bwdial

I have quit one round of golf - other than for lightning - in thirty years of playing, and that was because I hurt my left knee and could not put any weight on it. I figure I've paid for the round of golf, I may as well get my money's worth. Plus, the more shots I take, technically, I'm playing more golf, so I'm paying less per shot.

I know, right? I was hoping he'd jerk it into the bunker.

Two plane... though some days it feels like three or four planes going on. I tried the Natural Golf/Single Plane thing years ago, and it just wasn't right for me.

I generally don't patronize golfing establishments with this sort of luxury, but when I do, I tend to tip a couple of bucks.

I am lucky to have Peachtree Golf Center near me. It's a Par 3 course, which is actually next door to an (overpriced) executive course, that serves as a really good examination of how well you hit your irons. From the blue tees, the holes range from 104 to 190 yards. The 104 yard hole is the outlier, as it's the only hole under 110 yards. There are four holes in the 110-130 yard range. There are six holes that are from 135 yards to 149 yards, and the rest are over 150 yards, which means you need pretty much every iron in the bag. The front nine ends with a hole that measures 183 yards, and the back nine finishes with holes that measure 172 yards (17) and 190 yards (18). The 18th hole is a forced carry over about 170 yards over water to a green surrounded by mounds, which really make the green look like a table-top. When I played the other night (yeah... it's lit!) I missed almost all of the greens, but I was generally in the fringe, and usually just a bit short, on a good line toward the hole. I think I only hit three greens, and I shot 18 over, though I was 14 over when I got to 18.

Not sure which is cooler... the fact that you are consistently in the 70s, or that you have 70s icon Bob Crane as your avatar.

My second shot had landed on a mound about 60 yards right and short of the green, nestled under a line of hedges that hung out over the rough, and were about head high. A gaping bunker was between me and the green further complicated the shot. A punch shot was my only option, but I definitely couldn't go long over the green. I pulled my seven iron pressed my face into the bushes and swung. I caught it crisp, with a good dose of backspin, and it landed exactly where I envisioned it landing. The ball skidded a couple of times, and then rolled to a stop against the back fringe, before rolling back a few inches toward the hole. And then I sank the putt for a magnificent par.

When I hit my one and only hole-in-one, my right leg spun out from under me.

I took my first lesson in about 23 years, and have seen an immediate improvement in my ball-striking. Also, I was able to really stay in the moment and play each shot when I played recently.

42. Several of the RTJ Trail courses in Alabama, and Bear's Best in Atlanta were the most spectacular.

I shot 72. Granted, it was a par 54 short course, but that is bogey golf, something I have not been acquainted with as of late. And, it would have been even better if I hadn't blown up with a 7 on the final hole, which is 190 yards with a forced carry of about 170 yards over water. Up until that point, I had only double bogeyed the first hole. Everything else had been a bogey or a par. Most of the shots I hit were right on line, and just came up a club or so short. Also, i only teed up the ball on four of the holes to play them as par threes. On all of the other holes, I dropped the ball and played them as if they were approach shots from the fairway. I took a lesson about a week ago, and it really helped me make more consistent contact for the entire round. He also helped me with my alignment, which was about 20 degrees right of my actual target line. It's amazing how hitting the ball solidly, and in the right direction takes pressure off of the rest of my game. I plan on trying to get in for another lesson tomorrow because I am going to be playing at Cobblestone in Kennesaw on Monday.

When I was a kid, my cousin in rural Alabama created a three hole course in his front yard. Each green was probably about the size of a large living room, and there was just a single tee box out by the highway. The longest hole was probably about 120-130 yards, but to us, it was Augusta and Pine Valley, all wrapped into one. We played that course until he put a well struck three iron through his bedroom window, and his mother shut the course down. 😫

I... I... ... have shattered a 150 yard stake in precisely the manner in which you have described. 🙄

I shot a 103, but I am not that disappointed. My lack of disappointment stems from the fact that it was a course that I had never played before; Lanier Islands Legacy. We played from the blue tees, which have a rating of 71.0 and a slope of 137. It's not overly long at 6193 yards, but there are a ton of forced carries over the edge of Lake Lanier, and it was pretty windy. I also hadn't been on a golf course since the first week of April, so I haven't had much practice. On a positive note, I played really well out of the sand and only chunked one shot. On a negative note, I had a bout with the shanks on hole seven after hitting a nice drive.