#i finally got around to making a design for misty (challenge because i never draw humans) and wanted something to show for it

[duckshuffled]

⚠️ severe weather! ⚠️

bonus worth 100 dollar

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Love you too.

A/N: This was initially supposed to be smut but my brain went hay wire and ended in angst. More Mayans coming next week! 

MASTERLIST

Also, if I keep tagging you and you’re not interested or want to be tagged; please let know!

Word Count: 2210

Ezekiel Reyes x Reader

Warnings: language, angst, Ez being an asshole, heartbreak, more angst 

*****************************************

Ezekiel couldn’t resist ogling Y/N from across the overly crowded bar. Cigar smoke filtrated throughout, pool cues ricocheted, and Y/N dawned that brilliant smile of hers. Her candied glimpse combined with her impeccably short dress, and irrevocably sexiness drove Ez to the brink of combustion. Ez perched an elbow against the wood bar top watching Y/N’s hypnotizing demeanor. She shot him a playful glance unwilling to draw her attention elsewhere than from the beautiful man across the room.

Her voice oozed of alcoholic flirtation as she bit her lower lip catching his interest and walking his way.

“Come here often, hotshot?”

There was no denying the sly chuckle that slipped off his lips; “Smooth line. How often does that one actually work?”

Her kittenish nature only stoked his fire lighting a fire in his belly.  

“Well…my boyfriend usually falls for it but he’s kinda into that cutesy bullshit. Come to think of it, you might know him. Tall, dark, and handsome? Ring any bells?”

Her insinuated attitude was driving him crazy. Unbeknownst to Y/N, his cock stirred in the confines of his jeans. She wanted to force his hand, compel to his more dominant side. His blood seethed as his eardrums hummed of desolate waves. Ez bit his tongue to stop the trickle of words begging to slink from his lips.

“Sounds like a sucker. Didn’t think a pretty chica like you to be taken? Such a shame.”

Y/N’s raised an eyebrow in curiosity wondering how much longer she could push him before he turned into putty.

“Now, now. I don’t appreciate you talking shit about my man. It’d be best if you watch yourself.”

Y/N excelled when a challenge presented itself.  Defiance buried in her very pitch as she scooted closer to the man in question. Now elbow to elbow, Y/N rested her cheek against her knuckles coyishly.

“Baby, if you keep smiling like that, my panties will be drenched before we have the chance to do a damn thing about it.”

Leaning closer in;” Please don’t fuck it up.”

“Oh, so you’re admitting I turn you on…make you wet?” There was no hiding the devilish grin cemented on his perfect face.

Her face furiously flushed at his choice words; “Most definitely, E. In all honesty, I’m not wearing underwear because matter of fact just looking at that gorgeous jawline of yours is way too much for my ovaries to handle.”

His tongue met the roof of his mouth creating a tsk sound reverberating from his mouth. Y/N rubbed her thighs together in hopes of alleviating her eccentric inner bits. Y/N pushed her falling tendrils from her face tilting her head his direction. Her hand made quick work caressing her inner breasts as Ez watched her chest beat rapidly.

“Mmmhm, and this girl is hoping her boyfriend just might be able to sneak away from his boys for a minute to properly fuck his girl. But I’d hate to force your hand….”

“I hope you know the punishment that ensues for this behavior baby girl…”

“Oh, so you admit you’ll punish me? God, I’ve been dying for you to fuck me all night. Finally, you got the hint, Prospect.”

Ezekiel chucked at her cleverness. He’d long fallen for the woman before him, but he appreciated the constant challenge she reciprocated time and time again.

“What are you trying to hint at, Y/N?”

“You know exactly what I want and you’re playing coy if you don’t.”

Y/N rested her hand atop his shoulder as his hand perched upon the dip of her luscious hip. Leaning in dangerously close, she trailed sleek kisses against the slick of his neck. Each smooth trailed upwards towards his ear as Y/N leaned in seductively close.

“It’s cute thinking you don’t want to fuck the shit out of me here. Your bashfulness never seizes to amaze me.”

Her hands grazed down his defined abs brutishly stroking the outer layer of his jeans.

“But your dick seems to tell another story.”

Ezekiel gazed around the room watching his brothers too distracted by pool cues and babes to notice their interaction laughing aloud.

“If you haven’t noticed I’m still their bitch boy and I can’t just slip away without someone noticing.”

“Oh, but I promise you won’t have to travel far. The bathrooms are only a few feet away. So, if you’re interested in fucking your super-horny girlfriend, meet me there in five minutes. If not, I’ll just have to do the job myself. But don’t worry, I’ll send you the video.”

“You’re such a goddamn brat, you know that? …” Ez moved his hand grazing his clothed crotch as a moan alluded her.

“Can’t you feel how hard I am for you right now? It turns you on, doesn’t it?”

“Oh yes, dear boyfriend. If you’re bating me then yes, I do want to fuck you here and now.”

“So quick to make demands when you’re in no position to do so. Shit, I can’t wait to nestle so fucking deep within you, to hear you begging for me. Someone needs to fuck the brat outta ya.”

“Oh, it’s so cute you think I’ll beg. My pussy is your haven, don’t forget that.”

Y/N added just an inch of space between their sweltering bodies unwilling to give into him so easily.

“So, I’ll take your erect cock as a yes. You know where I’ll be…”

Y/N walked by him dripping in her own seductive nature. Ez reached towards her gripping her arm in exchange; “You have no idea what I want to do to you.”

“Well guess you can prove it to me.”

“Oh, you tease….”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”

“You little…”

“Brat? That’s right, only one person makes me act this way, feel this way and that person is you. So, whether you like it or not, deal with it.”

“Oh, I’ll deal with you alright. Soon enough you’ll be begging me to fuck you.”

“I completely intend on it. In fact, I’ll leave the ball in your court.”

Y/N sauntered past him making sure to graze her breasts against his trunk; “You know where I’ll be.” She winked his way hoping for Ez to catch her hint before walking towards the bathroom hoping the one person she’d hoped would follow. Ezekiel Reyes was genuinely her other half, someone who understood every intricate design she’d been allotted.

 Coco approached the Ez clasping his shoulder; “How are you the luckiest bastard outta all of us, Prospect? You get to tap that on the daily? Not fair cabrón.”

His angelic curls fell gently upon his forehead as that signature smirk of his appeared.

“In my defense, she’s a little shit that she tests my patience every damn day. But, yes, I gotta agree with you. I’m the luckiest bastard outta all of us.”

“So quit fuckin talking to me and go get yo girl, newbie.”

Ez nodded agreeing with Coco. He was torn between his club obligations and chasing after Y/N, his eyes bouncing back and forth.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cover you. 10 minutes… now go before I change my mind!”

“Thanks, brother. I owe you one.”

“Damn right you do, now go!”

His boots pounded against the wood; his strides picked up taking him quickly to his destination. Ez’s anticipation peaked as he neared the bathroom door rattling the handle. Ez stood dumbfounded to find the door locked…

“Querida, I know you’re in there. I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson, ain’t I?”

