I Like to Watch....

Of course, I'm referring to sports on TV.

However, this weekend was mostly spent glued to some monitor watching the "Open Championship" – aka the British Open.

First, let me review the difference between watching golf, and watching other sports (i.e. - baseball, basketball, football, etc). 

Watching a golf tournament is not as "exciting" as other sports.  Now, before you get all pissy and start ranting at me, I don't mean that the sport of golf is not exciting - nor that it doesn't have highs and lows like other sports.

I just tend not to curse and throw things during a golf tournament.

Here's an example: on Sunday (long after the final putt of the British Open), the New York Yankees had a 2 run lead in the 9th inning. Their reliever, Aroldis Chapman, appeared to be TRYING to lose the game.  First, he gave up a hit.   Then a long double.  And, lastly, a passed ball/wild pitch.
So, I started cursing at him – and if my 60 inch TV didn't cost so much, I would have thrown the remote at it.

This doesn't happen when I watch golf. At one point today, Jordan Speith pulled a Chapman, and looked like he was blowing his shot at The Open championship. Not once did I have the urge to strangle Jordan, or throw the remote through the pricey TV and nail him on he head. (by the way, the Yankees still won)

But, as a golfer, it's totally enjoyable watching professionals play the sport the way I wish I could.

Especially like this weekend, during a "Major".

But, I've digressed:

Getting back to my original topic – watching The Open. In "Olden Times", we digital spectators scheduled our weekends around our home TV, or local watering hole to watch our sport of choice.
In today's world, we have so many options – it is hard to miss a stroke. Aside from the normal televisions, in the car I have XM radio - PGA Network giving play-by-play. On my phone I have several apps (The Open, PGA, NBC sports) to get everything from leaderboard updates a live stream.  At work, you can live stream the content:

On the GolfMatch app, people posted their viewing setups.As I was away for the weekend, this was mine:

Work and golf, side by side

All you need is either wi-fi access, or a data plan with enough data allowance.

Personally, I don't watch ALL golf tournaments when out of the house – just the Majors. They are sort of the SuperBowls of golf.

Of course, in between watching the Open, I actually got to play a bit. Amazing how that works out.

So, congrats to Jordan Spieth on his impressive win.
I don't think I can string 5 ending holes like he did – but I'll keep trying.

On a side note, my blog is now carried by GolfStuds.  Check out their site at www.golfstuds.golf    

Until next time,
Keep it in the Short Hairs

The Best Way to Get to the Masters (Part 2)

My last blog post was regarding practice, and, the importance of practice, practice, practice.

Although I can't stress this enough, I do want to note that practice alone is not an answer.

SMART PRACTICE is essential.


I hit the range twice this week, and took notice of the other hackers working on their game.

Many (MOST?), swing, ball after ball, and repeat same slice (hook, top, etc.) over and over again, thinking that just swinging again will fix the issue.

Some others I see attempting to look at their swing.  Looking back at the club in the back-swing, or taking slow swings to see what it looks like.

When I went to the range on Tuesday, I had an awful slice with my drive, and was chunking my pitches.  Note, that my under-100 yard shots are all pitches with different clubs, and different length back-swings.

As of late, I had been hitting many FAT.  If you're a novice golfer, FAT does not refer to that jelly roll around my midsection - it means you're swing arc bottoms out before hitting the ball.  The end result is hitting the ball short (or barely at all).

On Tuesday, I took a video of my swing.  I see these videos all over FB, GolfMatch, and other sties for their #TipTuesday, where you post your swing, and get analysis by roughly 4,000 other hackers who not only comment on your swing, but your poor choice in shoes, attire, and hair style!

As I watched my drive swing on the video, I noticed right away that my first move was to cock my wrist, and then take the club back. THIS IS BAD!!

As I thought about it, I remembered that last season I had a very bad case of Golfers Elbow (tendinitis in the lower part of the elbow).  I might have adjusted my swing (subconsciously) in an attempt to minimize the pain, and my "muscle memory" now took over.
It looked ugly.

So, on the Thursday practice session, I made a point of keeping my takeaway all shoulders, and not cocking my wrists until my turn stopped.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  My drives were straight or a draw.  Such a simple change, yet so difficult to analyze when you look at yourself.

