Hope everyone had a good weekend. As mentioned before, I was at Kohler, Wisconsin from Friday to Sunday. The slogan is "There's no Place Like It In America", and I have to agree. It is the middle of cornfields in Wisconsin, the town has 1,926 people, but they managed to build an absolutely fantastic resort (the American Club), two golf clubs (Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits) with four of the finest golf courses anywhere in the nation (at Whistling Straits, the Straits and the Irish Courses, and at Blackwolf Run, the River and the Meadows). I have to say that the Straits course is one of the most beautiful places I have ever taken a long walk in my life. Set atop the cliffs overlooking Lake Michigan, Herb Kohler and Pete Dye brought in over 100,000 trucks full of dirt and non-native grass seed to make the course full of rolling hills, impossible sand bunkers, sand dunes and wasteland that looks a lot like the hilly links courses on the Irish Sea. There are no cart paths (you bring caddies with you and walk the hills), and they even brought in a herd of Scottish Blackface Sheep to roam around the hills.

Here is a look at the 7th hole of the Straits, a pretty representative shot of the course-



It is quite a view when you get to the hilltop green on the first hole at about 8:00 in the morning, with the mist rising off the lake and the sun coming up over the dunes. The picture doesn't quite do it justice; trust me, it is phenomenal.

Anyway, I was fortunate to play all four courses in the 48 hours I was there, making it five rounds (counting a practice round in Chicago Thursday) in about 72 hours. It's a lot of golf, but when you're in Kohler, that's all there is to do. All in all, a fantastic weekend. If you are serious about golf (and you have to be to play here, at $200 per round in greens fees, plus $55 for a caddie and massively expensive restaurants and pro shops), nothing else compares to this place. I've played championship links golf in Scotland, and the quality of the courses here is every bit as good. There are great pubs in the American Club too, and the service at every facility in the entire complex is impeccable. You cannot ask for a better weekend destination. As my playing partner said- "There is simply nothing wrong with this place. You cannot find even the smallest fault anywhere."


Enough of my post-vacation ranting. Let's talk about something else. How about this ridiculous and awful weather in the Gulf Coast? Half of New Orleans is under 5 to 6 feet of water right now, and (hopefully) the entire city is evacuated to higher ground. This is one time I am glad to be a midwesterner. No earthquakes, hurricanes, or other natural disasters. I can't remember the last time I had to sit in the basement because of a tornado, but it's been many, many years.

And just on the heels of my long weekend, we have a wonderful late summer tradition coming up- Labor Day, and this year it's coupled with an even better event- the kickoff to Hawkeye Football against Ball State. There isn't much not to like about Hawkeye football, except that the hype and press coverage of the Hawks and Iowa City as a football town is starting to catch up to the team's talent and abilities and the ability of Iowa City to become a 100,000-person party for 6 Saturdays in the fall. Personally, I liked it more when we were just another town that was submerged in Bud Light and ten-win seasons without anyone taking much notice. But the secret is out, and I think the Hawks have a target on their backs this year. We're going to have to play our absolute best football at least three times (at Purdue, at Ohio State, at home against Michigan), and very solid football at least three more times (at Iowa State, at Wisconsin, and at home against Minnesota). We're a very good football team, but we have a lot of improving to do if we want to stay in the nation's elite. Nevertheless, I expect no less than the Outback Bowl this year (and have aspirations to the Capital One Bowl or a BCS game), and another 10-win season.

Finally, we can touch briefly on how things are going with the democratic process in everyone's favorite nation-building project. It seems that the Sunni population are strongly against the draft Iraqi constitution as it is written right now. And the way I understand it, when the constitution goes to referendum for approval, a 2/3 no-vote in any 3 provinces shoots it down. The Sunnis, while a minority group, hold solid majority populations in at least 4 provinces. That spells trouble, doesn't it?

I have yet to see a draft of the language in the constitution. Can anyone drop some knowledge on the content of the pivotal sections on government structure and rights?

Have a good Monday.