Goooo...Team!

Not the best start..waking up LATE and almost missing the sign-in for my first club tournament..but I made it. After check-in I got a bunch of goodies which included a GREAT fitting (I have a "Hal Sutton" head..hats just fit me bad) Adidas golf hat, Adidas golf towel and a pack of Noodles..which I'm sure I'll give away too.

I was surprised how many players were there. It was a shotgun start and with two four-somes at each hole..equalling 144 players..never seen so many golfers amassed in one location. I found my name on the team roster sheet, for lack of a better word, and I was in on team 17A.

The biggest buzz going on that morning was the $100 buy-in per team or $3600 purse. I thought there would be a few, that were like us, that were not going to buy-in..nope. It was a little humilating when the pro-shop was announcing (loudly, I thought, over the P.A. system) that "The teams that we have NOT received buy-in's yet..team 17A..17A..this is your last chance..Team 17A". I heard various snickers and guffaws..but heck this was my first club event so..oh well

We all got in our carts and then the starter announced over the P.A. system..GO! It looked like a wild golf cart race..kinda' funny I thought..but well directed traffic.

Our "first" hole was the 17th hole, par 3. I was amazed how well trimmed the tee boxes were for today and ALL the tee boxes were officically marked using the SCGA markers. We have four sets of official SCGA tees at our club (red, gold, blue, black). It turned out with my current index, 16.5, I was the "C" player. The "captain" of our team told me that I should tee off from the gold tees today..fine with me. I usually play from the blue tees anyway and with the new irons it just took a little pressure off from the start..or so I thought.

Our "D" player, who said he was a 25 index'er, played from the red tees..he said he plays from the blues..I'm glad he played from the reds. I hit second(our batting order was from the red tee to the tips) and pushed it BADLY right..ugh..not a good start. Everyone else got on and with the 4-man scramble format I was fortunate to pick my "errant" shot and take it back onto the green.

Our "D" player missed the putt for birdie but gave me a great view of the break. It was a quick downhill left to right breaker. I set up..took a nice stroke..good contact..birdie! Everyone was hootin' and hollerin'..wow. We also birdied the 2nd hole also, not me, but we were onto a GREAT start.

I'm not going to break down each hole..that would take forever..like this post already has..but we ended up going (-5) under for the round. We just about had a birdie opportunity on every hole but just a little out of our "index" reach and just made numerous pars.

I didn't have time to eat lunch with the team because something came up, wife called, so I high tailed it out of there. I was surpirsed for a scramble format how long the round took (5 hours) but we all were really taking time reading the putts.

Anyway, overall, I had a GREAT time and enjoyed the cameraderie throughout the round. We had great guys and our "A" and "B" players were fanatastic. No attitude and very endearing to the team..good bunch of guys..kudos to all.

Jitters..

A very late night post but I'm playing in my first tournament tomorrow at our club. It's actually a 4-man scramble so I won't have to worry about hitting good shots all the time..as if I did right? They are going to place four people (A,B,C,D player) in each group based on their index. Right now I'm at a 16.5 so I think I'll be somewhere between the C and D player. I was going to not play but figure if I'm going to do this it has to be now or never.

This may be crazy but I'm also going to test out the new irons (Titleist 704 CB) tomorrow. They want us to check in at 6:00 a.m. so I figure I'll check in and then get a bucket in. This may be not the smartest move but with this 4-man scramble format I figure I'll either hit a few bad and the others will carry me..or I'll just play so bad that I won't be playing in another tournament for awhile.

Hold your breath..

Hot..then ice cold..barren..wasteland

I played Meadow Lake Golf Club in Escondido last Sunday. I decided to leave the 775's back home, more on this later. I was playing with a couple close buddies that I haven't played with since last February. Since they both live and work in San Diego it's been difficult to get together with all our different schedules. Anyway, the course was beautiful and unbelievably not too many people playing for a Sunday. It felt more like a country club than a muni. I shouldn't give away any secrets but this place has to be one of the easiest places to get a tee time.

It's not a long course, measuring at 6580 from the tips, but all the fairways are undulating and there are many OB's and blind shots throughout. There are numerous elevation changes too. I usually walk but looking at this place I decided that wasn't going to be the plan this day. The course call for accurate shots but a friendly course overall.

I believe I have a mental problem when playing with these guys. I tend to play very bad for some reason. To make a long story short I shot a 101. I was smoking hot in the beginning and won 8 skins on the front. I even had a birdie and a couple pars back to back. What really killed me were the OB's all over the place. There was an easy par 3 starting the back 9. I pushed my shot slightly to the right..behind a staked fence. Then on the next hole, a par 5 dogleg right, I drove the ball to the right which landed OB. I tee'd the ball again and same thing.

My driving started to leave me for some reason. I felt that I was tensing up and felt I was in a choking big time. We were playing for a few skins but harmless. I'm not sure what to do when this happens though. For some reason I just can't scramble when I'm with these guys..it was awful. I know I'm a better player than I was last Sunday. Anyway, I was bummed out playing so bad and still recovering. I lost all confidence in my driving toward the end of the round. I'm most likely going to play this Saturday to try to get my game back.

I played the back 9 the day before with the 775's. I really liked the scoring irons but then after that I noticed a couple things which really didn't work for me. First, there was much more offset than I expected. I tended to draw too much or I had to compensate by opening my stance even more. Second, the shaft (NS Pro Regular) was not firm enough for me and I had some timing/tempo problems. Overall, I'd highly suggest this set to the up and comer aspiring player. Perfect first set of irons for the serious golfer.

I've decided that I will be a Titleist man and find the perfect Titleist set for me, it's just going to be a matter of time. I am waiting on delivery of the 690.CB but after doing some more research I found that the 704 CB may be more up my alley..the quest continues.

New Irons..

I recently acquired a new/used set of the Titleist 775 CB. I was contemplating to get them or not but I really wanted to try some new technology and also I've never tried Titleist for irons. I know they have a great reputation and their craftsmanship is nothing less than perfect.

I was comparing them side by side to my Callaway X-14 Pro Series the other night and as far as overall size goes they're the same. The only difference I saw was the 775 has a slimmer topline and less rounded toe than the X-14 PS. My current shaft is the Rifle FCM 6.0 which I think they're a tad to stiff/firm for me..but I've been getting by with them fine. The 775 has the stock NS Pro in (R) which I hope will elevate my ball height compared to the FCM 6.0's which definitely has a lower trajectory.

I'm going to play on Saturday to test the 775's out, but the main event is on Sunday morning. I'm playing with 2 of my old time friends and I always seem to play bad when I'm with these guys. Depending on how I play with the 775's on Saturday will dictate if they will be in play on Sunday's match or back to the time tested X-14 PS. Even just by my statements alone I should just play with what I know works but I'm always a victim of new technology on any given day.

I also got my dream putter a few days ago. It's a Scotty Cameron Newport Beach 1.5. It is sweet and has a neat "thud" sound at impact.




