October 11th - Round 36

Course - Eisenhower Blue

Playing partner - solo round

After the lackluster round on Saturday, I decided to get up and get my ass out and play again - I needed more torture.

I had made an 8:20 tee time on the Blue course the night before, and got to the course at 7:20 to check in, and warm up.  The cashier said she could move me up - to 8:04, and I said that would be great.
In the back of my mind, I actually thought that waiting an extra 21 minutes might let the air warm up a few degrees more.  Then I realized that was such an stupid idea - and I took the 8:04 slot.

I took some extra time warming up.  Taking it VERY slow, as the air was cooler than Saturday's round.

The one thing about today was the lack of wind.  Saturday's weather had a 10-20 mph winds.  Today, it was calm.  After the warm up, I got to the 1st tee at 7:55.
A twosome was teeing off, and I joined them.
NO WAIT!!!

The pair was George and Shane.  Two very nice guys and two very bad golfers.  They hit the ball a mile, but it was at 45 degree angles.
George's swing was bad.  Over rotating, bending his left elbow around his head.
Shane had a backswing that was short - and fast as lightning.

The place was empty. There was no group in front of us, and no one waiting behind us.

I simply walked up, made the introductions - and teed off.  I drew it off the the left, just off the fairway.

As I walked up the fairway, I realized my first mistake.

I wore my Footjoy Ultralights - NOT WATERPROOF!

By the time I got to my ball, my feet were wet and cold.
It was also brutal trying to track the flight of your ball.  The sun was sitting just over the trees, and the glare was a killer.

My ball was sitting in the deep rough, which was wet and gnarly.  I opted for my 4 Hybrid, which I thought I hit well, but the ball sailed across the fairway - to perch directly behind a tree.
For a moment, I actually considered trying to hit my 9 iron AROUND the tree with a hard draw.

Then I came back to my senses, and I simply pitched out and took my medicine.
Bogey 6 on the first hole.
By this time, the temps had risen to a balmy 50 degrees - but the sun was strong - so I peeled off the vest.

By the 2nd hole, my swing hit that point where it became a simple routine.  It was effortless, and the ball was (BASICALLY) doing what I wanted.
I parred the 2nd hole, and proceeded to finish with a front nine of 41.
I had hit 6 of the 7 fairways (only missing on the first hole).
My only disappointment was how I played the par 3's.  I didn't hit either green and bogey'd both.
(this will get worse on the back nine).
I also was putting well.  This despite the fact that the greens were aerated.

The back nine started off great.  I had a great drive (on the fairway again) leaving me 140 to the flag.  My 8 iron made it to the front of the green, leaving me a 15 foot putt.
As I said earlier, I was putting well.

I drained the putt for a birdie.

After a par on 11, I screwed up the 12th - double bogeying.  My drive was off the fairway on the right, and my 7 iron got caught up in the grass.  Amazing how staying on the fairway makes SUCH a difference.

My next hole of not was the 15th hole - par 3 at 160 yards.  As the green was elevated, I pulled my 4 hybrid (170 yard club).  Feeling a bit of wind in my face, I (of course) tried to overswing, and topped the ball - 100 yards up.
I then proceeded to chunk two short wedges and was on the green in 4.
Luckily, I sunk a 20 foot putt to SAVE DOUBLE BOGEY!!!

That, my friends, is like "Whip Cream on SHIT!"  Great shot, but the hole sucked big time. I finished the round out well.
Bogeying the 16th (#1 handicap hole), parring the 17th par 3 and parring the 18th par 5.

The 18th hole was my worst drive of the day.  Trying to give the ball some UMPH, I pushed it right of the dogleg, and was in the rough.
Rather than try to make up my shot, I simply hit a hybrid, and had 150 yards to the pin.  My 7 iron put me on the green, and I was able to 2-putt for par.

I ended the back nine with another 41 - 82 overall.
Considering I double bogey'd two holes, that was a damn good score on the back 9.