Y/N whispered back through the door; “I’m counting on it.”

The click of the door gave way unlocking as Ez stepped inside swiftly shutting the door behind him. He eyed Y/N like she was his last and final meal wanting to devour her from the outside in. The startled look in her misty eyes only excited him more. He stalked towards her; Y/N walked backwards in sync with him. Soon enough, the back of her thighs met the cold cabinet. Her skin crawled of goosebumps as her panting increased significantly.

“You bait me all night, wearing this ungodly short piece of fabric that barely covers anything on this gorgeous body of yours, and you have the audacity to talk shit?”

Electricity stifled their small quarters as Ez’s hands played with her hemline. Wet kisses tickled down her collar bone. Y/N tilted her head allowing Ez easier access. Torturously slow, Ez pressed the material upwards above her curvy hips revealing her bare pussy.

“No underwear. Glad to see you weren’t lying.”

Y/N slapped his chest in jest; “One thing I will never do is lie to you Ezekiel Reyes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  

Only adding fuel to the fire, Y/N grasped his chin between her fingers forcing his gaze to remain on her and only her. She squeezed tightly enough to grab his fleeting attention.

“I don’t joke about that shit, E. I’ve never felt this way before. Don’t spoil it just yet.”

The crow’s feet near his eyes softened exhaling all the excess air loitering in his lungs. His infamous puppy dog looks triggered charging their electricity. Forgetting her momentarily exposure, Y/N closed the gap kissing him with every inch of might fathomable. She mustered every ounce of desire to which Ez gladly reciprocated.

Their moans intermingled as Ez tapped her thigh signaling to jump on the counter. Her legs spread unconscious creating the perfect amount of space for him to slide into. His hands travelled along her sides before finding home and squeezing the globes of her luscious ass.  Every dimple and indention turned him on. An illicit squeak was the only other sound accompanying their heavy breathing.

“Please, E.” A whiny undertone whirred to life.

“Please what? I’m right here.”

Her legs wrapped around his hips securely pulling him closer. His jeans rubbed deliciously against her exposed thighs only teasing her further.

“I want you. All of you, Ezekiel Reyes. Forever.”

Something unexplainable shifted in that moment as Ez gazed down at the girl pinned beneath him. For so long, he’d wanted this, dreamt of her, and now he wasn’t sure how to handle himself. The last time he gave himself so freely to another ended up burning him. Emily was his first love but Y/N, Y/N was his epic love. The twinkle in her eyes welcomed him time and time again silently begging for permission. Suddenly it wasn’t just about sex and pleasure but an opportunity of redemption.

“You feel it too, right?”

Y/N pulled back from his grasp embarrassed at her newfound honesty. “Ugh, I’m fucking it up, aren’t I? I didn’t mean for things to get so intense in a fucking bathroom of all places?”

Just as she moved to hop down, Ez stopped her. His this, this life he chose was no place for a woman like Y/N. And though his heart beat victoriously in his chest, Ezekiel knew what had to done. There was no way in hell he’d allow her to morph into his fucked-up life. He wanted to shout it to the rooftops; I’m in love with you too.

He was ripping at the seams dying to scream his unprofessed love but once again denying the beast within him. His silence was enough of an answer. Y/N frowned trying to hide the quiver of her chin. Looking away, Y/N furiously blinked hoping to will her unshed tears into oblivion. Her purity and compassion were too much at risk to sacrifice.

“Y/N….”

“No, don’t Ezekiel.”

“I think we want different things, things I can’t offer you.”

The rumbles in her chest cascaded violently like waves attacking a cliff. His rejection stung like ravenous bees.

“You can but you won’t. There’s a difference! God! I fall for this shit every time. You lure me back in and just when I break through your heavily guarded walls you pull back and shoo me away. How many times do you have to remind me you don’t want me, E?”

A lone tear streaked down her cheek. Sadness swallowed her whole plummeting to an unimaginable depth. His thumb inadvertently reached for the droplet but she flinched in the nick of time. Defeat coursed through his blood. His subconscious screamed for him to speak but nothing came out. Her words seared him, his own personal brand of pain. Calm down heart.

“Tell me you feeling nothing and I’ll never ask again.”

The somber quietness remained suffocating both parties. It was then that the truth finally dawned on him like boulders falling from the sky. Sometimes the hardest battle we fight is the battle within ourselves.

“Jeez, Ez. Guess I got my answer. Next time you have one of your urges, don’t call me, ever.”

Her warm palm pressed against his pectoral lightly shoving him. The minute distance was enough to destroy him. Her rejection simmered into her movements. With her strength fast depleting, Y/N craved fresh fall air. She stopped in place looking over her sunken shoulder; “It’s sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew. Have a nice life, Reyes.”

