TPC at Southwind

Last month while mapping Southwind I looked up Jimmy (Witt)
Wittenberg, a buddy from the mid-1970s, when he played and I
caddied on Tour. He's had more success as a custom home builder
than as a golfer (he won $4,295 in four seasons on Tour) and owns
a 7,000-square-foot house on the back of the Southwind range. But
when I got to what I thought was his place, I ran into a graying,
potbellied guy in jeans dragging a hose across the yard. I
thought he was the gardener.

Then Mr. Gray Hair looked up and said, "George, is that you?"
Sure enough, it was Witt.

"You've rounded out nicely, too," I said. Witt and I guffawed for
two hours. He told me how Spud, his black Lab and duck-hunting
partner, had been bitten by a rattlesnake in the backyard. But
mostly he raved about caddying for his son Casey, the top-ranked
amateur in the country, at the Masters. "I loved Tiger's advice
to Casey after their practice round," Witt said. "Tiger put his
arm over Casey's shoulders and told him, 'How'd you like some
advice from a grizzled vet? Just keep doing what you're doing.'"

Witt lives only 100 yards from the last--and best--hole at
Southwind. The tee shot is intimidating. A few wild men will try
to cut the dogleg, which requires a 315-yard carry over the
water, but most of the pros will aim down the middle. The water
will scare them, though, so a majority of guys will bail out to
the right, smack into either the bunkers or the very mushy rough
in the swale.

*For 28 years Gorjus George has drawn the yardage books that the
pros use.

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID WALBERG (LUCAS)

COLOR DIAGRAM: DIAGRAM BY GEORGE LUCAS No. 18 Par-4 445 Yards