Reviewing the round, my only criticism was how I played the par 3's.  I was 4 over par on those 4 holes, with one double bogey.  I think I need to loosen up on those, and not try for the HOLE-IN-ONE each time I was up there.
As I try to analyze why THIS round was so good, I can come up with one major difference.
PACE OF PLAY.
We played the round in under 4 hours.  We never waited on any hole.  I'd say with two other golfers (that shot under 120) we could have finished 15-20 minutes faster.  When you are playing well, and don't need to stop and wait 2-3 minutes (or more) between shots - you're body gets into the groove.
But, that's a problem I'll have to deal with...

This, my friends, was my last round of the 2015 golf season.  Unfortunately, I'm having a medical procedure this week that will sideline me anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks - before I get clearance to play golf or exercise.
And, as the "official" golf season in the Northeast ends on November 1, the season is over.
That's not to say I won't get a round or two in when some warm November/December days roll in.  Last year I got in 4 rounds between late November and December.

I'll post an entry in the next few days, critiquing my overall season, and what my thoughts are on how to improve caliber of game, and how to enjoy this wonderful game - whatever level of golfer you are.

So - for now, remember that in golf, as in life - you should....

Keep it in the Short Hairs

October 10th - Round 35

Course - Eisenhower Red
Playing partners - Pete, Jason, Anne

Weather - chilly

We had an 8:44am tee time this morning.  At that time, it was a cool 51 degrees.
However, the breeze made it feel like 40!  Brrrrrrr.

The trick to keeping warm is layers.  I have my standard layering that I go with.
First, I have an Under Armor long sleeve Cold Gear shirt.
      Really a must of a golfer who plans to play through some chilly weather.
Over that I have a standard golf shirt.
Over that I have my Under Armor flannel vest.
And, over that I have a flannel jacket.

I also wore pants, and my Addidas Golf Shoes (As opposed to my Foot Joy Ultra lights) as they are waterproof.

During warmups at the range, I keep the jacket on until I start to loosen up and I peel it off.
Today, I didn't peeled it off until the 3rd hole - as the wind was a killer.

I also have a pair of Hand Warmers.  These are little bags that you open up and shake - they turn into mini-heaters.  I keep these in my pants pockets, and it gives some warmth.

Jason is a new playing partner that I met on Golf Match App.  He's 23 and works for the U.S. Open.  Hit's the ball a mile.

Our foursome completed when Ann was put into our group. She was a solid golfer,

At tee time, the temperature was soaring to around 53.  I took off the jacket, but was still stiff from standing around at the first tee.  I hit a nice drive, and a good layup to 60 yards. However, my pitch was long and I ended up with a double bogey - the first of two on the front nine (four for the day).

After parring the par 4 second hole, and bogeying the par 5 fifth hole, I realized that the day would be about scrambling.
After finishing the front nine (with a par on the 9th hole), I assumed the score was BAD.  I looked at my scorecard (on the Garmin) and saw 49 - I was not surprised.
My drives were inconsistent, and I was scrambling to recover from them all day.
Ann made a comment that I was pretty much in the bunkers all day.  This was true, and many of the bunkers were lakes, with the heavy rains from the night before

I felt I played better on the back nine.  Even though I double bogey'd the long par 3 - by skipping my ball over the pond to around 60 yards - and then mis-clubbing when I need to lob one from 80 yards - leaving me in the big bunker.
I had thought I pulled my Pitching Wedge, but had inadvertently pulled the Gap Wedge.
This is one of those mental mistakes that are pretty much unforgivable.
I then wanted to get out of the trap and get the ball all the way back to the pin - and I put too much UMPH into it, and went over the green.

By the time I got to the 18th, I was tired.  It's tough when you play poor golf.  A lot more walking then usual!
I hit a nice drive, and layed up to 60 yards. A pitch and two putts and I was in for bogey.

So, I checked my scorecard - and saw 90!!

I looked over the score, and realized that (without my glasses), I had read the front nine wrong and had a 45.
So, I shot a 45/45.

It was still, kind of disappointing as the season is coming to a close, and by this time of year - I am normally in a groove.

I still needed to look at my round and determine what I could do to improve.  Today, was just "off".  And, I need to stay focused mentally - hard to do when you are cold.  But, as it was the first cold round of the year, I'll take it as a just getting accustomed to Fall Golf.