Now that she had nothing to lose, she was free. Free to mourn the love she so tragically denied. She distracted herself to save herself. After all, how often do we get a second chance…

~~~~~

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[justgotham]

We always knew they meant New York," novelist, Lawrence Block, wrote in his intro to the first trade paperback of the DC Comics series, Gotham Central. Block was writing both about the inherent New-Yorkness to Bob Kane's initial vision of Batman's Gotham City and of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's incarnation in Gotham Central.

Gotham Central, which debuted in single issues beginning in 2004, is maybe the most quintessentially New York comic book imagining of the city of bats and cats, robins and riddlers. It's a story not about how a boy billionaire with a grudge and an endless arsenal of super-weaponry handles someone like Mister Freeze, but about how the boys in blue of the Gotham City Police Department deal with them. There's something endemically and irrevocably New York about people running around in strange costumes while often-flawed cops do their best to keep a tight hold on a city that never sleeps.  

Ten years after Gotham Central first appeared in comic stores, Gotham, the Fox TV series very loosely based on Brubaker and Rucka's stories, found an even better way to make their Gotham City feel like New York: they filmed there.

And while having the literal New York City skyline to draw inspiration from helped, there was another part of Manhattan specifically that helped give each of Gotham's residents that undeniable New York feel: Broadway.

"I worked on Broadway," says Gotham's current costume designer, John Glaser. "Josh, my assistant, worked on Broadway. ... The painters and the sketch artists have all worked on Broadway. We actually approached each episode like a little Broadway show."

And what advanced techniques were brought from the Great White Way to the Dark Knight?

"Paint and tape," says Glaser. "I hate to say it, but paint and tape make things look the way that they should."

As it turns out, that's a very Broadway approach to costuming. Glaser learned from the best, having assisted under the late, great Patricia Zipprodt, who was the original costume designer for iconic Broadway shows like Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Pippin, and the second longest running show in Broadway history, Chicago.

"Everything was painted, painted, painted, painted. I was a costume painter, so that's instilled in me," says Glaser. "The painting part, some people wouldn't do. Once we actually started to paint things in the first season that we were there and went, 'Oh, this stuff looks much better with the lighting, the dark scenery and the shafts of light.' We always made everything light at the top and dark at the bottom, ombré it down."

There are lots of little fun facts to be learned about the basic costumes and how they echo back to Batman comics, too. It's the little things. "On men's suits, we only used black buttons, no matter what suit it is," he explains. "Black buttons because in the comics all the buttons are black."

For Gotham's fifth and final season, there were creative alterations made to the costumes overall that informed the style of the show, each with specific purpose. "Because they are at war, we got rid of all jewelry," explains Glaser. "It's being melted down to make bullets. Without any jewelry, it kind of changes the look of the show. There are no earrings, there are no necklaces. We didn't want a lot of extraneous costume stuff, just what was really interesting in front of you."

Probably what most separates Gotham from Arrowverse shows or the Marvel Cinematic Universe is how the wardrobe team treats the supervillain costumes and suits. Those, too, get the Broadway treatment. Not at first, though. First, suits for characters like Firefly and Mister Freeze are crafted in Los Angeles. "It's like buying a car," according to Glaser. "They know the body's measured, they make an extra layer of the body for them to give them the right shape, they have the right fabrics, they have the right sculptors, the right fabricators."

But Glaser wasn't a fan of the exactness of these initial designs. "What I didn't like about that was that it looked like a movie costume. We actually took Firefly's costume and Mr. Freeze's costume, after they first wore them, and we started to paint them and age them, just because they didn't look like they were from Gotham. They looked like they were from a different world. We took them back, kept painting them and aging them, putting things on them and making them look more like they were from the city of Gotham."

Sometimes the newness of a costume could even be a problem, especially in Gotham's final season, where everyone is living even more rough than usual. "On Ivy's costume," Glaser uses as an example, "the top of it is flesh and it goes into fabric around her breast and we couldn't figure out how to make that transition without it looking like a skating costume."

So how do you solve that problem beyond paint and tape? "We took it to Izquierdo Studios and I was explaining to Martin Izquierdo what the problem was. He said, 'Alright, just go away for an hour.' We went away for an hour, and then when we came back he had cut, hacked, aged, and torn it, and it looked perfect. It was a dress that melted into her body — so it went from flesh, to fabric, back to skin and flesh, so you couldn't pinpoint whether it was a dress, whether it was her skin, or whether it was vines growing on her. It was vague, misty, and painted with lots of sparkle, so you could never pinpoint what it was. That was a very successful costume."

Beyond the desire to make Gotham feel like New York through the lens of a Broadway show, there was one other consistent challenge: working within the confines of the DC Universe. All live-action TV series that exist within the worlds of DC Comics have to accept that they are second banana in the DC hierarchy. The creators of Arrow had to scrub their Suicide Squad plotline when the film of the same name starring Margot Robbie and Will Smith was greenlit, for example. And so, too, Gotham had to contend with these challenges from a stylistic standpoint.

"There's a thing that Josh and I used to say," admits Glaser. "'If you can't tell what it is, then it's great.' If you can't know where it came from or if you can't pinpoint it, then there was never a problem."

Probably the most infamous struggle Gotham faced in the Batman canon relates to the Joker, in that Gotham simply could not have a character named "the Joker." That is why the twins, Jeremiah and Jerome, were created. And, even then, there was some conflict. "We sent a sketch and he [Jeremiah] had some purple in his suit," Glaser explains. "Warner Bros. said, 'No, you can't use purple.' The producers from Gotham talked with them and they let it pass. I think that was an area or a time when they started to loosen up a little bit, with us. We never got too close to the iconic look of anybody. We always danced around it."

One character from whom there was, surprisingly, no pushback at all was Harley Quinn. "The diamond shapes are painted on so that they kind of fade in and out, kind of ghost-like," reveals Glaser of the initial Harley design. "Every time that we saw her it would get a little more refined. When it started out it was like a dull red and a dull blue. By the time we finished, this is on different clothing, but, still, again, painting, it had become red and white, but because of what she does, we made it look like red blood and white."

You may also have heard that Gotham's final season involves a time jump allowing its audience to see something they've wanted since day one: Batman. And while it's too early yet to reveal everything about the first time we see actor David Mazouz in full Bat-regalia, Glaser did reveal one aspect to the costume that was mandated: "They insisted that the Batman logo be on the belt."

There's so much that goes into costuming a show, there could be a whole series just on the topic. Glaser talked with SYFY WIRE about so much: the muscle suits under the character's clothes, the way each character was built up to be taller and longer, and small details — like the custom made ties for all the men's suits, and how they changed from season to season. Even the background actors got their own story. "For every episode, we would pick a color," says Glaser. "Let's say there's a party scene, we would pick a color and we would pick a vague period and focus on that."

Most of these skills are ones that Glaser and his team learned, not from television, but from their time assisting with, designing, dressing, teching down, and rigging costumes on Broadway, all which helped make the Gotham City of Fox's Gotham the most quintessentially New York incarnation of the DC Universe yet.

[frosty-mage]

Lands at Legacy Champs

I had a great time at my first eternal weekend this year, where I brought Lands to the event. You can find my decklist (and some commentary) here. I wanted to add on a full tournament report as well, written for people who have no experience beyond knowing the basics of the game.

