Missing Links' Cayman Course: Par 3 Marvel

When Missing Links was built circa 1980 by Milwaukee developer Chuck Pasternak, it was the finest practice facility in the metro area. With a spacious hitting area and composite artificial mats to hit from, it offered opportunities to practice the game unequaled anywhere in the Milwaukee area. Besides having, perhaps, the best name for any golf-related facility, Missing Links offered year-round access as the bays just east of the shop were heated during the winter months, affording local golfers the opportunity to get a golf fix during the doldrums of a Wisconsin winter, or during the January thaw.

Chuck Pasternak was a visionary promoter and he eventually added the 9 hole par three course just south of the clubhouse on N. Port Washington Road. (1985) It was originally designed as a Cayman Course; a concept which was originated by a man named Bill Diddel, (1884-1985)) an Indiana native who grew up in the Indianapolis area. Diddel's idea was to develop smaller golf courses....to bring more people into the game and to reduce the amount of time required to play a game of golf. In the 1930s, Diddel developed and patented a golf ball (not yet the Cayman) which flew about half the distance of the golf balls of that era. Diddel's idea didn't flourish but the concept was picked up 40 years later by a man named Troy Puckett.

Puckett was an employee of the MacGregor golf company whose majority owner was Jack Nicklaus. The Cayman ball was born. The Cayman ball was made of blown Surlyn and it was covered with "brambles" or rough-edged contours which varied greatly from the traditional, dimpled ball. Information on the evolution of the lighter ball is sketchy but the early version of the "light" ball weighed 21 grams; about half of the 45 gram dimpled ball. Eventually the Cayman weighed 25 grams, a weight which added a few yards to the maximum driving distance of the ball. A maximum of 150 yards required a significantly shorter golf course as the brambles had an aerodynamic effect similar to that of a Whiffleball; wind resistance not only reduced the yardage but it exacerbated the movement caused by imperfect strikes. Wind, as always, was the enemy.

Nicklaus' name has been associated with Missing Links because of the use of the Cayman ball but the use of any name associated with a golf facility these days is an intellectual property issue which always has very specific requirements. So, to say that the Missing Links course is a Jack Nicklaus design or signature course may be an expensive assertion. Suffice it to say that the course was set up to accommodate the short-distance, Cayman ball which was produced by MacGregor....which was, in large part, Jack Nicklaus' company at the time.

The Cayman ball had another shortcoming beyond its aerodynamic vulnerabilities. The brambles were susceptible to wear caused by the grooves in golf clubs. Smooth golf balls bring to mind the famous knuckleballers of another era as a smooth golf ball behaves much the same as a Hoyt Wilhelm knuckler; unpredictably.

To uncover the history of the decision to move to the use of a conventional golf ball may be fruitless and/or non-productive but the change was made circa 1988 and the course has been played with a conventional ball ever since. The holes on the ML par 3 course vary in length from 76 to 213 yards, total yardage being 1131 yards. As a short-game practice session, it is an inexpensive pursuit which can be accomplished in 45 minutes with as few as 4 clubs and a putter. Preceded by a bucket of balls on the range it's an inexpensive way to get lots of practice.

Tim Grogan, PGA Professional, says that the Monday through Friday Junior League is the busiest organized activity at Missing Links. The juniors play scrambles. Best balls, best 2 balls etc. to diversify the experience and keep it interesting.

The Cayman ball may be history at Missing Links but the full golf experience is still available in a brief time frame......and it's economical.

More information at MissingLinksMequon.com.