Just Phil Being Phil - 2013 Open Champion at Muirfield 22 Jul 2013 8:18 PM (11 years ago)

Phil Mickelson is in the winners circle for the second week in a row after a brilliant final round to win the 2013 Open Championship held at Murfield. As the rest of the field scratched their heads on how to play the extremely fast greens, Phil hit shots that defied the imagination.

Phil is one of those players who will always go for broke. If there is a chance he can reach a green when every other player would lay up, he's going to go for it. He may be the gutsiest player currently on the PGA Tour.

His maverick style of play has thrilled us all but it has also left us as fans shaking our heads as to why he would try to pull off some of the shots he attempts. But that is why we love Phil. This is why we go to the golf course and try to pull off the same shots. This is why golfers play the game. It may not always be the smartest way to play but it definitely makes a round more exciting.

Here's the thing about Phil. When we try to pull off the impossible shot, it is probably our first time trying that shot. Phil puts himself in situations during practice rounds that have him ready for the moment if it arises. Phil and caddy Jim "Bones" MacKay walk every inch of the course, throw down balls in awkward positions and lies, and then have at it. Some of these shots may never come up during a round but if it does, he prepared.

The following video clip gives us a glimpse into the mindset of Phil as he prepares for a round. I've seen him attempt (and pull off) this shot before, but the fact that he doing it during a practice round proves that he leaves no stone unturned. I've tried this shot and have been very unsuccessful every time. There's a reason why we say, "These guys are good."

Photo found here.

The Rugged Outdoor Woman 18 Jun 2013 5:33 PM (11 years ago)

I received this little gem in my email the other day. Thanks Larry.

The Rugged Outdoor Woman:

During her physical examination , a doctor asked a retired woman about her physical activity level. The woman said she spent 3 days a week, every week in the outdoors.

"Well, yesterday afternoon was typical; I took a five hour walk about 7 miles through some pretty rough terrain. I waded along the edge of a lake. I pushed my way through two miles of bramble. I got sand in my shoes and in my eyes. I barely avoided stepping on a snake. I climbed several rocky hills. I went to the bathroom behind some big tree. I ran away from an irate bear and one angry elk. The mental stress of it all left me shattered. At the end of it, I drank a scotch and three glasses of wine.

Amazed by the story, the doctor said, "You must be one heck of an outdoors woman!"
"No," the woman replied, "I'm just a really, really horrible golfer."

Photo found here.

KOOOOOOOCH!!! Matt Kuchar...Positively Consistent 2 Jun 2013 5:32 PM (11 years ago)

Matt Kuchar is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the PGA Tour. He may be bit bland. He may be a little goofy with his signature ball between index and middle finger wave and silly smile that never seems to leave his face. There is nothing about him that screams "look at me" like the colorful attire of the Rickie Fowlers and Ian Poulters of the golfing world. But after notching his sixth win at The Memorial, his first major win may be right around the corner.

Kuchar persevered on a course which humbled many of the game's top performers. World's #1, Tiger Woods, shot a 44 on the back nine on Saturday. His highest since turning professional. World's #2, Rory McIlroy, struggled just to make the cut. Muirfield Village Golf Course is one of the toughest tests in golf, and if this weekend is any indication of what is to come in two weeks at Merion Golf Club for the playing of the 113th U.S. Open, the Georgia resident is high on my list as one of the favorites.

The now six time PGA Tour winner does not have the text book swing that is being taught today, but as Golf Digest said in an article back in June of 2011, his swing is consistent and repeatable. Being that I have an unorthodox swing myself, I can relate to trying to own my swing as Kuchar has. Every swing is different. Finding a way to get the desired results consistently is our challenge.

The following video is on how to hit a better pitch shot. This tip is one that I can benefit from since I struggle with greens in regulation. The tip about pitching is great but what his father speaks to is what really got my attention.

He and Kuchar discuss visualizing the shot and going to a place that you have been to before. They advise us to remember a time when you were in a similar position and you executed the shot perfectly. We need to have this picture in our minds and then make it happen. I hit a lot of bad shots but I have also hit a lot of good shots that I can draw upon to put me in a positive state of mind.

This is not new to golf. It has been said many times by many instructors, but all of it usually goes out the door after hitting that first bad shot. So for me, I guess in order for me to gain consistency with my golf swing, I need to to be consistent with my thoughts as well.

Try it out. See if it helps you. I'll give updates after I have given it a go for few rounds. Feel free to share any techniques that you use to put yourself in positive mind frame on the golf course. This game is challenging enough. We need to give ourselves any advantage we can. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

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All Play And No Practice 29 May 2013 10:16 PM (11 years ago)

As we all know, golf is not an easy sport. What makes it worse, is that we as amateurs, tend to make it even harder than it has to be. Without steady practice, it is difficult to make drastic improvements. Such is the current state of my golf game. I'm not getting any worse, but I'm also not getting any better.

My schedule has it that I am not able to practice as much as I would like to. I still play at least two times a week, but the time I used to put into my game is not what it used to be. It is rare that I even warm up before a round. For me, it's from the car to the first tee with just a few stretches in between.

I am currently trending at a handicap of 7.3, which is great, but I want to go even lower. Having coached basketball at the college level, I of all people understand how important practice is to improving ones skill in any given sport. With golf being a game of inches, a week of no practice sets a golfer back 3 months.

Looking at my last few rounds, it is quite evident that I would benefit from at least twenty minutes of warm up. In a recent round at Club West Golf Club, I shot a nine over 45 on the front nine, but followed it up with a three over 39 on the back for an 84. The round prior to this one at Ken McDonald Golf Course saw me shoot a four over 40 on the front with a two over 38 on the back for a 78. The point is, it usually takes me nine holes to warm up before I start to see a little consistency in my swing.

The only aspect of my game that is keeping me from shooting in the 90's is my short game. I still struggle with my greens in regulation, but am able to get up and down at a rate of about fifty percent. Also my putting has improved dramatically, eliminating many of the three putts which used to sneak into my rounds. I'll let you know how I improved my putting in a future post.

The bottom line is that I need to find a way to sneak in some more practice or else frustration will start to set in as it did during my round today at Lone Tree Golf Club. I never throw tantrums on the golf course(see video for some classics), but I definitely thought about throwing my pitching wedge into the water after a terrible tee shot on a short par 3. I shot a 43 on the front but thanks to a chip in birdie on the par 4 10th and a thirty foot birdie putt on the par 5 18th, I was able to salvage an 82 shooting a 39 on the back.

Getting off to a good start to begin a round will make all the differences in lowering my handicap. I set a goal of getting down to a 5 but it's not going to happen if I continue showing up to the course right at tee time. I just need to get those bad shots out of my system before I step up for my first drive. If I can be consistent with this, par to the course on a regular basis will soon follow...Hopefully...Have a great round and always hit your target.

Bethpage State Park...The Black Course 26 Jun 2012 8:06 PM (12 years ago)

My wife and I traveled to New York City this past weekend to surprise my mother for her birthday. My sister had been planning a surprise party for her for quite some time but the original plan was to go to Cincinnati, OH where my parents live, but at the last minute, my mom wanted to bring my niece to meet my Grandmother who just turned 80. This meant that we had to switch venues, and we were on our way to The Big Apple.

I mentioned the trip to my buddy SBTU(Swing Better Than You, formley Scratch Better Than You when he was a part-time D.J.) whom you met in this post and later in this one and he immediately suggested that we try to get on to the Black Course at Bethpage State Park. The Black Course has hosted the 2002 and 2009 US Open Championships and will welcome the top 125 PGA players Aug. 21-26 for The Barclays as they vie for the 2012 FedExCup Championship.

Of course I got excited with the thought of taking on one the hardest tracks in America. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and others suggested that no one with a 8 or higher handicap could break 100 on US Open layout. I am currently an 8.2 so I was anxious to see how I would fare. But first things first. Getting a tee time.

It is well documented that The Black Course is one of the toughest tee times to get in golf. It is akin to Pebble Beach and Torey Pines in that golfers camp out the night before in hopes that someone cancels their tee time or that they win a lottery of sorts. Bethpage allows for a certain amount of walk-ons per hour but they go quickly. I was advised to get there the day before, but under the circumstances, the earliest we could get to the park was 7:00am that morning.

I had no expectations of getting a tee time. The park has four other courses, so if we didn't get on The Black, we were still guaranteed 18 holes of golf. We walked up to the ticket area and checked the times that were available. It kind of reminded me of the booths at a horse racing track where you place your bets. Much to our surprise, there was a 9:51 tee time available. I could not believe it. This almost seemed to good to be true, but it was happening.

