Keith Nelson
Downtown Minneapolis
After six years of visiting Minneapolis, three or four times per year, my wife and I downsized from suburbs to city, house to condominium and east coast to midwest in the fall of 2018. We wanted to be close to our daughter, son-in law and three grandchildren. I played Gross National for the first time in 2018 and joined the Gross Men's Club at about this time last year. I like the exercise golf, the company and the challenges golf provides. For me walking the course is like walking a labyrinth, but not as confining and surprisingly different each time. I prefer to walk the course, but will ride the second time around, if playing 18 or more holes two consecutive days.
Handicap Index: 22.9
I grew up in Aliquippa, a steel town in western Pennsylvania. I started playing golf in my early teens on local, inexpensive public courses, like Pettibones, Broad-Vue and Ohio View. These are all gone now, converted to shopping centers, housing developments or business parks. Steel town golf was different in the 1950's and 60's: no power carts, seldom a starter, pay $1.50 - $3.50 for nine holes, drop a ball in the slanted metal pipe near the first tee and wait your turn.
Early highlights for me were:
1) a birdie, chip-in on the ninth hole at Pettibone's stimulating a large cheer from the crowd waiting to tee off on the nearby first tee.
2) hitting a 3-iron from the tee on a 180 yard up hill par 3, watching the ball wrap itself in the flag and drop straight down. I soon learned it was 14 inches from the hole.
3) caddying at Oakmont Country Club for a good friend who was the #1 golfer on our high school golf team. The high school golf coach, Bill Batchelor, got us out of school that day, drove us to the golf course, gave us each a sleeve of new Titleists, lunch money and let us enjoy the day.
Hole-in-One: Tuesday , July 18, 2017 at Phalen Park Golf Course, Hole #16, 154 yards from the white tees, drew a 6-iron into a front center pin. As the ball raced across the green, right to left, it disappeared. No cheers. All three of us looked at each other, dismayed, and said, " What happened? Where did it go?" I smiled and said, "That may be a hole-in one, gentlemen." Sure enough. After 48 years of playing golf, it was anti-climactic, but I remember the event vividly and the story gets better every year.
Favorite Courses: Surf Golf and Beach Club, North Myrtle Beach, SC
Pine Valley Golf Club, Pine Valley, NJ
LuLu Country Club, Glenside PA
Spring Mill Country Club, Ivyland, PA
Eagle's Landing Golf Course, Berlin, MD
Golf Heroes: I grew up watching, Palmer, Player and Nicklaus compete.
Favorite Golf Book: Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella
Favorite Golf Course Designer: Donald Ross