iacas

I just got a putter that I sent in back, and I must say, it's spectacular. WOW.

vBulletin 3.5 is out. vBulletin is the software that powers this forum, and the version we're running here is 3.0.9. Version 3.5 features a lot of changes. I'm going to push the upgrade off until after the Newport Cup (October 15-16) as the current message board is working fairly well. However, shortly after October 16, the forum will be down for a few hours while I run the upgrade. After that, the forum may be somewhat "bland" or "default style" for awhile until I figure out how to get back to the Sand Trap look to which we've all grown accustomed. Then again, maybe then will be as good a time as any to change the look of the forum. This is just a notice. I'll post here a day or so before I plan to do the upgrade. Please continue to use and enjoy the forum in the meantime.

Let's start with the accessories: Balls (Titleist Pro V1x) Pens (pencil is tough to read on a slightly soggy scorecard) Sharpie (Black, always) Weighted Donut Range Finder (Bushnell Pin Seeker 1500 w/Slope) Tees (Stinger and Zero Friction) Groove Cleaner Shoes - FootJoy GF:II in tan and white. Titleist Towel with added scrubber brush Not seen here: My 2005 Rules Book (forgot to take it out of the bag) Irons: Titleist 735.CM, Chrome version, stock grips (for now), TrueTemper Dynamic Gold S300 Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP 19°, Diamana Hybrid S shaft, 8-8 weight configuration, head cover marked as "2" as this replaces the 2-iron, and Golf Price New Decade Multicompound Grip Woods: Driver - Titleist 905S, 9.5°, Graphite Design YS-6+ S shaft, 45", Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound Grip 3-Wood - Titleist 904, 15°, Fujikura by Titleist Speeder S shaft, Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound Grip The Bag Itself: As seen below, a Japanese import Titleist CBS 51. I try to keep it light, so I may not have everything in it that everyone else has, but it still has all I need. The "emergency packet" has some bandaids and bee sting stuff as well as some cash and quarters if things really go badly and I need to make a pay call somewhere (or I don't have any ball markers). Not Seen Much at All: My putter, a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Red X, 33", and the heaviest weight (350g). I love it.

It's my understanding that Scotty's initials are always like this. If you wanted special instructions, I think there's a place to add them. What white box? If you're referring to the GSS insert... that's how they are, too. That existed prior to the putter being sent in.

A mini golfer is worse. C'mon, would you rather be putting into the clown's mouth or hacking around on a real golf course? User titles are explained here . They are: 0-17 posts: Mini-Golfer 18-71 posts: Hacker 72-143 posts: Weekend Duffer 144-249 posts: Golfaholic 250-499 posts: League Member 500-999 posts: Club Champ 1000-1499 posts: Tour Pro 1500-1999 posts: Tour Winner 2000-2999 posts: Major Winner 3000+ posts: Hall of Fame Moderators, of course, have their own user titles.

I'm giving this one a bump - we still have a slot open for someone with time to give, and we've got some good contacts in the industry. Contact me via email or AIM (or, if you must, PM here on the message board).

There are a few golf forums out there. I've personally been banned from what feels like all of them - twice - for rather innocuous things. Banning people is not what this forum is about. In six years, we've banned fewer than two members per year, and in each case the members persisted in behaving in a manner completely unacceptably. Other forums will ban two members per day. This forum will have a general overriding principle of respect. We're providing a resource for y'all to hang out, chat, have some fun, and talk golf. Don't abuse the privilege and there won't be problems. That being said, we're not uptight. Say "dammit" if you want, say "I played like shit." Those are on one side of the line. Calling someone else shithead is on the other side, and if you're right in the head, you know where that line sits. This still allows plenty of room for hearty discourse and even disagreement, and I hope that people realize the differences between "that's a stupid statement, and here's why..." and "you're stupid." Post links to your personal site or blog in your signature - no problem. Links to non-personal sites are not allowed (exceptions granted for "my home course" type links). Post a large image in your signature? Probably gonna be pushin' it a little. The Sand Trap believes in spreading the word, in linking between sites, as we feel it raises the water level for all involved. But don't abuse the forum, don't spam members, and don't post merely to spread links to your site. Don't include a URL in your avatar and don't make a username "mysite dot com." That's pushing it. Remember, any member can report you or your posts just by clicking the little "report post" button. Contribute to the forum. Act in a responsible, respectful manner. Display a sense of decency. Y'know, all the stuff your parents tried to teach you. In exchange, we promise to listen to ideas and issues. We promise to keep advertising to an absolute minimum. We promise not to beg for money or donations. We promise to be fair. Have fun. We've not had problems, and though I know I can't expect never to have any, I can ask that we try to avoid them.

