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I'm really not sure

Entries in this blog

Why?!!!

This post is dedicated to those shots that you desperately want back. Last Sunday, I crushed a drive to just short of the green. This is usually where I have a problem, but I hit a great pitch that rolled past the pin and left me with a 5-6’ birdie putt. It was downhill and I knew as soon as I pulled the putter back that it was too much and rolled it 5’ past. I lipped out the par putt and left myself with a tap in bogey. Why?!!! I didn’t care so much about making the birdie, but to take 4 stroke
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

12

What I Miss - Rattling Sound

I was playing yesterday and putting into noodle filled cups, and it hit me out of the blue how much I miss the sound of a golf ball rattling to the bottom of the cup. It's such a distinct sound that marks the completion of "the hunt". It hit me when I "made" a 7' right breaking putt for par that tapped the flag stick and plopped lifeless onto the blue pool noodle. Normally I would give a little fist pump for saving a par like that, but it was almost depressing. I wonder if this is mentally killi
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

6

What I Love About Golf

Several recent threads on the forum got me thinking, what is it that I really love about golf. Why do I spend precious time and money on a sport that I am decent at, but certainly can't call myself good. My (unofficial) handicap is now at 10.7. It is only that low because of some very good rounds that I played late last year, so it is probably a bit lower than it realistically should be. I would love to get down a bit more into the single digit range, but I'm not sure if I can make that happen.
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

11

Uncle Don

I want to take a moment to talk about my uncle Don. He is the guy who gave me my first swing lesson at a very young age. We were having a family cookout, and I had grabbed one of my days irons and was swinging it in the yard. He came over and showed me some things. I don't think my mother was too happy with him when I started making divots in her well manicured turf. This led to taking a few of my dad's "smiled" golf balls to the park up the street and hitting them back and forth every day. I wo
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

3

The Essence of Improving

When I was teaching drum lessons, students would complain that they weren’t getting better. I would ask how much they practiced since the last lesson and then listen to the excuses. I would tell them that if they really want to get better, they need to spend 3-4 days a week practicing for at least 15 minutes. Just taking lessons from me was not going to make them improve. The purpose of the lesson is for me to teach them what they need to practice, but practice is where things happen. I would ex
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

3

Success

This showed up in my Facebook feed this afternoon, and like most things, it made me think of golf. In particular, it made me think of improving and swing changes.  I see it all too frequently. A new golfer hits a few good shots and thinks they have what it takes to play at a high level. I would be lying if said the same thoughts didn't go through my head almost 20 years ago when I started playing on a regular basis. I assumed that after a year or so of playing every weekend and hitting
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

4

Solid 3W Contact

I have struggled hitting my only FW metal from the deck for a while.The last few times I've played, I focused on contacting the ground at the point where the back of the meets the ground. It seems to have helped me make solid contact. I'm not sure why. Comments? Thoughts?
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

2
Golf

Since “It Happened”

It’s been over two years since “It Happened”, and I finally had surgery on my knee yesterday. They did a scope where they removed some arthritis and then performed microfracture surgery. They drill a bunch of holes through the cartridge into the bone to create a super clot causing it to heal. I can’t put any weight on it for 6-8 weeks which stinks, but I should be ready before the snow melts. He said I will eventually need knee replacement, but this will kick the cam down the road. Thankfully
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler in Golf

20
Vacation

My Happy Place

I am on vacation this week in Cocoa Beach, FL. We’re in an Airbnb right on the beach, the good kind that is. No sand wedge required. So far today, we’ve walked about 3 miles on the beach and picked up a bunch of trash.   Why would we walk the beaches picking up trash on our vacation? I can’t stand to see task on the beach. The beer cans can be deadly to sea life too. It also gives me much needed exercise. I am also not thinking about servers or code. 
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler in Vacation

9

My Day at Valhalla

Today was my day at Valhalla. It was pretty chilly. After spending 20 minutes or so on the range with my earmuffs on to stay warm, I realized that it was going to be a rough day. Before @iacas gives me too much grief, the starter said that I was the only smart one out there. Thankfully it started to warm up halfway through the front 9. I would love to post a link to my round on Game Golf, but my unit would not stay on. I made sure it was charged before I left, so I guess another unit is now
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

4

Mentally Yours

There is a lot of discussions on here about the impact of the mental game. Opinions range from it being the most important thing about golf to it having no importance whatsoever. Bobby Jones said, “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course... the space between your ears.” Ben Crenshaw said, “I'm about five inches from being an outstanding golfer. That's the distance my left ear is from my right.” The movie Tin Cup is primarily about a psychologist who helps a driving ran
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

6

Man Up!

