Stormin

I guess that I am too simple. Did the ball go where I intended it to when I lined up the swing? Then it was a good shot. Did not go where I intended and it still worked out? Then it was a lucky shot.

Played one of those today myself. 7 out on the first hole, 6 on the second, and out of the tee box on three I put myself behind a bunch of six foot tall reeds. I was lucky to walk away from that one with a 5. You just keep your head down and keep playing. I have had bad rounds, and I'll have more in the future. There is no need to not take the remaining holes and just catalogue them as practice holes. Need to work on the bump and run from 45 out? Set yourself up to hit that shot... Aim for that stupid greenside bunker just to make sure you get to hit out of the sand. Oddly enough, when you put yourself into the bad situation and manage to save par it really feels great.

I bring the rake with me on the way in. I dig in with my feet far too much to not have the courtesy to not repair my tracks.

Played the Deer Run course at Newport News Golf Club. Shot a 112, though two holes accounted for 15 strokes due to an absolute nightmare of a creek that seemed to have a magnet in it distinctly calibrated to draw in my golf balls, running along side the fairway on one hole and across the fairway on the next. Did have the one of those "shots that keep you playing," moments when I tee'd up on a par 3 over water at 173 yards and dropped my tee shot eight feet from the hole. Thing stopped DEAD after one bounce. The ground was pretty soggy after rain last night, and I am lucky the damn thing didn't plug into the green entirely. :D The next hole I got up and down from the greenside bunker to three feet from the flag. Easiest tap in I've had in years. I could have tossed the clubs in the car after those two holes and called the day a win. A good time and it gave me a lot of feedback on what I need to work on to get better.

Zero currently, but I plan on picking up a 3H at the end of this season and spending some time learning it over the winter. My bag currently has a 3W then 4 iron and it's a toss up between the 5W and a 3H. Right now it is a rare moment when I need to hit a 3 iron and can't simply hit the 3W with an easy swing to make it happen. That said, I find myself with a few shots out of the rough where either a 3H or 4H would be easier to hit, and probably carry farther than a 4 iron shot as well.

Three weeks ago the wife and I were out playing nine before heading to a BBQ. I hit a great drive on a long right to left par five, decent 5 iron to get to 90 yards out, and I'm lining up with my sand wedge to be on the green in three (not a usual occurrence for me on a par five with a left turn). Get my stance set, grip down just a bit, ball a bit back, ground the club behind the ball and my lovely wife says; "You don't think you're going to hit that too far?" I just GLARED at her for a moment... Took my swing, hit the thing totally fat, and came up 10 feet short of the green. Skulled the chip, three putts, and walked away with a 7.

One of the true benefits of playing alone is the "follow up shot." More times than once I have dropped another ball next to the one I just fired off incorrectly to see if I can correct the error in my first swing. It does't always work, but being all alone I know that I am not holding anyone up. The last nine holes that I played alone probably had a "follow up shot" on every other hole.

For seven years I have been a banker. I've always loved what I do, and to me it's the best job in the world when you're doing it right.

Hi to everyone. Long time reader that finally decided to join the forum and contribute a bit. Recently I found myself with a thought on a post or two and I've finally decided to give in to the madness of another online forum (though the only golf forum I am on). I also enjoy sports cars (forums 1 & 2), competitive shooting (forum 3), and fine writing instruments (forum 4). Watches may be next, but I need to leave some time for actual activities besides reading things online. :-) Been golfing since I was 17, but always a casual player. My buddy Mark taught me the basics and I never have taken a formal lesson. When playing just for fun the cost always made more sense being applied to just a few more rounds. That may change this year. Right now I am returning to the game after taking a few years off. My wife decided that she wanted to learn how to play and once you've got a playing partner getting out to the course seems so much more fun. As a player I have never broken 100, though I have played many 9 hole rounds in the 40's which may have been sub-100 scores had I played another 9. The time away from the game didn't help anything, but I plan to crack into double digit scores by the end of this summer. Moved to Virginia (Newport News) from Seattle about a year ago and I am just figuring this place out. If golf doesn't kill me, the heat and humidity here very well might. I'm pretty much an open book, so if you have any questions, please just ask. - Stormin -