I also love the 1.5 necks. The crazy thing is I'm going to buy another Newport Beach 1.5 because it's a good deal..I'm sick I tell 'ya. Depending how things go I may switch to all Titleist. I've been hitting my 905T a ton and in control. The only thing I'm missing now is a Vokey sand wedge..mmmm..I'm liking those Spin Milled ones too. Maybe also replace my hybrids for the 503h but I've heard they're not that great from the rough..where I tend to frequent alot.

Color of money..

I had an interesting experience while I played last Saturday. I woke up and really wasn't planning on playing but I know I usually regret it during the work week if I don't. I made it to the course and asked if they had room in the morning for a single. The starter put me down on the waiting list and off I went to to putting green.

As soon as I missed my 2nd putt, on the putting green, my name was called to check in..sweet..that didn't take long. It turns out a foursome was missing their fourth and I got lucky enough to be grouped into them. The starter gave me a warning though: These guys bet heavy..just play your own game and try to stay out of their way.

When I reached the 1st tee, actually the 10th..we were playing the back then the front, I was greeted warmly but not openly. I shook hands with all of them and told them I know the routine. I told them I'd keep my trap to a minimum and try to stay out of their way. They all laughed..a good ice breaker..of sorts.

I'm not sure what "games" they were playing but after 9 holes the guy I was riding with was down $640 to one guy and $360 to the other guy..geez! Yes..I was riding with the big loser. He was an older guy, Cuban, warm hearted, but with a mouth of a sailor. He had, I assume, a very important chip shot on one hole. He hit a great shot but the ball released heavily and went about 20 feet past the hole..and his sand wedge 40 feet. Afterwards he apologized and tried to justify that it was the "world's easiest chip"..is there such a thing?..and his was actually fairly difficult coming out of thick rough to a downward slope..

I was introduced, but didn't partake for obvious reasons, to a new "game" I've never seen. They called it "Bing-Bing". Basically, you have to putt and hit each colored tee marker (blue, white, red) on the tee box and then back. You can use whatever club you want. The winner is the one who does it in the least amount of strokes. Although they only played it when the hole ahead was backed up, it came out to be around 8 holes..at $40 a hole..so..you do the math.

The coupe de grace for my friend, The Cuban, was on the last hole. It's a par 4, 440 yard, dogleg left. We all, yes..me too, hit 4 of the most gorgeous drives on that hole. I actually hit it the 2nd longest so I had the luxury of watching the drama unfold. The Cuban wanted to press the money he owed to one of the guys on this hole. I believe it was about $810. The other guy agreed and it was on. The other guys hits his shot to the right in the rough..very difficult up and down. The Cuban sets up and HOOKS it into the water on the right..think my stomach turned..too.

The other guy ends up bogeying the hole and the Cuban takes a drop. He's only 20 yards away for a possible up and down bogey tie. He sets up..and skulls it over the green into the parking lot. I looked at the Cuban and actually he was very restrained and showed no emotion..but was down a cool $1620..geeeeeez.

After we finished I shook all their hands and humbly thanked them for a true lesson that day. They all laughed..and so did I..and said anytime..yeah right. I thought they were done too but they were going to play 9 more holes. I was merely a mortal amongst gods.

Stingers..

I was able to get an early tee time last Saturday and played 18 holes. I was determined and focused to play well that day and really felt I was ready to play good. I actually played the back 9 first then played the front 9. What surprised me was that the back 9 plays easier than the front 9 but I scored better on the front which I've never done. I only hit 5 fairways, but the rest were just off so not that bad either. I hit 6 GIR's and made 1 birdie and 5 pars. The rest were bogies and I got a double. I was hitting some of the best cuts in a long time. I'm really getting to appreciate the quality of the 905T. I did notice that it does have a boring trajectory and doesn't "baloon" into the sky like the Callaway GBB2. I was really able to feel the head coming through that day.

To make a long story short I carded an 83 which is the lowest I've shot at Rio Hondo. I was able to scramble really well that day. A first for me was when I drove one into the water and took the penalty and was still able to make par. I was about 165 out, side uphill lie in rough, and manged to hit it about 2 feet from the hole with a one-putt..nothing less than unbelievable for me.

I have to say that I learned a couple things that round. One, bad players will not get me down. Two, I can also play well if I ride a cart. I would say I was grouped with 3 of the worst players I've played with together in a long time. Usually this has a tendancy for me to bring my game down also but I managed to keep my head in the game. I was also surprised that the riding in cart didn't effect me either. Usually it seemes like walking allows me to get into my overall swing tempo sooner than later. One of my swing thoughts that day was to pause at the top which did wonders.

I also got a chance to try out these tees called Stinger. They look like normal tees but are about half as thin in diameter compared to your standard tees..felt like the ball was on a toothpick.



They felt great and I did notice less resistance on my drives. I'm planning on buying a big bag of them soon. I've tried Zero Friction but have to say that these Stingers seemed to perform better. One con was that they tended to break in half quite easily compared to your standard tees, but for the performance you get it's worth it.

Nice fade..

I always wanted to try this to..



..he should've gone for a draw I say.."where'd it go?"..

Going to the "Chop Shop"..

Actually these two putter heads will be destined to the Scotty Cameron Custom Shop. I figure they are going to cost me about $250 for both for a full restore, but I got the putters fairly cheap so..



I don't have any reshafting equipment at the house but I read some tips at The Cameron Collector. There's a DIY section and it said I could also use a gas stove..which I do have. I basically placed the head right on top of the flame for a few minutes. Then I gently stepped on top of the head and pulled the shaft right off. If anyone plans to do this just REMEMBER THAT THE HEAD IS EXTREMELY HOT. I placed mine on top of a towel on the floor and was wearing my running shoes..remember it's VERY HOT..think of a branding iron..yes..HOT.

My only problem is to determine to just restore them back to original specs or "customize" it with various paintfills and the custom stampings and colorful grips.

They arrived..

I ordered a couple of funky looking grips on Ebay last week. I wanted some color and my sand wedges (Cleveland 588 Gun Metal 51 and 56 deg.) needed to be regripped. I was going to get them regripped with the red/black Winn G8 (like I did with all my irons recently..oops sorry forgot to post about that) but decided to do something different.

I was looking for a funkier color and ran across these grips from IOMIC. They are reported to have some kind of beneficial "ion" properties and that they emit a low level amount of "healthy" radiation, but beneficial to overall health, that improves my metabolism. I'm sure radiation will "improve" alot of things.





No wonder my short game is out of whack..I've mismanagaged my ions..RADIATION?!?!. They look like big ol' carrots to me..

What a Day..

I'm still here and I know it's been awhile. I also didn't play any golf for about a month until this weekend. My normal playing buds were busy and out of town and I just didn't feel like going to the course so early just playing alone. That was topped with the luxury of sleeping in a little more.