With that issue fixed, I now needed to fix my pitch shots.  I took out my two fold-able alignment sticks.  I recently got these off of the GCT (Golf Club Traders) forum on Facebook.  A great place to pick up equipment pretty cheap.  The pair was $10 with shipping.

So I set the sticks up aligning to the 50 yard marker.  I was still hitting chunks 50% of the time.
Then I reset the stick to 90 degrees off - meaning it was under me facing the ball.  As I set up directly over the stick, the ball should be at the tip of the stick (dead center of my stance).

I now saw that my setup had the ball a shade forward - a damn good reason to hit the ball FAT!

Once I adjusted that, my pitches were on point again.

So, what's the object of this post?

When practicing, don't keep swinging and repeating your errors over and over again.  I've always referred to muscle memory as a good thing.  But, in this case, if you keep repeating the wrong swing, your muscles will remember this and repeat it in practice.

1. Pay attention to your swing and issues.
2. Use practice aids to determine what you problems are.
3. If all else fails, see your golf instructor for some help.

I can't wait to hit the links this weekend and see if I can finally shoot a decent score.


Until next time

Keep it in the Short Hairs 

The Best Way to get to the Masters

There's an old joke that goes,

A visitor to Augusta on Masters weekend is driving around lost.

While driving, he sees Jack Nicklaus in his car.  

He yells out the window to Jack,

"Jack, how do I get to the Masters?"

Jack's reply is, "Practice, practice, practice"

Well, it might have been Palmer the first time I heard it, but the message is the same.  The only way to get better at golf, is to practice.

I play with a lot of golfers.  I will go out with friends, I'll go out alone and play with other groups, I'll meet some of my GolfMatch friends, or GolfStud friends.  

Invariably, I will play with a golfer that says "I can't believe how bad my game is".  

REALLY??? HE CAN'T BELIEVE IT???

More often than not, the words are spoken by a weekend warrior - those of us that have 9-5 non-golf jobs, and come out on the weekends to hack around the course with expectations of grandeur.  

How can a person think they are going to be a better golfer, when they play once a week?

Golf, like many sports, requires effort to become good.  It requires only a little effort to become a decent golfer.  It's a game where "muscle memory" is a key component of anyone's game.  If you're muscles are not trained to do the same thing over and over again, you are bound to fail.

If your pre-shot routine is to remember the 218 different swing thoughts that you've been taught across your golfing lifetime, you're bound to fail.  

As each golf season starts (in NY that's late March, early April), my game SUCKS!!!  It's almost depressing.   After all, I haven't swung a club in months. 

But, I head out to the practice areas mid-week to work on my game.  

This year, the weather has been awful, so I hadn't been able to get any practice time in, either at the range, or at the putting/chipping area.  

And it was reflected in my scores.  My 18 hole scores ranged from a low of 96 to 100 - on a consistent level.  Granted, the weather was playing havoc with the game, too.

High winds, light rain, low temperatures - all took their effects.  But, the root cause of the breakdown was a lack of practice time.

Finally, last week we had some good weather.  So, I went out to the range - twice.

I am lucky enough to work across the street from a golf course, and practice range.  So, getting to the range is not difficult.  

Leave work

Drive 5 minutes to the range, 

Wham!  

So, I hit the range - with two objectives.  

1. Work through all my clubs, focusing on setup and form.  
2. Get the balance of my new clubs (I replaced my old TaylorMade 4W, 7W and 4H with new Taylormade 3HL wood, and a 3 and 4 hybrid - both M2.

The results were not outstanding, but I was aware that it's a process.  

So Saturday's round started off much like my previous ones - after 8 holes I was 14 over par - already.  

Then, somehow, the muscles started to remember what they were supposed to do.

(at my age, I'm lucky that I or any body part remembers anything!)

I parred 6 of the remaining 10 holes and was 6 over for those 10 holes.  

What a change!  

My new GolfMatch pal Liam was with me, and was good enough to take a photo of our round.

So, my recommendation to all of you weekend warriors is to get out at least once mid-week to hit a bucket of balls.  And, don't just whack at it - work them.

I takes me 45 minutes to an hour to work through a bucket.  Between warming up, and working my swing, it takes a while.

