It's been a....while hasn't it..?

I haven't forgotten about this blog but have been extremely busy the last few months with my new work unit and getting everything squared away. My son started soccer this year so that has limited my golf on Saturdays, which has meant a cease to full 18 hole rounds of golf..period..until the season is over. They have 4 more games left..but it's been a real treat seeing my oldest one (4 years old..lol) playing on a team sport.


Do you know what "AYSO" really stands for? "All Your Saturdays Occupied." I was absolutely surprised how big this AYSO thing is and can see why it's an ALL DAY event if you have more than one child playing. Gameday, or Saturday, is nothing but back-to-back soccer games from 08:00 am to about 3:00 pm. If you have "kids", multiple, you can see parents just juggling their kid's games from one field to another..hectic to say the least.


Anyway, my wife and kids are going on a 3 month vacation overseas so I'll be playing golf to my hearts content in a few weeks anyhow. I sold all of my Scotty Cameron putters in the last few weeks. It's not that I didn't like them but how many putters do I really need and they were all gathering dust anyhow. I still admire Scotty Cameron putters and will probably get just one shortly. I'm trying to figure out which one though.


As with all Scotty Cameron fans I also own a few of his putter headcovers. I just found out that one of them that I have is worth around $400, which I bought for $80 originally. It turns out it's a 1/100 collector's edition. I really awesome site if you want to know everything and anything about Scotty Cameron putter can be found at The Cameron Collector.


As many of you may know, Southern California has been inundated with fires..a "Fire Storm" as many reporters have called it. Here are some photos:

I have also been affected by this as my parents had to evacuate their home in San Diego and are still not allowed to come back in. They still don't know if their house is still standing but my brother told me the answering machine is still picking up..so either the house is safe or that's one hell of an answering machine.

Mr.77

I recently changed to another division at work and it's been extremely busy thus the lack luster quantity of posts. Things are getting more settled in now with the addition of staff and has allowed me to return, somewhat, to a more routine schedule. It also turns out that my "new" boss, actually..I've known him for over 10 years, had started playing golf last year and has the golf bug..bad.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, we played yesterday. He knew I've been playing for some time and he just wanted to play with an experienced player. We played at this place called Willowick Golf Club in Santa Ana. If you wanted to call a course a "muni" this place fit the description. All the holes except two of them looked the same..straight with very wide fairways with no water hazards..a park-land golf course..to say the least. I knew from the bat that I wasn't going to lose a golf ball this round..and I didn't. It's very easy to find since it's right door to a local radio station and it's humongous radio antenna tower.

We got to the first tee, easy to get on, and he hit a decent drive right down the middle. I countered with a similar shot. He hit a "Rosie" and it went about 10 feet. I countered with a wedge shot that landed about 1 foot from the hole. I ended up getting a birdie and he ended up with a snowman.

Anyway, I wasn't really worried about me outplaying him and vice versa because he knew that I was a decent player. I came to just have a good time and solidify our working relationship. I got there a little early and picked him up at his car, in the parking lot, with the golf cart. I got a deal where you get a hot dog and soda included in the green fee..which also really made him extremely happy.

What amazed me was how perfectly I was playing that day..given the course was not that long, it was a par 71 just north of 6000 yards, but every shot was dead on. They just aerated the greens and there was sand all over the place. I can only remember 2 distinct shots that went awry. The first being a thin wedge that landed and stopped off the rear slope of the green and the second being an attempted draw with my hybrid that was more of a cooked duck hook. The beauty was that I was able to get up and down all day long, including these shots, and save par on multiple occasions.

I ended up going 1 over on the front and 5 over on the back (we were playing against the wind). I wasn't even thinking of keeping track of score, but the boss did, and I realized I was playing extremely well. All I can say is that it felt the same way when I broke 80 the first time. It has been over two years ago but you just don't realize what you're doing. I felt that my mind was relaxed and that you're in..for a lack of a better cliched word..zen. I felt good over every shot and knew that I was going to get close to the hole on every shot coming in. My tempo felt so good that day and I felt that I was able to feel the head of club on every swing. Ball contact was clean and I just had that "effortless swing" all day long.

Needless to say, I'm still giddy about it and just put me in a good mood over the weekend..and still feel good. Golfers are a strange breed, we can get in trouble by our wives, girlfriends, bad day at work, etc. but as long as we know we played a good round it seems to bring things back to normal.

Deadly accurate..

Friend of mine sent this to me recently..all I can say is wow. As far as Ellen's shot..yeah..it was good..but even a blind squirrel finds a nut sooner or later..and I'd say that shot was going way right if we got to see it out on the course.

Busy..

Geez, can't believe it's been this long since my last post. It's been super busy around the house this last month. My brother in law came in to visit for a couple of weeks with his family and I was being the host/chauffer. We are also finalizing the remodeling of our house and I've been busy buying tile, hardwood flooring, and bunch of other "fun" stuff. On top of all that I recently changed to another unit at work and I am responsible for starting it up which has kept me the busiest these last month.