On Saturday I played at Los Verdes Golf Course. It's one of the highest rated muni-golf courses in Los Angeles since its proximity to the ocean and panoramic views. I've played their only once about 8 years ago so I actually forgot how to get there but with the invention of Google map I found it. I ended up shooting a 90 which was I was surprised with (for the lack of golf I had played recently).

I personally think the course is much too over-rated and would say it is "similar" to Torrey Pines (south or north), as many have said it was like, but not quite. I did get to see the ocean on a few holes and there was one where it looked like you were literally teeing off into the ocean. It is nice course overall with all the greens breaking toward the ocean. Not really a difficult course but the greens are fairly tricky I thought.

The highlight, for me, was a drivable par 4 downhill. It was about 320 yards but into the ocean wind. I hit one of the purest drives, for me, on this hole and landed 5 feet from the green. I hit a great chip and had 2 feet for a birdie..I managed to par..ugh. What really surprised me was that I had four birdie opportunities that day..the most I've ever had in a LONG time..I par'ed all 4 though.

Yesterday I played in my friend's son fundraising golf tourney at Scholl Canyon Golf Course. I've played at Scholl Canyon a couple times before but just not a fan of "executive" courses but it is a wonderful "executive" course that is nestled away in the Scholl Canyon Mountains..sorry..I made that up..not sure what the mountain range is called..but sounded nice.



It was a 4-man scramble and I finally found out he difference between a scramble and a best ball. We ended up with a final score a -3..not bad..but not low enought to win. The winners were -8. The highlight for me was when I won one of the "closest-to-pin" contest and ended up winning $80 on the hole..but I ended up donating that to the fundraising proceeds..which all the other "closest-to-pin" winners followed suit.



It was the first time I ever won a "closest-to-pin" hole though. It was a very short par 3, 90 yards, and I hit an easy wedge. It ended up about 1 foot from the hole. I knew that I had a great chance of winning that one..which I did.



I was also busy the last few week because I was looking for a car for myself..a daily commuter. I was thinking of getting a used Toyota Camry (couple years old) but ended up getting a brand new Toyota Matrix.



I was actually going to get a Toyota Corolla but then found out the Matrix is the same car/engine/frame but a little bigger interior. I wanted something I could easily carry my golf clubs in and this was the charm. The rear seats fold all the way down to actually go straight flush flat for mucho cargo room. Mine looks exactly like the one pictured above but in "Cosmic Blue Metallic".

I sold a majority of my Scotty Cameron's this past week also, but I did buy a mint condition "Inspired By Brad Faxon" Laguna 2.5



It is sweeeeeet. I only have four Cameron's left..they're beaters and I am planning on sending a couple of them to the Custom Shop to get restored..can't wait!

Been busy..

I know I haven't posted in a while. We just celebrated our daughters 1st birthday and just didn't have time to put anything up golf worthy. I got to play last week at the Montebello Country Club. A nice course, for a muni, with a healthy dose of fairway bunkers. The course has numerous doglegs (lefts) which didn't set up to my drives. I either went fairly straight running past the dogleg into the trees or a bad cut that REALLY didn't help. The greens, I thought, were in very peculiar condition though. It seemed they were just damp the whole day and felt like you were putting a a damp sponge. I really hated the way the ball rolled. You really had to give it a good tap and thus it was hard to manage my distance/speed control.

I've also been "collecting" various Scotty Cameron putters lately. It's been truly an addiction, to say the least, and I can see why people collect baseball cards or comic books. I've bought and sold 5 Camerons already and will be in possession of 5 more. It's going to be harder to decide whether I want to sell these or keep them this time since they're a little more rare than the first batch. I get most of my information and knowledge in the world of Scotty Cameron at The Cameron Collector.

I have a Coronado Classic in a rustic raw state, but oiled, which I think looks flat out beautiful..and I know I'm going to keep for awhile. I just got a Laguna TeI3 which is also a beauty. Then I have a couple of Pro Platinum's in the Laguna 2 and 2.5. I then got a Newport Mil-Spec which is fairly rare.

I've been forgetting to take the digital camera out to the course to shoot some pictures with it but will DEFINITELY take it out this weekend.

Celebrity golfers..

I'm still waiting for my name to get registered with the SCGA (Southern California Golf Association) so I can pop my name in and see my handicap index. I was interested at seeing at what some of my fellow office workers shoot so I popped their name into the SCGA Handicap Index Lookup and "Voila!", their full playing history for me to view.

My mind then got curious, or nosy - you choose, and I knew there were numerous celebrity golfers in southern California. I also realized many of them are VERY serious about their golf game. I put two and two together and started punching in names of some of my favorite actors and wow!..as the PGA Tour slogan says.."These Guys Are Good."

Here are a few "players" in Tinseltown (as of July 1, 2006):

Jack Wagner (1.4)
Samuel Jackson (4.9)
Mark Wahlberg (6.2)
Andy Garcia (9.6)
Bill Gates (20.7)
Ray Romano (14.1)
Kevin James (17.9)
Jack Wagner (1.4)
Craig T. Nelson (6.0)
Clint Eastwood (13.7)
Sean Connery (15.3)
Mel Gibson (23.6)
Kevin Costner (11.2)
Dennis Hopper (17.1)
Joe Pesci (17.2)

I'm proud to say that I'm in the same golf association and I can hang with Raymond and Mr. Bond and can whoop Mel Gibson..give me a call guys.

Played hooky..

I played hooky from work this week and played 18 holes. I really wanted to break 90, which would've made it the 2nd time at Rio Hondo, but failed to do so and shot a 94. I was rolling the ball real good but my driving was atrocious. I think I only hit four fairways. What really hurt me was the mess I got into in the bunkers. My bunker play is actually pretty good and I have no worries when I get in one.

I was in three fairway bunkers that I was going for the green in. I not only needed to get out but needed to carry. I hit decent shots, clean, but too strong and I ended up over shooting the green on all occasions. I would say I lost about 3 to 4 strokes because of these errant shots.

I'm still getting use to the 905T and was cutting the ball pretty good but the drives don't seem to be that high for the loft of the driver, 10.5. I wanted to try the new Callaway HX 56 TOUR so I bought a sleeve. It is a very nice ball and plays like the Pro V1..maybe a hair softer..and much softer than the HX TOUR. Hopefully if my digital camera arrives by Friday I'll be able to take some pictures on Saturday.

Got A Camera..

I finally decided to take the plunge into the 21st century and got a digital camera..WA-HOO!! I've always been partial to the Canon family and enjoyed how well their pictures came out and very durable. I wanted to get something that was easy but still had some cool options and within a budget. I decided to go with the Canon PowerShot A620.

It's not as small as I prefer but since it'll be serving double duty for family as well as golf photos it will do. It can also take up to a continuous 1GB of video, approximately 8 minutes, which should be plenty to make some homegrown golf videos which I haven't done in awhile. I also am getting tied of constantly scanning photos to send to friends and family. I can't wait to take it onto the gourse and try it out. I ordered it online at Adorama Photo because I've bought from them before without a problem.