I've already decided to get up early on Sunday and play again.  Maybe Bethpage.

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

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

September 19 - Round 33

Course - Eisenhower Red

Playing partners - Rich, Pete, Alex

The purpose of this blog was to allow me (and you) to improve my (your) golf game, by learning from my previous mistakes.
Somehow, I forgot about that today.

The round started off great.  My drive was awesome (I actually drove it into the group in front), and I layed up perfectly to 60 yards.  I was hoping for a soft pitch shot with my sand wedge.
But, I hit it thin, and in the ball flight I figured the ball would bounce near the pin, and roll to the back of the green.
Except it HIT the pin, and landed 3 feet from the cup!

BIRDIE!!

What a great way to start the round.
After parring the 2nd hole (par 3) I played the 3rd hole (par 5) similar to the first.  Great drive, and a lay up (to 70 yards).
Of course, I once again hit the pitch thin, and wound up with a bogie.

But, I shook that off and played the rest of the front 9 damn well.  My drives were straight, and long.  My irons were crisp, and my putting was consistent.
Everything you'd want in a game.

So, I come to the 300 yard 9th hole.  It's an easy hole.  Once again, I hit a great drive - and had 60 yards to the pin.
So, what did I do?  I LOOKED AT MY SCORE!!!

Right!  I didn't learn from my previous lesson, and saw that I had a 36 through 8 holes, and if I birdie the 9th, I could have a 39 on the front!!

So, I line up my pitch.  And I say to myself "DONT HIT IT THIN".
I take on practice swing.
And I again say to myself, "DONT HIT IT THIN"

I set up, and what do I do?

If you guessed than I hit it thin, you were WRONG!!!  I HIT IT FAT!!!!!

Seriously !!!!!   The divot I took looked like half my front lawn!!!
And, the ball went 10 yards.

So, now I am pissed, but hit my lob wedge/pitch to 6 feet above the cup.

This is where I start to lose my mind.  I'm thinking "Make the putt, and walk away with a 40".

What I am NOT thinking is "This is a fast downhill putt, and don't leave the ball too far below the hole".
My putt lips the cup, and rolls 8 feet past the cup.
I lipped out the come backer and left with my head hung low, and a double bogey - 42 on the front nine.

But, I gather my wits about me, and start on the 10 hole.
After double bogeying the 10th, I bogeyed the 11th and 12th.

I had lost my mojo.  The golf gods giveth, and the golf gods taketh away.

But, I was confident that I could finish under 90 - always my goal.

The 17th hole is another par 5.  My drive is off to the right, and fairly short - in the rough.
Instead of choosing my hybrid, I stupidly think I can hit my 4-wood out of the rough and get into a nice layup position.

STUPID STUPID STUPID (don't worry, I'm not done with that word)

The ball goes 20 yards, and winds up in deeper rough.

I wind up with a double bogey, and a headache!

I get to the 18th hole, and hit a booming drive.  If you recall my objective here is always to layup to 60 yards, and hope for a pitch and one putt for par.

Of course today, my mind was thinking "190 to the front, and I can do this"
Not "This is an uphill/sidehill lie, so layup".

I pull my 4-wood (STUPID STUPID STUPID)

              and hit it beautifully - on to the tee of the first hole.
Right behind a tree.

With no swing, I don't even think of pitching, and hit the ball 10 yards into the deepest/wettest rough of the day. My pitch with my lob wedge got caught up, and the ball went into the trap.

Yada Yada Yada - triple bogey!!!

Back 9 score of 49, and a score of 91!!

This score is a product of a total a mental failure.  I believe that between the 9th, 17th, and 18th holes, I could have saved 4-5 shots and finished with an 86 or 87.

PLEASE SOMEONE - SLAP ME UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH A 9-IRON!!!

So, what have I learned today?
I learned that my physical game is doing well.
My mental game needs some work.....
  (to say the least).

This week, I will not be able to hit the range, as Wednesday is Yom Kippur.  Maybe after work one day.

So, until the next tee time

Keep it in the Short Hairs

September 7 - Round 32

Course - Eisenhower Res

Playing partner - Vak

The major problem with playing so much golf is finding the time to write the blogs (I'm not complaining!).  So here's my 4-day=late entry.