I recently got alignment sticks, so I set these up at different targets to work different aspects and clubs.  I follow my usual pre-swing routine.  Then I watch my ball flight, and step back.  

Then start the pre-swing routine again.  

As the weather warms up, I'll head out at lunch to putt or chip for a bit - no one should ignore these critical components of their game.  

Every little bit of practice works.

So, my suggestion to all you golfers (or other sport enthusiasts) is to take Jack Nicklaus's words to heart.

Practice, Practice, Practice

So, until I see you on the fairway, or at the range

Keep it in the Short Hairs

Senior Golf - It Ain't Easy

Since my last post, I've played two round of golf - and turned 60!

Somehow, age creeps up on you and before you know it - WHAM!  The big 6-0 is here.

Now, I'm not a complainer about age - I actually love being 60 (all 5 days of it).  After all , I'm in good shape, have a great family, and a somewhat decent golf game.  So, no complaints.

But, I have noticed a few things that age hits you with, that have affected my golf game.

No - not distance. I know a lot of people have told me that you lose distance as you get older.  So far, I still hit an 8-iron 150 yards, so I can't say that's the problem.

Mostly, it's the ache's and pains that creep gradually work into your bones.

The last two rounds are a great example.

Wednesday (my birthday), I took off and played at Swan Lake (with Dan, Dave and Eddie).  Very pretty course, with no driving range.
This in itself is not a problem, except for those of us that needs to warm up before a round.  (me and my 60+ year old friends).
I like to swing a club a bit to loosen up, and hit a handful of balls.  But, that wasn't going to happen.  Luckily, the weather was awesome - so I was naturally warm.
I also pre-gamed by taking two Advil.  Since I couldn't really warm up, I wanted to be sure I don't pull a muscle.

This is what Senior Golf life is.  You no longer play 18 hoping for a hole in one, or to break 80.
You play 18 with the hopes of not injuring yourself.

My play on Wednesday was not spectacular -mostly due to my driving.  I had one good drive and the rest were horrible.

Saturday I played Eisenhower Park Red (with Peter, Mike D, and Liam - the latter two are GolfMatch buddies). I drove the ball better. But, as  Saturday's weather turned into Early Spring (Cool, windy, cloudy), my back started to get cold - and tighten up (Hello 6-0).  So, I popped two Advil and took 4-5 holes to finally be able to swing normal again.

My thoughts now are that I might not buy those new woods for my birthday - perhaps just a large bottle of Advil!

As I mentioned my Birthday - I'll also touch a subject on one of my new presents.  The Garmin Approach S20 GPS watch.   I've had the Garmin G6 for a few years and love it - but I wanted a watch lately.  This one was simple to use, easy to read, and gave you layup distances, hazard info, etc.
And, it maps out your hole!  Here's the shot log for the 2nd hole on Wednesday

Notice I picked a hole with a good drive and a par!
Now I can analyse my game (ad-naseuum) and try to fix things that are not yet broken!!

The other thing I did was adjust the weighting on my TaylorMade M1 driver as suggested by Mark on GolfMatch.  By aligning the weights both at the back, it makes the club much more forgiving.

I made the change in between the last two rounds and noticed a huge difference in the ball flight of mis-hits.

So, this week looks to be rain all week, and chilly.  Not golfing weather here in NY.  So, I'll try to get out over the weekend a few times.

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

Winter Golf - a bonus

Well, after almost an entire season "off" (i.e. - no blog entries), I'm back.   And, surprisingly, in February!!

In NY, its a rarity to play golf in the winter months.  Sometimes a day in December pops up, but January and February are like finding a needle in a haystack (or, a good lie in the rough).

Today was that day.  Lloyd called me and said we should head out to Merrick Road Park to play 9.  So, we agreed to meet at 1pm.

As I walked up to the cashier, I see this sign:


Yikes - it seemed that everyone in the county came out.
So, we checked in and sat for the hour and a half.  We couldn't even putt, as the putting green was closed for the winter.

But, we teed off at 2:30pm - on the button.

We were playing with two nice guys - Wayne, and Warren.

Warren was 87 years old, and carrying his clubs!  Well, he only had 6 clubs in his "weekend" bag, but still!  Impressive.

Much more impressive than the golf.  It took 3 holes to shake off the cobwebs that build up after 3 months of not swinging a club.

