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As I approached the age of 70, my thoughts turned toward shooting my age. It sort of becomes a race against time and the erosion of one’s golf skills. At age 70, I managed a 1-under par 71. Close but no cigar. Early this year I was standing on the 17th tee when it dawned on me that I was 1-under on a par 72 layout. “Hey, I can shoot my age!!!” Two bogies later I had a 73 and another failed attempt at shooting my age. Today did not seem like the moment I might achieve one of my goals. I had not been playing particularly well of late. Our weather has been great for growing grass, wet and cool. Which also means soft fairways that play longer and healthy rough. I signed up online yesterday evening with an unknown single for the 2nd tee time of the day. I arrived at the course early and putted & chipped while I waited for the other single to arrive. Fortunately, the other half of my twosome was walking also. The twosome in front of us were in a cart and played quickly. Juan was a decent player, and we had a great time talking about golf during our 2 hours and 45 minutes together. Great pace of play? Check! Perfect golf partner? Check! Wonderful weather? Check! Things started going my way immediately. I birdied the 1st hole and eventually made the turn at +1. I butchered #10 with a double bogey but then reeled off 3 straight birdies. On the 403-yard closing hole I got up and down for par and knew I had shot a pretty darn good score for me. It was only after we started to walk to the parking lot that it popped into my head that I might have been close to shooting my age. A quick look at the score card confirmed what I had just thought, 36-35-71 (Par 71 / 6,039 yards / 69.2/115). Woo hoo! Shoot my age? Check! Has achieving this goal transformed me into a great golfer? Nope. I will likely go out tomorrow and shoot my IQ (88). But I can say I have shot my age and no longer need to worry about always coming up a shot or two short of the goal.

My wife and I and two friends attended the Thursday round of the US Senior Open at the Newport CC. It’s a beautiful course that’s on the southern tip of Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island. It borders the ocean and is kind of set up like a links style course with mostly fescue and wind as a defense. It’s sits amongst large estates of real old money. I’m surprised they let riff-raff like me near it! We saw a lot of players we knew and even more we didn’t. Here’s the clubhouse The 9th green 18th It’s a wide open course so we could see a long way. I did take some video on the 1st, 4th and 10th Jim Furyk Lee Janzen Justin Leonard Steve Stricker walking from the 4th to the 5th. A lady behind me called out to him. 10th tee had a few players we didn’t know but they did had friends and family walking with them. 4th Tee with Bernard Langer We had a lot of fun and did a lot of walking. The stands and clubs were smaller than the US Open we went to in Brookline at The Country Club. That’s to be expected as the crowds were about 1/4 the size. Wind is definitely a factor on this course this time of year. Summer winds can come off the water from the south to southwest and really kick up to 20+ in the afternoon. If fronts come through it can shift from the north down Narragansett Bay. I’m pleased we got to go and see it. Local Rhode Islander Brett Quigley on the 1st

So last weekend was our annual two man best ball (two round net total for flight honors + a cross flight shootout tournament - Schaubach Cup) tournament. It was a tale of two rounds. On day 1 my partner and bestie Pete (15.5 hcp) totally ham and egged to shoot a tourney best 58 - four shots clear of our next flight competitor team. He shot a career best 79 coming out with 5 straight pars while I fought my driver. I finally found my swing on the 6th hole and birdied three holes on the back side all of which I was stroking to pick up three net eagles. We basically played our our minds. It's amazing when driver/wedge/putter all workout. On the same day. Day 2, as often happens ended up being a different story. We couldn't get much done with greens drying out to lightning fast (12 stimp) and shot a net 70 to finish 4 shots outside of making it to the playoffs. Good news was our flight leader won winning everyone in our flight $300 each. In summary, except for the first four of the five holes, I have never driven the ball better and ecstatic that my putter made me a few bombs. Wedge was as good as I can control one in the pesky 55 to 85 yard range. Of course, all of this was day 1. Day 2 wasn't terrible but made no birds and had three three-putts...and my partner played like he had blown his load on Day 1. Heh. Another team shot 59 to beat us by a cumulative 4 shots. Came in 2nd. All in all was a great weekend.

Rahm is out. He apparently injured his left foot after taking it out of his mouth explaining why he went to LIV. Jon Rahm withdraws from U.S. Open due to injury - PGA TOUR Jon Rahm, the former world No. 1 who captured the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to injury.

I'm returning to my journey, I'm halfway through the USGA/PGA Rules workshop. Two days down, one more day of instruction, and then the 100-question exam. Last year was fun for me, even with my back issues I spent 30 days on the golf course as a Rules Official. The events included high school and college tournaments, local club pro events, and a lot of junior competitions. This weekend is brushing up on my knowledge, getting a few answers to little questions I have, and trying to improve again on my test results. For this coming season I'm continuing with the organizations from previous years (Virginia State Golf Association and Middle Atlantic PGA), and maybe adding a few dates with the Peggy Kirk Bell junior tours. Its been interesting and fun so far, but being a good referee is far different from simply knowing the Rules.