This will be fairly lengthy, so I’m gonna put a read more.

I’m going to assume you’ve looked at the list and read the description. That way, you have some basic idea of what I’m playing. I’ll link cards the first time (for convenience), plus if it’s been a while since it’s been referenced. 

That said, let’s get into the event!

Round 1: I played against Czech Pile, which is a base blue-black deck that touches on red and green for a few other powerful cards, such as Leovold, Abrupt Decay, and Kolaghan’s Command. Unfortunately for them, while their deck is packed with powerful spells, their manabase is rather fragile. They don’t have much ability to play around repeated Wastelands, especially not recurring ones, since their lands are mostly fetchlands (like Misty Rainforest) and the original duals (such as Underground Sea, which can be fetched with the aforementioned rainforest since it is an island), with few basic lands. As a result, your primary gameplan is to reduce their manabase to nothing before killing them with whatever method is easiest. 

I unfortunately don’t have notes from game 1 of this match, but I did win it after executing the game plan said above. He can’t stick a threat, and soon he can’t cast threats or answers. A Marit Lage soon ended him. 

Game 2 was one of the most sickening kick-in-the-junk games I’ve played in a while. He lost the previous game, so he went first, and lead with a Misty Rainforest. I cracked my own fetchland for a Taiga, cast Mox Diamond, and followed that up with Sylan Library. My opponent cracked his fetchland for a Tropical Island, then cast Brainstorm during my end step. He then untapped, cracked a fetchland for an Underground Sea, and cast Abrupt Decay to kill my library, since an active library isn’t something that he can compete with. 

I then untapped and played Stage into Choke. My opponent’s lands stayed tapped. He didn’t play a land on turn 3. I had a Dark Depths to follow up. He missed his next land drop. I made a 20/20 on his end step, then attacked him for lethal. He then revealed his hand, which contained two copies of Diabolic Edict (sacrifice does get around indestructible) and a copy of Ensnaring Bridge, none of which were castable. 

Round 2: I played against mono-red prison. This deck is dedicated to playing Blood Moon (and its little brother, Magus of the Moon) as soon as possible, sometimes as early as turn 1. It also plays Chalice of the Void to lock out large chunks of cards. I faced Chalice on 1 on my opponent’s turn 1, and while I was able to delay the blood moon for a few turns, I wasn’t able to stop it. I have no way of beating that particular combination in my maindeck, so I lost. 

I do bring in 3 copies of Krosan Grip after sideboard, but even those weren’t enough. I got quickly run over by a Goblin Rabblemaster after getting hit by an early moon. I wasn’t expecting to win this matchup. It happens. 1-1.

Round 3: I played against a sweet blue-black control deck that splashed green for Sylvan Library and Abrupt Decay. It wanted to hide behind powerful planeswalkers, such as Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Liliana of the Veil, but also played Sinkhole and Smallpox to disrupt the opponent’s mana. Unfortunately, his mana is more vulnerable than mine, so I was able to do to him what he wanted to do to me. It was closer than the decks would suggest, but I still came out with a win in two games. 2-1 so far.

Round 4: I played against one of the champions of the archetype I was playing, Jody Kieth. However, he was playing 12-post, a deck dedicated to using Cloudpost to generate lots of mana, using Vesuva to copy it and Glimmerpost for even more Loci. This mana then gets funnelled into casting gigantic spells, such as Ulamog. 

I wish I took more notes on this matchup, because it was very intense and very challenging, but unfortunately I can’t say more than that this was a close win in three games. We talked quite a bit after the match and he gave me some tips and discussed what the correct way to build the deck was. 3-1.

Then wizards’ event running program crashed, and we had about an hour between the end of the 50 minute round timer and the start of round 5. 

Round 5: I played against mono-red burn. This is a deck that focuses on killing you as quickly as possible with fast creatures and Lightning Bolts to the face. This is one of my better matchups, since they can’t beat a Glacial Chasm lock and have no answers to a fast Marit Lage. They mulliganned on the play in game 1, and managed to get me down to 8 before dying a painful death to a giant squid. 

In game 2, I opened on Forest, Crop Rotation, Depths, Stage, Wasteland, Ghost Quarter, Tranquil Thicket. While that hand has next to no disruption, it does put a 20/20 into play on turn 3 (after crop rotation for Ancient Tomb), and that should be enough. I then drew Manabond and put it into play on turn 1 instead. 4-1

Round 6: I played against Sneak and Show, a deck dedicated to using Sneak Attack and Show and Tell to put Griselbrand and Emrakul into play. I have a bad matchup here, because they’re a fast combo deck with a manabase that dodges Wasteland. My only real hope is that they help me put a lage into play. I can’t really beat Sneak Attack, but Karakas can help me win. 

I lost game 1 to a turn 2 Show and Tell into Emrakul off Ancient Tomb. No Karakas or crop rotation to get me out of it. In game 2, my opponent put Grislebrand into play, but I made a Marit Lage on the same end step, forced him to block, and then killed him with the squid. In game 3, I never really got off the ground, and he had another early grislebrand. 4-2.

Round 7: I played against Blue-white Miracles, a controlling deck with a lot of 1-mana deck manipulation spells, like Brainstorm, Ponder, and Portent. The things to worry about are Swords on your Marit Lage token and maindeck Back to Basics. While this does give you a lot of life, it doesn’t stop the last ability of Jace, the Mind Sculptor from killing you. This is a fairly accurate description of how game 1 went. He was attacking me with a pair of Snapcaster Mages, and started using the +2 of jace to filter my draws. I had to do something, so I tried making a Marit Lage, which did stop me from dying to the mages, but it got Swords’d and I died to a Jace ultimate soon after. 

However, this matchup changes greatly after sideboard. I have Choke, Krosan Grip to deal with his back to basics and Counterbalance, and even a couple Tireless Trackers to pressure Jaces and require him to use removal on things that aren’t Marit Lage. 

In game 2, I managed to resolve a pair of early chokes, so he couldn’t really get out from under them. I then made a Marit Lage, but it got Swords’d. My gameplan then shifted to casting Punishing Fire repeatedly at my opponent’s face, using Grove to get it back. While he did have a pair of copies of back to basics, I had a pair of Grips to deal with them. 

In game 3, he managed to get down a quick back to basics again. However, I got down a Marit Lage, which once again decided to take up farming. Luckily, my list is designed to be able to win through back to basics: I have two basic forests, which is enough to dredge Life from the Loam, cast loam to get back stage and depths, then replay stage, next turn replay depths and make a token end of turn. Even miracles struggles dealing with a 20/20 every other turn, and while he did manage to remove the first, my second got there. I’m not supposed to win that matchup, and I’m definitely not supposed to win when all seven of my sideboard cards are in the bottom 10 cards of my library. Got there anyway through a resolved hate card. 5-2 and feeling amazing.

Round 8: I faced Eldrazi-post, a deck that uses the lands mentioned in round 4, but is only colorless rather than playing green. It instead chooses to pair them with Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors to power out threats like Thought-knot Seer and Reality Smasher. It also plays artifact disruption, such as Chalice of the Void and Sorcerous Spyglass. This matchup is close to even. While I can sometimes blow up all of their lands, sometimes they just run me over. Additionally, they tend to bring in both Leyline of the Void (which stops Loam) and Ensnaring Bridge (which stops Marit Lage). 

In game 1, they got an early start and cast Chalice with 2 counters. This stops my loam recursion and my punishing fires. However, I managed to stall with a Glacial Chasm for a while, while a looming force presented itself on the other side of the board. My opponent misplayed by tapping their Ancient Tomb to charge their Walking Ballista, bringing them from 21 life to 19. Additionally, they didn’t prioritize getting Endbringer into play. He finally cast it, but this was also the turn that I drew Crop Rotation to get Dark Depths, which put a 20/20 into play on his end step, which flew over his team for the win. 

In game 2, I got run over by a pair of thought-knot seers, one of which took the Drop of Honey I sideboarded in. It happens.