And, there was snow on the course.  Not a lot, but - much like sand bunkers, well placed.

The round took 2 1/2 hours - kind of torturous - The group in front of us was slow.  Not hitting, but putting.  We'd wait 1- minutes on our approach shots because they took all day linking up putts - on greens that had not been maintained in months!!!

We finished at 5:00, just as the sun was setting over Merrick Mountain, and the temps started to dip.

Scores?  Although we kept scores, they really don't count as this was February golf in NY.  But, all in all - a great day.

My new driver - an M1 USA edition that I won on the GolfMatch app at the end of last season, needs a bit of tweaking - I adjusted the loft a a notch up (to 11.5 degrees) which seemed to help the ball flight.

I'll have to work on that once the weather turns nice permanently.


In the meantime,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Memorial Day Weekend (Rounds 9 and 10)

Courses - Merrick Road park and Eisenhower Park (red)

The week has been jam packed with golf, work, family, and more golf.  For this reason, I'll start combining some rounds into a single blog entry - both for my sake, and for yours.

After the Thursday debacle at Centennial , I wanted to get out on the course and ensure that I hadn't completely lost my game (and my mind).

As my office closes early on holiday weekends, I had set up a round with some fellow GolfMathers (GM'ers) for 9 holes at Eisenhower Park.
However, when I got there I was told there was a 90 minute wait!

Seriously?  I texted the two GM'ers that we were out of luck, and started to drive over to the range.  At least I could hit balls.  I then called Merrick Road Park Golf course - where there is normally a long wait (and that's on good days!).

The guy told me there was no wait, so I zoomed over, and ran out to sign up.

The starter said I should go right out with these to gentlemen who just teed off.  John and Ray.  10 years ago I would have called them elderly.  Now that I'm coming close to that 60 mark in my life, I'll just call them seasoned!!

I jogged up to them, introduced myself, and rushed to tee off, as I didn't want them waiting on me.  I didn't have time put a glove on, nor take a practice swing.  Just took a half swing, and put the ball in the fairway.
I think I should do that more often, as I birdied the hole!!!

I was quite happy with my game.  My drives were quite OK, and my play was good.  One of my only "Glitches" was on the 8th hole, part 3.  My tee shot landed in the greenside bunker - nestled against the right edge almost under the edge of grass.  I had almost no shot.  I figured it would take two to get out.
Little did I know that it would take 3!!!
I opened my stance and opened the clubfase wide open - and swung under the ball.  It popped up magnificently, and dropped right back into the sand divot that I had just dug out.
Worse lie than before!!

Now attempting to keep the clubface closed, I swung again - this time the ball did what I expected.  It popped up and rolled into the main part of the bunker.  Finally able to get out, I wound up with a 6 (Triple bogey).
But, all in all, I shot a 44.  Not great for this course - but it did get my head on straight.
I was no longer worried that I'd make an ass of myself when playing 18 on Sunday.


On Memorial weekend/Sunday, I met up with Vak to play Eisenhower park, yet again.
The weather was great.  We were grouped with two other walkers, and set out for the Memorial Day weekend of golf.
The front nine was less than spectacular, as I shot a 47.
My big fuck up was the VERY EASY 9th hole.  My drive was a "Thurman Munson" - aka a dead yank into the woods on the left.

With the ball resting at the base of a tree, it took me two to pitch out.  Now hitting 4, I finally put it on the green - and three putted!!!
Seriously - the easiest hole on the course, and I carded a triple bogey.  Ugh!!

I started to play OK, parring 3 of the next four holes.  My problems came on the 14th.  I had taken my phone out to take a shot of the long par 3 - 13th hole.

After my decent drive on 14, while walking down the fairway, I noticed the zipper pocket on my golf bag was open - and my phone was gone!!  I told my playing partners to play on, as I backtracked my steps.  I got all the way back to the tee box of the par 3 with no luck.
But, one of the golfers at the tee offered to drive me up and down, calling my phone - and seeing if we can find it.

I LOVE GOLFERS!!!

We got all the way back to the tee box at 14, where he was going to drop me - and we made one more attempt to call it.
AND FOUND IT!

It was sitting 3-4 fee off the cart path.

I proceeded to walk to the 15th hole to meet up my playing partners.