I played my customary back 9 at my home course. As always it's just not enough when you get on a roll. I'm calling in sick tomorrow to play a full round. I'll post some pictures up as soon as I get the camera and take it out.

On a sidenote: The Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 1.5 sold on Ebay for a nice price. I told my wife I'm giving her the profits which made her happy..and me too.

Perfection..

Just got this on one of the golf forums I frequent. I can't believe how still Tiger's head is on the backswing. You can see different profiles of the same swing by clicking to the icons below..simply perfect..wow.

Tiger's swing in super slow-mo!

Where are you Brad?

I finally played 18 holes last Sunday. I did pretty good on the front, got a birdie and played bogey golf, but just blew it on the back and ended up with a 95. I usually play 5 strokes less than the front and thought I was going to be sub-90..NOT!! I'm still getting used to the 905T and it's shallower face, but I can't believe how many times I topped the ball. Fortunately, with the softness of the HX Blue no lasting impressions were left behind on the crown of the driver.

I turned in my scorecards so I should have an index with the men's club soon. I'm excited to play in some upcoming events soon.

I wass thinking about all the Scotty Cameron putters I acquired recently. I laid them on my bed and it was quite a sight. I should've taken a picture of the "family". I debated whether to keep them all or sell them. I decided to sell the Studio Style Newport 1.5 and the Studio Stainless Newport 2.5. I really do love the neck design of the Newport 1.5 and 2.5's but it's just not a Laguna or Santa Fe. I'll keep the Studio Design 2.5 because I dig the Pearl Black finish.

I sold the Newport 2.5 in a matter of hours. I actually went to change the auction from a "Buy It Now" to a "No Reserve". For some reason my changes weren't taking effect. The putter had sold during the time I was tinkering around with my Ebay ad..crazy. The Newport 1.5 is a true "NO RESERVE" auction. Let the market bear it's price.




I'm looking to get an IBBF. "What's That?!?!" It's short for "Inspired by Brad Faxon" A collectible Scotty Cameron..aren't they all ?!? but I just figured I could kill two birds with one stone and get a Laguna style, which the IBBF is, with a little touch. On the back "bumper" area it is written Brad Faxon..cool huh. They're not cheap and are running from $300 and up, including the original headcover, depending on condition.

I'm debating whether to get just the putter itself, which would be cheaper, or get it with the headcover. I didn't realize the "IBBF" headcover alone can fetch up to $100 or more..gadzooks! (you should see what the cost on some other very highly collectible Scotty Cameron headcovers are going for!! OMG.)

Caddychicks..

What a novel idea..I wish I had thought of this. How cool would that be to show up and have your personal caddy. I haven't really had a time to go through their site but looks good. They actually have courses that I play at too. Maybe I should ask if they would like a reviewer..lol

Do what the pro's do..

I was messing around at the PGA Tour site and ran across this little Titleist multimedia player for the pre-shot routine for numerous PGA tour pros. It's pretty cool.

And you think I'm sick..

I was checking out The Cameron Collector, again, and couldn't believe this collection..speechless. I'm not sure if he's a collector or seller or both but none the less..amazing.



I just bought two more Scotty's today, a Newport Studio Stainless 1.5 and Studio Design 2.5. I originally was only interested in the SD 2.5 but then for some reason didn't want to split them up so I got both. I'm pretty sure this is it..

A sickness..

I promised not to look at anymore putters and that I am happy with the Scotty Camerons, (yes, plural, I have 2), I have now. Well, with some of the time I've had at work lately, I was browsing through various Scotty Camerons and for some reason the Sante Fe and Laguna models really caught my attention. I really liked the flowing neck of both putter styles.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my Red X. Actually, it is my FAVORITE putter and it feels unbelievably awesome with a good weight..but just one more.

Anyway, I couldn't find too many Santa Fe's or Laguna's on Ebay that really caught my eye. I was then checking out The Cameron Collector site, the name says it all right?, and found an absolute gem on their Buy/Sell/Trade section. The Studio Style Newport 1.5 was absolutely gorgeous and it looked very similar to the Sante Fe.

I got a great deal and with the unique lime green paintfill made it a stand out. The putter also has the lime green Scotty Cameron Custom Shop grip and comes with the matching lime green headcover (as pictured above).

I've heard people that buy a Scotty can't only stay happy with one. I absolutely, whole heartedly disagreed and said that I would be more than happy if I just even had one Cameron..well..I was wrong.

Three reasons for getting a Scotty Cameron:

1. They are incredibly well made and very solid putter.
2. They are weighted perfect and don't feel light nor heavy..just perfect.
3. They hold their value.

The putter is one of the most frequently replaced clubs in bag. Instead of buying a Never Compromise to a Yes! to a PING to a ?? I'd highly suggest to anyone getting serious about the game to invest in a Scotty Cameron, period. They can be found for a good bargain these days on Ebay and places like The Cameron Collector. Your putter is going to be the most used club in your bag so you might as well get the best.

Putting is Good..

I played my typical 9 holes last Saturday and played pretty good. I shot a 5 over for the back which I'd say is pretty good for me. I knew I was going to have a decent round when I chipped in for birdie on the first hole..which I've never done there. One thing that might've been "cheating", if it is, is that I played from the white tees. This wasn't by choice but rather the group that I played with were playing from them. I could've played from the blue tees but didn't want to seem pretentious..lol

But this leads to another question. Am I supposed to play from the white tees or blue tees? I have to honestly say that my driving was really bad that day but I really made it up with my short game so it was hard to say whether it was the shorter distance or that I just able to pull off more up and downs. I was putting really good with the Red X. I really love the weighting of it and have noticed I have less putts left short.

I'm still getting used to the 905T and noticed that the Aldila NV(S) shaft plays a tad softer than the ProLaunch(R) shaft. It seems that for my swing the NV(S) is suited for me. I'm playing tomorrow morning again..have a Happy 4th of July everyone.

Iron Wood..

I played at a little 9 hole course in Cerritos yesterday. We couldn't get on at our course since they were having a shotgun tournament and booked until 6 pm. We decided to go to Iron Wood G.C. I'd classify it as an "executive" course with only two par 4's (I think they were like 330 yards each) and the rest par 3's (ranging from 100 yards to 154 yards). Not much playtime for the mid irons here and would only play here as a last resort..no offense.

We played it twice (I guess it would be a par 58) and I ended up with a 70 (going 7 over for the "front" and 5 over for the "back"). Not sure how to figure this out but I felt I played pretty good for what the course had to offer.

The new driver felt good. Quite a different feeling and sound from the Callaway. You really feel like you hit it with the "thwack" sound it makes, compared to the "PING" sound of the Cally. I would say it sounds like hitting a melon with a baseball bat. I did have to tee it up lower than before, which is probably due to the shallower face. I really did like the "pear" shape head at address and how clean it looked. One thing that bugged me is how tight of a fit the 905's headcover was. You really need to work it to get it on.