The day was hot and humid and there was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. After taking a picture in front of the famous "Warning Sign", we stepped up to the first tee, which has an elevated tee box to a dogleg right fairway.

It was a bit nerve racking as there were a bunch of people watching as they waited for their tee times to arrive. With palms sweating and heart thumping, I took my swing. Pop up. I didn't even reach the fairway. Here we go, I thought.

We played from the white tees which measures 6684 yards on the score card. We figured there was no reason to torture ourselves trying to play the full 7468 yards from the blues. Maybe I will try it if I get another opportunity to play it again, but for now, let's just give ourselves a chance to break 100. They had already started setting up for The Barclays which was still two months away and the skeletal base of the grandstands were being put in place so we had a semblance of what it would look like for the tournament.

The course was not set up for US Open conditions, and to be honest, I don't know how it could get any worse. I'm used to resort golf. Living in Miami and now in Phoenix, many of the courses are set up so that vacationers have a good time, score well, which prompts them to return with memories of a good round. Wide open fairways funnel everything back to the middle, and even if you end up in the rough, you still have a great chance to get up and down.

This is not the case on the Black Course. The first cut is gnarly and twisted. The ball disappears quickly, even just off the fairway. Then there is the fescue grass. If you are lucky enough to find your ball in this foot and half mess, successfully getting it out is somewhat of a miracle. There were times when it took me three hacks just to get it back into the fairway. which led to two nines on my scorecard.

I forgot to mention that golfers have to walk The Black Course which is all hills. No carts are allowed. Along with the heat, the constant up and down, and the thunderstorm which later caught up with us, I was beat down mentally as well as physically. I truly have a new found respect for what the pros do. Very humbling to say the least as I finished the round with a 101.

Despite this, I had an excellent time. I can say that I have walked where the pros have. You can actually feel the history in the air. All the buzz that lead up to playing the round lived up to its billing. This is one of those courses that all true golf fanatics have to play at least once. Just to see how you stack up.

I have improved a lot over the past year but this was a reality check on how good golfers have to be to compete on the professional level. The Golf Channel commercials do not lie. These guys are good. After playing The Black Course, I would say, "These guys are freakin' amazing!" Have a great round and always hit your target.

Anything That Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong...Especially On The Golf Course 16 Jun 2012 11:10 PM (12 years ago)

I'm pretty much addicted to the game of golf. There is rarely a moment in the day when I'm not thinking about teeing it up. Even when I am at work and working with customers, I am practicing my swing. Luckily, for me, I work in an environment that allows for this sort of behavior.

While I may be a certified golfaholic, my golfing buddy, J.B. may be the biggest fan of the sport. We had mutual golfing friends on Facebook and once we realized that we live in the same area, if our schedules coincide, we are playing golf.

J.B., who hits the ball a country mile, is a resource for all things golf related. He always has the latest facts or the latest gadgets. When it comes to finding the best deals, he's you're man. When the local Phoenix golf courses and major retailers like Lamkin Golf Grips have a "pick the winner" contest, he has an uncanny gift, and has won on many an occasion. I'm not a gambler, but if he went with me to Vegas, I might be tempted to play a few hands of Blackjack.

While checking out my Facebook news feed, I noticed the following which J.B. had posted on his page. Murphy's Law states that "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" and this is true in golf as well. I felt like this during one of my recent rounds. No matter what I did, my ball ended up in a bunker. Fairway and greenside. Needless to say, I spent my next practice session in the "dirt" as my wife calls it.

Here are some scenarios(observations) that I'm sure we have all been faced with. Let me know if some of these sound familiar to you or if you have any others to add to the list. I know I can think of a few more. Have a great round and always hit your target.

* A two-foot putt counts the same as a two-foot drive.

* The odds of hitting a duffed shot increase by the square of the number of people watching.

* Never wash your ball on the tee of a water hole.

* The stages of golf are Sudden Collapse, Radical Change, Complete Frustration, Slow Improvement, Brief Mastery, and Sudden Collapse.

* The only sure way to get a par is to leave a four-foot birdie putt two inches short of the hole.

* Don't play with anyone who would question a 7.

* If your driver is hot, your putter will be ice cold; if you can hit your irons, you will top your woods; if you are keeping your right elbow tucked in, your head will come up.

* Progress in golf consists of two steps forward and 26.6 miles backward.

* One good shank deserves another.

* It takes 17 holes to really get warmed up.

* One birdie is a hot streak.

* No matter how badly you are playing, it's always possible to play worse.

* Whatever you think you're doing wrong is the one thing you're doing right.

* Any change works for three holes.

* Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.

* The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.

* It's surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you lie 10.

Photo found here.

So Dex...What's Next??? 13 Jun 2012 8:38 PM (12 years ago)

After my last post, Mike Southern who publishes Ruthless Golf reminded me of the fact that I had achieved the goals I had set for myself in 2011. Since I had achieved them, his question was, "What's next?" Since this blogs slogan is, "...because golf is all about getting better and having fun!, I thought my new goals should be based on this idea.

Getting Better

The next logical step for me as far as my golf game is concerned is to shoot par which means I have to get better. Or better yet, be more consistent. I have had rounds which I know I should have shot par but because of some of the inconsistencies in my game, I have failed to do so. I need to get to a point where all facets of my game are working together.

There are days when I hit 12 of 14 fairways but I can't find the green with my approach shots. There are other days when I miss every fairway but I am able to scramble to get up and down. Then there are day in which nothing is happening right except for my putter. Somehow the 10 to 15 footers start dropping. In all of these scenarios, I am left with a score between 78 and 82.

My best round of 75 came as a result of hot putter. I had 9 one putts and 27 overall. I only hit 4 of 14 fairways and 7 of 18 greens in regulation and I didn't chip very well, but I holed a bunch of clutch par putts and mixed in a couple birdies. The putts that I did miss, which resulted in bogeys, were burning the edges. So many shoulda-woulda-couldas.

To shoot par, I am going to have to set out a specific game plan. As I get closer to par, it is getting harder to go lower. When I was trying to break 100, once I did so, I made tremendous progress. Once I broke 90, I was able to get down to the low 80's relatively quickly. Now that I have broken 80, I am understanding that nearly everything has to go right during the round to break even. Once I eliminate the majority of my mistakes, par will be realized.

Having Fun!

I am competitive by nature. I grew up playing baseball, basketball, and competed in x-country and track and field as well. As much as I liked to win, it was never my main focus. I was more interested in the fundamentals of the sport. When I watch golf, while everyone else is just watching the results of the swing, I am paying attention to what the golfer did to make the shot possible.

To satisfy my desire to compete and my continued study of the fundamentals, I am planning on entering the 2013 Golfweek Amateur Tour. I was going to sign up now, but there are only a few events left in the 2012 season and I probably would not be able to accumulate enough points to qualify for the National Championships held in Hilton Head, SC. Here's a little bit about The Golfweek Amateur Tour as it reads on their website.

"Established in 1995, the purpose of the Tour is to provide amateurs of all ages, sexes, and handicaps the opportunity to compete in stroke-play golf tournaments on a regular basis in their local area. The Tour concludes with a National Tour Championship in which top players in each flight test their skills against other amateurs from around the country. Through this competition, the Golfweek Tour promotes the sport of golf by providing an atmosphere of friendly, fair, and well managed competition for amateur golfers in the pursuit of excellence."

You can find a tour near you and the events are broken up into five flights. Depending on your current handicap you will compete in the Championship Flight, 0-3.9, A Flight, 4-8.9(which would be me as of the writing of this post), B Flight, 9-13, C Flight, 14-18.9, and D Flight, 19 and above. I want to get my handicap as low as possible and then sign up at the beginning of the year in my appropriate bracket.

As I looked at the scores for my current handicap, I would be right in the mix. The average score of the winner of a given event is about an 82, which is exactly what the low golfer posted to take home the last event. I know I can shoot those scores under normal conditions, but I want to see how I would fair with a little pressure factored in.

So it begins. Over my next few rounds, I will be paying close attention to my stats so that I can pinpoint the areas of my game which need the most work. From there, I can formulate a game plan going forward. Feel free to share some of your goals whether accomplished or still in the works. I would love to hear what other golfers are doing to improve their game. Have a great round and always hit your target.