My score for the day didn't matter.  (93).
I had found a needle in a haystack - and made progress in my game.

I also realized that my game was not in shambles - but was merely in hiding - needing some practice to come out.

So, until next time -

Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Round 8 - Centennial Golf Club

May 26, 2017

Course - Centennial (Carmel NY)

Playing partners - Vak, Tyler, Patrick (All Golfmatch members)

Weather conditions - HOT!

This day of golf was an Outing organized within the GolfMatch app.  I've mentioned the app here before.  The app has been all over the news lately.  Wall Street Journal, Golf Magazine, and other media.  As of last week, there were 30,000 members across the country.  Outings, such as this one, are happening just about every week somewhere in the U.S.A.
Here are some of the latest articles from the Wall Street Journal, Golf Channel, and Golf.com

Today's outing was organized by GMer (Short for Golf Matcher) Joe Mercurio.  Joe put together the outing at Centennial Golf Course, a stunningly beautiful venue of 3 nine hole courses.

Today I was finally going to meet many of my virtual golf friends IRL (in real life) for the first time.  All are golf addicts, like me.  I also got to Meet Peter Kratsios, the founder of the App.  All in all, there were 20 GMers at the event.

Getting back to the golf...
Carmel NY, is about an hour and 10 minute drive from Merrick, on Long Island - according to Google Maps.

That must be at 3 in the morning when everyone in the area is asleep.

I left my house at 7am, and picked up Vak around 7:20.  After a quick stop for a bagel and coffee, we were off. Although it didn't appear that we hit too much traffic, we didn't get to the course until 9:30.
If you do the math, this means I've been in my car (except for the DD stop) for 2 1/2 hours.  For those of you reading this that are a big younger than me, you might not understand the issues this causes.

a - my bladder was full from that LARGE iced coffee (bad move Howie!).
b - my back was a stiff as a board.

A quick stop at the loo, and we checked in and paid our meager greens fee.  Centennial cut us a great deal, charging the players only $65, including cart and range balls.

At the range, I met Joe (for the first time) and a few others in the group.  Vak and I wanted to see the short game area, since we don't have that on many courses on L.I.
This was a HUGE mistake for me.  I broke my routine of warming up at the range - a bad move, with a stiff back.
I stepped into a large bunker to work a bit on my sand game.  The last thing you want to do with a stiff back is swing through the sand.  After one swing (yes, the ball popped out very nicely, thank you) I realized my mistake, and went back to the range.  As it turns out, my back didn't loosen up until 7-8 holes into the round.
At the range, I did my normal warmup (Squats, leg raises, etc), and hit a few balls.  However, the starter was a bit backed up so we sat in the carts for a bit.
This gave us a chance to chat with the others in our foursome.  Well, at least one.
Tyler informed us that his friend Patrick was running late, but should be at the course by tee time.(He missed the first hole!).
Tyler, as expected, was a great guy (kid, to me) with a great game.  He hits cannons off the tee.

So, we teed off on the first hole of the Lakes course.  Both Vak and I hit the drive nicely, if a bit faded to the right.   Because this was an outing with a match, we played from the Blues.  For mid-handicappers, this is big.  (Note, Patrick and Tyler played from the TIPS!!!).
The first hole was a par 5, playing 533.  My approach landed a few yards short of the green.  So, I was on in 4.
This is where the fun began.  The greens were UNDULATING!!!  Note the capital letters.
And, FAST (note again).
After a 3-putt, I walked away with a double bogey.

The second hole was a nightmare (the first of many).  A par 4, I was on in four.  Although my drive was in the fairway, the ball was still about 6 inches below my feet.  On Long Island, we don't really have undulating fairways.  I'ts pretty flat.  We may have an uphill or downhill slope, but not too many sidehills.
Try bending down to hit a ball with a stiff back!!!  HA!!!  I finally got the green in 4.  And then, FOUR PUTT!!!  (gotta love this game).

I won't get into the ugliness of the front 9.  But, 2 pars and 3 QUADRUPLE BOGEYS - finished me with a 54.

The back 9 was a bit better.  Not much, as I shot a 49.

So, by the numbers.  103 score.  5 balls lost.  1 ego shot!

I must say this - the course was a difficult as it was beautiful.