Welp, the lid finally came off. First HIO..😊

Just read that Peter Oosterhuis passed away. He was the one and only celebrity I have asked for an autograph! In September 2007, I was in the Charlotte Airport awaiting a flight reading my October 2007 Golf Magazine. It was during the FedEx playoffs and Tiger had just won the previous tournament with the Tour Championship the next event. I watched the event listening to the dulcet tones of Peter Oosterhuis, among others. I opened the magazine, and started reading an article about Oosterhuis and the opening picture had him posing as James Bond in a movie’s opening sequence. I looked up from the article and he was sitting directly across from me! I approached and showed him the article and asked if he would sign the photo. Mr. Oosterhuis asked “Are you keen on golf?” When I responded positively, we spoke for about 10 minutes discussing the fact that both Phil and Tiger had won FedEx events prior to the Tour Championship. He was very gracious and a wonderful storyteller. I was saddened by his battles with dementia and missed him on CBS’s telecasts.

This topic aged like a carton of milk left in room temperature.

With a lot of help from @iacas, I was able to take a great trip down to Pinehurst this past week. Took advantage of having a day off because of Veteran's Day and spent 4 days in the Pinehurst area. @iacas, @Hardspoon, @GolfLug, and @NCGolfer joined me for at least 1 round on the trip. I got in 2 courses in Pinehurst proper - Southern Pines and Pine Needles - and then the Duke golf course in Durham and Tobacco Road. All of the courses were new to me, and I really liked all of them. I am going to add more to this later when I have some time, but I wanted to post a quick recap/thoughts for each course. Duke Golf Club I really enjoyed this course. It's a big ballpark that goes up and down a couple of hills. The front 9 starts off going straight downhill, with 1 and 2 being similar dogleg left, downhill par 4s. You make your way to the bottom of the hill with a par 3 that plays over a lake, and then you creep up slowly. The best hole on the front is the 7, the first par 5. It's a dogleg right goes downhill to a small green protected by a creek and bunkers. If you can get your ball to the fairway, you should have a chance at going for the green in 2. That shot was probably the most memorable one I had on this course. You then crest the hill again with the tee shot on 9, which is a par 5 that goes down the hill and then the green is back on top of the hill by the clubhouse. The back only goes up and down the hill once, so it's slightly more tame than the front. I really liked 11, which is another par 5. The tee shot plays down the hill, and if you hit a good one, you could have a mid iron into your hand with your second shot. The green is huge, but protected by a creek that runs in front of it. The closing stretch of holes are pretty good. 16 is a short par 4 playing straight up hill. Distance control with a wedge is really important. 17 is slightly uphill, but the trick is navigating the uneven lies in the fairway. 18 is fairly straightforward but a stout par 4 to end the round. The only negative is that there were a lot of holes with forced carries to the green. 4, 7, 11, 12, and 13 all had ponds or creeks fronting the green. Most of those required hefty carries. Bottom line, I liked the course and the setting. I would be happy to play here regularly. Pine Needles I loved this course. The setting reminded me a lot of #2, and it feels like a mini #2 with a lot of small, turtleback-type greens. The opening 5 holes were outstanding. 1 was a really cool par 5 that was no gimme. The green was pretty wild. 2 was a long, downhill par 4. 3 was one of my favorite par 3s that we played - over a lake with bunkers framing the green. 4 was a short uphill par 4 that I really liked. 5 was an excellent but tough par 3, sitting on a shelf well above the tee. It's a great opening stretch. And again, the feel and look of the place is unique to the Pinehurst area. It feels like something you wouldn't find anywhere else. Other highlights - the green site on 9 was really cool. There is a big run off area to the right of the green that you want to avoid. It reminded me a bit of the second hole at Sand Valley - you don't want to be right of that green either. 12 was a great hole. You can't see the green from the tee, as the tee shot plays over a hill. When you see the green, it looks tiny, with a huge runoff and bunkers to the left of the green. The fairway is pretty wide, so the trick is accuracy with your approach shot. 18 was an extremely cool finishing hole. You can't really see the fairway off the tee, but it turns out to be fairly generous when you get there. And then the green site is fantastic - sitting at the bottom of the hill, but still requiring precision to be on it. I really want to get back and play this course again. There are a few shots that I want to try again (the drive on 10, the approach on 12, the drive on 18). And I just really loved the look and feel of the place. A great course and a fun day of golf. Southern Pines I thought this was the best course of the 4 I played. It's wider than Pine Needles, and the greens are bigger. But the greens are much more undulating. The land here is truly excellent. There is a ton of land movement, and seemingly every hole has elevation changes you have to navigate. I really like both par 5s on the front. If you hit good drives on both, you will get a big kick down the fairway. If you don't, you're going to be faced with a long 2nd shot just to have a wedge in. 2 plays down the hill with the tee shot and then back up the hill with the approach. You have to be careful about club selection and distance control there. 7 was a good, fairly long par 3 with a green perched on a ledge. 11 was a driveable par 4 with a wild green. 15 was really cool as well - the tee shot is downhill, but then the green is back uphill. This is a course I would love to play everyday. It's a thinking man's course, because you have to be really careful with all the elevations changes there. You constantly have to play and commit to a club longer or shorter than the distance. And I don't really think there are any bad holes. Only negative is that a few holes are a bit repetitive - 4, 16, and 18 are all shorter par 4s where you're hitting an uphill approach wedge or short iron. This is a very minor nit, though. One of the best courses I've played. I'd have to think about where exactly to rank it, but easily within the top 10. Possibly cracking the top 5. I will play this again next time I'm in Pinehurst. Tobacco Road I had a blast at this course. It is unique and pretty wild. You start out with these massive dune-like hills pinching in on your tee shot on 1. And then the entire round feels like you're going around these massive dunes. There are a lot of interesting shots here. You have long carries over bunkers, blind tee shots, shots into tiny greens, shots into huge greens, carries over deep bunkers, downhill shots, uphill shots, you name it. The setting is incredible. It is a huge course, and the fairways and greens tend to be very generous. I want to write more about individual holes later. But I really liked 7, 9, 10, and 16. I want to play a couple of the par 3s again with different hole locations and/or different tee boxes. 6 and 17, in particular, could play like wildly different holes with a different hole location (for 17) or coming from a different tee box (for 6). While I had a lot of fun seeing this course, I do feel like a smart golfer could get bored here. To me, it was fairly obvious that Strantz was trying to bait you into trying a bunch of hard shots. On 11, for example, if you hit a good drive to the right side of the fairway, you could have a shot at the green in 2. But the green is over a massive bunker that has to be 40 feet below the green. And the green is narrow, essentially facing perpendicular to you. The only chance you really have is to hit a perfect shot. The alternative is an easy lay up to a wide fairway, leaving you with a wedge at the perfect angle. Maybe I try going for it with a 7 iron or something shorter, but that's about it. I felt similar on 5 - the direct line to the green is not that far and the green is driveable, But if you miss, you're going to have a 40ish yard bunker shot or a lost ball. Meanwhile, if you play to the right, you have a massive fairway and you'll likely be left with a wedge in your hand. I think it would be fun to play with 2 balls on some of these holes and try the shots. If you are a LSW disciple, though, you are not going to try the crazy risky shots Strantz is trying to bait you into. In the end, I really enjoyed this course. But I think it's below PN or SP. It's still awesome, and it was fun to see and play. I would come back here, but it's a lower priority than other Pinehurst courses. Well, that ended up being longer than I was anticipating. I may add some more thoughts about specific holes later, but this is a good starting point. I do want to think more about course ratings out of 10 for these, too. More to come...