So Dex...What's Up With Your Blog??? 9 Jun 2012 4:30 PM (12 years ago)

This was the question posed to me during a recent rounds with one of my golfing buddies Bryce. It has been a while since I submitted my last post and much has happened within that time. Let me fill you in.

Work Life

On June 12th of 2011, I started working for NIKE as a part time athlete(sales associate). As some of you may remember, I got married last April and moved to Phoenix, AZ from Miami, FL. I basically had to start over work wise and after my savings began to dwindle, I began searching for part time work. I had experience working in athletic retail so I decided to see if NIKE was hiring. As it would have it, they were and after a successful interview, I started training the very next day. In December, I was asked if I wanted to do a stretch position as the Footwear Coach, which would put me in charge of the entire footwear department, which accounts for the majority of the business. I accepted and if you take a look into my archives, you will notice that this also around the time my posts start to become less frequent.

The stretch position (which is kind of like a try-out period to see how I would perform) was supposed to last for three months, but I was offered the position full time after only a month and a half. I officially started the position on February 1st and because of my new responsibilities, I have not written a post since. As of this past Sunday, my position has changed again. I am now in charge of the Back Of House. This means that I am responsible for every item that comes into the store. I can't talk numbers, but trust me, there are a lot of units to keep track of. It will be a challenge, but I'm all about learning as much as possible about all facets of the company so that I can be a true asset.

Personal Life

My wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary on April 1st. We were married at The Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort in Arizona, and as a part of the wedding package, couples receive a free night on their one anniversary. Of course we took advantage of this, and enjoyed the day at the pool and acted like tourist, visiting some of the local hot spots in the Old Town area.

Last month we took a trip to New Orleans with my wife's parents, her brother and his girlfriend, and The Doctor and his wife. New Orleans, or at least Bourbon St., is like Las Vegas for me. Two or three days is all you need. After that it is just sensory overload. But, if you are into people watching, this is the place for you. After living on South Beach, I thought I had seen it all, but New Orleans just may have topped it.

The plan was to get in at least one round of golf, but it rained a few days while we were there, so we opted to take advantage of the weather when it was good to see some of the sights. The food was so good and in a culture that has a strong European influence mixed with its own southern flare, any appetite is sure to be satisfied. The music scene is of course legendary and we sat in on a few jam sessions which we happened to stumble upon. Some of which were right there on the streets.

Golf Life

Despite being busy at work, I have been playing golf at least two times a week. If I'm not working then I'm golfing. Every time I play a round, I think of something I can write about, but after a round, I just want to get some rest before I go back into work. But I'm hoping to change that. Bryce reignited a fire I had for writing about the game and my progress and amazingly, I have been receiving comments despite the fact that I have not been active.

My game is improving. I am averaging around 81 per round which currently has me at an 8.7 on the handicap index, and after my last three rounds, I am on pace to be at an 8.2. I shot a new personal best of 75 at Viewpoint Golf Course and have shot sub 80 rounds several times so far this year. The challenge now is to play well enough to shoot par.

My biggest improvement has come with my putter. I am getting much better with my lag putts and have been able to drain some big 5-10 footers to save pars. While I am happy with my putting, I realize that it will be hard for me to shoot par if I don't continue to improve in other parts of my game. My focus over the next few months will be on my chipping. I'm driving the ball pretty well off the tee. I still revert to bad habits from time to time by coming over the top, but for the most part my misses have not been too detrimental. Another area that has improved is with my approach shots into the greens. My GIR percentage isn't where it needs to be, but my misses are now good misses.

This brings us to my chipping. If I can become more consistent with getting the ball to within tap in range, I will be giving myself a better chance to score well. Chipping actual used to be one of the stronger parts of my game, but ~~I think~~ I know I lost focus on that as I worked on my driver and irons.

Moving forward, I will be playing more golf and writing about it. It's hot again in the Valley Of The Sun, but that means cheaper tee times. I already made it through my first summer in the desert so I am well prepared to play in triple digit weather. Thank you to those of you who continued to leave comments here and on my Facebook page. That just lets me know that there are a lot of golfers like myself who are working hard to get better at this crazy game. This alone is encouragement for me to keep, keeping on. Feel free to tell me what you have been up to for the past couple of months. I feel like I have missed so much. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

My First Round Of Golf Walking A Full 18 Holes 14 Jan 2012 4:59 PM (13 years ago)

I finally got to one of the courses I have been wanting to play since I moved to Phoenix in Aguila Golf Course. Not because it is famous or well known, but rather because one of my Stracka buddies, Pete-HEFF-L has been trying to get me to play it for a while now. Ironically, I didn't play it with him and I am a little hesitant to let him know that I did without him.

As I said in my last post, none of my regular golfing buddies could make it so I went out solo. As always I am paired with interesting people and this round was no different. I had the good fortune of playing with a family originally from Denver Colorado. I met John first and he introduced me to his wife Vickie and their son Brandon.

They were pleasure to be with on the course. They cracked jokes the entire time which took off a lot of the pressure that is sometimes felt when playing with strangers. They all played really well. John, while never hitting a driver off the tee, was an ace with his 3-wood. Straight as an arrow. Vickie stayed in the fairways. I think she hit all but three. And when Brandon got a hold of one, he sent his ball booming down the fairway.

I played pretty well, posting an 82 despite hitting only 3 of 14 fairways. Most of my misses were to the right. I wasn't really slicing it, but it made some of my approach shots into the green a bit more difficult than they needed to be. I'll be working on remedying this problem. Fortunately, my short game was on point.

Most of the nine pars that I recorded were due to great chipping around the greens. When I missed a green in regulation, I was able to chip it to within gimme range. It was a warm day, so I didn't have the same problems I have when starting early in the morning. If I had made a few more putts, it would have been a record breaking round for me. Not worried. That will come as I play more.

So back to the title of this post. I always book my tee times with Golfnow.com and Aguila is one of the few courses that allows golfers to walk the course. So it was either pay $51 to ride or pay $29 to walk. Always looking for a deal, I decided to walk it just to see how I would fair.

Many of the courses in Phoenix, or at least the ones that I have played, wind in and out of the mountains and walking them would be a chore. The drive between some holes can be nearly half a mile and then there are the elevation changes. It would take up to six hours to play some of these courses if one decided to walk them.

I consider myself to be in pretty good condition but I definitely felt it after the round. Let's just say, I slept really well last night. I have a new found respect for the pros that walk courses day in and day out. Granted, they have caddies carrying their clubs, but to do it for four rounds and with extreme pressure, I understand why they are flanked with a support team which includes personal trainers and nutritionist.

Aguila Golf Course is definitely recommended if you visit the Phoenix area. The staff was very friendly and I soon discovered that this may be a good place to practice. They have a driving range, chipping and pitching area, along with several putting greens. This course also has a par 3 nine hole course, which I'm told really tests your short game.

Aguila certainly gets a thumbs up from me. Pete-HEFF-L was telling the truth when he said it is a great place to play. Now that I have my first walking 18 under my belt, I'm looking forward to my next. It certainly is good exercise and I actually felt at one with the course. I had time to take in the scenery between shots which actually calmed me down after a poor effort.

Two days off in a row next week will hopefully yield two rounds in a row. Until then I may have to pay a visit to Aguila before or after work for a little practice. One thing is for sure. I'll be looking into a good push cart so that I don't have to carry my bag during my next walking round. Maybe that will keep my shoulders loose and help my putting;-) Have a great round and always hit your target.

Let The 2012 Golf Season Begin 11 Jan 2012 11:47 PM (13 years ago)

Now that the pros are back and playing, it's time for me to get back on the course on a regular basis. Or as regular as my schedule will allow for. I was able to play two rounds last week and I was definitely a little rusty. Golf is a sport that requires that you play with some consistency if you want to get better. Because I had not played for about a month, the first few holes of each round were a bit of an adventure.

My buddy J.B. and I played at San Marcos Golf Club for my first round back. To be honest, my poor play on the front nine was due to the fact that I couldn't feel my hands. At the start of the round it was about 48 degrees and breezy. It wasn't until the 10th hole that I could actually feel my fingers. I shot a 47 on the front and a 40 on the back for a total of 87.

Despite not being able to feel my hands, I drove the ball really well, hitting five of seven fairways for the front. Where I had trouble, was around the greens. I consider my self to be a "feel" player and when my hands are frozen, chipping and pitching becomes very difficult. I sculled a few. Hit a few fat. It was very frustrating. Once it began to warm up, my touch returned and my short game immediately improved.