In game 3, I managed to get a Molten Vortex down early, but had to give him a few life off Grove plus his own Glimmerpost. Once again, he got Endbringer on the same turn that I got Marit Lage, but I got an attack in, bringing him to 3, and finished him off with Loam+Vortex. 6-2.

Round 9: I’m playing against Grixis Delver, a blue-black-red deck designed to stick a threat (such as Delver of Secrets or Young Pyromancer), then counter your spells and deny your mana to stop you from stopping them in time. I completely punted game 1 by running a Crop Rotation into a Spell Pierce that he revealed to transform his delver. I could have played Ancient Tomb on the previous turn, but didn’t because it’s not a standard maindeck inclusion and I wanted to try getting a surprise Marit Lage. I then got run over in game 2 by a strong delver draw to my mediocre one. 6-3.

That was the end of that day’s tournament. Sunday would have the last two rounds of swiss for the legacy event, then the top 8 of the vintage tournament, then the top 8 of legacy tournament.

Round 10: I played against blue-white stoneblade. It’s a similar deck to Miracles, but it trades the more reactive/slow cards, such as Terminus, Counterbalance, and Entreat the Angels, for more proactive cards like Stoneforge and True-name Nemesis.  This list was also running maindeck Back to Basics, so it plays similarly to the miracles matchup before, but with them having more pressure but not the counterbalance-jace combination to lock out Life from the Loam recursion (repeatedly put a card with converted mana cost 2 back). 

Game 1 goes about the same as game 1 of miracles in round 7. They are on blue-white, start getting basic lands, eventually play back to basics. They apply some pressure with a threat (this time, it’s a true-name instead of a snapcaster), start ticking up a Jace, I make a Marit Lage, they swords it, and I can’t make a second before Jace kills me. Same old, same old. Once again, however, I get to bring in a lot of cards to deal with his threats and present my own backbreakers. 

In game 2, he was forced to keep a hand with his only lands being Arid Mesa and Plains. He needed to use his library manipulation to draw into a third land to cast his back to basics, but that meant he had to get Tundra, which left him vulnerable to my Wasteland. While he did find an island, he was stuck on those two lands for a while. I made one Marit Lage; he had it take up farming. I made a second; he died. 

In game 3, he played not one, but two copies of Rest in Peace, which shuts off Loam and Punishing Fire. I make a Marit Lage, hoping that will be enough, but he Plows it, forcing me to try again. In the process, I also manage to use Crop Rotation to deny myself green mana, so everything in my hand isn’t castable. we both draw a card and pass with no play for a few turns in a row. I play a Taiga, which turns on the three (!) Krosan Grips I have in hand. He taps out for a back to basics, but I turn my Ancient Tomb into a Thespian Stage with a Crop Rotation, then make another marit lage and kill him with it. 7-3, and holy hell I just won through three active hate enchantments. 

In the 11th and final round, I played against burn (this being the only repeat deck I’ve faced the whole event). I easily win game 1 by making an early Marit Lage. However, in game 2, he has an Alpine Moon out of the sideboard, which he uses to name Thespian’s Stage. I can no longer make a marit lage that way, so I have to stall with Glacial Ghasm in order to win with Molten Vortex or Punishing Fire. Unfortunately, I put my one copy of Vortex (the faster kill) into the graveyard by dredging Loam, and I have no way of getting it back. I then take forever to find a Grove to start recurring Fire. All the while, my opponent is whiffing on an instant-speed burn spell to kill me while I don’t have a chasm (between my upkeep and main phase). Eventually, however, they find it and I die.

In game 3, I keep Taiga, Gamble, Exploration, two copies of Dark Depths, Wasteland, Rishadan Port while going first. I keep this hand, figuring that I’m not beating Alpine Moon with a six card hand anyway and this has a good chance of turn-3 Marit Lage (I can either draw crop rotation or stage in my first draw step to get it on turn 2, or if I don’t, I can gamble for stage and hope to not discard that particular one of my 5 cards, and if I do discard it, I can always hope to draw it or a crop rotation soon after anyway). In total, I have over an 84.9% chance to get a marit lage by turn 3. However, I landed in that 15% of universes where I don’t draw stage or rotation and my gamble hit the one in five chance of discarding stage. I putter around for the few turns it takes him to kill me. I did slightly mess up; I should have held the Wasteland I played on turn 1 after leading with Taiga into Exploration. While this does win me the games where I draw stage/rotation and he draws alpine moon on turn 2 exactly, it also removes an extra card from my hand. Had I held onto the wasteland instead of playing it on turn 1, I would have had 6 cards in hand instead of 5 when discarding to gamble, which could have been the difference between winning and losing. Variance will sometimes get you though.

Overall, I finished 7-4. I’m happy with my performance, other than the punt in round 9. I had played magic from 9:30 to 7 before that, though, so take that how you will. 

The event was a lot of fun. I’ll definitely do it again next year.

[ccorinnef]

Sketchbook Flipthrough: Dec 19 - Jun 20

One of the creative practices I have developed is to work in my sketchbook for one hour every day. It seems that the key to my personal creativity is consistency rather than quality. I have gone through so many sketchbooks in my developing career as an artist but this is the very first one that I have fully completed. I worked in this Seawhite of Brighton A5 sketchbook from December 2019 to June 2020.

This first page I was attempting to finish up my self-made Inktober prompts by drawing a Garden Chafer. I don't think I really did it justice but it got me past the dilemma of the first blank page. On the next page I've drawn a mandala - I love drawing mandalas to practice symmetry and linework.

This next drawing was for a Christmas present for my partner; it is one of his favourite Warhammer characters: The Green Knight. The composition of this piece was taken directly from the reference picture I had from a Warhammer book but I drew it in my style of ink illustration with a bold triangle frame. Next to this I tried my hand at some faux calligraphy by inking the words "lose hate not weight." This is a message that became a personal mantra in the post-Christmas and New Year diet culture frenzy that is so overwhelming and all-consuming.

This collection of small drawings is titled "Some things I found while walking the dog." It features some winter plants and a lot of litter as well as a turnip that had washed up with the recent floods, which my dog thought was the best ball ever.

This spread has a very simplified not-quite pattern of houses of different designs. I was just playing with different shapes and patterns to create the buildings and their features. Beside this we have a baby Yoda - can you tell we started the year watching the Mandalorian?

Next, I've drawn a very fine lined rendition of the Wallace Monument in Stirling - this one may become a print in the near future, I am as yet undecided. On the opposite page I've drawn another mandala, this time taking up the entire page. I love practicing my linework and incorporating more bold black elements is something I am going to work with more going forwards.

This is a random doodle page - I tend to have my sketchbook out on the counter while volunteering with Made In Stirling so I can doodle in between customers when it is quiet. I like to do these random shapes of lines to practice getting the flow and ease of specific line styles more natural. The drawing beside this is of Stirling Castle - this one is definitely going to become a print in my collection soon! I just love the combination of the semi circle and the trees.

On the next spread, I've done a simplified drawing of a local building - I use local estate agents pictures as reference images as they tend to take really good building pictures! The next drawing was another style I have really started to gravitate towards. It's a kind of line practice except in the style of a topographic map. I had great fun doing this and they'll definitely pop up in my sketchbook practices regularly in the future.

This drawing was one of the ones I did while idly watching TV to stop myself from fidgeting. It's just a collection of tiny leaves that look as though they are drifting slowly in the sky. On the opposite page is a weird lined abstract shape thing - I don't particularly like it, but bad art is just as important to the creative process as good art.

This next spread is another that I don't particularly like. On the left, I've drawn a group of tree shapes in a similar vein to the not-quite house pattern. On the right is an attempt at a more structured architectural drawing of a fancy modern style house. You can tell I got fed up of it by the time I got to the shading.

