phan52

We had a tough winter in Philly, but March has been very good. I have played 6 times already this month. I was in Jamaica in February and got three rounds in. The weather was beautiful and my caddie worked on my swing. He is the club caddie champ there and was very insistent regarding my swing and my putting stroke. Scores went 89, 86, 82. I was driving it 20 yards farther by the third round and my putting improved as well. The driving has translated to Philly pretty well. Putting, who knows until the greens speed up a little.

I have played 15 of the Golf Digest World's 100 Greatest, including three of the top four. For some reason I can't post the list.

Not a great year.

oops! I see that Justin Thomas has snuck into the top 30 because of Alex Noren's late meltdown.

Spieth, Thomas and Day all out for East Lake. The President's Cup will probably have a decidedly different lineup this year.

Chi Chi was a very popular player at the old IVB Golf Classic (1963-1980) at Whitemarsh Valley outside of Philly. He was like the Pied Piper with kids. I remember him putting his hat over the hole after holing a big putt on 18 and then doing his sword dance. The crowd went wild. His playing companions, not so much, as he was leaving spike marks all around the hole. Here's a pic from the 60's with my now-74-year-old sister cheering him on. RIP.

I have A Titleist TSR2 driver that I have been very happy with. I didn't get any special length from it, but it really eliminated sidespin and I was generally in the fairway which, for a 71-year-old guy, is a premium. I played back in June with two guys who just got the Smoke driver and I was really surprised at the length they were getting. I play with them often and it was very obvious. So, I took out a demo the next time I played and I immediately was getting 15-20 yards. I did have to alter my swing a bit because the mishits were very unforgiving, unlike the Titleist driver, but it made me more disciplined in my swing. It had 10.5 loft with a 55-gram R shaft that I had altered to 9.5 because I generally hit my driver kind of high. I had it for a month until the golf staff finally got on me to return it, so I got fitted for a new one. I ended up with a slightly different shaft and kept the loft at 10.5. I commented to the pro that I thought the flight was a little too high, but he pointed out "look how far it carries". My average carry with the Titleist was around 215 but it is around 230 with the Smoke. It took a while to get used to it on the course because my poor swings were very unforgiving, but I have been diligent in working on my tempo with the club and it is paying dividends. So, I am not only getting more distance, but I am more aware of consistently making the good swing.

Best round of the year, 38-42-80. Disappointing because I haven't broken 80 in 5 years and was in position to go low on the back. Putting did me in. But I am very pleased about the way I am striking the ball right now. Support your local club pro.

Since the caddie rate is $100+ a bag, they usually carry doubles, that would be over $200 per round. If a good forecaddie is taking care of the group, from finding balls to raking traps and reading greens, I would suggest he get around $160 for the day. They are invaluable on a course you don't know.

37, having played the following courses: Cypress Point Merion Pine Valley Winged Foot Oakmont Pacific Dunes Bandon Dunes Shinnicock Hills Monterey Peninsula (Dunes) Rolling Green National Golf Links Seminole Harbourtown Somerset Hills

I am just about getting over it today. I have always been a Rory fan and I have watched his career swings, mostly up. The last ten years have probably been tough even with all the victories and success, because I am sure his goal is to make Majors his legacy. The last couple of years must have taken a toll because of his level of engagement with the Tour, and Sunday was the ultimate crash. He just got beat in the Open at St. Andrews and there were other Majors where he had a chance and just fell short. Sunday was different. He just blew it, and to a LIV player to boot. The pain and humiliation will leave a serious mark and it may take some time for it to heal. Regardless, there will be scar tissue. I will remain a fan, but I can't say that I will stay as committed. I felt a degree of his pain and I don't need that, being a long time Philly sports fan, if you know what I mean in THAT regard.

Who?

I am on a treadmill for 45-60 minutes every day at just under a 4 MPH pace. I have to, as I have a condition that requires improving my blood flow into my legs. My weight work is with light weights and body weight exercises for about 20 minutes. At 71, that is more than enough. I think I am pretty fit.

I have posted three scores now since the Philly section opened on April 1. 41-43-84 (72.1/135), 42-47-89 (72.1/135) and 42-45-87 (70.3/129). Same course, the last score from the forward tees. Weird that my best score was the first one out. It usually takes me about a month to get anything much lower than around 90 and my handicap usually shows it. But now it is holding steady. The range on grass is finally open. I hate the mats. My scores will improve accordingly.

I see that guys like Rahm and Phil are suggesting they now play 72 holes. They appear to be conceding that their circus is viewed as less than a true competitive event. Rahm was a whiney bitch all weekend at Augusta. Regrets?