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What Was Your Favorite 2013 Detroit Auto Show Debut The 2013 Detroit auto show press days have come to a close, but not before showcasing some of the most anticipated vehicles such as the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Some automakers even came out of left field showing unexpected concepts, such as Ford鈥檚 Atlas concept, which previewed the 2015 F-150. With the Detroit show being one of the biggest shows of the season, car companies surely saved their big debuts for Motor City, but which one was your favorite? Lincoln showed the MKC concept, which got several positive reactions for its Range Rover Evoque-esque looks, while Infiniti鈥檚 Q50 sports sedan also got a thumbs-up for its sleek styling. Volkswagen brought the CrossBlue concept, showing it鈥檚 ready to dip into the midsize SUV market, and Audi鈥檚 RS7 joined the rest of the RS family in the U.S. BMW unveiled the 2013 320i, which didn鈥檛 seem so ultimate with only 180 hp, but the 4 Series Coupe concept is what really stole the show at the German automaker鈥檚 stand.
Rival Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, touted its sexy all-wheel-drive E63 AMG 4Matic and the production version of the swoopy CLA sedan. The Lexus IS F Sport scared some spectators with its gaping grille, while Toyota may have shown us what the next-gen Corolla will look like with the Furia concept. The Corvette stole the next-gen Silverado鈥檚 thunder at the Chevy booth, while another GM reveal included the Volt鈥檚 cousin, the Cadillac ELR. The Resonance concept (previewing the next-gen Murano) and Versa Note represented Nissan, while Acura鈥檚 MDX prototype served as a sneak peek for the production version. Honda also teased a new small crossover coming out in 2014 with the Urban SUV concept, and although many thought the Hyundai HDC-14 concept would preview the next-gen Genesis, Hyundai stressed that was not the case. Among all the new showstoppers at the Detroit show, which debut was your favorite? Have your say in the comments below.
Ron Forse was brought in to restore some bunker shapes and also to modernize the design. We had a really nice day there but the course isn't that memorable. Hopefully one day I can visit again and see the East. The next morning we headed back up towards Denver to the town of Parker and Colorado Golf Club. This was my second visit to CGC and the course was in wonderful shape as they prepared to host the Solheim Cup only days after our round. We met up with a bunch of friends for the day at Colorado, which was a precursor to a big event taking part that weekend at Ballyneal, one of my favourite golf courses on the planet. I hope to finally get my course profile of Colorado GC online sometime in the new year. This was my third trip to Ballyneal in four years and it was to take part in a scratch 2-man better ball event called the Rota. There were 12 two-man teams that took part in the inaugural event and while Harris and I acquitted ourselves well, we'd be on the losing end of two very close matches, falling into the consolation bracket.
Great camaraderie outside the Turtle Bar as Ballyneal glows near sunset. Despite falling short, we had a wonderful three days at Ballyneal and I truly hope that the ROTA becomes an annual, must-play event on my calendar. Jim, our great host, has big plans for this coming year and I certainly hope to be a part of it if it all comes together. Back home, I played four courses other than my own in Ontario. Just after returning from Colorado, I finally got the chance to visit the Devil's Paintbrush in Caledon, generally considered one of the finest modern golf courses in Canada. We played on a horrific weather day, with lots of rain and wind - I was more than a bit disappointed with the course setup when we played. This course is absolutely revered by many people whose opinions I value and I was shocked by the lack of playability at the Brush.
The fine architecture is quite apparent but needless to say, I would like another look at this course just to be sure my eyes didn't deceive me the first time. I played in a business scramble at Monterra Golf Club at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood, Ontario. The course sits at the base of the mountain and like another mountain course I played earlier in the year, the West Course at Broadmoor, Monterra lacks memorability and is just an average design. Going from average to perhaps the best Canada has to offer, I was fortunate to be invited back to St. George's G&CC in Toronto for a second consecutive year. Prior to last year, I had only played St. George's once in my life and that was as a 17-year old in a junior event. As indicated last year, it's truly a world-class design, one that can measure up to the best in all of golf, with as good a finishing stretch as I've ever seen. In my eyes, it's a much better design than The National and is my choice as the best course in Canada.