This next piece is actually my first ever drawing from life. I took a life drawing class at my local college at the start of the year to push my boundaries a bit. I just glued it into my sketchbook after class and folded it so it would fit properly. It was drawn in charcoal and I didn't use any setting spray on it so it has smudged a little bit. Beside this is a tiny collection of baby animals which I think I drew at one of the Community Creative Club meets. I will never not love baby hedgehogs - they are the cutest thing on this planet.

Next up, I've got a collection of the local birdlife. These are all birds that I have seen around my home and tried to identify as best as possible. The heron, which I had mentally named Herman and saw every morning, unfortunately died after being caught in the floods of the start of this year. I have since seen another heron take its place in the misty mornings. This spring it was a delight to watch the swan and duck families grow up - we saw the same goosander family almost every day and took great delight in witnessing the mum duck diving under the ducklings and teaching them how to swim and forage.

This drawing is another random linework practice piece - it's kind of noodly. On the right is a drawing of Mooncake from Final Space which we were watching at the time. Chookity Pok!

This is another simplified building drawing using local estate agents' pictures as reference images. Beside this, is another drawing from my life drawing class. In this activity I thouroughly misunderstood the instructions so everyone else in the class ended up with tiny drawings on the side of their bigger collaborative pieces.

Next, we have another topographic style line drawing but a lot more simplified, as well as one of the first of my portraiture practices for the 100 Heads Challenge.

This two page spread is another piece from my life drawing class - this time I drew with materials more familiar to me, using white ink to add highlights and make the figure pop out from the brown of the paper.

On the next pages I've drawn a leafy plant and a Totoro - this was when Netflix started adding Studio Ghibli to its catalogue.

This next drawing is another that I don't particularly like, I think I just got the composition not quite right. It's a kind of composite of a few different trees that formed the view out of our cabin window on our February holiday to Aviemore. Beside this I've drawn a collection of simple fine line mushrooms.

The next page is an attempt at illustrating a map of an imaginary town - I have mixed feelings about it. On the opposite page is an aimless doodle of tiny flowers, for no particular reason.

Next is a page of random tiny doodles which almost looks like a (really bad) tattoo flash sheet. On the right I've drawn a self-portrait.

Next is almost a cartoon board but made up of intricate food illustration. I wanted to really test my textures with ink in this piece to try and capture a sense of likeness of the food items. Also, a pine cone. I have a weird obsession with pine cones.

On the left is a kind of spiderweb doodle which was probably another line work practice. On the right is another piece from life drawing class which I've just glued in so as to keep a memento of my progress.

This drawing is yet another one from life drawing class where I used different colours of ink pens to create depth and shadows in the model. Beside this is a drawing of a monument in Edinburgh called the Dugald Stewart Monument.

Another piece from my life drawing class is followed by a rough sketch of the Falkirk Kelpies.

The next two pages are made up of another piece from life drawing class - I like the way I've used different shades of ink to add highlight and lowlight to the figure.

Here is a monument in my typical style, this one is a part of Glasgow University. And next to this is another very simplified topography style map.

This spread features more monuments of Glasgow - the Duke of Wellington Statue (complete with cone hat, obviously) and the Clyde Auditorium. Both of which will become prints before long.

These next drawings are of another topographic map and the Falkirk Kelpies. These Kelpies took me about two weeks to draw in total because there are just so many intricate details.

Up next is a couple more monuments, the Stirling Robert the Bruce statue, and Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby.

The next drawing is another in my usual style of Castle Stalker. I love how this one turned out and it will definitely be in my shop soon! Beside this is an attempt at drawing a building from the Royal Mile in Edinburgh - I don't think it turned out very well, I got some of the angles of walls a bit wrong.

This next page features a simple drawing of a piece of hawthorn blossom that I found earlier this year. Beside this is a cute little Japanese building which I've coloured in with pencils. I was inspired to draw this from watching Midnight Diner on Netflix.

This painting was one of the first that I did during lockdown - it's of some daffodils that smudged a wee bit. On the right is an ink illustration of St Andrew's Cathedral, which also has some smudged daffodil paint.

This spread includes a yin and yang mandala and another colour pencil Japanese style house.

This is some more linework practice. On the left is a drawing of some wintery cow parsley stalks. On the right is some simple lined circles - I really like how when they cross over each other it appears like cross hatching.

This next page was inspired by watching Chris Riddell's IGTV's during lockdown. Beside this is a fuzzy bumble butt grazing on a thistle.

These next two drawings are my first tentative steps into character design - when I'm learning something new I tend to take inspiration from artists that already work in a particular way so that I might pick up some of their tricks along the way.

The next spread features another tiny building and an adorable mouse peeking out of a tulip flower.

Next is another practice of character drawing and an attempt at a fairytale style house, I didn't get the proportions quite right unfortunately.

On the left is a drawing of a treehouse which looks like an amazing place to live. On the right is an illustration of Fenton Tower - you might recognise it as Archie's humble abode from Balamory.

Next is another couple of spaghetti like line practices. I love playing with flow and texture within linework.

This drawing is a local building, the reference picture came from estate agents’ images. Beside this is some triangular line practice with the crossing over crosshatching again.

This is an illustration in my usual style of Dunnottar Castle - it will soon be in my avaible print collection. Next to this is an ink and watercolour drawing of a building from Culross, Fife where they have very distinctive white washed walls and bright brick edging.

This is another spread of linework practice - this time with squares and another topographic map.

This is a funky building I found online and wanted to draw - it's wedged between two sheer cliff faces! Next to this is a random page of scraps really. I started trying to draw some fairytale buildings before abandoning that idea and splashing some watercolour over the page instead. I then added this small watercolour painting of Kate from @kateshappinessjourney, which I tried to paint with a colour palette similar to Fran Menses.

These are two paintings of tiny country cottages done in ink and watercolour. I really enjoyed doing these and will probably do more going forward. Beside this is another bumble butt on a flower.

This is another Studio Ghibli inspired drawing and some character design practice. On the right is a couple more tiny watercolour cottages.

This page is has a random drawing from a reference on Instagram of a person wrapped up in a blanket along with a quote that reads: "I have planted worth, beneath my skin, in all the places, you made me doubt." Beside this is a practice loose watercolour painting of some flowers and leaves in a vase. It's not my usual style but I like to practice using watercolour regularly so that I can continue to develop my skills.

Next up is a collection of tiny drawings taken from scrolling through Instagram - I do this particularly when I want to draw but don't have a specific subject in mind. On the right hand side is a little landscape painting in gouache. I'm still learning how to use this medium so I don't expect masterpieces any time soon!

This is another weird building drawing - it did not turn out how I had envisioned so I am quite disappointed with it. On the adjoining page is a Draw This In Your Style challenge from @moonylux on Instagram. Its a very dainty and glamourous looking mermaid that I quite enjoyed drawing.

Here are some more gouache painting practices of some Scottish landscapes. I really like how my use of brushstrokes makes the paintings more vibrant and alive. Beside this is a little line drawing practice of some ocean waves.

