Watts Cookin'
by Joe Watts
Joe Watts is the executive director of the Utah Golf Association

Winter - February - 07
How Many Have You Played?

"I’ve never found a golf course I didn’t like,” is an oft quoted statement by many lovers of golf. Perhaps no one uses this quotation more than Sterling Larson, and very few have more expertise in the matter.

Sterling is one of Utah’s most avid golfers. It wouldn’t be quite accurate to say that golf is his religion, but it would be right to say that he is religious about golf.

Sterling has probably played more golf courses than any amateur in Utah. The use of the word “probably” is probably’ unnecessary here as there is only the remotest possibility that anyone in Utah has even come close to Sterling’s record.

He has played every golf course in Utah, including courses that no longer exist. He has also played 100 in California, 70 in Arizona, 40 in Idaho, 32 in Ireland, 28 in Nevada, 20 in Washington, 14 in Texas, 12 in Wales, ten in Scotland, nine in England, seven in South Carolina, five in Wyoming, four in North Carolina and Indonesia, two in Mexico, New Mexico, and Oregon, and one in the Caribbean, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Including the 126 courses he has played in Utah he has played a grand total of 505 different golf courses throughout the world. The courses do not include par three courses, but do include nine-hole courses and executive courses. If the course is an 18-hole course it is counted only once, but if it is a 27-hole course the additional nine counts as an extra course. Courses like Soldier Hollow count as two courses.

Sterling has played all 15 of the courses where the British Open has been played. They include St. Andrews, Prestwick, Muirfield, Sandwich, Hoylake, Royal Lytham, Royal Birkdale, Royal Troon, Musselburgh, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Deal, Royal Portrush, and Prince’s.

Sterling thinks this feat might be quite rare as few people now play Musselburgh, which was a highlight for him. Musselburgh is home to the oldest playing golf course in the world. It is reported that Mary Queen of Scots played the links in 1567, and James VI in 1603. It became regularly used in 1672.

The four and a quarter inch diameter hole became standard during the 19th century because it just happened to be the width of the implement used to cut the holes at Musselburgh and in 1893 the R & A made the size mandatory.

The British Open Championship was played at Musselburgh Links regularly in the late nineteenth century. The course hosted the prestigious event six times between 1874 and 1891 in rotation with St Andrews and Prestwick.

Sterling began keeping track of all the golf courses as a result of a conversation with his good friend and mentor, Park City golf professional Ralph Emery. They began discussing all the golf courses they had played up to that time and decided to make a list. Ralph, being much older and wiser, had played far more courses than Sterling, and from that time on Sterling kept a record of all the golf courses he played.

About thirty years ago Sterling was golfing with a business friend from Seattle and asked him how many different courses he had played. The friend, Bill McKinley, who was also an avid golfer proudly said, “Oh, hundreds of them.”

Larson, who was already keeping a list, pressed him and said, “Do you really know? Have you made a list?”

McKinley hadn’t really ever counted and when he did he found out that he had played only 125, which was a far cry from his original estimate and it wasn’t even as many as Sterling. The conversation got McKinley excited and added a passion to his life. The two friends engaged in sort of a private competition, but McKinley has never quite caught up with Sterling. After they both reached 400 courses McKinley came up with the idea to create a “400 Club” for all golfers who have played more than 400 courses. He knew of one other golfer with more than 400 courses and so the club was formed with three original members in 2002.

Being a bit of a promoter McKinley managed to get some recognition for his club through newspaper articles and golf publications throughout the Northwest and the club has now grown to seven members.

There is one member of the club who has played 1,239 golf courses, but apparently he is more addicted to the courses than to the golf. Many times he doesn’t even keep score. Sterling has a passion for the course and for the golf and keeps score. He has been a two handicapper, now plays to about a six, has nine holes-in-one, and one double-eagle.

The 400 Club holds an annual coat and tie dinner meeting that includes a formal initiation of new members, (which obviously doesn’t happen very often) a review of all the new courses played, and of course, playing golf.

For the record, yours truly has played, at best, but not a precise recollection, the following courses: 120 in Utah, 38 in Arizona, 24 in California, 18 in Nevada, six in Idaho, four in Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Georgia, three in Colorado, New Zealand, Mexico, and British Columbia, two in Texas, Wyoming, and Bermuda, and one in Washington, D.C. and Hawaii.

Most of us don’t have the time or means to travel the world enough to play more than 400 different golf courses, but we could all make an effort to play every course in Utah. How many of you have played every course in Utah?

Larry Disera and Gwen Adams, the two volunteers most responsible for rating all of the Utah courses for the UGA, have played them all.

There are about a half dozen courses in Utah that I haven’t played, because, quite frankly, I’m not the purist you might imagine, after all, I have met a golf course I didn’t like.