We teed off later than usual as Vak flew in from the mid-west the prior night.  Our tee time was at 9:32 - but we didn't tee off until almost 10am.  I guess a combination of holiday players and the late time backed everything up.  

Play was S-L-O-W.  Waiting on every shot, and a long wait at the tees.

By the time we finished 3 holes, an hour and a half had passed.  The big delay came at the 3rd hole where there was a 3 group backup.

It was horrible. 

One of the golfers that was out in our foursome picked up his ball on holes 2, 3 and 4 (meaning he gave up because he was HORRIBLE). After the fourth hole - he left - just walked off.  I guess the combination of slow play and his sucky game sent him running. 

This only made the rest of the round seem longer (it lasted just over 5 hours). 

The group two in front of us didn't know what they were doing.  Driving up and back on the fairway, back and forth.  We watched incredulously as they wasted time looking for balls, hitting out of turn, and walking all over the place.

There was no way to get into any sync on that front 9.  We waited on every shot.  

I finished the front 9 with a score of 48.  

The back nine turned out to be faster - and a bit better golf-wise. Despite my drive on the 18th hole, which landed on the fairway of the 1st hole!!!

Yep.  A nice banana slice left me 240 yards from the green - way to the right.  Rather than get stupid, I hit an 8 iron which landed in the rough (of the 18th fairway) at 110 yards out.  A pitching wedge and two putts and I was in for bogey.

I finished with a 91.

For those who plan to play Ike Red in the next few weeks, note that the greens were recently aerated.
Not the big-ass holes leaving what looks like dog-shit size pellets all over.  This is the smaller simple holes all over the green - so putting becomes difficult.
The other guy we played with just came back from the west coast, and played Pebble Beach. He said Ike Red was in MUCH better condition than Pebble.  He kept complaining that he paid $500 for a shit course!

But, if any of you need a playing partner out west, give me a call.  I promise not to complain about the course conditions.

Until the next tee time,

Keep it in the Short Hairs  

September 6 - Round 31

Location - Blue Hill Golf Course, Pearl River, NY

Playing partners - Linda, Mike, Paula

In what has become an annual tradition, my wife and I drive out to play a round of golf with our friends Mike and Paula.  Mike, like me, is an avid golfer who has a weekly game.  Paula took up golf in recent years and plays often with Mike.

The Pearl River course is about 45 minutes from our home in Merrick.  But, on a Sunday morning, that time almost doubles - as it took us an hour and 15 minutes, door to door.

My biggest issue with Blue Hill is that there is no driving range.  This is especially important for us, as we are sitting in a car, stiffening up, for over an hour.  As soon as we got to the course, we put our bags on the carts and went to the first tee.
The course is made up of three 9 hole courses.  The Lakeside, Pines, and Woodlands.
Today we played Lakeside and Pines.

The course conditions were nice. Mike informed me that there were water restrictions in the area, so the greens were dry and fast.  (this also meant that my nemesis "sprinklers" would not be a problem)
The divots that I took came up dry as a bone!  It was amazing that the fairways were green!

The first hole, a par 3, had me hitting my 5 hybrid.  With no warmups, I promptly chunked the shot - and finished with a double bogey.  Linda, who hit the range in Merrick prior to our departure, hit a nice drive down the center of the fairway.

I played a pretty good Lakeside front nine, shooting 43.

The first hole on the Pines changed that completely.  I pulled my drive through the woods to the fairway on the hole next to us.  Mike pointed to the trees ahead and said I could try to get over them.
My mistake was listening.  I should have hit a pitching wedge over the trees back to the fairway, and go for a bogey-6.
But - no - I went for the glory.  Trying to "lift" my hybrid, I topped it, and the ball went 20 yards.  I then had to hit a low shot through the trees to the fairway.  It was a good shot.

Too good.

It passed through the fairway to the trees on the opposite side (the course is aptly named PINES).
I finally made it on to the green in 6, and triple bogey'd the hole with my first "snowman" in a while.
That hole set the tone for the remainder of the back nine. My drives were horrible, and I scrambled.
I finished the 9 holes with a 48, and a 91 overall.