A lot of people are questioning the rules of golf these days. Just like many are calling for a simpler tax code here in the US (myself included), people think the rules are too complex to understand. I’m guessing that it isn’t so much that they are too difficult to understand than it is hard follow when you have to penalize yourself. The world we live in seems to be migrating further towards a philosophy of “Do whatever you want”. People don’t think that laws apply to them. We are self-centered
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

11

Loooong Day & Florida Golf

Yesterday was an excruciatingly long day on the golf course. It took nearly an hour to play the first 3 holes. My tee time was 12:18 PM. I looked at the clock as I left the course and noticed it was 6:17. O...M...G! To make matters worse, 2 women cut in front of the 3-some of men ahead of us on #10. I had enough and walked to the clubhouse and asked the guy where the starter was. He pointed to himself. When I told about the butt-in, he replied that he couldn't do anything because he was the only
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

17

Long Time

It's been a long time since I blogged on here. Life sure has a sick sense of humor. In October 2017, I was laid off from my job in FL and I moved back to Ohio begrudgingly. I spent most of the last year working on my house so that it will sell. There is still quite a bit to do, but it is getting there. My wife was diagnosed with cancer, but thankfully it had not spread. Working and taking care of a loved one can certainly suck the life out of you. With that being said, I bought a membership
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

4

Killer Invites!

I got a call from my friend on Friday with some awesome news. We have invites to play Valhalla and Firestone CC in the next few months. That's the good news. The bad news is that my game is a total mess. I have only played a few times in the last 2 months and haven't been able to break 90. I plan to enjoy the course and the day no matter what, but I would hate totally stink up these nice courses. I tend to pick up my game when playing a nicer track, but I just don't have the goods right now. Now
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

8

It Was the Pants…

I figured out why I was driving the ball so wall last week. I know most of you will think I'm crazy, but it had to be the pants. Every time I wear that pair of pants on the golf course, I drive the ball great. Now I need to figure out which shirt helps my iron shots. Socks might be the key to short game and underwear the key to putting. I think I am on to something here...
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

9

Handicap Tracker

I've struggled with what to blog, especially in a golf context. I know more about IT, programming, and databases than I do about golf. It finally hit me. I started writing a handicap tracking system. Knowing that I was moving to Florida this year, I didn't renew my membership to the golf association / GHIN, so I lost my official handicap. In my new job, they use the MySQL database system extensively, so I needed to learn it. I am a seasoned veteran in MS SQL Server, so I decided to dive in. Is t
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

16

Gatlinburg Getaway

I played in a quota game with @mcanadiens and Kittyhawk Men's Association Thursday 7/4, and did not make my quota by a long shot. I did get my second birdie of the year though. I had WAY too many blow up holes. View this round on GAME GOLF My wife and I took a long weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. Here are a few highlight photos from the trip. I did not take my clubs, but I would love to take another trip down there with them and play some of their courses.
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

10

First Eagle - 10 Year Anniversary

This memory came up on FB. 10 years ago I had my first eagle. I remember it vividly. My drive was pulled left into the rough behind a fairway bunker on #16. I hit a decent shot out of the spinach that landed short of the green and rolled on. I saw the ball disappear and assumed it rolled of the back. I looked for it for a few minutes and was getting mad when a thought formed in my head. Maybe... just maybe. Sure enough, it was in the bottom of the hole.
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

6
Golf

Farewell to Golf?

