There’s a rather famous story, that shows up in a lot of golf trivia books, about Floyd Satterlee Rood.

Ever heard of him? All we’re ever told is that, on September 14, 1963, he teed off from the very edge of the Pacific Ocean, and “drove the 3, 397.7-mile course [across America] in 114,737 strokes,” driving his ball into the Atlantic Ocean on October 3, 1964, and losing 3,511 balls in the process.

But no source I’ve ever found ever explains why he did it, or what states he went through, or if anyone has ever tried to emulate his feat.

Surely the man who did this merits a book of his own, but although I looked on that greatest of all sources, Amazon.com, all his name brought up were those afore-mentioned trivia books.

I doubt if anyone could emulate that feat today, as there’s been 44 years of development across the country to present impenetrable barriers to the attempt.

But you can still golf across America, going from public course to public course across the country.

One of the joys of golf, and the one thing that distinguishes it from any other game in the world, is that you can travel all over the world and find a golf course, and no two of them will be alike.

As far as the United States is concerned, there are over 16,000 courses, and while many of them are private, or located on resorts, or indeed, even on military bases, there are still more than enough public golf courses for the project to be feasible.

If you live in one of the farthest east states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont - you could do it from the farthest east (which would be Quoddy, Maine) to the farthest west (Cape Mendocino, California). This is assuming that you have the time to do the trip all in one go. Here’s a sample route, if you just want to go from any state on the Atlantic Ocean, across country to any state on the Pacific Ocean.

Sample route
Let’s start in Virginia.

Begin with the Stonewall Golf Club, located in Gainesville, near the City of Manassas. The club is named after Stonewall Jackson, and the 18-hole course was designed by the award-winning Tom Jackson. You’ll walk the front nine along the banks of Lake Manassas, and through densely wooded hills for the back nine. Incorporated in this golf course is the “Carolina Trail” that was used to shift troops during the Civil War.

Next, move on to Kentucky.

Graham Marsh was a leading Australian golfer during the 1970s and 80s, and was one of the most successful golfers of his time although he never won a Major. In 1986 he established Graham Marsh Golf Design, and designed courses in Australia and Japan. The first course he designed in the United States was in 2001, the Old Silo, located in Mount Sterling, 33 miles east of Lexington.

You’ll be walking over through 209 acres of rolling bluegrass countryside, with “lush bent grass tees, fairways, greens and 98 white sand bunkers.” In addition, “Somerset Creek meanders through the property and dramatic views add to the aesthetic beauty of the golf course.”

Finishing with Kentucky, you’ll move on to Missouri.

I’m going to suggest the Norman K. Probstein Community Golf CourseAnd Youth Learning Center in Forest Park (although people in the area call it Forest Park, with no knowledge of who Probstein was!) It was originally built in 1913 on the site of the 1904 World’s Fair, but unfortunately that part of the history has been wiped away and the golf course now is “all new.”

There are three courses of nine holes, each with “lush zoysia fairways,” and par 35. Each is named after a tree found in St Louis - the Hawthorne, the Dogwood, and the Redbud - the Redbud incorporates some of the more spectacular holes from the original golf course design. Next is Kansas.

The history, and in particular the railroad buff, will enjoy Sand Creek Station golf course in Newton, Kansas. Newton is considered to be the exact center of the North American continent, and is famous for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that ran through it. The course is designed to incorporate some of the old railway tracks. Hole #10 is the longest hole in the state of Kansas.

From Kansas you’ll move on to Colorado.

Coal Creek Golf Course is the course here. It was designed by Dick Phelps, and consists of 18 holes, and gives terrific views of the nearby Flatiron Mountains. It has a links-style front nine with an abundance of water, while the back nine has dramatic elevation changes and strategically placed bunkers.

Then comes Utah.

Entrada at Snow Canyon will be an excellent choice here. It’s built over 710 acres of strikingly beautiful southwest Utah desert, and was designed by Johnny Miller.

From Utah you’ll move on to Nevada.

The most famous town in Nevada is Las Vegas, and it’s better for you to play golf there than to gamble! Check out the Las Vegas Badlands golf course. Another course designed by Johnny Miller.

And then, finally, the end of your journey. California.

Here, you’ll want to try Torrey Pines, located in San Diego. It’s located atop cliffs “towering above the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California.” What glorious scenery!

And there you have a tour for golfing across America.

Kevin Keene is a contributing writer at Bodysport Paintball, writing reviews of paintball hauling gear. He also is a freelance writer contributing articles on golfing, golf clubs, and paintball gear bags.

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