Wednesday, June 11, 2014

U.S. Open and Another Very Old Course


I love U.S. Open week. This year looks especially good with the new remake of Pinehurst. Sounds like the course will look and play a lot more like an old fashioned golf course, should be fun.
Maybe not this old - but I love this photo
 
I would like to see Phil win this one, but not sure he is going to. I don’t think an upstart newcomer will win, look for one of the old familiar faces to get this one.

What do you think? I am going with the young kid from Northern Ireland, you know, the recent called off wedding guy. He is now 100% concentrating on golf, I will go with him this week. Rory McIlroy !
But I still wish Phil would pull it off.
Hitting a few balls on course abandoned 60 years ago - very cool
 

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Golf at Age 66

Weather is getting better, played three times this week and three last. I am hitting the ball pretty well for 66. I am still doing my stretches and quite a bit of walking.

Looks like my distances will be the same this year as last.

PW-105
9 Iron-115
8 Iron-125 and so on  -   Now hitting my five wood 190-195 and
 3 wood, 205-210.
 This leaves my driver in the 230 range. About right

These are pretty true distances for me, I occasionally hit a drive over 250 but the 225-235 range is about right.

I have some new Irons, haven't tried them yet, Adams V4, can't wait to hit them but waiting for the course to soften up. I also have a new Ping Putter, now I will putt like Bubba.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Golf from the 1930s

A lifelong historian and history teacher for 42 years I am always looking for new/old adventures. And if it involves golf – all the better. This past week I hit some balls on a course that has been out of business for more than 70 years.


Great fun, still could find several of the tee-boxes and old sand greens, although they didn’t look much like it any longer. And no I didn’t use my new Adams irons. I used some clubs from the fifties as I was afraid I would break my old hickories if I tried them.

No old golf balls though, I just teed up a modern Tommy Armour, not because I like this ball but because the Worthington, Tommy Armour, was the ball of choice when this course was up and running in the 1930s.

Great way to spend a warm early spring day in Wyoming.

I have managed to play several rounds this month, today the wind is blowing, and I will settle for a hike in the state park and some TV golf.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Miguel Angel Jimenez - a Very Flexible Man


Like many golf fans I have long been intrigued by Miguel Angel Jimenez. Doesn’t look like he is in the best of shape, and there are always photos of him drinking and smoking cigars. He is partying while the rest of the tour guys seem to be running, lifting, resting, meditating, visiting with their personal sports psychiatrists or any number of stroke loosing activities.

But players on tour refer to him as the Mechanic, and for a reason. He is good, and can adjust on the go, he can easily fix things with his swing when needed and even if he is 50 he can still play with the young guys. Last year he became the oldest winner ever on the European Tour breaking the record of a 49 year old winner –oh, never mind, that was him also.

It is well known that he doesn’t practice much, other than hitting some balls before he plays, so what is his secret?

Flexibility, he seems to be blessed with it. Watch the video below, forget what he is saying just take a look at the 50 year old and see how flexible he is, that is why golfers, above all else, must stretch and stay flexible.
 

 
Miguel Angel Jimenez one of my favorite golfers!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Stadley, Buba and Four Guys on a Golf Course

Good to see young Stadler finally get one, even if I kind of wanted Buba to win. Looks like we will have two Stad's at the Masters this year.


Just for fun another golf joke!


A Foursome of young married guys playing golf on Sunday - One the second hole the following conversation took place

First Golfer: "Man, you have no idea what I had to do to be able to come out golfing this weekend. I had to promise my wife that I will paint every room in the house next weekend."

Second Golfer: "That's nothing; I had to promise my wife that I will build her a new deck for the pool."

Third Golfer: "Man, you both have it easy! I had to promise my wife that I will remodel the kitchen for her."

They continue to play the hole when they realized that one player has not said a word. So they ask him. "You haven't said anything about what you had to do to be able to come golfing this weekend. What's the deal?"

Fourth Golfer: "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say that the foundation for the new house is being poured next Tuesday."


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

New Clubs Time of Year


Are your clubs more than five years old? If they are you are likely missing out on the best of new technology. Now is a great time to buy new clubs. There are some great deals on end of the year clubs, new clubs are coming soon. If you buy the 2013 there are many, maybe too many, reviews of what you will get. Buy 2014 and you might be taking a bigger chance. Right now E-bay and Amazon have dozens of sellers hawking last year’s latest technology.