This will be my last post in this thread for a while, I hope. I've played 4 rounds of golf since the steroid shot, still no nerve pain (plenty of muscle soreness), Swing speed and distance are less than "normal", but keep improving, scores are about "average" considering my handicap, its good to be playing again.

A little update on my status. I haven’t been able to do a full swing since the Erie trip in end of May early June. The diagnosis is left SI Joint dysfunction which makes it difficult because my swing ends up on the left side. I’ve dealt with the right side since injuring it in High School even before they knew what to do about. Thing is, when the right side was bad, I could still play golf. I most likely hurt it while compensating for the left hip pull I had right before Erie. I’m still in PT at the moment and working hard to get back. I’ll give PT a couple more weeks before deciding to get a shot (which may or may not work). On a bright note, I played a scramble with my wife and two lady friends on Monday. I was able to chip, pitch and do partial swings. I was surprised how far I could partial swing a driver or 3W. I duffed a few shots anticipating pain and kept the follow through down. My short game was very good and my putting excellent. I did win closest to the pin on a 135 yard Par 3! I did a partial 7 iron shot to 8 feet. Won $75 gift certificate to the gift shop and bought a nice fall top. My aim is to be able to play pain free before the season is over.

So I finally made my return, 9 holes today with no pain, just fatigue. If I'm lucky, I'll continue to heal and not have a problem again. If I'm unlucky, the problems will return, and keep returning, and I'll have surgery. So I keep doing my core exercises and hope for the best. Thanks for the support over the summer, my friends!