The second round was played at Camelback Golf Club(The Padre Course). This was my first time playing this course. I have visited Camelback before, but played the Indian Bend Course. The Doctor had played it the week before, and thought that I would enjoy it. While the Indian Bend Course is mostly flat, the Padre Course, has fairways with more undulation, which made for many uneven lies on approach shots.

Case in point. I came to the the short par 4, 16th and hit a great drive. I was left with only 65 yards into the green for my second. The only thing was that I had a down hill lie and there was a bunker guarding the pin which was on the front of the green. I proceeded to hit my worse shot of the round, hitting it fat, and advancing the ball about 30 yards. I turned a potential birdie hole into a double bogey. Ouch!

Despite this, I managed an 84. Not my best, but it was a step in the right direction. I plan on playing tomorrow. None of my regular golf buddies can play, so I'm going solo. Since it is peak season in Arizona, I know I won't be alone. I like getting out there and meeting new people on the course. For the most part, the golfers I'm paired with, are interesting and diverse. It will be a late morning start so I know I will be properly thawed out before starting. Hopefully this will allow me to get off to fast start. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Finding Trouble Off The Tee 1 Dec 2011 4:54 PM (13 years ago)

Arizona Grand Spa & Golf Resort is one of my favorite courses to play here in the Phoenix area. That is...it's one of my favorites when I am playing well and hitting the ball straight. My last round proved to be, not-so-fun due to the fact that I couldn't find the fairways for the life of me.

Arizona Grand has a gorgeous layout with elevation changes that showcase a beautiful desert style course nestled into the rocky ridges of South Mountain. While the scenery can be breath taking, ending up in the desert after a golf shot spells disaster for any chance at scoring well.

Trouble for me started on the first. The tee shot calls for a blind shot up and over a hill. At the top of the hill, on the right hand side, sits a little pond, that if it is your first time playing the course, you have no idea it's there. I aimed way left of the pond but ended up slicing it right into the drink which led to a double bogey.

I actually hit two great drives on holes 2 and 3 which lead to pars. Again, if you keep it in the fairway on this course, you give yourself a great chance to do well. I only managed to hit two more fairways for the rest of my round and found myself having to drop because of multiple unplayable lies. Instead of playing for birdies and pars, I was often playing for bogeys and doubles.

Looks like I need to get back to working on my long game again. Mike Southern of Ruthless Golf wrote an article about which is more important, the long game or the short game. We often hear teachers say that amateurs need to work on their short game because that is the part of the game in which the pros excel. Mike, however, has a different take on it.

In my case, Mike would tell me to work on my long game. Off the tee, I did not give myself a chance at getting onto the green in regulation(if you don't know what this means, Mike explains it fully in his article). The short game is a very important part of golf, but if I'm still off the green after my third shot on a par 4, now I have to chip in just to save par.

So, for me, I'm going back to the beginning. I only had three pars during this round and no birdies. When I was able to play more frequently, I was averaging nine pars and at least two birdies a round. My greens in regulation had climbed from 17% to around 45%. This is why I was shooting in the high 70's-low 80's.

I'm not too worried. It will come back to me. Whenever my game gets a little sketchy, Mike gives me a little advise and reminds me that "I am close." In recent weeks, Tiger has been saying this a lot, because he knows, now that he is able to practice like he used to, it's the subtle tweeks in his game that are getting him back to the player he once was. Like Tiger, I'm close and now that I know what I need to work on, I'm even closer. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Something To Be Thankful For 24 Nov 2011 9:08 AM (13 years ago)

I am thankful for all of you who have taken the time to share in my exploits on the golf course. Your comments have been an encouragement to me and they push me to keep moving towards my goals. Have a great Thanksgiving Day everybody.

Photo found here.

I Need A Full Time Caddie 14 Nov 2011 9:29 PM (13 years ago)

I was watching an episode of Golf Channel Academy today which featured Greg Norman and some of things he does on the golf course to be successful. The segment that caught my attention was when he was talking about visualizing his shots. Visualization and picking specific targets are aspects of the games that separate us as amateurs from the pros.

We have talked about visualizing our intended shots before and I do all I can to stay focused on the course, but sometimes there are just too many distractions that lead to poor shots. Norman talked about how amateurs see all the hazards and everything that can go wrong before a shot. Pros, on the other hand, have tunnel vision. It's like they have those horse blinders on. They don't see the trouble. I've heard pros say that they sometimes narrow their focus to something as minute as a leaf on a tree as an aiming point. We, however, see the entire tree.

The greatest advantage that professionals have over us in my opinion, is that they have caddies to help them stay focused on their targets. Caddies are meticulous when mapping out yardages and gaining overall knowledge of the course (s)he and their player are navigating. If I had a caddie, I would probably be a scratch golfer by now.

As I thought about it, my best rounds have been when I played on courses I had never played before, but was paired with someone who played it regularly. I remember playing at The Phoenician with Patrick Gibbons one afternoon, and even though I had played it once before, I couldn't remember how all of the holes played.

On one particular hole, like a caddie, he told me where I needed to hit it to have the best look into the green for my approach shot. I stepped up to the tee and hit exactly where he had told me to. He commented, "must be nice to hit where you're supposed to."

On another day, I played at Silverado Golf Club for the first time and I was paired with a gentleman who knew the course like the back of his hand. He guided me through the course for the whole round and I produced some of the best shots I had ever hit in my career.

There was one par 4 that had a blind tee shot over trees in order to get to the fairway. My playing partner pointed out a pole that everyone used as an aiming point. He told me that if I hit it long and just right of the pole, I would end up in a good position. Again, I hit it just as I was instructed to do and was left with an 80 yard shot into the green.

If I always had someone telling me where to hit it, my scores would drop dramatically. It's almost like I didn't have to think about the shot, I just had to execute it, and I think this is a luxury that the pros have. Caddies take a lot of the guess work out of the game. They keep their player in a positive state of mind which translates into better quality shots.

I love when the producers mic a professional during a tournament and we get to hear the conversation that takes place between caddie and player. They talk about what they want to accomplish and it always ends with, "I like that shot" or "I feel good about that." After all the calculations have been made, they know exactly what they are shooting at and in their mind, they have already executed it.

Sure professionals hit poor shots from time to time but more often than not, they are dead on with what they wanted to do. While it is still on the player to hit the shot, a good caddie can be the difference between a shot ending up on the green or ending up in a hazard. This is why I want a full time caddie. Any takers? Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

I Can't Feel My Fingers!!! 7 Nov 2011 10:54 AM (13 years ago)

When I woke up for my round at Apache Creek Golf Club yesterday, it was a balmy 48 degrees. Brrrr. There is a low pressure system that is making it's way down from the Pacific Northwest and we are beginning to feel the effects of a cold front that is sweeping through the Phoenix Valley.

I have been very spoiled in the fact that I have lived in places where I can play golf year round. I have always been treated to great weather and have never really had to play in uncomfortable conditions. In Miami we had to deal with rain and high winds, but for the most of the year it was still warm.

The tee time was set for 6:50AM by J.B. whom I had met through this blog via Facebook. We had been trying to set up a time when we could get in a round for months but something always came up whether it was work or family related. J.B. whom I soon found out can hit the ball a country mile, is a morning golfer. During the summer when the sun rises earlier, he is often the first one on the tee for a 5:30 start.

Keeping true to form, we were the first golfers at the course, arriving before any of the employees. It was still dark and for me, very cold. I just kept looking towards the eastern horizon, hoping for a glimpse of sunlight. As we chipped around the practice green with glow in the dark golf balls that J.B. had which were pretty cool, my hands began to get numb. I was beginning to wonder how I would be able to hold my clubs.

After checking in at the pro shop, we headed to the driving range to warm up. Except there was no warming up for me. I had no feeling in my hands and it was hard for me to keep a handle on the grip. It reminded me of my days playing baseball in New England during early March. Mishits with an iron felt like the stinging sensation you get when you hit the baseball off the wrong part of an aluminum bat.

My drive from the first tee tailed off to the right which left me with a long approach of about 205 yards into the green. I hit hybrid and fell short and right of the green. I chipped it pass the hole about 20 feet and was left with a downhill putt. I held the putter as best as I could, let my shoulders swing, and drained it to save par.

Great start. Unfortunately, my hands could not warm up and I missed every fairway on the front nine. When you miss the fairways at Apache Creek, you are at a huge disadvantage. This is a true desert style course and golfers are penalized severely for wayward shots. Having to play many of my shots off of a hardpan lie led to four double bogeys on the front.