So, after the round we all met up in the clubhouse for some vittles and brews.  The first group had already finished their meals, as they finished a half hour before us.

The prizes were given out (no - they didn't give anything out for worst round).  I was able to chat a bit with some other GMers.  We chatted about Game of Thrones, our jobs, but mostly about golf.  Spent some time with Nick A about setting up a Long Island Golf league.  A 9-hole weekly event - scheduled after work.

After a burger and a brew, Vak and I piled into the car and made the 2 hour ride home.  (My back was kinda pissed by now).

So, today was a great day.  Bad Golf, but great day.  I made some new friends, played an incredible venue, and wasn't at work.

What today told me about my game was this:

Warm up A LOT after a long drive.
Try to practice hitting off side-hill lies.  I'm not sure where I can do this on Long Island, but I'll make a mental note.

There will be a lot of golf this weekend.  I'm hoping for a Friday afternoon 9 holes, and rounds on Sunday and Monday.

Until then,
Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Round 6 - Eisenhower Park

Date: May 7, 2016

Course - Eisenhower Red

Playing Partners - Larry, Steve

Weather conditions - NASTY  VERY NASTY

The snapshot of The Weather Channel does not do it justice.  It was cool, breezy, and "almost" rainy.  Just a continuation of the week's NY weather.

My regular playing partners had other plans for this Saturday, so I had gotten several playing partners from my GolfMatch app.  Unfortunately, a series of unforeseen issues had each one drop out.

No big deal - the course was empty.   I opted not to warm up at the range due to the poor weather, and figured I'd do some putting/chipping at the putting green by the first hole.

Unfortunately, the starter said I was going right out with a twosome - Steve and Larry.  Two nice enough guys who were also "Saturday Morning Eisenhower" regulars.

So, after the last two weeks fiasco's on the course, my angst was high, not knowing which game would show up.
The weather in NY sucked the whole week, so I did not get a chance to hit the range, or putt or chip.  I did get to the PGA Superstore to hit for a half hour, but as I've said before - it's just not the same thing as hitting outside.

So, I get up to the first tee.  If you've never had the pleasure of playing with me, you don't know that my ball flight is a draw (ball moves right to left in an arc).  If the ball goes left to right (fade), then I've done something wrong.  My ball starts out a bit right and moves to the center.
The first tee was lined up very right.  If my ball would head a bit right, it would hit one of 4-5 trees lining the side of the fairway.
You just gotta love these golf gods.  My game is in bad enough shape, but they have to make it worse with this crap.
So, I get up and hit a wonderful straight ball.
As a matter of fact, the first hole played great.  I was on the green in regulation and 2-putted for par (one of the few times that day, but more on that later).
The 2nd hole was also decent.  I didn't hit the ball far enough on the dog-leg left par-4, so I had to try to hit a hard draw around a tree - and again the ball went straight.  Chip, and 2-putt (again) and I bogeyed.
The third hole was much the same, as I parred the hole.

Not bad - one over after 3 holes - all seemed cool with the world.

That's when I turned into the "Little Engine that Could".  The rest of the day was Putt Putt Putt on each hole (almost).  I was almost like Ernie Els - clueless with the putter!!!

SERIOUSLY - my putter has long been the most consistent part of my game.  Today, I had no touch, no feel, and no view of the correct line.

I three putted holes 4 through 7, 10, 12, and 13.

43 putts for the round.  (Putt Putt Putt Putt Putt).

Before I go into my putting problems, let me review the improvements over the past two weeks.

First note that I was working hard at the gym to strengthen my glutes (ass!), lower back, and wrists.  I hit the treadmill or elliptical machine daily.  And, I stretched EVERY DAY!!

And, it paid off.  My shoulder turn was no longer a point of fear for me - wondering if my back would hold up.

I walked 18 holes without an pain or discomfort.  This with pushing my cart on soft mushy fairways (freshly mowed, I might add).

My drives were mostly good.  I say mostly.  I did wickedly slice one drive, and topped one other (yes, it did make it past the ladies tee, so I didn't need to drop my pants!)
My woods were solid.
My hybrids were much improved, which unfortunately doesn't say much since just making contact would be an improvement over last week.
Irons - were solid.
Even my pitching was solid.

