"I think Fluff was willing to keep going if I had been up to it, but I waved the white flag."

The par-4 16th viewed from the clubhouse atop a dune (click to enlarge)Alex Miceli files a year-end thoughts column for Golfweek and shares this about an extensive golfing excursion to Tasmania's Lost Farm that I heard rumors about:

When I was in China, I had mentioned to caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan that I was going to Tasmania. Fluff was off the next week because his player, Jim Furyk, got into Shanghai and was going to skip Singapore the following week and return home.

Lost Farm is 20 holes, with the front side nine holes and the back side 11 holes. We started on the front nine, and after playing in a quick pace we would have had to wait to play the back, so Fluff suggested playing the front again. So after 18 holes, we played the back side for 29 holes.

Now let me just say at this point if the course wasn’t one of the better golf courses in the world, I would not have gone any further, but after a lunch out of the refrig, a drink and a candy bar, Fluff wanted to keep going. So we were back on the first tee played 20 more holes, for a total of 49.

I think Fluff was willing to keep going if I had been up to it, but I waved the white flag.

I have it on good authority that not only were locals impressed by these two young-at-heart geezers for walking so many holes (and playing 36-holes at Barnbougle the next day), but it was done in a pretty healthy wind, making the number of holes that much more impressive. Eighteen holes at Lost Farm in a stiff breeze is all the golf course you could want. I can't fathom 49.