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About this blog

The occasional random golf-related thoughts pop into my head. The blog efforts of several other TST members has inspired me to give it a try again. No one should anticipate a cohesive series of blog entries.  I go where the mental winds blow.  ;-)

The photo was taken at Carnoustie as I and my fellow golfers/caddies walk down the fairway. I am on the far left.

Entries in this blog

Golf Balls

The “2017 Snell PGA Championship Prediction Contest” got me thinking about golf balls.  When I first starting playing golf, I pretty much paid no attention to the brand or model.  A golf ball was a golf ball as long as it wasn’t damaged. The only brand/model that I can recall from my youth was the “Wilson K28.”  Someone (perhaps the club pro?) told us that the “Wilson K28” was a good golf ball so every Father’s Day for several years we bought my father a dozen.  He was never much of a golfe
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7

Rules

I enjoy Rules discussions.  One learns a few things and also experiences another’s perspective.  I started playing competitive golf late in life (35 or so) but I made it a point to learn the Rules well before I ever entered a tournament.  Frankly, I see no point in playing any game without a clear understanding of the Rules.  Collecting double the rent on an unimproved Monopoly or “castling” in chess are details and one can play either game without knowing the rule.  One is likely, however, to s
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1

TST Michigan

The first TST-Michigan outing is in the books.  We exceeded our target with a total of seven TST’ers meeting up in Okemos, MI.  A few observations: It was interesting meeting the people behind the user names and avatars.  My plan was to get to the course a bit early to put out a small “TST” sign to attract the members as we wandered in.  Before setting out the sign, I passed a gentleman a couple times and I strongly suspected he was part of our outing. Why?  No idea other than he seemed a
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Random “Hump Day” Thoughts & Observations

Birdies - For me, a golf round never seems very satisfying unless it includes a birdie.  My 8-10 handicap certainly attests to the fact that I am no birdie machine but somewhere around 2/3’s of my rounds have an under-par hole.  When I am headed to a mediocre score, a birdie at least gives me one hole where I can say I managed to get things right.  When I pitch a shutout, it hurts a little. Birds - Speaking of birds, parrots and parakeets often escape from their owners.  In Florida, they ac
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Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall – Creating a V-Log

For a number of years I have been consciously avoiding viewing my golf swing on video.  My swing is flawed but at 64+ years old, I am not sure I want to start a reclamation project.  Playing golf is a lot of fun and if my results are not particularly good, I am okay with that. The first time I saw my swing on video dates back to the 1980’s when my wife and I went to “golf camp.”  The pro had a series of stop action photos of professional golfers and he would stop my swing video at various
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I Wish That Poster Would ...

We often hear, “that is a 1st World problem,” when we complain about many of the trivial irritants we encounter during the day.  The following list clearly falls into that category.  In my defense, there is not a lot of golf being played here in the Frozen Mitten right now and that likely explains my irritable mood.  Also, I know at some point I have been guilty of a number of items on the list and likely a lot more!  Still, sometimes it feels good to just vent. ·         Very long posts. 
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Indoor Golf Course - Michigan Style

The other day I drove past a large inflatable dome on the side of the highway.  I thought to myself, “Gee, I didn’t realize that they had built a golf dome there.”  As I thought some more, it may actually have been an indoor soccer venue or tennis facility.  Golf domes seem to be going away as more driving ranges build shelters and install heaters.  Also, simulators are big business and take up a lot less room. All this got me thinking about the indoor golf course they built in Michigan bac
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Golf Bags

My first golf bag wasn’t even really my bag; the bag was shared with my sister and brother.  It was a jaunty red, black & white tartan patterned “Sunday” bag and held our 7 or 8 slightly undersized clubs along with a supply of golf balls and tees in a single zippered pocket.  The bag eventually was consigned to the basement when we graduated to a standard set of clubs.  I remember occasionally sighting it stowed away under the basement stairs.  I imagine it got tossed when my parents moved t
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Buddy Trips

I love golf buddy trips so the announcement of the 2017 Newport Cup has started my golfing juices flowing.  A well-organized golf buddy trip is a great experience.  Considering the people planning the event, I suspect that the 2017 Newport Cup will be singular experience.  I am doing my best to temper my excitement at possibly participating with the knowledge that there are many better players ahead of me in line. Still, it is a welcome distraction while the snow levels ebb & flow this winte
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End of the Season

My last round of the year was played Wednesday, 12/7/2016.  It wasn’t exactly perfect weather with a high of 37˚ (f) and a 14 mph breeze.  Still, it was sunny and I have played in much worse conditions.  I tend to tell myself that if we had this weather in January or February, we would all be out running around in shorts. It was definitely chilly at the outset but after walking the first three or four holes it was very comfortable.   Living in the north central part of the USA tends to infl
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My Day on the Red Tees – My Tee It Forward Experiment

One day last week it was relatively cold (50 degrees F), with overcast skies and a chilly 15 mph wind.  Add to that the fact that the course had been completely aerated and we had a soaking rain the day prior; it was going to be a long day.  It seemed like a good time to experiment with the “Tee It Forward” idea.  While I ordinarily play a set of tees measuring 6,560 yards (par 71, 71.6/120), today it was going to be 5,606 yards (67.1/111). A few years back another site had held a “Tee It F
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Seasonal Sandbagging

Our state association recently announced that the handicap reporting season has been extended to November 15.  This came after they opened the reporting season early with a March 15 opening rather than the traditional April 1st date. I am all for reporting as many scores as possible but extending the handicap reporting season, on both ends, seems like a bad idea.  Certainly most courses in Southeast Michigan become playable by mid-March and remain so until mid-November.  There is a big di
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9

