Found my first true hidden gem on this current road trip. A municipal golf course run by the City of Memphis called the Links at Whitehaven.
I was a little late getting away from Gulfport, Mississippi this morning; a combination of me sleeping in a bit and the fact that it was hard to say goodbye to the white sandy beach. But I was comped the $9.99 breakfast at the hotel, so that also played into the fact.
So my target today was Memphis Tennessee and I had scoped out a course that I wanted to play upon arrival. I had a 5 1/2 hour drive ahead and my plan was to arrive around 1:30 to 2:00, check into my hotel and then head to the course. The late departure time however was further compounded by construction along the Interstate on my way north to Memphis. Long story short, it was 3:30 by the time I walked into my hotel room. And complicating the matter even further was the fact that there were dark skies all around the area and a quick look at the weather forecast which was predicting thunderstorms for late afternoon and into tomorrow did not look promising.
So a quick peak at the course map for Memphis told me there was a 9 hole course just 10 minutes away. At first it was listed as a country club, so I had originally dismissed it, but after further investigation I found out it was a municipal course. Honestly though, when I pulled in the parking lot I thought I had pulled into a private club. The Clubhouse was beautiful (and looked brand new), at least from the outside. In fact, I had to ask a couple of gentlemen who were in the parking lot if it was in fact a private club. With a strange look on their face, they said “No, you can play here if you want”.
So after a very brief (and I mean brief) discussion with the club manager, he informed me that there was a men’s league starting at 5pm and I was going to have to hurry if I wanted to get in 9. I’m a very quick player, so I knew I could do that but I inquired if there was any way I could do the 18. He didn’t have a problem, but he stressed again that I would be amongst groups of foursomes by the time I get 9 done. “O.K., understood. How much?” I asked. “Thirteen dollars for 9, $25 dollars for 18”. “How much is the cart?” “That includes the cart fee” he responded. THANK YOU CITY OF MEMPHIS!!! Can you frickin believe that. We pay $50 just for the privilege of WALKING on courses back home!
Anyway, long story short, the course turned out to be a true hidden gem. A great layout, some water, some sand, lots of trees, par 36. In fact, this course was in far better shape than most of the others I have played on this trip so far, INCLUDING the one in Hilton Head that charges upwards of $80 for green fees (if you don’t have a discount package). And even more amazing is the fact that they had just recently opened for the season, after being shut down for the winter.
While I don’t normally like playing 9 hole courses, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. If you ever find yourself in Memphis, give it a try.
