Gus Riley

Cold down south here around Peoria too. Too cold to play anyway. Have to load up the skis and drive around like I'm going to the slopes! Poor Seattle boy stuck in Central Illinois for awhile...dreamin. We did spend Christmas out in the tidewater area in Virginia. Snuck into and caught a window of warmth! Got in two good rounds while there. Lucky me!

You just had to say it didn't you. Rub salt in the northern winter wounds up here! Now we're really jealous! Maybe we'll pay you a visit, buy you a beer or two..... Weather update: We're scheduled to recieve an inch to three inches of ice between this afternoon and tomorrow. Fun never ceases.

Does the price of golf go up down there in warm weatherland? Even so, I'm jealous!

Snowing. A couple of inches on the ground now (in my driveway!). Snow shovel is waiting for me.

Bowling (however I'm forced to take a season off to heal from an injury), bicycling (We're riding our triplet, a bicycle built for three across the USA starting the middle part of May 2009), Motorcycling, I'm a Goldwing rider since 1985. My 10 year old niece and I hope to hit a few golf courses during our upcoming trip this summer. Otherwise I will not be golfing for 3 whole months...that would be bad.

"Flowers and beads" "Soul Experience" Iron Butterfly

I visit Ft Myers (Sanibel Island) in June and October. During those times it is still "summer season". I play for around $25 for a round or more. Some good deals can be made at a lot of courses. However, this time of year you're getting down there during their "In season". Costs are going to be high just about everywhere. Check out http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses...=Fort+Myers+FL for golf courses in the area. Some have internet site addresses where you can get an idea of costs for a round of golf.

I'd take the 2 iron out, keep my 7 wood nd add a loft wedge.

I wish I could keep right on going. Tampa wouldn't be a bad place to stop for some winter golf. I've played Macdill AFB's courses a few times. They'd be a wonderful place for this snowbird right now!

Better go further south than central Illinois. I'm going down toward St. Louis tomorrow. It is supposed to be around 45*, I may be able to sneak in 18. Outside my window today:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Yep, a few years ago I was playing a round at Jacksonville NAS or was it Hurlburt Field? Same thing as you, I flew the green, I approached where I figured my ball was...I found it right beside a gator about the same size as your buddy. I left it there and took a drop away from his toothy grin. My golf partners agreed I didn't have to take a stroke. Heck, it was just off the fringe of the green!

The Cannonball Run. They had a lot of fun making that movie and it shows.

Bad day on the course! But better than one at home with "Honey-Do s". It was very windy, cold, and a difficult course I have never played. I just couldn't get off the tee box clean. Hole number one was a solid par. Then I blew up on the first Par 5 with a 5 over... it was a dog leg to the right and then another dog leg left. It was chock full of well placed fairway traps and the green was tucked in behind some trees and protected with traps. Cool hole but I got lost!! The rest of my game was up and down. I posted a grueling 98. My golf partner was spot on and posted an 83! Lunch was on me...he's played the course before, I suspect he was hungry and maybe set me up for a free meal? That course will see me again, now that we have been introduced. I owe it a better effort.

82 on a 72 Par, 138 slope.

My experience with knockoffs (which is really dated and old so things may be different now) is they just don't play the same. I've had Tommy Armour Silverscots forever...but back when they were new (early '90s) a friend had some TA knockoffs (I can't remember what they were called, something close to 845s) I tried them and they really were not the same...distance and accuracy suffered. Maybe it is/was that the metal materials weren't the same or something. As mentioned earlier, irons last a long time. I'd get the good ones.

I just purchased four rounds at Fords Colony. I'll try to remember to give a report back to this thread after we enjoy a round on one of the courses. In the mean time, when you complete your rounds maybe you can give a report back on how the courses are for you? I hope I got an acceptable deal...four rounds for $130. Will let you know.

Ah to be in the 20-30 range again...sigh Fifty-three (ancient) here and counting. I play a good game of golf and can still ride a bicycle 100 miles in a day. Life goes on and is good.

I bid on and won a Cleveland HiBore 3W for $53 total. Fedex folded the box in half, so the shaft arrived in three pieces... I called a local golf store and they quoted me $125 dollars to reshaft it plus a new grip. The same shaft alone was $110! Oh. No thanks. Back to eBay. I found and purchased a Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue for $30 total. I like the shaft, I have it on both my Cleveland Launcher 5 and 7 woods. After I reshafted the club it was cheaper for me to take it to the shop for regripping; $6. At this point I was into this club for $89. Still not too bad a price! I hit it pretty darn good too! So it was worth it...Now the punch line! Fedex paid me the original $53 back for it. Doing the math the club cost me $36 total!! A really good deal!

Snuck out and got in 18 on Wednesday. It was 50* out, the day before it was 30*, and the day after was 30*. I got out of the house before the wife could catch me with any "Honey-dos" Scored 42/41 for 83. A good day! Now it's cold again.

Crane Creek in Kilbourne, Illinois. Nice challenging course with rates. http://www.golfcranecreek.com/

Toward the beginning of the 2008 season I got back into golf after 15 years away from it. Before I left the game I sported a solid 10 handicap. My goal this year was to move down the handicap board from 20 or so to at least 15...at the close of 2008 I'm shooting a 12!! So progress is really good!

Retired USAF in 2000, never looked back.