The Eagle Has Landed

Early in 2016 I asked some of my online friends when was the last time they made eagle. I had discovered, to my chagrin, that while I thought it had been a year or two, it actually had been nearly 5 years.  Many of my online buddies confessed to similar droughts.  At the time I joked that we all had better start taking dead aim. Shortly thereafter, a golf buddy remarked that I was one of the better wedge players he knew.  He said I always seemed to be right in line with the target and usu
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Birthday Golf Tradition

For over 20 years one of my birthday traditions has been collecting a free round of golf at one of the local Huron-Clinton Metro Park golf courses.  My birthday falls in September so I get to enjoy a taste of Autumn with my round.  Those with birthdays that fall between November 1 and March 31 get to celebrate a ½ birthday 6 months after their real date.  There are four Metro Park courses within a ½ hour drive and I have joked about hoping that my birthday would be a rainy washout so I could dri
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2

ISSGA vs. MPSGA - Challenge Cup 2016

Well, the first Indiana State Senior Golf Association (ISSGA) versus the Michigan Publinx Senior Golf Association (MPSGA) golf tournament is in the books. Foursomes and Four-Ball matches were played the first day (9 holes each) with singles the second day (18 holes).  Sixteen four-ball matches, sixteen foursomes and 32 singles with a point for each match won, ½ for a tie.  The team with 32.5 or more points was the winner. For most of us, the Foursomes play was new.  Some had experience with
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Senior Ryder Cup - Indiana Style

This Monday I travel to the Ft. Wayne, IN, area for a Ryder Cup-style event between a group of senior golfers from Michigan versus a similar group in Indiana.  We are only going to play two days with the first day a team game, either foursomes or four-ball, or maybe a combination.  The second day is singles. I have never played a competitive foursomes or four-ball match.  I suspect most of the other players on the MI team have no experience, either.  I will need to brush up on the few Rul
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Random Friday Thoughts

Disappointment – For me the most disappointing result in golf is when I hit a green in regulation and then 3-putt.  Yes, a “5” on a par 4 is a bogey no matter how one achieved that result.  Still, having a GIR and then throwing it away with my putter stings a bit more.  I am going to make a fair amount of mistakes and poor shots during a round and they often lead to bogey (or worse!).  When I manage to put together a decent drive and a well struck approach shot, I really need to make par (or bet
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My Open Championship

I just competed in my 26th consecutive City Championship (one year the tournament was not held as the course was undergoing renovation).  It is a three-day stroke play tournament with the final day flighted (8 flights) based on the prior two days’ results.  At no time during those 26 tournaments did I ever have a chance to win the championship; I continue to play as a challenge to myself.  We get all kinds of players looking to see how they will do under three days of tournament pressure. 
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Golfer Memory

There is a thread in the “Forums” where the total number of courses played has been discussed.  I have undoubtedly played more courses than the average golfer but certainly not as many as some of the more prolific players have stated.  One point that interested me was a comment someone made about not remembering every course without the aid of an actual written list.  I suspect that many of us could list every course we have played from memory and give some story or incident that occurred.  We m
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7

Great Starts and Great Finishes

A recent round reminded me that the game of golf consists of 18 holes.  A great start rarely ensures a satisfactory final result.  I started out with 2 birdies and managed to make the turn at +1, only to fall on my face on the back nine.   Some years ago I started a round with an unusual string of “3, 3, 3” on a course that began par-5, par-4 and then par-3.  I don’t think I broke 40 on the front side or 80 for the round. Of course, I don’t toss away all rounds when I make a fast s
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5

Solo

There are not a lot of games one can play solo.  Solitaire in cards, I suppose.  Video/online games where one doesn’t need a human or computer-based opponent.  One can run or ride a bicycle to beat one’s best time but I wouldn’t think most of us would consider those types of activities as a game.  Most games need an opponent in order to create a contest.  So golf and bowling are somewhat unique in that one’s opponent is not a person but a standard, par in the case of golf and “300” for bow
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2

The Irritable Golfer

Well, the snow is gone and I have had a chance to wander out to the course a few times. While a casual round is a time to relax for most of us, often all I do is work on my ulcers thinking about the myriad ways course owners and green keepers do a number on me.  To be sure, not every course is guilty of these transgressions but they are common enough that most of us are familiar with a few of these issues. Tee Markers – One is allowed to tee the ball in a rectangular area defined by the mar
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Senior Golf - Slow, Rude, Clueless & Angry

It can be Hell getting old, but becoming a senior golfer has its benefits.  Senior rates save one a bundle in greens fees.  People expect us to tee off from the forward tees.  In fact, it can be fairly easy to impress others who assume anyone over the age of 60 should be in a rest home.  I became a minor celebrity one day down in Florida.  As I was making the turn the starter asked if I was checking in.  I told him I was making the turn.  He nodded and said, “Oh, you are the guy who walks and ca
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“Single Digit”

It seems like most serious golfers, at one time or another, want to be “single digit” players.  Of course, once one has achieved that status it becomes a fight to be a low “single digit”, then scratch, then plus... One problem with this progression is we can’t even truly agree as to what “single digit” means.  I read a post where a player was quite elated to have reached an index of 9.9 and now felt he was a “single digit” golfer.  Another poster quickly added that 9.4 needed to be achieved
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I Hate Scrambles

I hate 4-person golf scrambles. Yes, charities raise a fair amount of money holding these events.  I also appreciate that many non-golfers and bad golfers like the 4-person scramble because there is no pressure to perform.  That’s fine, just don’t call me to round out the team. I did not always hate 4-person scrambles.  For a while, long ago, I actually liked joining my buddies in these events.  Swing out of my shoes, drink some beer and chill out for 5+ hours.  What was not to like? 
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