Back with another report, about 10 or 11 days after the injection. So far its working great, none of the burning shooting pains down my legs for maybe a week now, maybe a little longer. That's the good news, the bad news is that the numbness and muscle weakness caused by the nerve impingement are improving only slowly. Not unexpected, and there's no assurance that they'll completely return to normal, but still the improvement continues. As I mentioned, I was in Williamsburg for a 2-day junior event, spent a LOT more time standing and walking than I've done for a while, with no pain. It gives me hope that maybe I can return to golf semi-soon.

First tournament win. It still sounds good. I realize that I've written about this tournament in various posts and topics but I kind of want to put it all together in one place. I have won the net division of the 2024 William Anderson Match Play Championship at Neshanic Valley Golf Course. That's probably the last time I'll type that sentence. It consisted of a single round stroke play qualifier in which the top eight players advance to match play. Four rounds spread between two weekends. There were 22 competitors in the net division this year. Not My First Rodeo My first tournament round ever was in this tournament last year, but last year the odds were stacked against me. I had only played three rounds of golf outside of a trip to Hilton Head the whole year and my handicap was significantly beyond my reach due to a few really good rounds I played in the summer of 2022. If I remember correctly, my index at the time was around 12 and the best differential I had shot so far in 2023 was a 16. It was the best round I had since sometime in September 2022. I knew I wasn't going to make the cut. I signed up just for the experience and I went into it with zero expectations. I shot a 98 in the stroke play qualifier for some double digit net score over par. Needless to say, I did not make the cut. But I did gain the experience of playing in competition. I learned the format of the tournament, how to keep track of other people's scores as well as my own, and I thankfully was of sound enough mind and didn't rake any putts away. It was enough, I think, to say that I had done it and would know what to expect next time. Unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, next time didn't happen in 2023. Every club championship in the county happened on a weekend where I was unavailable for one or both of the rounds. So next time had to be 2024 and this year I could not have been more ready. I've been playing a money game with a couple of guys regularly for months and we played all through winter. I had already played almost 20 rounds of golf this year by the time of the qualifier round. I played enough golf to knock off all of my low summer scores. I was accustomed to the pressure of competition and how every stroke matters outside of my own personal satisfaction, which I've discovered is not much of a personal motivator for improvement. Left to my own devices, I could take it or leave it. I find ways to enjoy a round while playing poorly and I often joke about enjoying the weather when I'm playing poorly. I've stated many times in the past that I don't enjoy the game any more now than I did when I first got hooked and struggled to break 100. I like hitting the ball better as much as everyone else, but knowing what I'm capable of, both good and bad, I've simply accepted my game as it was. That mentality keeps me grounded and keeps my expectations realistic, but more importantly it doesn't drive me to score better. Personal improvement is nice, but it turns out not being the guy that's handing out money at the end of the round - that's a motivator for me. Tournament Prep and Qualifier I played a round at the course on the weekend before the tournament. It was in part to familiarize myself with the course. Neshanic Valley is a great golf course, but not one I play that often because it's the farthest one from my house out of the county courses. It's also the most expensive with a riding cart included in the greens fee and no discount if you walk. I don't know it like I know the other three I regularly play. I don't know where my regular misses end up, or what the optimal strategy (which I typically learn through trial and error) was. I wanted to make sure I knew, or at least as much as possible, and also to get a feel for the greens. I shot 91 (net 74) that day on what felt like a fairly mediocre round and I knew I had a chance to make it, so I started taking it more seriously. I even made some posts about it in the week leading up to the tournament and even though I only discussed a few holes, I took the strategy I devised and applied it everywhere. I needed to play within myself - embrace my strengths and try to reduce the impact of my limitations. A range bucket was included with each tournament round. I used it to warm up and get feels for the day. That usually doesn't take long for me so I used half the bucket practicing my short game. Then I went to the putting green and hit long putts to get a feel for the speed, followed by short putts as I typically do. I actually arrived too early for my tee time and found myself having exhausted my routine with more than 30 minutes to spare. I ended up shooting 91 again, which was good enough for the 6th seed. I was almost undone by a combination of poor greenside bunker play (one of my many limitations) and a massive brainfart on the #8 that led to a 9 on the card. I don't even remember how it happened, whether from a bad lie or simply a bad swing, but I had managed to put my second shot under a tree. It was a short tree with a wide canopy, one that I could not stand up straight under. The ball was buried deep in native grass and vegetation of some kind. And in that moment, I had completely forgotten about the many relief options available to me by declaring the ball unplayable. Instead, I thought I could simply get enough clubhead on the ball to bunt it onto the cartpath, which would cause it to roll down the slope and into the fairway. Instead, I bunted it several feet in front of me, still under the canopy of the tree. And then I bunted it several more feet which did clear the canopy of the tree, only to hit one of those hosel-grabbing pulls one typically gets out of tall grass. I almost put it on the next tee box. I got down in four from there. I thought for sure that my tournament was over at that point, but I soldiered on. I smoked my drive on #9, only to find my ball on the right third of the fairway, in the middle of a divot (or is it a divot hole?). I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it, but that was generally my demeanor the entire day. I laughed off hitting dumb shots or bad luck instead of getting upset about it, and I think that was a tremendous asset. I was unflappable. I topped a 9 iron so badly on #12 it didn't make it past the forward tees. I laughed quite a bit at that one. I hit the next one inside of 8'. On the par 5 #13, I was in the right greenside bunker in two. I skulled it into the penalty area and made 7. I followed that hole up with three straight pars. No matter what happened I kept focus on the moment and what I needed to execute the shot at hand instead of what I screwed up to get me in that predicament in the first place. And in the end, it was good enough. Thoughts In retrospect I wasn't really hitting my approach shots that well. There were a lot of mishits short and when I did hit the ball solidly, I missed long. I did hit the ball well off the tee and I really leveraged my length. I credit my game plan for that. My short game was poor but I actually putt to my handicap which is actually a good day on the greens for me. The round felt much the same as my practice round - mediocre. I kept focus and I grinded. It was good enough.