The current list of banned words: f**k c**t w**re as***le p**sy sl*t "ass" is not banned because I don't particularly have a problem with "My opponent was an ass" (nor do I have a problem with the word "assist"). There are a few other words left off the banned list because they're part of larger words. The simple rule of thumb here is to simply act in a civil manner. Don't use bad words excessively or your post may be edited. People need only click to report "bad" posts, after all.

The few times I've used a belly putter, the damn thing was wobbling all over the place. I'm a better putter with the short stick. I don't think long putters offer much of an improvement at all. You may be able to "anchor" it against your body, but you've got more putter to deal with and I think that counters the control you gain by "anchoring." I think that the old "two clublengths" relief rule should be revised, though, if people are going to take such blatant advantage of the rule. Say something like 90" instead of "two clublengths." That way, people can still use their driver (which are 44" or 45") to measure. In the end, there's always the rule about "playing "in the spirit of the game." If someone has a super-long putter and suddenly after taking relief from a cart-path they're two feet wide of a tree they would have been behind, well... In the end, belly putters are not much longer than your driver. But back to the original question: I'm not sure they make anybody better. Some people say they putt better with them than short putters. Others, like me, putt better with the short ones. Some people like mallets, others blades. So my vote's a no. If someone wants to look like a buffoon on the green, that's their right.

My summary of the Steelers game is right here . In as few words as possible: "a tale of two quarterbacks." Go AFC!

I'd have done it if it were within 4 hours. JetBlue flies out of Buffalo, and that's 90 minutes away. We'll hook up at SOME point this summer to play a round, right? The Steelers have a much, much tougher game this weekend. And a coach with a spotty if not horrid playoff record. I'm more worried about him than Ben.

Three hours? You're nuts! I live in the northwestern corner of PA. It's 8 to get to Philly. Unless maybe you're driving one of those Ferraris from the other thread...

I'd wager that the AFC team will beat the NFC team in the Super Bowl, regardless of who each team is. But I won't bet on the conference championships because within each conference, the games will be good. If the Steelers lose and the Eagles win, it in no way indicates that the Eagles were "better" than the Steelers.

Reminds me of a story about some guy named Van de Velde... hmmm... And Cowher. Guy has an abysmal post-season record. If the Steelers win Sunday it will be in spite of their coach. P.S. If I ever shoot 60 but triple 18, you damn well bet I'm gonna brag about it.

Statistics are biased? 111 total yards isn't bias, it's domination. The Steelers have won far more division titles than the Eagles have. Cowher (bumbleheaded playoff egg-layer that he is) routinely has solid, division-winning records. I like to deal in facts, Aaron, so have a look at these: [pre] Steelers Iggles 2004 15-1* 13-3* 2003 6-10 12-4* 2002 10-5* 12-4* 2001 13-3* 11-5* 2000 9-7 11-5 1999 6-10 5-11 1998 7-9 3-13 1997 11-5* 6-9 1996 10-6* 10-6 1995 11-5* 10-6 1994 12-4* 7-9 1993 9-7 8-8 1992 11-5* 11-5 --------------------------- Total 130-77(8) 119-88(4)[/pre] That's twice as many division titles and 11 more wins in 13 years. And the Eagles haven't exactly been to a Super Bowl in awhile. So c'mon... I didn't comment on the Steelers, did I? I was responding to your post about the Eagles. Now that you bring it up, here's my take: the Steelers did everything they could to lose a game and still found a way to win. All those things you aren't supposed to do in the playoffs (bad picks, big plays, special teams sucking, rookie QB) they did. And they still won. Were it not for the fumble, the INT for a TD return, and the punt return, the score could have easily been 31-3. But the Steelers did everything they could to lose, and still won. That's my take. A quick check of the stats will back things up. The Steeler D - the same that held your team to 111 total yards of offense - shut down the Jets. The Jets D didn't exactly stuff the Steelers (look at our running totals). The Jets got some big plays and the Steelers overcame it. The only "luck" in this game was on the side of the Jets - they got a few big "gifts" handed to them by a team that hasn't made many mistakes all year. A kicker missing from 40+ yards at Heinz Field? Happens all the time. Had their coach (who's about as dumbleheaded as Cowher in the post-season) realized this and been able to move the ball inside the Steelers 25, the Jets may have won thanks to their luck and the post-Christmas gifts they got. They didn't. Huh? The Jets are a solid team playing in a much tougher conference. The Vikings fold every year. If by saying you'd "take" the Vikings you're implying that they're better, that really sheds some light on things. I'd take the Vikings 10 times out of 10 too... if I'm choosing my opponent! We won't see on Sunday, Aaron. The Steelers don't play the Eagles on Sunday. If they did, the Eagles would be in for an ass-whoopin'. Same is true if the Patriots were to play the Eagles. The one can't-miss prediction of this post-season: AFC will beat the crap out of the NFC in the Super Bowl. A Steeler loss to the Patriots and an Eagles victory doesn't mean the Eagles are better than the Steelers, it means the Eagles played against a lesser opponent. The Iggles had their butts handed to them in week 9 (IIRC) by the Steelers in a head-to-head matchup. If the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl, it'll be because they didn't have to play an AFC team in the conference playoffs. The Steelers beat a Buffalo team struggling for its life in week 17... with 3rd stringers. The Eagles laid eggs at the end of the year. If you want some bias, here you go: in every way the Eagles (and the entire NFC) come up short against the top four AFC teams. There's your bias. "111 yards of total offense and 27-3 ass-whoopin'" ain't bias. It's fact. You'd do well to re-acquaint yourself with some of those, Aaron.

