Ross Society Member Out to Play Every Ross Course
Brad Becken on a Remarkable Quest
When members of the Donald Ross Society gather on one of their golf pilgrimages, the talk
invariably turns to other Ross courses they’ve played. If one of those conversationalists happens
to be Brad Becken, the others inevitably do more listening than talking. Why would these people
listen raptly to a slight, bespectacled, senior citizen with a 20 handicap? The answer is pretty
simple: Brad has played far more Ross courses than most anyone—238 after the recent Society
outing in North Carolina.
Unlike many golfers with a long list of courses played, Brad’s obsession developed later in life,
and his Ross quest began in earnest only five years ago. Though Brad was exposed to golf in his
teens, his primary athletic pursuit in his younger days was tennis. For much of his working
career, Brad was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. His first encounter with Donald Ross
occurred while attending business meetings at Pinehurst, where a round of golf on #2 was
mandatory. Goldman eventually sent him to Los Angeles to cover their financial institution clients.
Here Brad became more serious about the game, joining Los Angeles Country Club, where he still
maintains a membership. After retiring in 2005 he and his wife decided to move back east and
settled in Chapel Hill, North Carolina a couple of years later. They joined a local country club and
Brad began to play a lot more golf.
“So where’s the Ross connection?” you might ask.
“It all happened accidentally,” Brad explains. “A friend of mine was coming out from Los Angeles
and I was looking for some places to take him. My pro suggested we play Hope Valley, a nearby
Ross course. It was very different from what I was used to……..and very enjoyable. I liked the
variety and the fact that the design never felt forced. And like most Ross courses, you didn’t feel
overwhelmed if you weren’t a great golfer.” Brad liked Hope Valley so much that he’s now a
member.
Photo courtesy of Hope Valley Country Club
8th hole – par 5
Hope Valley Country Club
Ross - 1926
Brad began seeking out other Ross courses near Chapel Hill. “It never would have happened
without reciprocity between clubs. I was totally unfamiliar with the concept, because in Los
Angeles there’s very little, if any reciprocity. But here most clubs are open to it.” Soon he’d
played all the Ross courses in North Carolina and many in South Carolina and Georgia as well,
and began to think about playing all of them. He started taking 2-3 day trips, got close to 100
and then really stepped it up. This year he added 67 to his list, playing many in the Northeast.
Jim Caruso, a Ross Society member who accompanied Brad on his swing through Massachusetts
this summer says, “Brad is an animal. 54 holes is no problem and he can do it on a bag of
peanuts and a PowerAde.” Society director Mark Larson describes a typical day with Brad: “I met
him in the lobby of our hotel in Tarrytown NY at 5 am so that we could drive 135 miles to
Carbondale, PA to make our 8 o’clock tee time. When we finished, we got back in the car and
drove 120 miles to West Orange, NJ. On the way there he tells me we will have to walk and carry
our clubs. When finished, we have a 57 mile drive back to Tarrytown. None of this ever seems to
tire him out. Fortunately, Brad has a sixth sense enabling him to find Dunkin Donuts to start the
day.”
Seminole tops Brad’s list of favorite courses. Surprisingly close behind is Highlands Country Club
in the North Carolina mountains. “While their settings could not be more different, both are
dramatic and visually striking golf courses as well as extremely interesting to play,” Brad explains.
“At Seminole there are a few holes by the ocean, but the way Ross incorporated the spine of land
on the western edge, the ocean is visible from a much larger number of holes. Highlands is a
mountain course with significant elevation changes throughout and a great variety of hole
structures. I don’t think a serious golfer could ever get tired of playing either course.” East Lake,
White Bear Yacht Club, and Wannamoisett complete the Becken pantheon of Ross favorites.
Brad has also become an ambassador for the Ross Society. “The most common reaction I get
from people I meet is that they have no idea Ross designed so many courses. The second most
common reaction is that they’ve never heard of the Society. I’ve signed up a number of people as
members.”
Ross Society Captain Michael Fay has played more Ross courses than Brad—or anyone else for
that matter. But Brad figures to eclipse Fay soon. When asked how long it will take him to
complete his quest, Brad is non-committal. He figures he has another 105 to go and the courses
that are left are quite spread out. He has only played one in Canada, for example, and that vast
country’s nine Ross courses are flung across a distance of over 2,000 miles. But given Brad’s
manic approach to his quest, there can be little doubt he’ll finish. Stay tuned to this site to follow
his progress.
Steve MacQuarrie
[email protected]