A chainsaw 😛

I've started a podcast with Jayson Nickol and Tyson Deskins. The website is here: The Spin Axis Podcast - Golf Coaches Discuss Instruction Modern Techniques and Technology | Hosted by Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, and Tyson Deskins Episode 1 is here: 001: How Long Should a Golf Lesson Be? | The Spin Axis Podcast - Golf Coaches Discuss Instruction Modern Techniques and Technology We're going to keep all the episodes to less than 20 minutes, ideally around 18, so you can listen to them on the way to the course (or to work, if you must…). Please do a few things: Subscribe. There are links at the top of every page and on each episode page to various podcast apps/platforms. Listen! The podcasting world actually tracks listens now, so listen to the podcast. Provide feedback. I'd love to know what you like and, the way I'm wired, I'd love even more to know what you don't like. Share it here, as a whole or per episode… all feedback will help us shape future episodes to make them better.

I take my hat off to Rory, WOWOW! That must have been WAY harder than winning it 8-10 years back. To struggle for a decade, and to finally achieve it, one of the great golf stories of the past 20-30 yrs. Boy and he tried to give it away! As for my prediction, obviously off off off. I truly think all the things l listed are real, but to a far less extent I was thinking. Maybe those were more true back in the 2016-2022 period. The pressure was huge, especially-obviously on the back 9. That blocked chip into the creek, that had to be all pressure. And I think the missed putt on 18 in regulation - that was crazy. It seemed like he didn’t take any time at all, that had to be insane pressure. But raising my hand, that pressure and those missed shots were nothing related to any of the factors I listed out! Just pure pressure, built up over 10 years, man o man. And watching the emotion, man that is touching, good for him, his family, for golf. And finally, to the guys I rubbed the wrong way, my bad, really not my style. You guys have been here for years, I’ve been here for 2 days. You’ve built a great site and a great community. Humble apologies, and if you don’t ban me I hope to come back and join up for some lively discussion. Peace!

Got my first hole in one yesterday, playing with son at Yocha Dehe (Cache Creek) in CA. 90% 9 iron, 140 yards, hole 16.

Well now the ordeal is over, and I'm back home. If anyone is interested in doing one of these workshops, I recommend it, but its a lot of information in a short time frame. Its been compared to taking a drink of water from a fire hose. A lot of the "enjoyment" comes from the personalities of the instructors. In my previous workshops, I've had one instructor who was good, and the other was exceptional. This time, both instructors were exceptional, as was the "coordinator", who also served as instructor (his first time) for a couple of segments. You have almost certainly heard each of the instructors on telecasts as the "rules voice", and have quite possibly seen coordinator-Jay on the USGA rules of Golf videos on Youtube and the USGA website. A nice surprise, I got my exam results in an email earlier today. I guess it helps that our class was held maybe 300 yards from the USGA satellite office in Pinehurst. I'm really pleased, I improved on my past performances, and can claim the "Expert" title again.