They lucked into some plays and laid eggs on other times. They could have closed out the Purples many times but failed to do so every time. The Purples laid an egg. The Dolphins could have beat the Purples last week. Mitchell played a good game, but that was it. Every time I looked at the TV a pass was going through Pinkston's hands. They lost to the Steelers - a team with a bunch of good running backs - by 24 points. And only that few because the Steelers knelt on the Eagles 8 with 2:30 to go. The Eagles had 111 yards of total offense in the game. They didn't just "lose," they were creamed. With TO. And since when is the Pro Bowl about ability alone? Ray Lewis is going again, but he's an aging has-been. Several folks from the Steelers are going, too, but as a fan I would argue that other Steelers deserve to go instead of them, based on pure ability. If Vick plays well, the Eagles go down. That's my take. But regardless of which team wins, they're the dogfood in the next game. The real Super Bowl is being played at 6:30 on Sunday.

Near Erie, PA. Why?

Atlanta: 24 Philadelphia: 27 Michael Vick puts in a strong game, but makes a few critical mistakes. If Michael Vick can put in a solid 60 minutes, I think this game goes to Atlanta. New England: 17 Pittsburgh: 21 I don't think the Pats have the mystery. I think against a corp of good wide receivers and a team that knows to run the ball (i.e. not the Colts, who were running the ball just fine before they gave up on it). Corey Dillon won't be the factor he's predicted to be, and Ben will bounce back from his experience. Super Bowl Philadelphia: 17 Pittsburgh: 34 Without TO, the Eagles become a much more one-dimensional team. The Steelers beat them up earlier in the season, and that was without a few key players who are now healthy.

Still have an opening or two. We're just about to try to get some sponsors and to do some exciting things. If you love the game of golf and think that the blog could be something big, by all means let me know: email erik@thesandtrap.com or PM me here. My own personal blog ( NSLog(); ) netted me a book deal this year. I've run sites before that made $30,000/year (granted, that was during the dot com era) for having one banner ad on the site! Anyway, that's the deal. 3-4 stories/week take about two hours to write. You get a free copy of Ecto, you get an equal split of any income we make from the site, you get an @thesandtrap.com email address, you become a moderator on the forum, and so forth. Groupies? Can't promise those just yet, but you never know. Email or PM me if you're interested.

Heh heh. I'm going to start a new thread in another of the topics. This one doesn't really belong in "Announcements & Tech Support" anymore. You'll see it. It'll have a similar title... let's move all banter, trash talking, and whatnot there. I'll leave this thread open, but no further posts should be necessary here.

Indeed they are. Congratulations to Rafi and Ben, who finished tied for first with a 238 total. I finished one stroke out of last. Now, I wonder when we'll be able to set our team for the SONY...

Awww, maybe everything from the first tournament will be lost. Me? In ninth? Nahhhhhh...

When I log in to ESPN, I see I've got "26 points" but none of my third and fourth round scores have been posted. I'd like to know where I rank among our Dirty Thirteen... Not much better than 9th I'm sure, but... does anyone else see the completed scorecard showing their rank among our team?

My team didn't do so hot. Lots of good scores, but on the same holes. Don't they know they're supposed to birdie different holes? I'll have to send a memo to my team members. They've clearly got their wires crossed.

Join up! There isn't really a way to do it without creating a separate league, but there are only going to be ten to fifteen or so of us, so it'll be very easy to see by how much you're kicking our butts, geezer. BTW, I'm 26 - which group should I be in?