It wasn't until the turn that I was finally able to feel my fingers again. The sun had come out, and even though it was still in the low 60's, because of the bright sunshine, it felt a lot warmer. It showed in my tee shots. I hit four out of the seven fairways on the back nine and my iron shots into the greens were a bit more accurate.

I wasn't pleased with my overall performance, but I didn't expect much since I hadn't played in almost a month and a half. While much of my struggles were due to the weather, some of it had to do with being mentally rusty as much as mechanically rusty. When I look back on the round, I made decisions that I know I wouldn't have when I was playing three or four times a week. When I was playing regularly, my golf IQ improved as well as my swing which led to better scores. I just need to get out more and I'm sure it will all come back.

I have a new found respect for professional golfers when they have to compete in less than perfect weather. This past weekend, The Champions Tour held their season ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at TPC Harding Park GC in San Francisco, California. The temperature was similar to what I faced and on top of that, they had to deal with windy conditions. Yet many of them were still able to shoot par or better. They are that good.

It looks like I'm going to have to invest in some warm golf mittens especially if I'm going to be playing more rounds with a "crack of dawn golfer" like J.B. The cold front is supposed to remain for a while and I would like to have some "feeling" in my shots. It's either that or wait for it to warm up again, but for me, that might take too long. Have a great round and always hit your target.

My Clubs Are Dusty... 26 Oct 2011 12:22 PM (13 years ago)

...literally. I finally got out to the driving range yesterday. I hadn't touched touched my clubs since my last round on September 28th when I played at San Marcos Golf Club. Nearly a month has passed and when I pulled the clubs out of the garage they were covered with a layer of dust.

It felt good to pick up the sticks again. I wasn't expecting too much out of the practice session, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started hitting good shots. I didn't want to think too much so I only kept two swing thoughts in my head.

1.) One piece takeaway - If you have read this blog before, you know that I have been working hard on the one piece takeaway. It was taught to me by Mike Southern because he noticed that I was twisting or rotating my forearms as I took the club away from the ball during the backswing. This was causing me to start my swing on too flat a plane which forced me to come over the top on my downswing.

2.) The second thought has to do with this image from a recent post that Mike did called The Top Of Your One Piece Takeaway.

Diagram showing what a properly-done one-piece takeaway looks like

The bottom picture is what caught my attention. Although I understand the one-piece move, I sometimes get a little out of whack after the club passes waist high. This birds eye view gave me a good mental picture to take with me to the driving range. Once I was able to repeat this position, the rest of the swing fell into place.

I ended up hitting around 300 balls. The golfers around me would hit half a bucket and leave. I was happy to pick up where they left off and finish the already paid for bucket of range balls. Needless to say, I am extremely sore today. My shoulders, back, and abs feel like I just finished a CrossFit workout. Even my right hamstring is tight from bending over so much to tee up my ball.

Work has still been hectic and a lot of the courses are continuing the over-seeding process. I'm dying to get back out there. It's a wonder that I have been able to survive without playing for so long. In any case, I am pleased with the way I hit the ball and hopefully it will carry over into my next 18 holes. If not, oh well. At least I'm on the golf course. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Top photo found here.

Taking A Little Time Off During The Fall Series 17 Oct 2011 3:54 PM (13 years ago)

I'mmmmmm baaaaaaack!!! With the onset of the Fall Series on the PGA Tour, I decided to follow in the footsteps of some of the upper tier professional golfers by taking some time off. This is the time of year when the games best take a month or so to recharge their batteries. Which sounded like a good idea to me.

Some players are fighting for their playing cards. Some are trying to get into the top 30 on the money list, which nets them an automatic invite to The Masters. Some, like Webb Simpson, are trying to win as much money as possible. Not that he's greedy. Quite the opposite. He is in a tight race with Luke Donald for the title of Top Money Earning on tour. For those who have secured their cards for the 2012 season, this is a time to catch up with family and friends. The PGA Tour schedule is very hectic and juggling both worlds can get kind of dicey.

My wife and I celebrated our 6th month together on the day I wrote my last post. Since then and now, we were able to spend some quality time together. Both of our schedules had become so busy. We were finally able to relax for the first time since the wedding day.

We took a trip to Las Vegas. Sensory Overload! I'm not much of a gambler, but there was enough sites and sounds to keep me occupied and up all night. I saw The Beatles, Love, my first Cirque De Soleil show. That was spectacular. Looking forward to seeing a few more. We also caught up with some friends we hadn't had a chance to hang out with in a while.

My clubs have been collecting dust during this time off. I'll probably get out at the beginning of next week. I'm anxious to see what kind of shape my game will be in. Currently, I am sitting at a 10.0 on the handicap index and my goal is to get down to single digits before the end of 2011. I'm a little apprehensive because if I am rusty, it will effect my handicap negatively.

I'm hoping that muscle memory will take over and I will be able to pick up from where I left off. Either way, it will be good to get back on the course. This is the time of year when most of the courses in the Phoenix area do their over-seeding. So in reality, I timed my little hiatus perfectly. My favorite courses should be just about ready for play.

Lastly, I'd like to thank those of you who have been following my progress. The Facebook fan page for this blog is nearing the 1000 mark and I m getting good feedback from others who are trying hard to improve as well. Hears to strong finish to 2011 which sets us up for more success in 2012. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Practicing The 60 Yard Pitch Shot During My Round 1 Oct 2011 7:51 PM (13 years ago)

During my last round, I took the advise of Jordan Caron who publishes a blog called Peerless Golf Experience. After I wrote a piece about the dreaded 40-60 yard pitch shot, he had a few suggestions for me.

His first suggestion was simply to avoid the shot if at all possible. His belief is that if I layup to a more comfortable yardage, I will not have to worry about it. I can totally agree with that and I would attempt to do so except for one thing. I have a difficult time hitting my 3-wood. I'm either going to hit driver which sometimes puts me at this awkward yardage, or I'm going hit hybrid and be left with a long iron.

He mentioned that the pros always layup to a distance that allows them to hit a shot they know they are confident executing. That's why we always hear the announcers say, "(s)he's pulling something less than driver to avoid trouble or to leave him(her)self with a shot from 100 yards or so."

Mike Southern has giving me some things to work on as far as my 3-wood is concerned, but I just haven't had the time to practice them. Work and the heat of the Phoenix summers have kind of put my practice sessions at bay. I hit balls before each round, but that is not the time to be learning and trying something new. The weather is cooling down so I will be able to give my fairway wood the attention it deserves, but for now, I just have to get better at this in between shot.

The second suggestion Jordan had for me was that if the course was not busy, go back and hit a few shots from this distance. Going back to my last round, I had a long wait once I arrived at the 17th. For someone reason, there was a three group wait, so after I finally finished the the par 5, 17th and was waiting to tee off on the last, I went back to about 60 yards and hit a bunch of shots.

There was no one behind me, so I had all the time I wanted. If you decided to do this, just make sure you refill your divots and move around a little so that you don't leave a patch like you would on the driving range. Your course superintendant will truly appreciate it.

During this little mini practice session, I was able to hit some good shot. Some of which checked up nicely and ended up near the hole. Mike wrote this article about the fact that there are many ways this shot is taught and just as many ways to play it. This is a great read if you are struggling with this shot.

I just need to get better at hitting this shot so that I can keep lowering my scores. Mike once told me that if I can keep my driver in the fairway, then by all means hit driver. If this is going to be my philosophy then other parts of my game need to be in sync as well. It's a constant work in progress I guess. Have a great round and always hit your target.

When Back 9's Attack 29 Sep 2011 3:24 PM (13 years ago)

I have to thank The Doctor for the title of this post. We played at The Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort and after I told him my scores for my front and back nine's, he aptly stated, "when back nine's attack."

I had a great front nine, shooting a three over 39. I had two doubles on the front but I was able to get a couple back as I birdied the par 5 fifth hole as well as the par 5 ninth. The only other blemish was a bogey to begin the round on the first. The other four holes resulted in pars.

On pace for a round in the 70's, everything went haywire, and my round quickly went south. The major problem was with my tee shots. I only hit one of seven fairways which led to lots of approach shots from the rough.

San Marcos is more of a traditional course as opposed to the desert courses I had become accustomed to playing. The rough on a desert course and the rough at San Marcos are completely different. On desert courses, everything is perfectly manicured. If you find yourself in the rough, in many instances, you will still have a good chance to get up and down.