Golfers/students watching me doing my technique practice at my indoor academy will often notice: I hit about one ball every 45-60 seconds. I rarely hit more than three balls without taking a small break (enough to walk out and collect them), glance at a text, and get back to it. I often practice with a 6I only (though I'll occasionally hit an 8, or a 4). I hit my 6I between 100 and 150 yards. Sometimes out to 160. I don't really care about contact. I've had practice sessions where half of my shots are shanks. It's fine. I monitor one or two launch monitor data points at a time. Right now, it's just path, even though I'm not really working on path (I just don't want it to get too out of whack). I never have a "breakthrough." * I work on the same thing for weeks or, more frequently, months. I have several things (besides the LM) that provide feedback. A PVC pipe at my feet. Mirrors. A HackMotion. Whatever. I am constantly monitoring the little things. Is my right foot square or turned out 5°? How's my grip? Distance from the ball? Etc. I record myself on video. To elaborate on each: Learning happens in the breaks between. When you can absorb. Process. Because why not? It keeps things simpler, and if I'm not bored by doing it, because of #6 and #7… so what? Plus, it's all stickered up for the QuadMAX. I know how far I hit my 6I (about 183). I don't need to constantly prove it, and practicing at full speed is not conducive to making changes. I'm not working on contact. If you interrupt me in the middle of a practice session and say "hit one good," I'll do that. I tend to hit it out of the toe side, so when I'm exaggerating something, I often move it a bit too far into the heel. I'm not making "golf swings" per se, I'm making a series of movements for the purpose of "playing around with" the piece I'm working on. More on this below. * More on this below. * If you're not practicing with feedback, you're just exercising. And probably not really doing that well, either. 😄 Great players do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. And consistently. I'm not great (PGA Tour), but I can do the ordinary things well. Feel ain't real. And sometimes, a mirror isn't quite enough, since you have to be looking at it while you "feel" and see what it produces. * I have this sign (and a few others) in my academy: I don't have breakthroughs. Improving at golf is, at this point, about putting in the work. About taking care of the details and doing what I need to do. I have a loosely defined plan (I may spend more or slightly less time than planned — I don't want to hard-code timelines in, though I'm also in no rush). Why am I posting this? Because I see posts by others where they "have a breakthrough" or they "think they've got it" or they "struck the ball phenomenally well" that session. Who cares? The point of technique practice is to change the technique. To improve it. It's not to flush it. That'll come… if you're working on the right things in the right way. Go slow. Play around in the "space" of your improvement. Give it time. Be patient and disciplined. Don't worry about results. Trust. Good practice is often boring practice. It's not exciting. It's about putting in the reps. P.S. This is complementary.

Filmed nine holes of hickory golf for fun. This is a pretty challenging course to do it on, but I enjoyed it. My first and probably only round of hickory golf this year. I need to play it more often because I like how it affects my tempo. I put a brand new 1 iron and putter in the bag that I have not used before. Here are the clubs and lofts I used: Louisville replica Brassie: 14* Louisville replica 1 Iron: 20* T.Stewart original Mid-Iron: 25* T.Stewart original Mashie: 36* T.Stewart original Mashie-Niblick: 45* T.Stewart original Niblick: 53* Louisville replica Spalding HB putter

Some photos from Sedge Valley this past week. I really enjoyed this Tom Doak par 68 design. It is probably my second favorite course on the property to this point. It looks fairly wide open with a number of drivable par 4s, but you really have to place your shots on it. A mixture of convex and concave at points as well. I wasn't able to play The Lido as I did not stay on the property. I hope to do that in 2025. I am pretty happy overall with the current state of my game. I've really only been working on a couple of things in the swing overall this season. Delaying any hinge or feeling very little in the BS and loading into my right foot to feel getting off my right side better. This has really helped with my left miss although it is still there at time when I get tense or tired during a round. With the longer clubs I have been working on being a bit more around and less steep as well. Despite the numbers below, my putting has been improving and these days my left miss is still usually in play. Happy overall with the proximity numbers as well.

I guess I'm back to playing, I made 3 birdies today (from the "senior tees", one of which was new to the list here. 9 down, 9 to go!

Well, hot streak officially over. I followed the 74/69 with a pedestrian 81/76 and then another sterling 74/68 for my third win of the year. The house of cards I so carefully constructed fell in Tuesday with an 87/81. I would like to blame my lack of playing/practicing and/or playing with our 42.7 index member, but I hit all the bad shots. No excuses for me. At my level, good and bad are expected. Time to regroup, practice and play more, then bring back the good.

Our club runs 10-12 net tournaments through the summer. Up to this point, my results have been mediocre, other than our match play tournament. Today was different. Won the 1st Flight with a gross 74/ net 69. My driving was particularly good as was my putting. Irons and wedges were not brilliant but if I could get it on the green, my putter did the job. I am going to ride this hot streak as long as I can.

I know, I know that you will change the title but it’s time for the Worlds best golfers to suffer the shitty weather of a Scottish summer (sic). Troon is a much better course than Hoylake, and the Scottish fans are not as rabid as the Liverpool lot were last year. I was at Troon for a practice day today and the course looked very neat indeed. The rough is pretty lush but the fairways and greens are green and soft so less danger of fiery bounces. It was cool today and blowing a steady 2-3 club breeze. The weather forecast is for a bit less over the rest of the week. I’m going back on the Sunday with the wife and some friends for our annual Open followed by steak, beer and karaoke trip

What if we changed it to A Fancy Round of Golf in the Land of Haggis!