I did manage to get a round in and I played at Temecula Creek. It's a nice course and actually is comprised of three (3) nine hole courses. We played the Creek course and Oaks course. The Oaks course was difficult and basically was set on side of a mountain with numerous undulating fairways and blind tee shots..two things I hate, for my game, the most for a golf course.

The course was in decent shape but the thing that really stood out was that it was the first time I got to play at a course where all the cups were painted white. It was really nice to be able to see the hole from the far end of the green without someone tending the flagstick. I ended up shooting a 93 which was more than acceptable since the front nine was a total mess.

This was the first time I signed up for a golf discount card but went for it and signed up for the JC Players Card. It cost $349 that includes 5 rounds plus a free round (Temecula Creek incentive) since I was coming from Los Angeles. The cost includes cart, a Ashworth golf shirt, 9 coupons at the JC Players Card rate (between $20-$40 discount off regular fees), 10 buckets, 2 for 1 brunch coupon at any of the JC Golf Clubs and the JC Players Card rate.

I was debating whether to do it or not but for the monthly four-some golfer it is ideal. The courses that are offered are also some of the best in the San Diego and Temecula area. I was excited that Rancho Bernardo Inn was offered. This was the course that was shown in the movie "Traffic" (Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones) a few years ago. I played this course about 10 years ago and it was one of the most immaculate courses I've ever played. The thing that really stood out was how fine and white the sand was in their bunkers.

Anyway, I forgot to pick up a shirt but look forward to picking it up at the next course we play, Arrowood Golf Course, in Oceanside.

Felt Good..looked good..played good..

I played the back nine at my home course this morning. I actually got up late and rushed out the house to meet my friend. I felt so bad because I was late..actually I'm always late..but the fact that I seem to be making a habit out of this. Anyway, I debated to wear my new "golf" pants I picked up at Marshall's. It is absolutely sky light blue (UCLA light blue) but they were cheap and I needed so early morning golf pants that I wouldn't care if they got abused.

I paired this with a long sleeve white shirt and a white Callaway polo with a black belt with white stitiching..lol..I'm sure The Golf Girl would approve. I looked like one of those fancy shmancy euro players. I was somewhat self conscious of wearing these and realized how "bright" they were when I got outside..too late..I was already at the club.

I think I felt that I needed to bring my game on today to be wearing this stuff but I shot the lowest for the back nine in awhile with a 42. I had 3 pars, 4 bogies and 1 double. What I really noticed today was that every shot felt good to me and I just felt that I was really squared away each time I set up. I'm working on keeping my head down sightly longer than usual after contact which seems to be paying off.

The SkyCaddie SG3 is fantastic and I would have to say it has honestly shaved a few strokes off my game as well. The best feature, besides yardage, is how it advises you to hit it to this distance to leave your self with 100 yards in. This alone has really helped me out because I no longer get caught in an awkward yardage. I highly suggest to any avid golfer to invest in one of these..it really gets your head in the game instead of hitting blindly.

The collection is complete..

After a long an exaustive search all over I finally found the last remaining pieces to my puzzle:





The first is a 2nd generation Scotty Cameron Sante Fe TeI3 without the elastomer around the face. The second is a rare TeI3 "sole stamp" as the bottom of the putter is stamped "TeI3" instead of the face. The story on the "sole stamp" versions were these were produced before the line went into full production, thus giving it their rarity.

I had a TeI3 before but sold it for some dumb reason but one thing I still remember was the wonderful weight of the head. If you guys have a chance to grab one I highly suggest it..and they'll hold their value.

Free Safety Eldrick

Not sure if this is legit or not..looks real..think ol' Eldrick could pass for a free safety..wow!

Played at Nick's course..

I played at Shadow Ridge Golf Course in Palm Desert, Nick Faldo Design, last Saturday. A buddy of mine got a suite over there but unfortunately it was well under used since we all got there very late on Friday..around 1:00 a.m. I left the house once all the kids were put to sleep and thus my late arrival into the desert. Getting there that night was an adventure in itself and I had the luxury of stopping at a trucker's gas stop on the way there. When I pulled in I felt extremely out of place..but nature called. First time I've seen public showers in a restroom. I did my duty and left without incident.

It was unbeliveably cold that night and it was 33 deg. and dropping. When I met my buds we basically just watched some Golf Channel and everyone just crashed out.

The next morning was absolutely glorious but extremely COLD. I actually had to wear some layers and felt like I was going skiing. First time this year that I actually wore pants. When we got to Shadow Ridge you could just tell it was a nice place because they had their range balls set up in that PGA tour-esque pyramid.

Here are some photos I took:









It was a well manicured course and was stunning to see the contrast in colors between the fairways and the high brush. There were a few holes where there was water to contend with but the real hazards the whole day, besides the cold weather, were the immense bunkers all around. The whole course was dotted with sand bunkers..I guess Nick must like these. I unfortunately had the pleasure of dealing with his deep bunkers and ended up hitting into them 4 times..on one hole.

and (a first!!) your's truly (looks like the video embed is not working *sigh*)

One thing I appreciate about your better courses is that each hole is fun to play and not your "cookie cutter" layout. The par 3's at Shadow Ridge were monuments to be seen. Each hole left me looking at it for a while to enjoy how it was designed with it's beautful back drop. I look foward to playing Shadow Ridge again..when the weather gets warmer.

