MudBall Newsletter - Henry Shimp

Howdy folks. We. Are. Back. For another #MUDBALL newsletter. Let’s get after it.

Drinking:

Was in LA for a little G Friday/Saturday so naturally had to hit Philz Coffee. It was lovely. It always has been, and it always will be. Also, I’ve officially decided Im a Mezcal man. It’s my liquor of choice and I don’t know if anything comes close for me. Mezcal drink recs welcomed and requested.

Eating:

I just hit a new (to me) Austin BBQ spot called Moreno BBQ and had lunch with god himself. No, I’m serious. 1/2 lb of Barbacoa (I’m formally obsessed with Barbacoa), 2 possibly crack laced flour tortillas that were homemade, warm, and soft, and finally a smoked 1/4 chicken. Out the door in 20 mins for 20 dollars. If you are a vegan, not only am I sorry, I truly can’t fathom how you say no to these sorts of experiences. I hammered a smooth 7 miler 3 hours after at negative splits. It’s called fuel.

Reading:

Have started reading John Feinstein’s The Backroads to March a book about the unsung heroes in college basketball. I love all sports really, but college basketball is probably my favorite one to watch so with the season getting underway, this feels like a good way to go.

Thinking:

After seeing Bel-Air CC and Valley Club of Montecito this past weekend, both of which were just wonderful, it had me thinking about how important it is to experience things before opining on them. To merely see pictures of either of these courses would not tell the story of how the course actually plays nor what the vibe of the place is actually like. While I write this in the context of golf, this is true of so many things in life. I think we shoot from the hip too much on things we don’t truly know the ins and outs of. Let’s try to do less of that.

Culture:

Sticking with Bel Air, I think the overall vibe of that place is as good as any club I’ve seen in a while. What’s more, is that the food scene already might be, and in the future will almost certainly be better than any club out there. Nobu, yeah that one, lives on the course and is training 4 chefs with his ways to take Bel Air’s dining program to heights I don’t know if any other golf club has reached before. Looking for a junior out of town member??

Competition:

HEARTY congrats to Camilo Villegas for getting the dub in Bermuda. From many years of struggles to personal tragedy in losing his young daughter, it’s pretty darn cool to see him scale the mountain again. Pro golf doesn’t always do it for me, but this week was a good one.

Architecture:

Ok, now I’ll give a little action to Valley Club. While I have not played Augusta, I have played pretty much all the rest of the Good Doc’s (Alister Mackenzie) US courses and Valley Club just slid firmly into T-2 for me. Cypress simply has to get the nod. Let’s just be straight on that one. But after CPC, Valley Club, Pasatiempo, and Palmetto all sit T-2 for me. I could probably break those out into a 2, 3, and 4, but I love them all for different reasons, and would play any of them right this moment with a large grin all the way around. Hit the DM’s if you want to discuss/argue my takes. Yes, I’ve plated Crystal Downs, and yes, I’m staying firm on my aforementioned ranking. (Augusta still withstanding)

Guest Check-In:

I have to shout out my guy Michael Block for not beating one player in Mexico last week. This is his 3rd start in a PGA Tour event since the PGA and he has now twice banged out a DFL. So, I send a request to the powers that be. STOP THE MADNESS. Burn it down. Enough is enough. Youtube, instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Golden Tee, I don’t care, put him on all the #platforms. But by god please no more PGATour starts for Blockie. For the record, Block has not made it to The Tie (our decision, not his) but seems to come up in every episode, so I’m qualifying him as a guest. I make my own rules.

This Week’s action:

Monday: MBM 110- Guest Listener Appearance to chat Golf, Food, and Wine!

Wednesday: Walker Simas on the keys for Long Form

Thursday: Henry Interviews Tremont Sporting Co. Founder and 2023 US Open competitor Christian Cavaliere.

That’ll do it folks.

Cheers,

HS