I have a feeling the 905T will stay in the bag and the Callaway GBB2 415 will be up on the auctioning block soon.

Terra Naomi..

She's not an LPGA pro but you guys know I'm into all kinds of music and I ran across this a couple days ago perusing YouTube..what a voice Terra Naomi has! I enjoyed seeing all the other people trying to do the same song, some funny some bad. It actually gave me some inspiration to drag my six string out of the closet too..maybe after MUCH practice I'll post my rendition of her song. Anyway, Terra, if you happen to read this keep it up..I know I'll be buying your CD soon.



BTW: Cutting out early from work to play today..hooray!

Back to normal..

I played last Saturday..just the back 9. I shot 8 over which is acceptable compared to last weekend's debacle. I received the 905T yesterday and it's in great condition. I know I've mentioned this before but if anyone is looking to for golf equipment check 4GEA.com (Swap Shop), before Ebay, first. You can usually get a good deal..I got my 905T for $135, shipped.

I decided to join the Men's Club at my golf course. I've decided instead of having to gamble on whether I'll be able to get off a round in the morning that I'll now be guaranteed, at least once a month, an early tee time for the monthly tournaments..and it sounds like fun.

I updated the "Fun Stuff" section with some new games..couldn't find any golf ones..the paperball in the waste basket one is the closest. Anyway..enjoy

Gol..

I've been watching alot of World Cup lately. I have to admit I'm not a die hard "futbol" fan but when the World Cup season hits I get excited. I can only name a handful of the world's top soccer players but my favorite, as probably many of you, is Ronaldinho. He is so absolutely unbelievable and has the best foot skills when it comes to manipulating the ball.

Yard Sale..

I sold my laser rangefinder this week on Ebay. It really is a wonderful device but I just needed to offset the purchase of my putter that I also purchased. It sold within a matter of hours on Ebay for almost the same price that I bought it for. I then had a thought and was browing through my sports closet and saw a bag full of headcovers. I decided to also see if anyone was interested and sure enough I sold a few of them instantly from placing them in the classifed section on a few golf forums. I sold 3 (a maroon and yellow Scotty Cameron and a silver Mizuno TP Mills) to one person and then a R7 headcover to another person..enough to finance a round of golf.

Oh yeah, I bought a Titleist 905T a few days ago for a price I couldn't refuse. Here's some more info on it. The last time I played with a Titleist driver was the 975D..the one that Tiger Woods made popular in his earlier years. I really had a hard time with it the last I remember..but maybe things have changed..my swing..technology..both? I believe I'm a better player than before so I'm excited to see what's in store.

Worst Ever..

I got to finally play a full round yesterday..it was the worst I've played in months. I started okay with an acceptable bogey as a result from an errant tee shot but it all went down hill from there. The next 3 holes I managed to increase my bogey count to double, triple, quadruple. I repeated this feat the next 4 holes. After that I felt disgusted and just tried to make the best out of it. I would have to place the blame on:

1. Time of play - We played in the afternoon and I normally play early morning.
2. Slow pace of play - There was an unbelievably slow 5-some in front of us.
3. Bad Driving - I hit 5 fairways but the rest were just horrible.

There's no need to go into detail about the round but I ended up shooting 105. UGH! I was playing with 2 friends who were really good, which normally brings my game up, but I just couldn't get it going yesterday. I good drive was followed by a bad second shot..that type of day you know.

One of the guys I was playing with (10 index) usually plays for big money. You could tell his heart wasn't in the round. Anyway the last 2 holes (a par 3 and par 4, respectively) we decided to have a little money on it. We had another group of friends behind us and since the round was so slow and it was late in the day we decided to play the last 2 holes all together.

We decided that the worst 4 scores out of the 7 players on the last 2 holes would buy dinner. I ended up bogeying the par 3 (I hit an embarassing thin shot that managed to get past the red tees) and then getting a par on the last hole. I hit a good drive on the par 4 which was consistently followed by a bad second shot.

I got a lucky bounce that caromed nicely off the driving range fence pole and put my ball smack-dab right back into the center of the fairway..I felt sick but then relieved. I had about 80 yards to the hole and hit an unbelievable, for the day I had, 3/4 wedge to dead-stop and one foot of the hole for a tap in par. With a bogey and par I managed not get stuck with the dinner bill..at least got something out of the day.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the weekend to play again.

IHATEA

Geez..it's been awhile now since I've played a full 18 holes. I guess since I've been playing back-9's lately it's taken the edge off but still I yearn for more. I will for sure be playing 18 holes this Sunday..my wife said it's my Father's Day gift. I told her I didn't want anything and actually I'm looking to sell a few things off.

I was busy last weekend buying some furniture for our kids. We ended up going to IKEA and ended up purchasing a couple of drawers. I ended up, obviously, putting the drawers together that night after stuffing my face with carne asada and beer (neighbor had a birthday party)..my god the carne asada was sooooo good. How do they come up with all those stupid names for all stuff that IKEA sells? I hate asking for help and they ask you what product you're referring to..it's the Mermo, Mamo, Mimo, BAH!!

Anyway, needless to say, I was in no condition to put together a drawer system with a million parts that night..but my wife thought otherwise. Also I didn't like the fact of messing with my 12v power drill either in the present state of mind..but oh well. It honestly took me 5 hours to put one drawer together even with the drill, I could only imagine how long it would've taken with a screwdriver..I hate IKEA.

Looks like I got mentioned at Blogger Leaderboard again..yeah. Oh yeah if your're looking to buy a laser rangefinder or a Bettinardi BBX "Mercedes Benz" putter let me know.

59/153

She didn't make it (Michelle Wie Honolulu, Hawaii 68-75--143) but these are the men she did beat:

