Robert Trent Jones, Jr. - Part Two
Democratic National Convention at Mile High
Well, the first thing I did after Robert Trent Jones, Jr. proposed we play golf together, is prepare to play some golf. I had spent the warm days of summer writing a golf book instead of playing as much golf as I wanted, and, well, I knew I was probably rusty. At least, I knew that I wasn’t going to be as sharp as I was when I left Hawaii, after having played constantly for over a year. Mr. Jones had mentioned his two Denver-area courses, Ute Creek and Arrowhead, so I figured we were likely to play one of them if we actually got together. I settled on Ute Creek up in Longmont, close to where my wife works on a small-town weekly newspaper. That experience is recorded in the Course Reviews section.
I had to say that, despite the fact that my score was higher, it wasn’t because I wasn’t hitting the ball well, but rather because I had lost some touch around the greens and, mostly, I hadn’t yet gauged the effect of the higher, Colorado elevation on my distances. Essentially, I was blasting the ball, but not translating that into many pars and birdies. But as my wife said to me when I explained my situation, “Well, drive for show…” I took heart in that. At least I was clearing the forward tees and not playing into greens from neighboring fairways. I put in some range time, chipped and putted a bunch, and felt ready.
I waited until Tuesday, when I knew the convention was in full swing, before I called Mr. Jones (or “Bob,” as he referred to himself) back. This time he answered right away, and knew me immediately. During the next half-hour, he treated me to a stream-of-consciousness treatise on golf course design (in Hawaii, Colorado, and in general), and a detailed account of his mid-’70s renovation of Mauna Kea Golf Course, all the while greeting politicians in the busy room he was talking to me in, and frequently saying “Let me call you right back,” which he invariably did. Finally, when he began running out of steam, I asked him about the potential for some golf, to which he demurred, “Well, it’s pretty busy here. Hey, I’m opening up a new nine on a course up in Eagle called Brightwater. We’re going to have some press there, and we’ll tour the course, have some lunch and some cocktails. Why don’t you join me up there? Here, call my secretary…” And that was it. The plans were made for the weekend, for a personalized golf junket with RTJ II.
Bryan Fryklund
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