However, my putting was BAD BAD BAD BAD!!

I'd line up my 8 foot putt, and my ball would go sailing by the hole and I'd be left with a 6 foot.  Or, I'd wind up 4 feet short.

And, of course I'd miss the 2nd putt, too.

A blind monkey would have hit more putts than me.

I wound up shooting a 94.  If I simply 2-putted on each hole, I'd have shot an 87.

As I walked off the 18th hole, I knew I needed some putting work.  And, despite the weather still being NASTY, I dropped 4 balls on the practice putting green and putted for about 20 minutes.

So, where does this leave me?
Either I hire a blind monkey to caddie for me,

             or I spend time fixing my issues.  

The weather this week looks pretty good, so I believe I can get out to work on some of my issues.

The weather report also predicts rain all next weekend - so I might even get 2 weeks of practice before my next round.  

Lord knows I need it!!!

And, of course - I'll keep up the gym work.  Stretching, and working the key muscle groups.  

So, until the next round - 

Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Round 5 - Eisenhower Park Red

Course - Eisenhower Park

Playing Partners - Richie, Peter, and Tim

Weather - Chillier that it should be at this time of year!!

After last week's fiasco, I looked at my opening rounds from the past few years.  The first few weeks of the season, no matter how I train in the off-season, SUCK!

I have had a few in the 100 range, many in the 90's and those rare 80's.

I guess this means I shouldn't throw my clubs in the Great South Bay, just yet.


Right now, the biggest issue I have is not being able to practice mid week.  The weather has been so shitty, that you can't head out to the range or putting greens.  This week I had a 30 minute practice session at the PGA Superstore.

It's quite OK to hit in a simulator, but it's not like a range (and especially not like a GRASS range).  The "sim" is really good to see what your numbers are.  Swing Speed, Launch speed, launch angle, spin rate, etc.

However, most of us don't know what the fuck any of that means - so we just hit.

I hit, and then look at the simulated ball flight on the PC monitor.  Almost like playing "Tiger Woods Golf" on XBox.

At least I got to swing a club.

Our tee time was 9:08.  Vak was in Myrtle Beach (THE BASTARD!), so they hooked us up with a single - Tim.

The weather was cold and dreary.

It remained that way until around the 13th hole, when the sun came out.  At that point, we were able to play in short sleeves!!

Tim had one of the oddest swings I've seen - and I've seen plenty.  He had one of the strongest grips you could imagine.  His right palm was basically facing the sky.
AND - his ball position was just inside of his back foot, and he leaned forward.  He had the wild hook you might expect. So bad he'd aim 30 yards right of the fairway and (if it didn't hit a tree) would scoot across the fairway, right to left.
It was painful to watch.

As for me - I was better than last week.  After all, it wasn't hard to beat that 105.

My drives were OK - mostly in play, and some good ones. Especially the last few holes when I realized my problem.

My ball flight was a fade/slice for most of th day.   Very unlike me.  I realized that my turn contained a sway.  My guess is that my back problems are either physically (or mentally) preventing me from my normal turn, so I'm swaying to get my club back.
BAD BAD BAD!!!

So the last few holes I focused on having my left knee bend straight out to the ball, rather than turn back towards my right knee.  This prevented me from swaying.
It seemed to work.

The front 9 was on/off, and I shot a 47.  Acceptable for this time of year.
I was pretty much on track for the same type score on the back 9.  I had a 36 through 16.
My drive on 17 was great, and I lay in the first cut off the fairway on the right side.  I wanted to lay up to 60 yards, so I hit my hybrid.  And, pulled that sucker across the fairway to 100 yards out, and behind a tree.  I had to chip out, which I did miserably, forcing me to attempt a hard draw with m gap wedge.

Well, no draw - and I missed the green to the right. Chip and a 2-putt - Double bogey.

The 18th hole was pretty much the same thing. Great drive, fucked up hybrid, bad chip.
Triple bogey - ending with a 50 - total of 97.

So, what worked this week, and what didn't.

Let's start with the bunker play, since that accounted for much of last week's issues.
This was also one of the more consistent parts of my game today.    Long bunker shots, short shots, spin, roll out.  It was damn nice to see actual sand in the traps.