Ryan Dillon Aiken, S.C. 74-70--144
Alex Cejka Germany 69-75--144
Eugene Smith Glen Ridge, N.J. 73-71--144
Ricky Barnes Scottsdale, Ariz. 74-70--144
D J Brigman Albuquerque, N.M. 69-75--144
John Appleget Dorothy, N.J. 73-71--144
Heath Wassem Scarsdale, N.Y. 76-68--144
Andy Brock Chatham, N.J. 76-68--144
Scott Gutschewski Omaha, Neb. 72-73--145
Stephen Leaney Australia 72-73--145
Todd Tremaglio Meriden, Conn. 72-73--145
Shannon Sykora Davie, Fla. 72-73--145
Len Mattiace Jacksonville, Fla. 69-76--145
Duke Delcher Bluffton, S.C. 68-77--145
John Senden Flower Mound, Texas 75-70--145
Brian Belden Emmaus, Pa. 74-71--145
James Driscoll Reston, Va. 72-73--145
Troy Pare West Warick, R.I. 73-72--145
Michael Allen Scottsdale, Ariz. 74-72--146
Christopher Gray Newark, Del. 72-74--146
Charles Meola Mamaroneck, N.Y. 72-74--146
Andrew Dibitetto Rochester, N.Y. 74-72--146
David Young Garrison, N.Y. 70-76--146
Gregory Baker Boonton, N.J. 70-76--146
Geoffrey Sisk Marshfield, Mass. 70-76--146
Nick Clearwater Darien, Conn. 72-74--146
Frank Dully Salem, Mass. 73-73--146
Nathanial Sell Philadelphia, Pa. 73-73--146
Brandon Knaub York, Pa. 68-78--146
David Gossett Scottsdale, Ariz. 72-74--146
Rick Hartmann Sag Harbor, N.Y. 72-74--146
Allan Small Florham Park, N.J. 77-70--147
Kevin Silva New Bedford, Mass. 72-75--147
Matthew Cannon Huntersville, N.C. 74-73--147
Billy Downes Longmeadow, Mass. 73-74--147
Clint Deibert Doylestown, Pa. 74-73--147
Mark DiGiacomo Lebanon, Pa. 71-76--147
James Herman Port St Lucie, Fla. 76-72--148
Franklin Hatchett Dallas, Texas 73-75--148
John Guyton East Williston, N.Y. 74-74--148
Chris Dachisen Warren, N.J. 71-77--148
Chris Peddicord Palm City, Fla. 75-73--148
Michael Molino Dallas, Pa. 75-74--149
Brad Weesner Lindale, Texas 70-79--149
Ben Portie Westminster, Colo. 77-72--149
Bryan Bigley Schenectady, N.Y. 73-76--149
Austin Eaton New London, N.H. 75-74--149
John Reeves Bedford, N.Y. 74-76--150
Derek McDonald Westfield, N.J. 77-73--150
Mark Farrell Westport, Conn. 76-74--150
Ben Hoffhine New Rochelle, N.Y. 74-76--150
Tug Maude Jensen Beach, Fla. 77-74--151
Jim Roy Syracuse, N.Y. 75-76--151
Brent Wanner Orleans, Mass. 74-77--151
Mark McCormick Middletown, N.J. 77-75--152
John Nieporte Boca Raton, Fla. 73-79--152
Jeffrey Osberg Chester Springs, Pa. 74-78--152
Ray Maklowski Trinidad 78-74--152
William Morgan Whispering Pines, N.C. 79-73--152
Kenneth Jarner Las Vegas, Nev. 76-77--153
Bobby Myles New Britain, Conn. 75-78--153
Edward Kirby Wakefield, R.I. 77-76--153
Jeffrey Cowell Great Neck, N.Y. 73-81--154
Jim Wahl Holmes, N.Y. 78-76--154
Len Siter West Caldwell, N.J. 80-74--154
James Gifford Clifton Park, N.Y. 80-75--155
George Marucci Jr Wayne, Pa. 79-76--155
Ryan Gabel Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 77-79--156
Stu Blasius Midland Park, N.J. 79-77--156
Kyle Sleasman Loudonville, N.Y. 73-83--156
Brad Worthington Fairfield, Conn. 82-74--156
Scott Hawkins Bayville, N.Y. 79-78--157
Joseph Yastrub Lake Grove, N.Y. 76-82--158
Anthony Imburgia Effingham, Ill. 80-78--158
Rick Leal Feeding Hills, Mass. 78-80--158
Chris Damiano Scarsdale, N.Y. 79-82--161
John Pharr Buffalo, N.Y. 81-81--162
Ben Whelan Canada 78-85--163
John Elliott Pottstown, Pa. 80-NC
Briny Baird Tequesta, Fla. 71-WD
Jose Coceres Argentina 70-WD

I really don't have much to say on this topic that hasn't been covered in expert detail by all the other news sources but I wish she would add some credibility on her end by winning some LPGA tournaments. I know shehas come close but that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

The next tournament she'll be playing in is the LPGA's 2nd major, McDonald's LPGA Championship, in Havre de Grace, MD (Bulle Rock GC) on June 8-11 which she finished in 2nd place the year before. It'll be interesting to also keep an eye on Morgan Pressel who I'm sure will self combust if she doesn't win.

I haven't played a full 18 holes for about 2 weeks but I did play 9 holes last Saturday. I've now decided that anything less than a regulation 18-hole round will be deemed practice by me. I hate it when I put my concentrated effort into it only having to leave after 9 holes and wanting more. This has helped ease my angst also for not having played 18 holes..no need to see a shrink.

Heart Attack...

I was busy packing a putter (sold it on 4GEA.com - excellent place to buy/sell golf clubs), to be shipped, yesterday afternoon. My wife was getting ready to go to her step aerobics class when I overheard her saying, to our 3 year old son, to not play golf in the house.

I just told her that it's ok and let him do it. She told me that she was worried that our daughter might get bonked on the head. I said it's alright..it's just a plastic club and ball..you know..it's one of those oversized, plastic, Fred Flintoston type kiddie golf sets..harmless. I, carelessly, told her that I'll watch him so he doesn't do any bonking..mind you I'm in the other room..not in view.

She said she's leaving and I went to see her off when all of a sudden I see my son stradling and "pony riding" my Scotty Cameron SS Newport, and without the headcover on!, on our floor. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I inspected the head and fortunately, and unbelievably, no damage was done to the putter..not sure about my heart though.

Madame X..

I just got back from San Diego last night and played 9 holes today. I was going to play a full round but just felt that my swing wasn't there to really deal with it on the course. It was just me today and got off about 6:30 am. Surprisingly for a holiday weekend the course didn't have too many golfers. I was hitting 2-3 balls a hole practicing various shots and getting more time in with my new 51 deg. wedge. I can pretty much nail it about 110-115 yards which fills the perfect gap between my PW and SW.

It was nice because I was able to just throw a few balls down here and there and just tinker around trying different stuff. I also got to finally play with the Red X that I got a couple weeks ago..and decided that it will stay in the bag. The one thing that really stood out was it has a great weighted feel behind it and seems my putts don't come up short. The ball really does come off the face nicely. I also think alot has to do with the fact that I have always felt that my putter swing is more straight back and forward rather than the open/close door style.

'Outta My Way..

They say L.A. is the car chase, as well as bank robbery, capital of the world. I was going through one of my daily news feeds and it turns out our local CBS2/KCAL9 has an online video library of car chases, since 2004, that have occured in L.A. Under the Browse Video tab, scroll down to "Car Chases".

I know..I know..another non-golf entry..

Kewl..

Not a golf commercial..but pretty cool nonetheless.

No Golf..

A belated post but didn't play last Saturday. I was planning on it but then my wife hit me with a massive "honey-do" list which included removing old shower caulk and replacing it..thought about playing the whole time by the way..ugh. Anyway..not sure if I'll be playing next week either because we're on going to San Diego for Memorial Day weekend..and pretty sure my clubs won't get to ride in the back of the Sienna. I'm off on Monday so I'll be getting a round in then most likely anyhow. I'm happy though since I got to see Lumpy win.