This next drawing is another bumble butt on a flower. I think I might turn these into a print. On the right is a tiny collection of watercolour snails being adorable and curious creatures. I'm low-key obsessed with snails - I always move them from the path after the rain so they don't get stood on. I think these paintings could do with another layer of paint to increase the saturation of the colours.

This is an ink drawing of a Jackalope. I wish I could have one as a pet because they are so freaking cute. On the other side of this spread is another gouache practice piece - this one of a pink flower on a dark blue background.

This is another in my series of mythological creature illustrations. It's a fairy based off of the flower fairy drawings by Cicely Mary Barker in her books. Next to this is my first attempt at creating a repeating pattern for Minnie Small's #minniemission. It did not go well but I like to keep the scraps of my ideas.

This is a series of sketches for a commission for The Kitchen at 44. I often test out ideas in my sketchbook - sometimes completing the whole commission in my sketchbook and other times, as in this case, transferring the drawings over to something more fit-for-purpose (like watercolour paper).

Here is another of the great Scottish mythological creatures - this one is a Kelpie which features in stories across the country. Beside this I've done another gouache practice, of yet another landscape... I miss my studio and my acrylic paints a lot, but I am having great fun learning to use a new medium!

This is an illustration of a bean-nighe, or washer woman, who foretells death when she is seen washing the bloodied clothes of the people who are about to die. She also has breasts so saggy and cumbersome that she throws them over her shoulders to keep them out the way while she works. Next to this is a drawing of a building inspired by Ian Mcque's incredibly intricate illustrations.

This next drawing is another mythological creature illustration - this one is an uilbheist of Orkney and Shetland legend. This three headed sea serpent protects the islands from danger. On the right, is a little gouache seascape study. I really like how this one turned out.

This is another gouache study - I don't like how this one turned out much but there are tiny elements of this piece that I like. Beside this is some portrait practices for the 100 Heads Challenge - the challenge is to do 100 Heads in 10 days but that is way too difficult for me to achieve, so I just practice some here and there when I want to draw something different.

This is an illustration of a Boobrie, another of Scotland's mythological creatures. Beside this is some more portrait practice. I don't think I did these ones very well - but that is exactly why it is called a practice.

Here is a random piece of paper that I was testing pens on when decluttering. Over the top of it I've just drawn a quick flower doodle. Next to this is a collection of some of the Black Lives Matter protestors from June. Please keep this movement alive, listen and learn as much as possible. Only we can make the future better.

This next drawing is a commission I did for a friend who is about to embark on her probation year as an English teacher and wanted some literary themed illustrations to make signposts for her classroom. They are Narnia, Desire St, and East Egg, since they are some of her favourite stories. Beside this, on the right, is a collection of random shapes drawn with a highlighter and then turned into cartoony people. This kind of drawing practice really pushes you to look at shapes in a different way.

Here is some more portrait practices. I'm quite pleased with these. Next to this is some random leafy doodles, just for the hell of it.

This is another simplified house using a reference image from local estate agents. Beside this is another topographic map style linework practice.

Here is a creature by Karolina Plutowska from the book 'Sketching from the Imagination: Creatures and Monsters.' Practicing drawing like this helps me learn new ways of approaching illustration that I might not have considered before. Of course, I would never seek to claim any kind of profit or credit for drawings like these since they are based on someone else's artwork. On the right, is some more portrait practices which I never got around to inking. The pencil lines are very faint but you can see that I use a lot of shapes and lines to get the proportions right and help map out the whole page before I ink.

And this very last spread consists of another creature drawing from the book 'Sketching from the Imagination.' It is an illustration by Ksenia Bakhareva which I am particularly fond of. On the very last page of this sketchbook I've stuck in the finished repeating pattern that I made for Minnie Small's #minniemission. I am really pleased with how this piece came out and I can't wait to turn it into something fun!

And there you have it! That is the entire contents of my last sketchbook - dated from December 2019 to June 2020. It was been a wild few months but I've grown a lot as a person and as an artist, as can be seen from my sketchbook progression.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look inside my sketchbook. I use it basically as a place to store all of my art and treat each page as a new opportunity to practice my skills and talents. Not everything you create has to be a masterpiece but the act of practicing your skills every day will get you so much more creative than you ever thought possible .

[golfnomad]

Bay Area Trip, Part 4: Rounding Out the List

Wednesday was my final day in the Bay Area. One of my big objectives for this trip was to play the handful of public courses I had left in and around San Francisco. There are some courses that are further south on the peninsula that I still need to play, but I considered my main goal was accomplished after three more rounds before heading home.

The first was a course I’ve been wanting to play for the longest time…

Sharp Park Golf Course • Pacifica, CA • 6/21/17

Given its history and pedigree as an Alister Mackenzie course, Sharp Park has always been an intriguing option. Unfortunately, the course has been mired in a lot of challenges in recent years. There have been constant threats of shutting it down or at least altering it significantly. Part of this was due to the economy and the drought. Heavy rains this winter also forced the temporary closure of a few holes/greens. The main issue, however, was environmental. Sharp Park has been in a major battle because the marsh area on the course is home to two different endangered species, the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake.

There have been legal battles between the environmentalists and city planners who wanted to keep the historic course in operation. After all, Sharp Park has been in operation since the early 1930s. Not long ago, a compromise was finally agreed upon. The entire course would remain open while the three holes along the marsh underwent some renovation to satisfy the environmental concerns.

Mackenzie designed Sharp Park to be a working man’s golf course, unlike most of his Northern California courses that are either private or quite expensive. I was glad to hear that the environmental issues have been resolved, at least for now, and there is no renovation work currently being done. I wanted to come and play it as-is, as long as all 18 holes and normal greens were open. If major changes are made down the road, then I have an excuse to go back in the future. From everything I’ve read, though, the renovations aren’t intended to encroach upon the course’s original architectural character. Let’s hope not.

Sharp Park is definitely a simple presentation. The clubhouse area is pretty run-down and feels old, but that’s part of the charm here. Given all the struggles they’ve gone through, I didn’t come here expecting pristine conditions or world-class service. This is meant to be a simple course that’s usually a little rough around the edges. It’s a local track with plenty of local character (and characters).

I had booked a 7:34 tee time online, but that was pointless. I arrived early and checked in soon after they opened the starter window around 6:45. The guy inside didn’t seem to care at all about any tee times and basically admitted it is a free-for-all most mornings. He said he’d get me out whenever I was ready. I ended up in the third group out with three walkers, and we finished in about four hours.

The price was a little steep at $53, but that was partly due to the fact I rented a cart. Normally, this would be the type of course I would love to walk. A majority of players out there in the morning were walking. I just didn’t have it in me after the days before.

It turns out that the carts were a fun part of the story. These things look tired and corroded after years of sitting out in the salty and misty sea air of Pacifica. They do not have roofs either. Rancho Maria in Orcutt is the only other course where I’ve seen that. They are also gas-powered and just have a go kart feel. I will say that not all the carts are built for husky gentlemen. Mine in particular had a very low steering wheel that made it very hard to get in and out of the driver’s seat. I noticed some others had a little more wiggle room, so I guess it’s just the luck of the draw.