Not in the market for new clubs, did you know that you should change your grips every year. Some of mine are five years old and I play a lot of golf, 200 plus rounds per year. But I am not going to take my advice on grips; instead I am going to order new irons. I bought new Calloway woods last year, and love them. I bought a new putter two years ago and will probably buy a new one this year. I have been looking at some new Adams hybrid irons and Ping putters so believe that is the way I will go.

-Laugh for the day-

A golfer, playing a round by himself, is about to tee off, a non athletic looking salesman runs up to him, and yells, "Wait! Before you tee off, I have something really amazing to show you!"

The golfer, annoyed, says, "What is it?"

"It's a special golf ball," says the salesman. "You can never lose it!"

"Whattaya mean," laughs the golfer, "you can never lose it? What if I hit it into the water?"

"Not a problem," says the salesman. "It floats, and it detects where the shore is, and spins towards it."

"Well, what if I hit it into the woods?"

"Easy," says the salesman. "It emits a beeping sound, and you can find it with your eyes closed."

"Okay," says the golfer, impressed. "But what if my round goes late and it gets dark?"

"No problem, sir, this golf ball glows in the dark! I'm telling you, you can never lose this golf ball!"

The golfer buys it at once. "Just one question," he says to the salesman. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it."

Monday, January 6, 2014

How To Find Lost Golf Balls


Americans lose 300 million golf balls a year.

The reconditioning and reselling of those used balls has become a hundreds of million dollars a year industry. The Internet and large retailers like Wal-Mart sell thousands of dozen each week. In the old days the only place you could find these ‘water balls’ was in the golf shop. Why don’t we find a few ourselves and cut out the middlemen.

So where do you look to pick up a few of the millions of lost golf balls.

When looking for balls try the out of bounds to the right 170 to 180 yards off the tee.

For the expensive balls try about 220 yards but still the right side.

Most golfers that should be looking in the 170 area look in the 200 yard area and most that should be looking in the 220 range look in the 250-260 area.

If you can’t find your own ball walk back, you likely didn’t hit it that far.

Better balls are often found left and behind longer holes.

When looking along water, more balls are found on the tee side than the green side.

Check out new tree wells, the edges of paths and any grass boarders that need a weed eater.

And lastly, if you find one, there is a good chance another is hiding nearby, make a circle around where you found yours.

Please don’t stop and look while playing, but there is always a chance to walk by some of these ball happy areas. Remember if you hit it here someone else probably did too.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Els,Singh, and a Wraparound Tour


Vijay Singh signed a multi-year contract to endorse Hopkins Golf. Vijay will wear a Hopkins Golf logo on his visor or hat, carry a Hopkins logo on his bag, and most important, play the company's wedges.

Hopkins CEO, Greg Hopkins, is the former CEO at Cleveland Golf, Vijay played there stuff for many years.

Ernie Els meanwhile has switched from Callaway to Adams and will play all Adams stuff. I’m betting this will let him find a new putter, one he actually feels comfortable with, and back to Titleist, no more Callaway or Taylor Made balls.  

Not sure about the new wraparound tour. So what is a wraparound schedule, a schedule that begins in one year and finishes in the following year. For example, a tour season that begins in October 2013 and finishes in September 2014 is one that uses a "wraparound schedule." Which is exactly what the PGA Tour is doing beginning with its 2013-14 season.

What it really means – tournaments in November and December that are supposed to be meaningful. (But its football time and limited field tournaments are tough to watch)

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Another Golf - Player of the Year


Adam Scott has been voted the Male Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America, Tiger Woods finished second. Before you ask who the writers in the GWAA are, I will answer for you. Writers who publish a lot of words about golf but fail to watch or understand that winning a major and two small tourneys in Australia does not make a player of the year.

Tiger won the money title and the Vardon Trophy (lowest scoring average) who, on tour, wouldn’t want to win these two? If not Tiger, Henrik Stenson gets my vote for player of the year, wait, I don’t have a vote.

I might be prejudiced against Scott, and I admit it, I hate the long putter. He is a big young guy and, too me, looks silly with that senior tour putter. I for one will be glad when they are gone.

Looks like golf for me this afternoon, nice day!

Congratulations to Adam Scott for winning the GWAA player of the year – even if no one has ever heard of this award.