BTW: I put up a new SOTW..never heard his version of it..I like it though.

Tom Slighter..

Can anyone tell me who Tom Slighter is?..anyone..anyone..Bueller..Bueller..? ok that was bad. Anyway I know many of you, if not everyone, know who Scotty Cameron is but I assume that not too many people know who Tom Slighter is. Tom is the owner/designer of his line of putters at Slighter Golf Custom Putters, based in Snohomish, WA.

They are absolutely exquisite putters that are individually handcrafted and customized to your liking. You can tweak it out anyway you want and there are numerous styles he offers. Although they may look a Scotty Cameron, but even his design is actually from the PING Anser style, you won't be able to get Scotty to tweak it like Tom will do for a fraction of the cost with craftsmanship involved.

Although Scotty Cameron is based here in the U.S., but unless you have deep pockets and are fortunate to get one of his handmade creations, his putters are made overseas. All Slighter putters are personally created here in the U.S. by a master like Tom Slighter. I would highly suggest if you are looking to step up and purchase a high quality putter get one by Tom ASAP while you can!

I found out about Slighter putters from one of the golf forums I belong to and he also does putter refinishing. I had a chance to deal with Tom, personally, and he is a great guy. He has great customer service and gets personally involved in your order, which you won't see Scotty Cameron doing unless you're on the tour. I will be sending in one of my putters (Yes! Tracy) to get it "Slighterized!" with the 3X Black Oxide Finish.

Examples of his work done:

Here is another one that got "Slighterized!"

You may have noticed that the bottom of these Yes! putters have the "beach" sound slot which was also done at his shop. I'm not sure how much this affects the weighting of the putter, if any, but Tom can also add additional weights if desired also..neato!

Not Yet...

I played at Oak Quarry, again, last Saturday morning going into it with new found courage since I broke 90 at Rio Hondo last week. I really came with the mindset to play well and break 90. I played well and and hit the majority of the fairways. My putting wasn't that bad either with only one 3-putt, one 1-putt and the rest being 2-putts.

The kicker, as before, were the greens. This place has no mercy if you do not hit the green or near by it. The majoriy of the green seem to be perched up and guarded by hazards on all sides. It also doesn't help that they're all muti-tiered which adds to the overall difficulty. The greens are extremely tricky too. The holes break ALOT less then what appears which I noticed throughout the day. I'd say the greenskeeper knows what he's doing..very sneaky.

I did manage to only lose 2 balls this time, both on forced carry par-3's over a ravine, fun huh.. One thing I wished they did replace is the sand in all the bunkers. It is so coarse and granular. Very similar to playground sand..maybe I should take my sand wedge out the next time I take my kids to the playground. You really have to commit on your bunker shots here or you're going no where, fast, since a majority of them are pot bunkers.

The rough here is also very thick. I hit a great drive on the 17th and our group couldn't find it..it was straight as an arrow but just rolled into the rough..I ended up finding it but it took some time. Hitting out of the rough here always always incurred an additional stroke.

Either way I ended up shooting the same exact as I did last time, 95, which I wasn't too happy about. My goal this year is to break 90 on this course.

Yellow Box...

I received a mysterious yellow box package today. It was on my front porch.

What could it be?!? Taaa-Daaa!!

My Scotty Cameron Red X arrived :)

After a couple weeks and a few thousand miles traveling around the midwest it finally made it here. I'm contemplating just keeping it packed or playing with it. I may be playimg Oak Quarry again this weekend so if I do I think I'm going to give it a whirl there. It truly is a work of art.

New Wedge..

I got home and the wedge that I bought on 4gea.com (swap shop forum) was there. I was looking for a wedge to fill in the gap between my PW (46 deg.) and my SW (56 deg.). I got the 51 deg. wedge (Cleveland 588 GunMetal) to fill this void and to keep it consistent with my SW. I've always played with a Cleveland wedge and aesthetically it is still the "cleanest" looking wedge out there..it doesn't have any fancy colors or graphics. I got it for $45, shipped, which was a great deal.

This was the 1st time I bought from the Swap Shop but it truly is a golfer's mecca (bazaar) for used/new golf equipment. I would say that it's better and worse than Ebay for golf gear. Unlike Ebay the sellers at 4gea.com don't have "ratings" so you just need to do some homework and see who's legit/trustworthy and who's not. This can be done by checking out how active they are in the swap shop forum and also cross referencing that with how many posts and other items they have sold/bought by using the "search" function.

Yes, I agree it's still not the most secure way to find a reputable seller but after you browse the numerous classifieds they have in the swap shop you can get a feel for who the regulars are. There is also a positive/negative feedback section to further compare sellers.

It definitely has better prices than Ebay and usually some room to negotiate. I've noticed a majority of the sellers sell their product with a final "shipped" price which makes it simple to understand. The majority of the selling/buying is based in CONUS so any overseas sales would probably cost a little more with shipping, but like I said there is always room for a little negotiating.

These seller's just don't want to deal with all the Ebay BS and just want to turn a quick sell with less hassle. Many of the items for sale do not have photos with them so you need to know exactly what you are looking for. Many of them will take a photo of the product if you ask for it but don't be surprised if the deal is too good and some other person just buys it under you..money talks.

Anyway, my wedge arrived in awesome shape and looks like it was probably used for no more than a few rounds and I was more than satisified with the transaction. I asked for photos but figured somebody else might just buy it so I trusted the seller. The seller had also sold other items which made me feel more comfortable in the transaction.

I'm waiting on a putter but it got misrouted, not the seller's fault, and should hopefully be here sometime this week. I think it's on a Fedex truck someplace in Kansas right now.

Funny Who You Might Meet..

I played my standard back nine at Rio Hondo on Saturday morning with my co-worker bud. He's getting better but has a way to go on his quest to breaking 100 this year..he averages about 125 right now. I played really well on the back and finished five over. We were just a two-some on the back when another guy asked us if he could join us. Sure, no problem here. He was the spitting image of Sam Elliot..talked like him too with that drawl, real nice guy, with a touch of schizophrenia..no joke.

We were playing and I noticed he had a very old set of clubs with an old bag. No brand name here but he was a player. His driving was about as straight as you could point at..all the time. He had a wonderful short game too! He was always just two putts out for par. I don't think he even used a wedge..just putted everything off the fringe.

He tended to give us a "narration" of everyones shot, but very low keyed, and was telling someone..in his mind..what we did wrong or right. We were talking about golf balls and he was mentioning how everyone loves the PV1 and then he drove away still talking about it. He was actually having his own arguments most of the time. After the 9th hole we parted ways and we shook hands..great player.