Not bad, considering that I had 37 putts.

The good thing about playing a round with friends, is that it doesn't matter how good or bad you play.  It's about the enjoyment of the company.
The only downside is the distance.

The good news was that the drive home took 40 minutes (after a break for dinner).

And, Monday would be another round - with Vak!

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

September 5 - Round 30

Course - Eisenhower Red

Playing partners - Pete, Rich, Alex

The weather today was MAHVELOUS!!  No humidity, only a light breeze, and not too hot.  Really a pleasant day for any outdoor activity - including a round of golf.

Our tee time was at 8:44am.  At the range I only hit 3-4 wedges, as I read an article in the Global Golf Post that hitting off mats at the range is not goo for your elbow!  Especially with wedges!!
http://digitalmag.globalgolfpost.com/20150831/ROW/30/0?token=B45H3F74887HTPX5

So, I hit 15-20 balls and just loosened up.

This was Pete's first round with us since walking off a few weeks ago, due to a sight issue.  He played OK, and has no effects left on his sight (well, mostly).

As for me?  Today, I was driving the ball incredible.  I think there is something in the words "September Golf" and "October Golf" that clicks in my head.
For the most part, all my drives (except one) were long and straight.

It was my long irons and hybrids that failed me today.  Not so much a failure, as a bit of a PULL, and hitting LONG!!

I've also come to the conclusion that I hate sprinklers.  They come on at the worst times, make the rough and bunkers impossible to play, and make a hard game, even harder.
But, enough wining...

I started the first hole with a par.  I pulled my layup shot to 60 yards out, and in the rough.  Then I flew my pitch just over the green.  My chip was to 1 foot, and I saved my par.

On the front 9, I had three double bogeys.  The back 9 had two.  And, many of the reasons were my own fault - getting distracted.  What had happened was that we fell "behind" in time.  We were a shot or two behind the group in front.  So, in order to keep things moving along, I started to hit out of sequence.

Normally, the player farthest from the green hits.  However, as Richie and Alex were in a cart, and not playing "cart golf", Pete and I started to play "ready golf".  The only issue with this is that you have to make sure that the players behind you don't distract you.
Whether it be driving the cart, calling out to each other, etc.  So, several of my poorer shots were "distracted" shots, where something caught my eye/ear in my downswing.

My own fault.

My two best holes were the 8th, and 15th, both of which I had monster drives on (for me).

The 8th hole is is a 350 yard par 4.  Normally, I'd be left with an 8 or 9 iron into the green.  Today, I had 100 to the pin.  For me, that's a gap wedge.  I hit a great shot to 4 feet.  Luckily Alex hit his shot to 1 inch outside me, so he had to putt first.  Seeing his line (he missed his putt), I made the birdie putt!

The 15th hole is one of the hardest on the course.  It plays 410 yards, with the 2nd shot over water.  Normally, I'd be left with 180 yards on the 2nd shot.  Today, My drive left me at 160 yards out!  My 6 iron pulled a bit left, and pin high.  I was able to chip and putt to save par.

I only had 2 disappointing shots - where I wish I had them to do over.
The 12th hole, a short par 5 - was one of only holes where my drive was not great.  Maybe 190 into the left rough.  Trying to layup, I used my 6-iron.  It was an awful swing.  My club got caught in the rough (not so deep), and I bogey'd the hole.

The other shot was a putt.  The 16h hole, the 150 yard par 3.  My 7 iron left me 10 feet from the cup.

My birdie putt attempt was awful.  I made the par, but I always at least LIKE TO BE CLOSE ON THE BIRDIE ATTEMPT!!

I ended the day with an 88.  44 on both sides.  For a day when I wasn't putting great (34 putts) and had problems with my mid-irons, I can't complain.

This is the first of 3 rounds in 3 days for Labor Day weekend.
Tomorrow I'll be playing Blue Hill, with the little woman, and another couple.
Monday will be Ike-Red again, with Vak.  I have two openings in this round (which I posted on the GolfMatchApp).  So, if anyone want's to join, let me know.


Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs