fishing travel business who regaled me with tales of the chrome monsters lurking in the famed Bulkley – I decided to make the trek north.  A spendy B.C. lodge was out of the question on my budget, but a tent wouldn’t do either, as my wife and 18 month-old daughter (and the wife and two young ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/fly-fishing/1004/how-to-get-skunked-on-the-bulkley-and-threaten-your-marriage-at-the-same-time Since June of 2010, Jeff Brinegar has presided over what many consider to be America’s most sought-after “must-play” new course—Old Macdonald, the latest addition at Bandon Dunes.  Assuming the mantle at Old Mac is, in many respects, a perfect culmination of Brinegar’s golf aspirations to date.  The course that brought him here is testament to both patience and the determination necessary to help make your own opportunities. I visited with Jeff recently on a trip down ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/golf/1000/top-o-the-world-at-old-mac-a-few-minutes-with-jeff-brinegar-head-pro-at-old-macdonald As the first of the many makos we’d see over two days snuggled up against our chum bucket, I couldn’t prevent the heavy metal standard “Iron Man” from penetrating my thoughts.  Not because the sight of these blue black predators circling our boat summons a dystopian vision of mayhem, but because Conway Bowman and I had been discussing Dark Globe, the band he used to play drums for, and his predilection for Black Sabbath.  A ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/fly-fishing/992/shark-whispering-off-the-la-jolla-banks Question:  where was the site of the first 18-hole golf course in America? In New York, somewhere on Long Island? In the sandhills of North Carolina, around Pinehurst? Try again – it was just west of the city of Chicago, in the town of Belmont.  The year was 1893, the course was the first incarnation of the Chicago Golf Club, and its creator and most energetic booster was Charles Blair MacDonald.  MacDonald hailed from a wealthy Chicago family ... ]]> http://chrissantella.net/golf/golf/987/the-glen-club-illinois-recommended-by-josh-lesnik