The rough at San Marcos however is unforgiving. I lost a couple of balls because the grass was so tall and gnarly. On top of everything else, the crew had just finished mowing and there were clumps of loose grass everywhere(See picture on the right). There were a few times when I was hitting a ball, I could barely see.

So back to the back nine. I began with a double, quadruple, double bogey, and bogey through the first four holes. From three over to twelve over just like that. The quadruple came as a result of a bone head decision on my part. I drove it into the opposite fairway and had a tall tree between myself and the green. I was only an 8-iron away but the tree was tall and the sensible play would have been to pitch it back into my fairway and play for par and at worse bogey.

Instead I went for it and hit the ball fat because I wanted to see where the ball was going to end up. I then hit a poor pitch back into my fairway and had a shot over a bunker to get to the flag. It wasn't a tough shot, but I was still thinking about had just happened. I lost focus, and put it in the bunker. The bunkers were horrible. They looked nice but they were hard as rock. I actually putted it out of the bunker and then 3-putted to finish with an eight.

I completed the back nine with a 48 which netted me an 87 for the round. Despite such a poor effort on the back nine, I managed to stay in the 80's. One of my goals for the second half of 2011 was to keep my score in the 80's and lower. There was a time when 87 would have been, "drinks on me". Now it's like, "I need to go straight to the range."

On a good note, I am currently on pace to having a 10.0 handicap average. The day before this round, I played at Club West Golf Club. The 81 I shot that day put me at the 10.0 mark. Despite my 87, the course was a little bit harder with slope of 122 and a rating of 70.7, which I suppose kind of evens it all out.

Another solid round should put me in the single digits and I will be able to cross off another one of my goals for the year. The key for me now is making the right decisions. My quadruple taught me a valuable lesson. It's better to take my medicine and play the smart shot. I would have salvaged the hole and kept myself in a good state of mind. It's better to just give myself a chance. Have a great round and always hit your target.

***This is one of those shots from the mowed rough. You can't see it but there was a tree in front of me. Double Whammy! Hit it fat, but at least got it back in play.

87

Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Crowne Plaza (San Marcos Golf Resort)

Tees: Championship, Slope: 122, Rating: 70.7

San Marcos Golf Resort Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	36
	5	4	5	4	4	6	4	3	4	39
FIR
Putts	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	11
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	5	36
	6	8	6	4	4	5	4	5	6	48
FIR
Putts	2	3	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	17
GIR

Birdies:	2
Pars:	7
Bogeys:	3
Doubles:	5
Other:	1

Par 3 Avg:	4.3
Par 4 Avg:	5.1
Par 5 Avg:	4.8

FIR:	6 / 14
GIR:	5 / 18
Putts:	28
Putts per GIR:	1.6

Scrambling:	4 / 13
Bounce Backs:	5 / 8

Maybe We Should Blame The Undertaker For Tiger's Inconsistent Play 22 Sep 2011 9:09 PM (13 years ago)

I watched a lot of professional wrestling growing up as a kid. It actually continued into my college days. I used to live right across the street from the old Miami Arena (if you click on the link, my former apartment is the one on the right facing the arena) and my roommate and I would go to every show that came to town. WWE and WCW were the organizations that we like the best.

I haven't kept up with the characters in recent years but there was a time, (and I'm not sure I should be sharing this), that I made my college class schedule so that I wouldn't ever have to miss WWE's Monday Night Raw or it's rival WCW's Nitro.

One of the legends in the WWE was and apparently still is The Undertaker. No one instilled fear into the heart of a wrestler like The Dead Man. As soon as you heard his trademark GOOOOOOONGGGGG, you knew that, as Jim Ross liked to put it, "business was about to pick up!"

Everyone is speculating as to when Tiger is going to regain his form, but after watching the following video, I can understand why it may be some time before the 14 time major champion gets back to his winning ways. The Undertaker is ultra intimidating and when he gets in your head, it's over. Even for someone who was regarded as being as mentally tough as anyone in the game of golf.

Photo found here.

The Dreaded 40-60 Pitch Shot 21 Sep 2011 1:32 PM (13 years ago)

A few days ago I played a round at Arizona Grand Golf Resort. Although they don't have much in the way of a driving range, it is one of my favorite courses to play. They do, however, have an nice area to practice your chipping, pitching, and putting before your round, of which, I should have taken better advantage.

I drove the ball pretty well, but problems arose when I was left with a second shot of between 40-60 yards. I hear it all the time that this is one of the hardest shots in golf, and after this round, I'm not going to argue.

I ended up shooting an 82, but there were four or five situations that if I had executed the shot better from this distance, I probably would have shot a 75. Like we talked about in my post about the fairway bunker shot, this is a shot that most golf courses don't have the facilities to practice such a shot. It can become very nerve racking when faced with a shot that is unfamiliar.

Being able to execute this shot is what will have me consistently in the 70's. I'm driving the ball well. My full shots into the green are improving, and I am not 3-putting as much. When I hit the green in regulation, I am averaging 1.8 strokes, which all but guarantees that I make a par.

I found the following video with a swing thought that I think I can grasp. I've stated before that I am more of a feel player, and the technique described goes along with that philosophy. Hopefully I can start to see improvement in this area. It may be the only thing that is holding me back from getting into the single digit handicap range.

If you have any thoughts, drills, or even your own frustrations with this shot, feel free to share them. Those of you who have set goals, and are really trying to improve, know the frustration that comes from struggling with a part of your game that may be holding you back. But I am convinced that if we take it one step at a time, we will get better. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Tiffany Joh Shows Us How To "Grip It" 17 Sep 2011 1:47 PM (13 years ago)

First it was The Golf Boys. Then we had The Golf Girls. Now we have are latest music video by Tiffany Joh and a few of her LPGA friends. If this trend continues, we may be hearing from some of the elder statesman on the Champions Tour. Keep dancing ladies. Life and golf is meant to be fun.

Check out Tiffany's acoustically depressing version of The Golf Boy's "Oh, Oh, Oh."

The Doctor Shares His Experience At Pebble Beach 14 Sep 2011 2:43 PM (13 years ago)

In my last post, I showed you the gifts The Doctor brought back for me from his visit to Pebble Beach Golf Links. The following is his review of his time at one of the mos famous golf courses in the world. After reading it, I am even more jealous. One day I'll get there. One day...

The Doctor's Round At Pebble Beach.

With Spyglass Hill under our belt, after a good dinner at the Tap Room (a steakhouse at the Lodge at Pebble Beach), and a relaxing night by the fire pits at the Inn at Spanish Bay, we were giddy to get out and play the links at Pebble Beach. Our tee time was at 10:10. Our plan of attack; Wake up early, get out to the course so we can take in breakfast at one of the most historic golf courses in the world before our tee time.

Let me just tell you, as you drive into the grounds at Pebble Beach, you cannot help but acknowledge that you are entering hallowed ground. The mist still prevalent, as you wind to the club house, you note the Peter Hay par 3 course that you can play for a reasonable price. No better place to grab a few clubs, a cold drink, and work on your approach shot accuracy, judging distance in the heavy, foggy air, and working on putting. No time to stop there, we had a date with the links.

As you pull up to the bag drop, a rod iron archway inscribed with the words “Pebble Beach” makes itself noticeable. Again, service is outstanding. The clubhouse is slightly more ornate and visually stunning when compared to Spyglass. Again, each clubhouse seems to fit its surroundings perfectly. The Pebble Beach clubhouse has a retail section where you can find almost any souvenir, item of clothing, or other trinket. Adjacent was the golf shop. We checked in, and the gentleman let us know we could go hit some balls, putt, or grab some food. As we already ate breakfast, off to the range we went.

At Pebble, you must take a short shuttle to the driving range. The facilities are amazing. This time on the practice tee, my goal was to relax, focus on tempo, and keep my head down. I was striping balls the entire time. It seemed my pre shot routine, tempo, and swing thoughts were in the right groove. After hitting a small bucket, we chipped, and then putted, then looked at the clock. 9:55???!!!! Gotta get to the tee and meet our caddies.

This time, we had Nathan and Tony. They were both very nice, displaying their knowledge of the course from the get go. We met the starter, he wished us luck and hopefully some sun, and our round was underway.