Presented without comment:

Spent Monday-Wednesday playing in our club’s Match Play competition. There were only 44 participants. We wanted everyone to be able to play the 3 days so we had five flighted 8-man brackets and a 4-man mini bracket where each player played the other three bracket members with the winner having a 3-0 record or several withI 2-1 records (not clear how ties were broken). Non-winners on Day 1 went into a 4-man consolation bracket. Non-winners on Day 2 played a 1 round net stroke play mini tournament (20 players). I was one of the fortunate players to survive the heat and three matches to win his bracket (2 & 1, 3 & 2, and 1 Up). Last time I played in a formal match play event was the 2017 Newport Cup where I got my butt kicked by @phillyk. Of course, despite the whomping I took, the right team came out on top. 😉

Still not happy with Bryson's lies. For example, just yesterday: The hat was because of Payne. Years ago he was on record as saying it's because of Ben Hogan. The wall at SMU for Payne Stewart that he says made him decide to go there… didn't exist until after he'd begun taking classes at SMU. Both lies feel awfully "convenient" because he won at Pinehurst.

The courses played +3.2 relative to par on the first day. That is why Rory's and Cantlay's strokes gained were +8.2 better than average. They played stupidly good on a very tough test. It happens. Some people can have one day of good golf. There are 4 rounds. just for some perspective and to put some FACTS behind what you said. The Memorial played +1.5 relative to par. So the first round of The US Open played 2x as hard as the Memorial did. The Masters played +1.91 relative to par. The RBC played +0.29 relative to par. The Charles Swab played +0.82 relative to par. If that continues it would be the toughest test of golf by like 1.3 strokes. Nearly 68% tougher.

I know, right?😜

I don't remember a ton of putts, but I've thought about this a bit and came up with 2 good ones. #5 at Mid-South: 2017 Newport Cup I remember the putt pretty well, but the surrounding details are a little hazy. I believe this was in my singles match against @cipher, and it was a hole he was stroking on. I had hit a mediocre approach to the front of the green and had what must have been a 50 foot putt to a back pin. If I remember correctly, @cipher was pretty close for an easy par at worst. I had @mvmac help me out with a read, which ended up being a great read by him. Hit the putt and jarred it for birdie. It was perfect speed, too, would have been an easy 2 putt if it hadn't gone in. I think we ended up tying for the hole. But I rarely make putts that long, and doing it to steal half a hole was really nice. #3 Fox Hollow (Links): 2023 Match Play This was on the third extra hole of a scratch match against a legitimate 0 handicapper. We had tied after 18 holes and traded pars on the first two extra holes. On the third extra hole, he had about 30 feet for birdie; I had about 25. We were on pretty much the exact same line. He missed his putt just on the low side, and I conceded the par. I felt good over this putt - I knew the break well and just needed good speed. I hit a great (not perfect) putt, and BAM, back of the cup for the victory on the 21st hole. I will say that the speed wasn't great, as it would have been a few feet past if it didn't hit the cup. But I wanted to give the ball a chance and take a bit of break out of it. I went on to win the match play tournament, which is my only tournament victory in a scratch event.

Thank you for sharing that. He was quite good wasn't he? I was curious, so took a look. He played 19 PGA Tour stroke play events in 2000. He was 263 under par (they did point that out at the end of the video). If you look at each event he played in and take the best score in each event for a player not called Tiger Woods, that combined field score was -259. So he beat the field - where the field resets every week - over the course of an entire season. That's mind blowing.

Update: we are officially booked for our Sunday round (6/22) at Cranberry Highlands golf course: Course Tour | Cranberry Township - Official Website Visit our gorgeous course and read descriptions about each hole. 11:10am | 11:20am | 11:30am | 11;40am tee times. Still working on the Saturday course.

Its been almost 10 months since my back problems arose, and I'm still working on getting back to "normal". Between the 10 weeks of forced idleness, and the lingering nerve impingement, my strength and stamina is still not where it once was. I've played a fair amount of golf, with no apparent ill effects, but every round has been played while riding in a cart. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I managed to walk the first 9 holes, before riding for the back 9. Sure, I'm tired, but I played reasonably well, my handicap is creeping down. All I need now is decent weather and a bit of practice!

Give this a listen.

As @iacas mentioned, I'm happy to help plan this year. If we want to stick close to Pittsburgh/Ohio, we could play a round at my club: Home | Weirton | Williams Golf & Country Club Williams Golf & Country Club is a private club located in the heart of Weirton, West Virginia. We offer memberships of all varieties and can host any event. It's nothing special, but a nice round and something a little different. Depending how many folks we have, I could possibly also get us on at Allegheny CC.

You ever try walking with a 12 pack and a Bluetooth speaker?