The course itself is a pretty simplistic design. It is fairly flat in most places, other than a few front nine holes across the street that go up and back in a small canyon. The back nine plays through and along the aforementioned marsh areas, so I’ll be curious how some of these holes (most notably the par-3 12th) are affected by any environmental renovation plans.

My favorite part of the course was the 14th and 15th holes. The 14th is a nice par-4 with the marsh running all the way up the left side. Then, the 15th is a funky little par-3 that currently requires a blind tee shot. It plays over a corner of the marsh and the reeds are grown up to maybe 10-feet tall at the moment. All you can see is the tippy-top of the flag on the green, which sits atop about a really long flagstick. A very deep bunker guards the front right of the green, though you have no idea it’s there.

I assume they’ve been unable to cut those reeds for awhile due to the environmental concerns, so I wonder if that will change later. If the reeds were cut down, it may or may not be a better hole (depending on your point of view).

The conditions were indeed a bit sketchy, though actually better than I would have expected all things considered. I know the wet winter helped things here. Still, the course has a long way to go. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways were a mix of green and brown, with some shaggy spots and some thin spots. The rough was very lush in some areas and bare/patchy in others, so it is what it is. I wasn't in a bunker, but they appeared decent. The greens were soft and rolling medium/slow. They were very bumpy and some had a lot of damage.

It sounds like the environmental renovation plans will finally allow the city to put some much-needed money and TLC back into the course. It will never be lush and pristine, and it’s not intended to be a higher-end Harding Park like course. As long as they can fix up the greens, it will be a huge improvement. As it is, it’s plenty playable for the right price.

Sharp Park is not a destination kind of course. However, for someone like me who appreciates historic courses and enjoys getting a sampling of local flavor, it was a must-play and I’m glad I finally got to check it out. I’m really rooting for this place to keep moving in the right direction.

Some pictures from Sharp Park Golf Course (6/21/17):

I had one more course in town I needed to play in order to complete my San Francisco public checklist…

Gleneagles Golf Course at McLaren Park • San Francisco, CA • 6/21/17

I mentioned I was playing Gleneagles to my playing partners in the morning, and they told me that it would be wide open. I found that hard to believe in such a congested city, especially considering McLaren Park is in a very densely populated part of town.

However, they were right. I showed up around noon and it looked like a ghost town. I checked right in and the pro shop guy showed me the lay of the land. I was planning to walk here ($21 for nine holes), but I saw the course was wide open and decided to rent a cart for expediency.

I did play through a couple of twosomes out there, and otherwise finished quickly. Gleneagles also doubles as foot golf and disc golf courses (I saw one disc golfer out there). I get the sense they’ll gladly take any business they can get, and it’s probably never crowded enough for the multiple course setups to cause major problems. Overall, this place just feels like it is on its last legs, but I am not sure if it is in danger of closing.

The layout actually has potential. It is a 9-hole regulation design with different tee boxes for front and back nine play. A few of them are pretty differently oriented, so that makes it slightly more interesting for a replay nine. Otherwise, I got my taste with the front nine arrangement and that was more than enough.

Gleneagles is pretty hilly and has some narrow spots, big doglegs and plenty of trees. From a 9-hole perspective, it’s kind of a longer version of Lincoln Park. The setting is nice and secluded and you get at least a couple good views of the south Bay Area and the famous Cow Palace next door. In other words, it could be a pretty cool course.

Unfortunately, the conditions left a lot to be desired. It was very brown and dried out throughout the course, with a lot of bare patches and plain dirt sections in play. The bunkers looked terrible. The greens were the one saving grace, and they advertise them as always firm and fast on their website. They were firm and fast, and most of the surfaces were kept in pretty nice shape (a few had some significant damaged spots). It’s clear the greens are the one place they put their limited maintenance focus, though I still wouldn’t consider them that great by most standards.

There isn’t much more to highlight about Gleneagles. It is beat up course in one of the less-desirable parts of town. For my purposes, I was glad it was uncrowded, though I wonder about the future of this course.

Some pictures from Gleneagles Golf Course at McLaren Park (6/21/17):

Though I wanted to hit the road for the long drive home at a reasonable hour, I still hoped to squeeze in at least one more round while in the Bay Area. I looked online to find the best, nearest option…

Poplar Creek Golf Course • San Mateo, CA • 6/21/17

They had a 2:00 tee time for $29 with cart, and I could tell that was the first available twilight time. I was paired with three other singles and we teed off a few minutes before 2:00. It was nice at first because there was a good gap in front of us. By the time we made the turn, we had caught up to a much slower foursome and the pace slowed down. However, the pace was still good overall at 3:20.

I had hopes that the very close proximity of Poplar Creek to the bay would provide a few decent views from the course. It did not. In fact, this a very plain course without much scenery to enjoy. It sits right next to the freeway and there is a big ugly power plant on the other side of the property. The SFO airport is also very close, so there is a lot of air traffic overhead.

The course itself is pretty basic. It is very flat and mostly wide open with just a smattering of trees lining the fairways. There are a handful of holes with water hazards in play and those are by far the most interesting. The 11th is probably the best hole here, and that’s not saying much. It is a short par-4, topping out at 321 yards. Most people will play conservatively to lay up in front of the water hazard that cuts across the fairway about 100 yards short of the green. Aggressive long hitters may be able to reach the green.

Like many of the courses I played on this trip not named Metropolitan or Cal Club, Poplar Creek is also relatively short. The black tees stretch out to only 6,035 yards (par-70). And like I said, there isn’t a ton of trouble to get into out here, so it’s a course that probably provides plenty of good scores. The greens do have some subtle character and noticeable undulation, but still nothing that crazy.

The course was in decent shape, with the greens being the highlight. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways were mostly pretty good. There are just a bunch of small scattered spots that are completely dead/bare hardpan. So there's like 95% good coverage of fairway grass and then the 5% dead spots here and there that definitely detract. The rough was pretty good for the most part, especially around the greens. The bunkers were very nice.

The greens seemed almost all the way healed from whatever spring aeration they did, though there was a light topdressing of sand on all greens. The surfaces are very spongy, but more springy than soft on approaches. That meant there weren't too many ball marks to be found. The guys I played with said the greens are normally much faster and don't have the sand, so I would expect them to be very good again within the next few weeks.

I rarely write reviews this short for full regulation courses, but there really isn’t much to say about Poplar Creek. It is a pretty basic course. I can tell it gets a lot of local play and is a good course for the high-handicappers, kids, seniors and beginner golfers to experience the game without getting punished too much by poor shots.

Some pictures from Poplar Creek Golf Course (6/21/17):

I actually tried to play one more short course before heading out of town, but it didn’t work out. I headed over to nearby Mariners Point, which looks like a really fun little 9-hole par-3 course that may have given me some of the waterfront views I was hoping for at Poplar. Unfortunately, it was around 6:00. Everybody and their mothers were there after work taking advantage of beautiful weather. I just did not have it in me to play a 2-hour round on such a small course. This course is also the only night-lit course in the Bay Area, so that makes it a nice after-work stop throughout the year. Next time, I will definitely try to knock it out.