My dad hit a perfect tee shot. Hole 1 is a dogleg right par far with a slightly elevated green. My pops put his drive about 120 yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. Mine was just right of the fairway about 180 yards out. My hands got a little ahead of me on my downswing and I didn’t hit the best drive. No worries, 5 iron from the rough, faded a bit and I was hole high, right of the hole, needing to pitch over a bunker and hopefully keep it on the green. My caddie says, you want to keep it left of the pin, there is a back stop that should help keep the ball on the green. Only problem, was the grass was so thick. Relax, breathe, tempo. Lucky me, I succeeded in holding the green. Just missed my par putt, walked off with bogey.

Now I’m 1 over on Pebble beach, walking to the tee box of a shortish par 5 with trouble right, bunkers left, and a large ravine that splits the fairway at about 100 yards from the green. Nathan says, “You want to hit driver, keep it right of the bunkers on the left, and avoid hitting it right. Some miracles happen and this drive was one of them.

I pasted it just where Nathan asked. Left me about 200 yards from the green. He suggested I lay up short of the ravine, making sure I kept right of strategically placed trees that were on the left side of the fairway.

I grabbed the correct club, easy swing, hit a great shot but it had a draw. I actually split the trees and my ball pitched a little bit forward. I was 80 yards out, just in front of the trees with an awkward stance. I focused, and with my lob wedge hit the ball pin high on the left side, about 10 feet. THE BEST SHOT OF MY LIFE!! At this point, I could tell that my caddy Nathan was getting excited, thinking, “I guess this guy is ok”. He helped me with the read, and believe it or not, I sunk my birdie putt!!!

Yes, After 2 holes at Pebble beach, playing from the gold tees, I’m EVEN! I remarked, "I should just head into the clubhouse so I can head on a high note." Hahaha. I needed more. Hole 3 and 4 proceeded as we approached the coast line with each step forward. Bogey, bogey on those holes. And then, as if someone was looking over us, the sun started to come out, blue skies breaking through the mist and fog that was hanging over our heads.

Funny note about hole 4: My drive was in the middle of the fairway, still stroking the ball purely. I had 100 yards or so to the pin. I grabbed my lob wedge relaxed and hit a perfect shot, or so I thought. I heard Nathan saying “Get down, Get down”. My ball flew over the green just beyond a greenside bunker. Nathan asked, what did you hit, by now knowing how far I hit certain irons. (It was this skill that amazed me the most, after only a few holes, he knew how far I hit my irons and would actually anticipate what club I’d need). I answered, “Lob wedge”. As I handed it to him he smiled wryly, showed me the club I gave him and it was my approach wedge. I had made the mistake of grabbing the wrong club. Had I picked out the correct one, I’d be putting for birdie, not left scrambling to get up and down for par. Nathan says, “How about this, from now on, you let me know what club you want to hit, and I’ll hand it to you”. Point taken. Needless to say, I did not get up and down and walked off with a bogey.

Number 5: A Short par 3 with amazing views of the water, cliffs, and amazing homes. I drew the ball slightly, just missing the green. Once again, up and down takes highly skilled, precise shots, which I could not muster. Bogey me up again.

Playing holes 6, 7, and 8 was a religious experience. Hole 6, a long par five with a large elevation that needs to be dealt with on the second shot. That shot cutting the corner of the ocean, elevation somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 feet. One of the most spectacular holes I’ve ever seen. I hit the best drive of my life, right down the middle, about 250 yards from the hole. The next shot was a five iron. My second shot, was the first bad shot of the round (other than the one on 4 where I chose the wrong club out of the bag, I hit that one so well, I don’t consider it a bad shot, just bad club selection). I let the imagery of the elevation and water creep into my swing thought, I tried to swing too hard, and topped it. Fortunately it stayed in the fairway and advanced about 50 yards. The 3rd shot was much better, easy swing, good tempo, it sailed up the fairway, over the water, up the elevation, leaving me middle of the fairway about 60 yards away. The green has a false front, and my caddie suggested a bump and run but I need to practice that shot before I’m proficient. I chose sand wedge, much to my caddie’s chagrin, and pitched it to the green.

My goal was to make sure I was putting. I hit it too hard and left my putt about 30 feet from the hole, down hill, breaking right to left. After Nathan’s read, I almost holed it out for par. Walking off with a bogey kept me more than satisfied. I should comment that my dad, chipped in for par from right of the green (probably his shot of the day).

Hole 7- short downhill par three, out on a peninsula. Water and cliffs right and long of the green. I chose a sand wedge as the yardage was about 110 to the hole. Fortunately wind did not play a factor. Sun still shining, our group having way too much fun. I hit my shot just long of the green, but still playable, leaving a tricky downhill chip out of thick grass. I chipped it about 8 feet short of the hole, and walked off after a two put. Bogey check, no shot in the ocean…check, having the time of my life, check.

Hole 8. Par four, blind tee shot, and what my father described as “one of the most amazing views in golf once we get to our drives. Not knowing what to expect I asked Nathan what the play was. He advised, “Perfect shot needs to go about 230, aiming just right of that rock” (a directional aid for us amateurs no doubt). He asked me “so what club do you like”. I answered my hybrid, he smiles and said “I think your 3 wood is the shot”. Deferring to his expertise and how quickly he became accustomed to my shot and distances, I pulled out the 3, and thought to myself, “let’s get it.” I actually hit a perfect drive. Leaving my about 10 yards short of a sheer rock face, that while standing on the tee box, I had no idea was out there.

My dad was right. Standing over my ball, looking towards the green, one cannot help but notice that the same elevation we went up on hole 6, we now had to descend to the green on number 8. It’s a gentle dog leg right, over this cliff, and water, to a tiny green surrounded by sand. Ocean, beach, and residents of Carmel are like ants from our vantage point. As amazed as I was from the view on number 6, I was blown away with this view. I had about 170 to the pin. Chose a 6 iron and unfortunately looked up at the last moment, causing me to fade it into the sand. How can you blame a guy for looking up on this hole?? The view is too nice to be missed. In hindsight, I wish I kept that urge in check.

As Dex and many others know, my sand game needs work. Ultimately resulting in a double bogey, after 2 good shots, it’s a shame that it took 4 shots to get up and down out of the sand.

With those 3 holes complete our round continued. Every hole is a testament to how beautiful the world can be. The course is so well maintained, and can hurt you at the slightest breakdown in concentration. I played mainly bogey golf from here on out, with a couple of high numbers. Pebble beach has the smallest greens on the PGA tour and the difficult part is that when you miss the green, you have to craft amazing shots in order to achieve the up and down. This is what mainly contributed to my score. Even when I had the distance right, if your alignment is off, and draw the ball unexpectedly, or fade it, you can have a very difficult shot from just 5 feet off the green. If you couple that, with greens that are deceptive in speed and break, I understand why the slope is what it is.

My experience at Pebble Beach exceeded what I could have expected. You see the course on television, you see how the professionals navigate the course, but until you walk it yourself and have to deal with the anguish and elation of your own shots, it is difficult to truly realize how perfect the course is. It is visually stunning, challenging, rewarding, punishing, diabolical, and angelic all in one.

The bad shots take a distant second to the memories of the good shots. I will never watch another event at Pebble beach the same way again. From the very instant you enter the grounds, you feel something special in the air. As you walk around the Lodge, viewing the trophies on display, the pictures of G-Mac, Lefty, among others really helps you see how special of a place it is. Numerous restaurants and shops are on the premises(for those golf widows of course). Just be careful of the $133,000.00 ring on display at the jewelry store. That could make for one expensive round of golf!!! Pebble Beach surly has something to offer almost anyone.

All photos courtesy of The Doctor

The Doctor Returns From Pebble Beach Bearing Gifts 11 Sep 2011 11:06 AM (13 years ago)

A few post ago, I talked about being jealous of The Doctor and his trip to Pebble Beach. This historic course is on just about everyone's list of courses to play that I have talked to. I can only imagine the feeling that one might have as they swing off the first tee that has been graced by many of the greats of the game.

The Doctor no longer has to imagine because he has lived it. Besides playing Pebble Beach, he also had the good fortune to play Spyglass Hill Golf Course and The Links at Spanish Bay. I was going nuts because I wanted constant updates of the trip, but apparently, cell phone reception is really poor in that area. I was left to fantasize about the experience until he returned.

There was no disappointment in his trip. He said it was everything he could have asked for and more. I won't go into details because I will be posting his reviews of his trip in the days to come. He has some great pictures that captured some of the sights of the course and the surrounding areas.

Every time I play a new course, I purchase one of their logo balls. I am up to 51 in my collection. I should have a few more but not all of the courses have had them available. Knowing this, The Doctor brought back the package that you see in the pictures.

