September 26 - Round 34

Course - Eisenhower White

Playing partners - Rich, Pete

Fall golf is wonderful.  The air is crisp, with a light breeze.  And, at this time of year, you don't have to search through/under fallen leaves.
I started off the round wearing a vest over my shirt to keep me warm.  The vest peeled off at the 2nd hole.

The one big event of this round was my new/replaced sunglasses.  If you recall, I lost my Bolle shades on the third round of the year.  I stupidly put them on the top of my hat, and forgot about them for 2 holes - until I realized that some lucky golfer on the Blue course at Bethpage had a nice new pair of sunglasses.

Well, the new shades were "Golf Sunglasses" (Bolle Bolt).  I never really knew what that meant, until I put them on.  They are not as darkly shaded as regular ones.  And, they sort of tint the colors, making the ball seem a bit brighter, and easier to track.

I'm sure (if you're a golf fan), have seen golfers wearing their glasses while hitting. I was never able to do that, as I would find myself topping the ball.

Low and behold, I discovered the trick on wearing sunglasses while playing.  (and I'll share it with you now)

When you wear glasses, and the temple pieces rest on your ears, the lower edge of the lens is within your field of view.  I'm guessing, what I was doing was RAISING my head so that my view of the ball was UNDER the lens, not through it.  And, as we all know, raising your head causes topping the ball. (KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN)

After watching a bit of the Tour Championship on TV, I noticed that many of the golfers wore their glasses with the temple pieces over the edge of their hat - not resting on their ears.
Then it hit me - THIS WAS NOT A FASHION STATEMENT!
What this does is bring the lower edge of the lenses close to your cheeks, so you don't see them.

Once I did that, I was able to wear my sunglasses without any issues!! (other than the normal issues I have).
I did take them off (and wear them backwards on my head) to putt, so that I could read the line better.

So, for those of you that wear shades on the course - try this little trick.  It helped me immensely.

As for my round....

I was striking the ball very well today.  Except for the 16th hole, my drives were usually on the fairways.  It was tough to tell distance because there was usually a two club wind either with us, or against us.

A few times, I overclubbed my approach shots as the golf-gods played the game of killing the wind just as I swung the club.  The single golfer (Sal) that hooked up with us noticed this, and made a comment to me.
Such is life.

My final score was a 92.

I will say that I could easily have shaved 4-5 strokes off my game (maybe more) had the hole's been an extra 1-2 inches in diameter.
If you didn't know - the golf ball is 1.62 inches in diameter, and the hole is a whopping 4.25 inches in diameter.  This means that you can fit TWO balls into that hole!!!

Well, I couldn't fit one today.  My putts cruised within 1/4 inch of the hole all day.  Many times lipping out.  (where were those 15 inch cups when you need them).
It was a bit frustrating, but as the day was incredibly beautiful - I couldn't complain - as I ended with 35 putts.

The round was also relatively quick.  We finished in 4:30 - and that was with letting the group behind us play through so we could grab a bite at the 11th hole.
And, we could have played faster, except for Sal.  I'd guess Sal shot somewhere in the range of 120.  Maybe more.  Sal was in his mid sixties, and had one of those swings you need to look away from.
Stance very open, club even more open.
Backswing slow, and perhaps to waist high, and then a fast downswing that more often than not, had the ball going perhaps 20 yards.
But, Sal was a nice guy - and as you can be paired up with a jerk, you don't complain about the quality of the golfer.

Richie, once again, had to stop playing (at the 15th hole), as his back twinged.  I told him I'd come over and give him some exercises and stretches to do at home, that would help him.
And Peter - Pete hit more wood than a lumberjack.  I finished with 100.

This week, I do hope to get out and practice - at the putting area.  Since I missed so many putts by an inch (or less), I want to work on that piece of the puzzle.  My distance on the putts was great (except for the one hole I triple putted on).

And, perhaps I can squeeze in a round (or maybe 9 holes) before next weekend.

Until then

Keep in in the Short Hairs