So what do you think?

Well, after a little elbow grease and alot of acetone, I took all the previous paintfill out. The finish on the Newport 2 Center Shaft is quite unique. The story is that the previous owner had it "restored" with a Black Oxide finish. Unfortunately, the black oxide treatment doesn't adhere to stainless steel all that well. Black oxide is best suited for your carbon putters (i.e. your Gun Blue or Oil Can Camerons).. one's that will rust, and if done right look fanatastic.

Anyway, the finish that got left behind after the previous black oxide was removed is quite amazing. It has a very burnished and matte looking shine that is very similar to titanium.



The matching Scotty Cameron Prototype headcover on this goes for around $150 by itself. I decided to break out a previous headcover I purchased last year from the Cameron Store. It's the 2006 Las Vegas Jackpot headcover:



You can see the rest of the headcovers that Scotty Cameron has come out with during the years (many which are highly collectible). If you like these..which I think the Golf Girl may be developing a penchant for (see "Camico")..lol..check out the rest of them at the "Cameron Creations" at the Scotty Cameron website.

New addition..

Maybe this is my year but I got REALLY lucky and was able to get my hands on a Newport 2 Center Shaft Prototype, yes..another Scotty Cameron. They only made 2004, the year it was made, of these and it's rare. It is not new but in great condition and thus I don't have any heartache in actually using it as a gamer.






As you can see it is a center shaft putter with a "Newport" head..quite unique looking. It is more face balanced which allows for folks with a straight back and through style..me. The previous owner supposedly tried to put some aftermarket "black oxide" finish on it but you can't put any finishes on a stainless steel putter..just doesn't stick. Anyway it now has a rustic, weathered look to it..but in great shape though.

I also got a new Scotty Cameron headcover today. I'm a member of "Club Cameron" which entitles me to early dibs on new headcover releases. The 2007 "Hula Girl" commemorates the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii and it was released today to the members of "Club Cameron". Scotty Cameron has been putting out these "Hula Girl" covers for about the last 4 years now and they have been quite a collector's item.

It isn't available to the general public yet..just to "Club Cameron" members. The "hula girl" headcover have still been some of the most coveted headcovers produced by Scotty Cameron and I'm sure this one will also be nonetheless in high demand.

Happy New Year..and my SG3 review

I hope you all had a safe and happy NYE. I and Mrs. Nomad stayed home with the young ones and welcomed the New Year by watching one of the many televised New York Times Square parties. I was surprised that L.A. doesn't have their own televised festivity yet seems kinda cheesy watching the taped-delay event at Times Square.

Anyway I finally got to put the Sky Caddie SG3 through it's paces. I was really surprised how well it kept up with it's yardages as I moved along. I was expecting some kind of delay but it was always "LIVE" and roaming with new yardages. The SG3 doesn't come with a holster clip so I had to just keep it in the compartment on my Sun Mountain push cart or my wind breaker pocket. (NOTE: I ran over to BestBuy and bought a generic holder for it)

Some of the neatest features was that it would tell you how far you needed to hit it to lay up with 90-100 yards left. I thought this was a very useful feature and kind of keeps your head screwed on instead of trying to go for it. Depending on how much information you want displayed, it will tell you how far each "target" (bunkers, water, hazards) is also.

It has a neat feature where you can "mark" where you hit a shot and then you can "mark" it again where it will then give you the distance you hit. I was surprised that what I thought were good drives fell short of expected..truth hurts.

The SG3 has a bigger viewable area compared to the SG2 and is water "resistant". The SG3 model uses two (2) regular AA batteries which was the reason I got it in particular. Those that wish a rechargeable unit can get the other models. But I say the SG3 is the best of both worlds since you can always purchase rechargeable AA batteries later. I just keep a few extra spares in the bag and I'll always be ready.

The SG3 performed flawlessly and I had no glitch or problems with it. It will advance to the next hole as you approach it which was neat. A few things I wish it had or maybe they can update the software later would be a little digital clock and maybe a scorekeeper..that would be so cool.

I previously had a Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 w/slope +/- laser range finder (that's a mouthful) and I can already say that for the average golfer the SG3 is by far the most practical yardage measuring device hands down. This debate will go on forever but the reality is the SG3 is ALWAY ON and all you have to do is glance down for a quick yardage. The laser range finder requires you to bring it to your eye, find your target, aim, click..it sounds easy..but try doing this for 2-3 times a hole for 18 holes..it's fatiguing..just this alone should turn you off. Also unless you have a clear view to the target the laser range finder is worthless (i.e. trees, hills, corners, which most courses have).

If you're a tour caddy you need absolute, precise yardage to every leaf, tree, rock, etc. on the course and by all means the laser range finder is it..but for the average Joe Golfer (you and me) the SG3 is it.