Normally, pro shops just have their logo ball in a bucket or maybe a nice glass fixture. Not Pebble Beach. They have a classy box and each ball is embedded in it's felt casing. Along with the balls, he also gave me a bag tag. It has some weight to is and it looks like one of the medals I may have won back in my track and field days.

Check back soon for The Doctor's review of his trip. I'm still a little jealous, but my time will come. Until then I guess I will have to live vicariously through the tales that he tells me. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Déjà Vu At The Phoenician Golf Club And Resort 10 Sep 2011 3:20 AM (13 years ago)

I had a repeat performance from my last round played at The Arizona Blitmore Golf Club. On that day I shot a 37 on the front and a 44 on the back nine to finish with a ten over 81. Today, at The Phoenician Golf Club And Resort, I scored exactly the same. 37 on the front. 44 on the back. This time I was 11 over as the course played to a par of 70.

The Phoenician is comprised of three nine hole courses. The Desert, The Canyon, and The Oasis. Today Patrick Gibbons and I played the combination of The Desert and Canyon courses. With my new Srixon Z-Star golf balls in tote, I was anxious to play one of my favorite tracks in the Scottsdale area.

The beginning of the round started out pretty uneventful. I began with a double bogey and followed it up with a bogey. Things began to heat up after that as I went birdie, bogey, birdie, then finished out the front nine with four straight pars.

The first birdie came as a result of a missed fairway, with a second shot that past the pin but spun back about six feet to leave me with a six foot birdie putt. The second birdie happened on the par four 5th which plays severely uphill. I hit a nice drive up the right side of the fairway which left me with about 120 yards to the pin.

The green was about 20 feet above my ball and I couldn't see the bottom of the flag. I hit my sandwedge to make sure I had enough club to get it there. My swing sent the ball sailing over the flag. I thought I was going to be left with a long putt or maybe even worse. To my amazement, when I got to the green, I was five feet away from the hole. It must have checked up and again spun back to the hole.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the performance of the Srixon golf balls. There is a new confidence to my game because I can now go after a shot with my wedges knowing that it will possibly check up.

With approach shots spinning back towards the hole, I am also more confident with the short stick because I'm putting from shorter distances. When you land your approach shot to within ten to fifteen feet, their is less pressure on birdie putts. At the very least I should be walking away with par so I might as well make a confident first stroke.

I putted well throughout the round. In my last round, poor putting contributed to my 44 on the back nine. Today, it was poor club selection. The wind picked up during the second nine and we were often hitting into the wind. On several occasions, I came up short of the green because I didn't take enough club and had to scramble to have a chance at par.

As we arrived at the par five 18th, I just needed to par out to finish with a 79. Unfortunately, I hit my worst tee shot of the day, sending the ball dead left into a creek that lines that side of the fairway. I dropped and hit a nice hybrid shot, leaving me with 9-iron to the green. I then pushed my approach shot and the ball ended up in a bunker that is right of the green. Unbelievable!

Disaster reared its ugly head again as I left my next shot in the bunker. I managed to get the ball out and onto the green and made the putt. A double bogey seven to finish the round. BOOOOOOOO!!!

All in all, it was a good round. Even though it should have been better, I shot in the low 80's which brings me closer to my 2011 goal of having a single digit handicap. After this effort, I'm a 10.1. One more score in this range should get me to what I have been after all year, and then, maybe it will be time to rethink my goals...again. Have a great round and always hit your target.

81

Posted: Friday, September 09, 2011

The Phoenician (DESERT/CANYON COURSE)

Tees: Championship 18, Slope: 129, Rating: 68.3

DESERT/CANYON COURSE Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	3	5	35
	6	5	4	6	5	4	4	3	7	44
FIR
Putts	2	3	1	3	2	2	2	2	1	18
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	5	3	4	35
	6	6	3	4	3	3	5	3	4	37
FIR
Putts	2	2	1	2	1	1	2	1	0	12
GIR

Birdies:	2
Pars:	7
Bogeys:	5
Doubles:	4

Par 3 Avg:	3.7
Par 4 Avg:	4.4
Par 5 Avg:	6.0

FIR:	4 / 12
GIR:	6 / 18
Putts:	30
Putts per GIR:	1.8

Scrambling:	4 / 12
Bounce Backs:	5 / 9

The Srixon Z-Star May Be My New Golf Ball 9 Sep 2011 3:20 AM (13 years ago)

Yesterday I talked about winning a dozen Srixon Z-Star golf balls from the Facebook page of Golfballs.com. Thanks again guys. A couple of days ago I had a chance to try them out at Arizona Biltmore Golf Course. I am now a firm believer that the golf ball you play makes a huge difference.

When I first started playing, I just used whatever was cheapest at Target or in the pro shop at the time. Most of these are two piece balls and don't have much to them. Just a core and an outer shell. Technology in golf balls are ever evolving and as my game is improving, it's time for my equipment to improve as well.

Recently I have been using TaylorMade Burner LDP golf balls after reading some positive reviews on the Internet. It is the first three piece ball that I used and the difference was evident. The ball flew a little straighter and it was better around the green, but I still had trouble getting the ball to check like I wanted to. I had to make sure I picked the right club or else the ball would go sailing past my target after hitting the green once.

The Srixon Z-Star golf balls are also a three piece ball but I definitely liked the way the ball felt coming of the clubface with my irons, driver, and wedges. Here are some of the features of this ball as stated on the packaging...

1. Superb spin performance on approach shots with extremely soft feel.

*My iron shots felt crisp as the ball made contact with the club. It didn't have that "tinny" or hollow feeling that comes with a cheap ball. I hit a lot more greens in regulation than I normally do which set me up with chances to make birdies.

2. High resilience with low spin for greater distance.

*I hit the ball great with my driver. The ball flew straighter as well as further which resulted in nine out thirteen fairways in regulation. The fairways that I did miss were just off the short grass, so I was never really in a bad spot. Again the ball felt a lot softer coming off the clubface. I could definitely tell when I hit the sweet spot.

3. Superior soft feel for excellent performance on and around greens.

*Remember how I was complaining about not being able to spin it back with the TaylorMade ball. Well, there were a few shots that I hit with my wedges that I thought were going to hit once and skip over the green and into trouble. Instead, they skipped twice and checked up, and one occasion, the ball spun back about six feet. This is going to prove very useful.

I had a decent round shooting an 81. The round started out bogey followed by a double bogey, but I bounced back with a birdie on the third and then parred the next six holes to finish two over after the front nine.

The back nine is the tougher of the two and it showed as I carded one double, six bogeys, and only two pars. I was still pleased with my ball striking even though I didn't score as well on the back. I missed a lot of putts that would have made those bogeys, pars. I can only remember three terrible shots during the round which led to my two doubles. I was able to recover from the third bad shot and save what they call "a good bogey."

Only one ball was lost during the round so I have a few rounds left with the balls that I won. Today I'm playing at the Phoenician Golf Resort with Patrick Gibbons. I have played this excellent course once before about two years ago, and I remember it being one of the tougher tracks I have ever played. It will be interesting to see how my game holds up with my improving swing and Srixon Z-Star golf balls.

As always I will be back to tell you about how the round went. My attention before this round will be on putting. If I remember correctly, the greens at the Phoenician are well kept, fast, and undulating. The only thing that held me back from another sub 80 round at the Biltmore were a few missed putts that burned the edges.

If you have used the Srixon Z-Star ball before, I would be interested to hear your opinion. Any stories about other brands that you use are welcome as well. The important thing is that you find a ball that suits your game so that you can have fun and post the best scores possible. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

81

Posted: Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Arizona Biltmore Golf & Country Club (Links)

Tees: Champion, Slope: 125, Rating: 69.5

Links Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	5	3	4	3	4	4	3	5	35
	5	7	2	4	3	4	4	3	5	37
FIR
Putts	3	2	1	2	2	1	1	2	1	15
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	5	3	4	4	4	3	4	4	5	36
	6	3	5	5	5	4	5	6	5	44
FIR
Putts	2	2	3	2	1	2	2	2	2	18
GIR

Birdies:	1
Pars:	8
Bogeys:	7
Doubles:	2

Par 3 Avg:	3.0
Par 4 Avg:	4.8
Par 5 Avg:	5.8

FIR:	9 / 13
GIR:	8 / 18
Putts:	33
Putts per GIR:	2.1

Scrambling:	3 / 10
Bounce Backs:	3 / 9

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