Farking Bastage

I had a lesson this morning, followed immediately by the lowest round I have shot in 5 years(82). When I took a 2 year Hiatus, I apparently forgot that I have something called a lower body and that it is the base of your swing. The pro's analogy for the proper motion and weight transfer was spot on. He likened it to throwing a baseball sidearm. Immediate 1.5 clubs of distance with 1/4 the effort.

Evening folks! I'm going to have most of the day tomorrow free to get some golf in before a wedding. After some googling, it looks like the Audobon course here may be the best public bet, but I was curious if there are any hidden gems in this area of the city that I may be overlooking ( Not swinging the price of TPC Louisiana ) thanks!

Got nine in today, shot 44, a couple over my handicap, and I wasn't happy with it. Two doubles, two penalty strokes and a three putt. It took me about 3 holes to figure out that my old habit of rotating along the axis of my left leg has come back, which results in a nasty hook or a slice when I try and compensate for it. *Rotate your hips, damnt!* One penalty stroke was an errant shot that completely disappeared in a wide open area, the other was a result of the ball being 10" above my feet in the center of the fairway on a particularly asinine hole which was chunked into the water. These blowup holes is why my index is where it is.

I'm on my first set of Ping irons ( Ping G ) and I'm hooked. Definitely get fit though. The right shaft and lie angle is a big help.

Played St. James Bay today in Carrabelle. http://www.stjamesbay.com/p/course-tour.aspxGreat place, but you better be hitting it straight or bring a shitload of balls. 13 Tee shots with a forced carry. 8 approach shots with a forced carry. Several of those tee shots are with clubs other than your driver. Played to my handicap ( 93, Net of 74 ), but still lost quite a few balls. Basically if you miss, your ball is gone. Don't let the length fool you, this place will test you severely.

I score well on the first 9 then go to hell in a handbasket on the back. It's like flipping a switch after 11-13 holes and I just lose all control. Hopefully, I can overcome that with more play once the time changes back.

I was in west Jacksonville, FL last weekend and got out to play some while my wife was showing her horse at the equestrian center. Saturday Bent Creek: Short, fun layout, Unbelievably bad pace of play. Round took north of 5 hours. As has been the norm this year so far, I completely fall apart on the back 9. I initially attributed it to getting annoyed with the pace 39/49 5 greens 6 fairways Sunday Eagle Landing: MUCH better course, hence the 60 bucks I paid. 6700 yards from the one up tees, some of the fastest bermuda greens I've ever seen 41/52!!!! 6 greens, 9 fairways Again, I lost it on the back. Something is going on, I swear(or it's all in my head), where about hole 11 or so, I completely lose my ability to make contact, much less have a clue where it's going. Fatigue maybe? That 41 on the front was with a triple on 9. I was at 34 when I teed off on that hole, which is amazing at my HCP. It was downhill from there. Great course though.

We took a little trip last weekend to this immensely fun and challenging little course in Lake City, FL, The Country Club at Lake City. Anyone who has ever been down I-75 in N. FL area has probably seen this sign before: That sign sits on #16, a reachable par 5( only one on the course for sub 340 yard hitters ) This course features surprisingly numerous changes in elevation, curves, split fairways, and VERY strategically places bunkers and hazards. You will not overpower this course. It forces you to think on every tee shot, and I love that. While you may not overpower the shorter holes, there are some that will test your distance. #3 is such an animal. 415 yards from the blues, 430 from the tips, to a small elevated green. It's pretty open, but trust me when I say that the small green is pretty darned hard to hit with a 5 iron. Next comes a stretch I call Reload Alley, 4-6, that wrap around a lake. 4 and 6 are Narrow par 4's, 5 is a 170 yard par 3. 5 especially, is nasty. Short is wet, right is wet, way left is trees, left is in a pot bunker that you have to blast out of with water in your face. The green is smaller than my living room, elevated, and slopes down to wooden bulkheads on three sides. Missing it in pretty much any way is dead unless you are a GREAT bunker shotmaker. This is from the green on 4, starring my playing partner: After all these water holes is #7. It is only a 145 yard par 3 as the crow flies, but has a 30 foot increase in elevation from tee to green. It's severe enough I played this hole 175 yards and put it in the center of the green with a light wind. #10 ( and I am sorry I didn't get pics ) is a monster. It's a split fairway dogleg left and 25 feet uphill. at the turn of the dogleg is a large water hazard. Playing up short of the hazard demands a 200+ yard approach 25 feet uphill, getting past the hazard off the tee requires a carry of over 260 yards with a perfectly timed draw. Most amateurs will land in the water if they pull driver. I played a 3 wood and damn near splashed it. #14 is a really pretty par 3, but uphill as all hell and has water in front of the tee. From the blue tees, it measured 190 yards and played more like 210. The happiest part of my day there was hitting this green. 16 is a reachable par 5 down hill with a sharp dogleg right, however there is water right in the center of the fairway past the turn that keeps you from trying to cut the corner. A perfect tee shot will leave 220-ish and about 10 feet uphill to reach in two. It's probably the easiest hole on the course if you lay up to the 100. 17 is a medium length par 3 ( 170 yards) and mostly tame, depending on pin position. 18 is also tame till you get on the green. There's some serious undulation here and my 3 foot second putt broke at least 2 feet going downhill. This is a great course, and I recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the area. Weekends with cart run 48 bucks, but they will let you walk if you prefer. 42 bucks for weekdays. It is in AWESOME shape right now, even with the rye. It's challenging from the blues, mostly tame from the whites, and downright evil from the tips. TEE COURSE RATING SLOPE Black 73.4 135 6894 Blue 70.4 129 6364 White 68.5 123 5926 Gold 68.6 117

Provided the wind's now howling, and a center pin, a smooth AW

I BROKE 80!!! First time ever. Shot a 75 at that.

I had a 54 hole weekend culminating in tying my personal best today in the points game, resulting in quite a few free beers from the nassau cart bet, and a few bucks for being +9 on my points. I've never broken 80, and this will be about the 10th time I have shot 80. If only I didn't have trouble getting out of a bunker on 9..

Going back and analyzing my round Sunday, I think the change in driver loft and shaft I made appears to have been a good one. I was using a TM burner TP 10.5 with a 56 gram fujikura shaft on it. While I was pretty consistent with it, I think it may have been a bit light, resulting in some high flight with soft landings and little roll. I was ending up with around 245-260 yards with it on a flushed shot, while hitting my 3-wood about 240. Also, the face was a slight bit closed on the TM, which is not conducive to my tendency to go left on a bad swing. I picked up a Cobra Zero Limit in 9.5 with the stock Aldila stiff shaft @ 62g ( adjustable, but I set it on neutral ) and picked up anywhere from 10-20 yards with it, judging from how I played with it Sunday. I get a LOT more roll with it, the trajectory is a good bit lower, and my natural strike with it is a very slight draw. On 18 Sunday, I had 120 yards left out of a 413 yard par 4, which is pretty good for me. Every fairway that I used driver on with the exception of #1 and #3, I hit. Only 8 holes on that course are really driver holes for a Male golfer, so 6/8 fairways hit with that club( first full round using it too). The remainders are par3 or extreme doglegs. edit: In case anyone asks, those scorecards are produced with an app called Golfshot

Shot 43/39 on my little 69.1/116 6148 yard home course today. Birdied the number one handicap hole, a 425 yard par 4 with water in front of the green, and I got home with driver-8iron. Beautiful day.

175-ish