Yesterday was beautiful early spring day in Ohio as is today. It is going to break 70 for the first time this year. Since we are now on DST, I would typically be thinking about going out to play 9 holes after work or cutting out a bit early to get some golf in. I would have normally been on the golf course yesterday for sure, but I am just not feeling it this year. I did a bit of yard work and took the patio furniture out of the shed. While doing that, I saw my golf clubs sitting there, and I ju
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler in Golf

38

Down For the Count

It looks like I am out of commission for a while. I was playing in a Quota game yesterday, and my left foot started hurting me. By the time we made the turn, it REALLY started hurting. When I finished the 14th it was almost unbearable. I couldn't get any weight onto my front foot making it difficult to make a golf swing. I apologized to my partners and gracefully bowed out. I assumed that the neuroma on my left foot was acting up, but fortunately, that is not the case. Fortunately, I have a giga
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

11

Dissecting a Round

I’ve been looking for a quick way to analyze a round of golf to make sure that I am working on the right things. I looked at the LSW worksheet, but it was a bit more involved than I care for. I just want a quick way to analyze a round to see where I am leaking strokes. Here is a summary of the round I played yesterday.    Split the fairway with the driver although not exceptionally long and played a PW to pin high. Missed the birdie putt from about 10’ and tapped in for par. 
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

22

Diamond Resorts International

This past weekend, I won tickets to the Diamond Resorts International charity golf tournament. It is a celebrity/pro competition here in Orlando to benefit Florida Children's Hospital. It's an interesting event with competitors from the LPGA and PGA (senior tours) along with celebrities. Some of the the celebs were really good, while others (Larry The Cable Guy) were not. My son and I followed Larry for a while on Saturday and he made pars and bogeys. The wheels apparently came off on the back (
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

3

Dear Santa

I have been a pretty good boy this year and practicing really hard, but of course you know that already. I’m still a bit creeped out that you see me while I’m sleeping and know when I’m awake though. I hope all the reindeer are doing well and the elves are working hard. It can’t be easy living in such a cold climate. Hopefully you at least have a golf simulator up there. Tell Mrs. Santa hello for me. I know it can be hard to find a good present for an adult, so I thought I would drop a few
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

5

City of Dayton Closes 2 of 3 Golf Facilities

This has been discussed extensively in the Ohio Golf group the last few days, but the city of Dayton, OH decided to close 2 of its 3 golf facilities in light of budget cuts needed from the coronavirus pandemic. Kittyhawk is where I’ve played the most because it is close to my house and Madden GC is also closing. The city has been subsidizing these courses out of the general fund and they require significant capital investment over the next 5 years. The city will keep Community GC open since it t
CarlSpackler

CarlSpackler

1


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    • StuM
      Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

      By StuM · Posted

      Met with the surgeon earlier today and he is happy and does not want to see me again unless I think something is wrong.  He said the pain is normal and will go away in time but cautioned it could be another 6 months or so.  He said he still sees inflammation and that may take another 6 months to go away as well.   He did give me some things to share with PT which should help. Now that I know to expect the inflation to last a while I need to figure out the golf shoes.  Maybe by a duplicate o
    • StuM
      Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

      By StuM · Posted

      Short update, still working on getting back into the full swing of golf (pun intended).  I'm now posting to My Swing page and 5-minute daily practice and will post more on the Stack Speed Training thread as that gets going so this thread my not include a lot of "Golf" but I am getting back into it. I have my 1st two golf trips in just over a month, First is Garland Resort then the TST Outing in Ohio and I really hoping my foot is up to a lot of golf.  I have 5 rounds in 7 days and I'm looki
    • StuM
      Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

      By StuM · Posted

      I feel I'm moving in the correct direction.  Did a range session a couple days ago and had no pain after that.  I started my Evolvr but will hold off on The Stack until I am more confident I can do "Maximum Effort" swings.  Right now I feel I am swinging somewhat normally but I'm just not confident enough to push it yet. On The Stack, I really wish I had held off ordering a little and gotten the newer blue-tooth enabled measuring device instead of the PRGR Monitor but oh well.  I'll live.
    • SEMI_Duffer
      Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

      By SEMI_Duffer · Posted

      I continued icing the knee upon which I had surgery for at least a week after I stopped feeling any pain. Maybe longer. Anytime I worked that knee as part of my recovery therapy it got iced afterwards.
    • StuM
      Stage 5 - Time to Get Golfing

      By StuM · Posted

      Not a bad idea.  Thx
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