The driver was OK.  Can't call it good, but not terrible.
Woods?  Probably the best shots of the day were with my woods.
Hybrids?  Poor.  Well, make that VERY POOR.  (It's supposed to be an easy club to hit!!!)
Irons - good,  Made some solid contacts on the irons.
Pitching - very good.  All pitches were on target and roughly the right distance.
Chipping - mostly good.  I was able to chip to within 6-8 feet, usually.
Putting - SHIT SHIT SHIT!!  I missed so many of those 4-8 footers!!!  And, it's not like I was lipping out.  I WAS MISSING BY 2-3 FEET!!!

So, where does this leave me?  As I look at the weather report for this week, it shows rain all week - so no outdoor range.
AND NO PUTTING PRACTICE.

I'll have to book at time at the simulator again.  I'll work on my hybrids, and of course my driver.

Can't wait for the weather to finally get nice so I can take advantage of working across from Eisenhower park!!!

In any event, next week is another day.

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Round 3 - Eisenhower Park

Course - Eisenhower White

Playing Partner - Vak, Rich, Peter

Weather - Windy, mild

Although this was really the third round of 2016, it was really the first round of the season.  First of all, in New York, only scores between April 1 and October 30 can count towards your handicap.

Second - rounds in the winter suck, and you play just to get out and not kill yourself.

So, although the title is ROUND 3, it's really ROUND 1.

We had a 10:20 tee time on the white course.  This is because the prior Saturday night, when the bell tolled 8pm (when I should be calling for a tee time), I was drinking scotch and not thinking about golf.

So - 10:20 was not so bad, especially when I woke up and it was 39 degrees.

This round's objective was to get through the day without getting injured.  I say this because 4 weeks ago I could not walk.  My back had seized up so bad, I could not walk.  Agonizing pain.  Well, if anyone wants a chiropractor, I can recommend one - highly.
So, my back is still slightly tender.  But, I've hit some balls at the PGA Super Store without issue.  But, today I was playing 18 holes, and walking.

The morning was great.  The air was crisp.  Sun was out, and the starter was on time.  

My first drive was pushed to the right, but I recovered nicely to get on in three. I bogeyed the hole.

The second drive wound up in a fairway bunker, and I was again on in three - but this time I one putted for par.  I thought this was going to be a decent round.

I was wrong

I proceeded to play bogey golf, right up until the 8th hole - a par 3 that they are completely rebuilding.  For those unaware, the course's par 3 holes are all twins.  There are two of the same holes side-by-side. This is supposed to speed up play.  Supposed to, anyway.

One of the holes is closed today as they are building new bunkers, rebuilding the green, etc.
My tee shot came up short and landed in the bunker. As I approach it I see that the bunker looks like the beach at Jones Beach. Millions of footprints.
Rather than raking and replacing my ball, I attempt to hit it - and skull the ball to the right.  What occurred next was no worse that Jordan Spieth at the 12th hole of the Masters. I triple bogeyed the hole.  FML

I finished the front 9 with a 46.  Not horrible, but could have been terribly worse.

That happened on the back nine.

1 Triple bogey, 4 doubles, and the rest bogeys.  It was UGLEE!!

Here's what happened.  At the 10th tee, I sat down.  After walking 9 holes I was a bit tired.  

At that point my ass started to cramp up!!  Well, not my ass per-se, but my glutes.  You see, after my October surgery I've been taking it easy at the gym.  Then, after my back issues - I REALLY took it easy.  So, I am in the worst shape I've been in, in quite a while.

So now when I swung, my hips would not come around and open up.  This caused me to pull almost every fucking shot.  This was B-A-D.

I finished the back 9 with a 51.  A 97 overall.

But, the good news is, I didn't get hurt.  I was able to play 18 and not get carried off on a stretcher.

So, what did I take away from today's god-awful round.

a - I need to get myself to the gym and kick my ass (literally, kick my glutes).  And abs.

b - Start getting to the range again.  Your swing doesn't just hang around in the off season.  You need to work it.

c - My back can hold up to 18 holes!!!!

d - It was great to get out again with the regular foursome.  Rich brought some cigars to celebrate the first outing of the year.  And the were great! 

This week I'll share some of my exercise regimens that I follow to keep this old body in some type of golf-shape.
I hope to have some improvement for next Saturday.

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs