Talking GolfGetaways 121: Avid golf traveler and blogger Peter Flanigan swings into our Emergency 9
Talking GolfGetaways

Talking GolfGetaways 121: Avid golf traveler and blogger Peter Flanigan swings into our Emergency 9



Re-Gripped.com’s Peter Flanigan — entertainment lawyer by profession and fanatical traveling golfer by choice — joins hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch for a wide-ranging, entertaining and supersized Emergency 9 golf-travel quiz (actually an Emergency 13!) on Episode 121 of the “Talking GolfGetaways” podcast presented by 2UNDR Apparel (use the promo code “GNN20” for 20% off your next purchase).

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As he revealed in Episode 119, Pete is a “golf-quester” with a goal of playing all of the North American courses designed by architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. In addition, he’s talked to dozens upon dozens of golfers nationwide as part of his quest to someday play the iconic Cypress Point on the Monterey Peninsula, an area which he considers his favorite destination in the world.

And without Cypress Point on his resume (yet), Pete lists the Coore-Crenshaw design on Maui, Kapalua Plantation, as his favorite course anywhere in the world.

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As a passionate golfer, Flanigan’s “bucket list” easily becomes a wish-list of who’s-who courses: In addition to Cypress Point, he hopes to visit Scotland (specifically the courses of East Lothian), the seaside links of New Zealand; Branson, Mo.; and Cabot Cliffs at Cabot Links Resort on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Having traveled to play golf for many years, Pete goes all-in on the Lily Pond Cottages at Bandon Dunes Resort (with a shoutout to the new cottages at Nebraska’s Wild Horse Golf Course) as his “Best Place You’ve Ever Stayed.”

And Bandon again gets the nod when it comes to food as Pete shares his love for the Face Rock Creamery Fried Cheese Curds at McKee’s Pub as the “Best Thing He’s Eaten on a Golf Trip” — though both he and Darin also get all gonzo over the pumpkin pancakes at the Little Corporal Diner in Green Lake, Wis., just down the road from the Links at Lawsonia.

Flanigan explains why he relishes “the ability to see places and to experience the place you’re in” as his “Most Important Thing” on a golf trip and reminds us all to build time into our itinerary for just that. And for his “One Piece of Apparel He Can’t Live Without,” the combo of a pair of great shoes and socks top his list, preferring the FootJoy duo while adding the new Linksoul/True Linkswear collaborative TrueKnit as a favorite as well.

A 10- to 12-handicap golfer who prefers to have fun and enjoy the experience of playing a course, Pete shares how an experience with the “Hanse Tees” at Southern California’s Rustic Canyon impressed him for offering players a chance to think outside the box when it comes to which tee boxes they play.

Flanigan’s response to the question of “Most Interesting Person You’ve Golfed With” showcases his love for the game and its architects, citing a round played at Black Sheep Golf Club in Illinois with course architect Dave Esler as his favorite, calling it “unbelievable and enlightening.” And he reminds Darin and Mitch of their round together at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, Calif., and the fun gained by playing with a pair of passionate and unusual beginning golfers.

Two courses get the nod as “Course You Wish Everyone Knew About” — Clear Creek Tahoe outside Reno, Nev., and the Florence Golf Links (formerly known as Sandpines) not far from the Oregon coast north of Bandon.

Bonus questions for Pete bring answers that include The Cal Club in San Francisco (“Most Interesting Course He’s Played in the Past 12 Months”) as a track he found “incredibly laid back and welcoming, though very private.” And when asked what he believes make a golf course “great,” Flanigan details his thoughts about how the history and routing of a course, which give a player options as well as “eye-candy” do the trick, adding that he looks for courses that engage all of the golfer’s senses.

Finally, Pete shares his “Best Golf Story” — a great one about playing as a teenager in upstate New York, and watching his dad skip a shot across a frozen pond, finishing near the flag with a putt for birdie. An epic memory — and a fitting close to a terrific, informative Emergency 9.

About the author

GolfGetaways

The GolfGetaways crew of Darin Bunch and Mitch Lauarance have decades of golf travels and adventures to share, which they do here at GNN, on their "Talking GolfGetaways" podcast.

“Talking GolfGetaways with Mitch Laurance & Darin Bunch” is sponsored by 2UNDR.com (#AssetManagement) and can be found on GolfNewsNet.com and across the Golf News Net platform. New episodes post semi-regularly (for the most part, except when we’re traveling or golfing or generally having other kinds of fun). “Talking GolfGetaways” is also available on audioBoom, iTunes and Stitcher.

Follow us on Twitter @GetawaysGolf and @MitchLaurance, and use #TalkingGolfGetaways and #2HaggisBags to hit us with your favorite golf-travel stories and recommendations — you just might make it onto a future episode of “Talking GolfGetaways.”