Today’s weather was fantastic. Only a very few rain drops on #15 our fore-caddie was great and we asked him To join us again tomorrow. scorecard s little lacking, 57 on front & 52 on back but felt I was actually hitting a few good shots. i only hit 1 bunker and thankfully it was not one of the monsters. Then had dinner overlooking Lake Michigan and watch the bag-piper

I played really well in a tournament yesterday. It was our club's second major of the year. I came in T3 for gross (+5; 76), one shot behind the leaders. But I won the net for the championship flight with a 60 (-2), which is a nice consolation prize for that one shot that I dropped multiple times during the round. In 4 tournament this year, I've come in first net in the championship flight twice. It's been a good tournament year so far!

The process is frustratingly slow, but I'm scheduled to get the epidural steroid injection Thursday, two days from now. From everything I've learned, it may be a couple of days before I'll know how effective it is, but I'm hopeful I can return to something like normal life for a while. At least I've been able to do my rules work, being outdoors is a lot better than sitting on my backside all day. I even added another event, a junior match play competition matching Maryland against Virginia, to be held in Williamsburg, VA. Foursomes, Fourballs, and singles matches.

My shot of the week actually led to my first Eagle of 2024. It should be noted that the eagle was assisted by very dry and fast conditions. I played an impromptu round after work with a couple of friends at a 9-hole-course called Arrowhead Lakes. I didn't have my shot scope with me so I had to estimate the distances a bit, but I think they're pretty close. Oddly, I was finding the center of the driver face the whole round. On the par-5 seventh, I hit a really solid drive that crossed me up a bit, I was planning for a little fade and got a draw instead. The fairway was dry and fast, my ball went a ways into the rough. The drive was good, but then I hit 3-wood uphill, just to the right of the first tree and over a second tree. I saw it land near the green. When we got up there, it was about 4 feet away. I made the putt for my first eagle of the year.

I'm five under the last five times I've played the 15th hole at Whispering Woods. All from the blue tees, and in order… Driver and had about 230 yards in. Hit a hybrid over the back right side of the green. Chipped and made the three-footer for a birdie. This is one of the pins in the fairway. Driver again to the other pin at about 230, hit a hybrid to about 20 feet and two-putted for birdie. Driver just barely pushed, hit the right side of the big vortex swale, bounced right and was on about a 15° upslope right by the cart path (highest pin to the top of the image below). Hit a hybrid over the back left side of the green to the fringe, two-putted for birdie. Driver pulled left a bit with @rwolfe into the trees left, but it bounced back out to the fairway at about 255. Hit a 3W to the front-edge of the green (just short in the fairway). Putted it down to about four feet and made that putt for birdie. Earlier today, hit the longest tee shot in the recent bunch, had 214 to the hole. I was considering 4I or 3I, but @DrizZzY suggested 5I. I hit it hole high in the right rough just a foot off the fringe, chipped it to three feet, and made that putt. This hole as many of you know is NOT easy. That I've had two eagle putts and three eagle chips and have converted all is something in my last five trips to the hole is something I may never repeat. I even said "I'm jinxing myself but I'm four under the last four times I've played 15" to Sculley today. Then hit 5I to it. 😄

Thank you to everyone who was involved in organizing this outing and for everyone who came to be a part of it. It was great to get together with some old friends and meet new ones.

Found this vlog of The Virtues, figured I’d share with the rest of the class 😉

I never wanted someone to make a putt more than that one!

I am trying to think of any reason for the cop to escalate it that quickly. I can't think of one reason. Like, did he think Scottie was the one who hit the pedestrian? Like, let him pass, follow him, and question him. Why was the cop reaching into a moving vehicle to grab onto the driver of the vehicle. How is that safe for anyone. I swear, cops make the stupidest decisions.

#4 - 1st hole at Kingsbarns I rolled in a 15 footer for birdie. Showed my caddie an old guy could still play a bit. #3 - 18th hole at Basin Harbor Club, Vergennes, VT. I had played matches against my nephew over the years. He had never beaten me although through the years he had become a long hitting teenage golfer. I was 1 up but bunkered near the 18th green. My nephew had a long putt for birdie. I splashed out of the bunker to 4 feet. He rolled his first putt close and I gave him the par. Sadly for him, I rolled mine in and won our last match. He went off to college and then Europe for a Ph. D. It was our last match. Family champion forever. #2 - First playoff hole in the City of Livonia, MI “65 & Over” division. I rolled in an 8 footer that broke about 4-5 inches. #10 Whispering Willows GC. #1 18th hole at TPC Prestancia, Sarasota, FL. A 4 foot slicing putt for par to beat the prior year’s Member/Guest winners and win the Member/Guest with my father at his club. I was having heart palpitations as I played the final hole solo when my father put two in the water. There was never a better golf sight for me when that ball dove into the hole.