BoomerGolfAnon

Yes, that is me. I borrowed my son's hand-made, paper mâché Anonymous mask from Venice, Italy when I had the picture taken. I'll be sure to leave it at home and be properly attired as well (black tapered golf pants, a proper golf shirt, and a nice cardigan vest). I'm going to go for a Bubba Watson look, but with a different golf hat.

Will do, my friend. Your name is at the TOP of the list! And yes: we've already exchanged a couple of text messages, so it's legit.

Thanks for this information, Ben. It's great advice. Having said that, it looks like my quest may be over! Here's the story: Yesterday, I was driving around Bellevue, WA on errands, and on a whim I decided to swing by Puetz Golf to try out a new putter (a Stroke Labs V-Line double-bend mallet putter that I've had my eye on for over a month). Normally, I only go to Puetz when I need a new grip for clubs I buy at Value Village, but this day was different. There was another customer already at the indoor 'putting green'. We quietly putted from opposite ends of the 15-foot green for several minutes, and both of us were either sinking or rimming most of our long putts. I broke the ice by by asking him what kind of new putter he was looking for and why, and we started talking about golf. It quickly became clear to me that this guy knew his stuff, and eventually he asked me about my own golf story and where I like to golf. I said: "Honestly, I don't really golf much. I'm a range rat and spend most of my time practicing - I try to practice every day." He said, "Come on, you must golf somewhere!" I replied: "Yeah, you're right. My local public course is Twin Rivers in Fall City. BUT...the course I *really* want to play is Aldarra Golf Course in Sammamish. I drive by it each time I head out to the range. It's an exclusive, private club that's gorgeous, and I'm desperate to meet someone who is a member there so I can play a round. And, if that doesn't work, I may try some kind of social engineering troll to sneak onto the course!" Then he said: "Well, I may be able to help, because I am a member at Aldarra, and I'd be happy to take you out for a round whenever you want." I almost dropped my putter. What a stroke of luck! The stars had aligned in my favor! We kept on putting and talking about golf and exchanged contact info. So there you have it. There's no longer any need for any social engineering (or digital) shenanigans. All I had to do was try out a new putter on a whim...and get the timing JUST right. It worked, but I still can't believe it happened! I'll need to do A LOT of prep work prior to the big day (probably sometime in the early spring when things have dried out). The guy I met is also rehabbing a shoulder injury, so (presumably) he'll need to get past that, too. In the meantime, I'll be spending a lot more time actually PLAYING GOLF at the nearby public courses so I can make a good initial impression and do just justice to this amazing golf course. Maybe I'll even get a lesson for the first time in my life. Thanks to everyone who weighed in with advice. And a big shout out the Double Mocha Man for all his hilarious banter. Looks like Aldarra is off my radar for a 2020 "Sneak In"...but don't fret: there's always Newcastle!

I'm not sure which approach is more dangerous: hacking into Aldarra's computers (a digital troll) or sneaking onto the course (an IRL troll)...let me think about this for a bit...

I've been an avid reader of the magazine "2600" for two decades now - "2600" is a hacker's quarterly with tips on how to hack things electronically {for learning purposes only} and how to employ social engineering to achieve similar ends. In this case, I think the social engineering approach is the right one. Social engineering (security) - Wikipedia

Thanks for all the feedback. I think my best bet is to simply start playing more rounds at the local public and municipal courses. Truth be told, I am a committed range rat and I spend way too much time practicing golf instead of playing golf. I guess I'm the Boomer Golf Anon version of the 20-year-old NEET who lives in his parent's basement, playing dank video games all day long instead of interacting with actual humans IRL. If I play as a single to round out a 4some, there's at least the opportunity to meet 3 new people...one of whom may know someone who knows someone...

I talked to some shops today, and they all said that a change that small (8-10 grams) was not worth worrying about. Also, no one carries the hex-nut counterweights, so I'd have to order one online. The undersized grip I want is 35 grams versus 50 for a standard grip, but the Aldila NV 65 shaft is 8 grams heavier than the stock Fujikura 57 gram shaft. It's almost a wash. I'll do the swap, give it a try for a week or two, and then decide if I need to either add weight or switch to a standard grip.

When I bought my last car, I made sure to try it out more than once AND on separate days - I didn't want to make a snap decision about something so expensive. The car-buying analogy is a good one. I felt a little bad for the first salesman, knowing that I wasn't planning to pull the trigger immediately, but that's just how things work, and it was his job to make the experience a good one for me. If I get the timing right, and touch base with the membership folks on a slow day, I won't lose too much sleep, especially since I'm not asking them to go golfing with me.

Today, I went out to the Twin Rivers Golf Course in Fall City, WA to hit my daily bucket of balls. It was very cold, with sheets of sleet and slightly icy rain. The wind was blowing straight into my face with 20 MPH gusts. I had to cover my bag with a cloth to keep my head covers dry. It also felt like I was hitting small granite balls, not the Srixon soft balls I normally game. Even so, I gave it my best shot and tried to finish up the 51 balls in bucket as fast as I could (I have no idea why they settled on "51" balls and not "50", but I'm not complaining). I don't think I've ever hit 51 balls so quickly. Screw the weather, I say! As long as the range isn't closed, I'll be there if time permits.

I would imagine that the first step for me would be to establish (for the first time) what my ACTUAL handicap is, whether I'm trying to 'sneak' on to Aldarra or joining some kind of Men's League to gain street credibility. This is one of my big goals for 2020...alas, it was also one of my goals for 2019, but it didn't happen. I spend most of my time at the local ranges (Twin Rivers, Willows Run, and Bellevue Municipal) but very little time actually out on the course. Let me know if you're ever part of a 4some but are missing a player. There may be a nice bottle of Costco-branded single-malt whiskey in the mix for you and your buddies if you make it happen!

I agree. And the "Kirkland" label would be a dead give-away. But nothing is keeping me from: A) buying the good stuff with a proper bottle and label; B) emptying the good stuff into a vessel; C) then pouring the Kirkland stuff into the now-empty Laphroig bottle. The only challenge is finding a tool to attach a new and unblemished cap to the Laphroig bottle. Time for more Internet research, I guess...

I just did some quick research, and it seems that back in 2017, Costco was selling this stuff for $38 per bottle. Here are the details: How Does Costco Sell 18-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch for $38? - PUNCH There’s a recent groundswell of support for Costco’s Kirkland Signature whiskies. Just two questions: Where do they come from, and why are they... I'm heading there tomorrow for a food run, so I'll add this to my list.

Actually, I hadn't thought of this. I spent several years in Eastern Europe right after the Berlin Wall came down, and the easiest way to "get stuff done" was to either pay off someone with cash or a nice bottle of American-made whiskey.

I fearlessly guard my anonymity, so (technically speaking) I do not even have a reputation to sacrifice. Looks like we're a go for a 2020 Sneak-In at the Aldarra Golf Course in Sammamish, WA!

To quote Nike: "Believe in something...even if it means sacrificing everything!"