We finished fairly early, 8:30 AM, so we were able to play the front..sssweeeett! We got paired up with these 2 high school students and it turned out that one of them plays for his high school and the other dropped out. Both of them looked like the cast from "That 70's Show". They were dressed in that skater/punk style. One of them, "Ben", was wearing his high school's golf shirt, tucked in, and sporting an "oversized" old school black "SOX" baseball hat, the brim was still flat as new, keeping in his enormous caucasion afro. "Chris", the "Ashton Kutcher look-alike" drop-out, was wearing jeans and an untucked polo with a ski hat paired with your classic "Jeff Spicoli" black and white checkered Vans slip-on's.

I could tell though they were players and had game for some reason when they got on the tee box though. They both had wonderful stances and swings..and they hit their driver a mile..geez. It was refreshing to see that unleashed, youthful, bravado in their swings. Here I'm trying to maintain my swing, short of chaos, and too see these two kids hitting the ball LONG and STRAIGHT was amazing.

They were at times way off the fairway from their brute force, but had the ability to put their approach back onto the green or an awesome layup..something you see the PGA guys do lately. They both had wonderful touch greenside and knew how to putt to match. It's was awesome to play with these guys..or at least play along side them.

I tripled bogeyed the last hole with a tee shot into the water followed by 2 miserable shots but managed to finish 9 over on the front for a combined 14 over for an 85 (par 71) and FINALLY breaking 90 at Rio Hondo. It's funny who you get to meet when you play golf.

SOTW..

Lately I've been looking for some good songs but the question is easier said than answered. I was searching around for what would be "good songs". I typed it into Google and it brought me a link to Fingertips. It's an awesome site highlighting numerous indie bands/singers, in a nutshell.

The site is very simple..almost too simple..to navigate through..but that's the beauty behind it as well..and it is all about good music..right? The best way to understand what they're about, and a good start, is to go here and then as your read the introduction make sure you click the highlighted links.

I've put up a few songs from Fingertips in the SOTW (Songs Of The Week) section at the sidebar. If you got some time check them out..it's amazing. If you're looking for the latest Dixie Chicks song or any Billboard Top anything it won't be here..but imagine the majority of the good music the radio doesn't play.

Yeah, I know so what does this have to do with golf..nada..but I like all kinds of music, but please no The Smiths (including Morrissey) or The Beatles.

60 Balls...

I consider myself a "frugal" golfer and have been playing with "experienced" golf balls for some time now. My affinity, still, is for the Callaway HX Blue. I recently acquired 60 of them via Ebay for $45, shipped which comes to around .75 cents per ball. I always buy all my balls from Ebay, last shipment was for 48, since they have the best deals anywhere. I have to admit that this batch was not as pristine as the previous batch but nonetheless they were in good shape. They were the older version also which made it a little cheaper, but still felt the same.

On the average though I will play one of these "experienced" balls for a round and then it will usually go into the shag bag so their "lifespan" is fairly lower than probably a newer ball or maybe because I just had a bad round with it..probably the latter.

Anyway, before you head out and buy a new box of PV1's check out Ebay you may be surprised what you may find.

Tied for 16th..

I played in my first golf tourney at Oak Quarry last Saturday. The picture you see on the home page is their signature hole #14 and is the view we had too..amazing. It was my first time playing here but Oak Quarry is quite an interesting course laid out through the quarry mines. It cuts through these huge quarry mountains and is visually stunning and has numerous elevation changes. I can't remember any hole that was just "straight" which kept me excited about the next hole.

I believe carts are mandatory and if it wasn't you don't want to walk this bad boy. There are just unbelieveably steep paths to the next hole and a little distance from one hole to the next. I'm not going to describe every hole and what I did or didn't do but what I can say is if you're outside the first cut of rough..fuhgettaboutit. The rough is fairly thick, but well groomed, but you just can't find your ball once it gets into the bushy area beyond the rough..and there were numerous "Beware of Rattlesnake" signs too. Remembering what I read from GolfChick I decided not to tread there. I ended up losing 8 balls, a shattering new record, but better than getting bit by a diamondback anyday.

The greens were much faster than what I'm used to playing and nothing really checked for me. I got wind of this rather quickly and played a bunch of bump and runs which worked out pretty good. Every green was muti-tiered, which I loath, but surprisingly I was able to lag putt well that day.

I got to use my rangefinder but it turned out the carts were equipped with GPS units but the GPS seemed to be off a few times with the correct yardage. Also one thing my rangefinder could do was to get yardages to the front of the hole and at various "markers" on the fairway and green which the GPS unit couldn't do. Getting yardages to the front was actually a big help that day since there was alot of trouble if you couldn't make to the flag.

A good example of this was on this on hole #10. It played 208 yds to the flag but if your shot went anywhere to the right you were done. I busted out my rangefinder and decided to hit it to the front, 178 yds., and hopefully run it to the hole. I hit my 5 iron, 180 yd. club for me, and hit a good shot but missed just about a yard from the front. It was safe though and I went up and down to save, the others in my group decided to go for it and posted 6's all around.

Hole #14, "Splinel Slide" (they name all their holes..not sure what they mean though..some kind of mining reference I suppose), is a gorgeous par 3. "This signature par 3 hole was rated the best in Southern California." Basically you're sitting high atop this canyon with a lake to the left and a very intimidating peninsula green to the front. You can bail out to the right but anything left is "bye-bye" time. The hole played 178 yards to the center but probably a little less than that since it was dramatically downhill. I went witht he 5 iron because I figured that a little long was better than short here. I ended up hitting a frozen rope, that everone was hollering at, at the hole that hit behind the flag and rolled and stopped at the first cut of rough..a 6 iron would've been perfect. I went up and down for par here which was awesome.

I ended up shooting a 97 (gross..really gross) and 77 (net), but one of the highest rating/slope, 71.9/133, courses I've ever played. They used the Callaway method of scoring since not everyone, I think I was the only one thinking about it, had established indexes..which helped me too anyway.

Erect-A-Driver..

You guys probably know that I'm fairly loyal to Callaway. It looks like Callaway is now offering the OptiFit Driver System. Basically the fitting professional will have access to 13 FT-3 heads and 23 shafts from the major shaft makers (Aldila, Fujikura, Graphite Design, Grafalloy, UST, Mitsubishi Rayon) for 299 possible combinations. According to Equipment section, Golf Digest May 2006, the OptiFit system includes 2 different clubhead models (Fusion Ft-3 AND the X460) along with 30 shaft options.

These shafts can be quickly switched in and out of the driver head based on customer preference. The retailer/fitting pro can switch out the shafts with a special torque wrench that is used to attach the shaft into the head of the driver. The demo driver the customer eventually selects will mimick exactly the one that will be created for them in the final result according to Callaway.

When I first read about this I got a little ahead of myself and thought that we would be able to buy these special shafts and the driver head with the torque wrench and then mix and match for our own use..now that would be the ultimate..who knows..actually why don't they do that?

Well, Nakashima Golf has done this. Their HTEC driver features a removable CNC milled-aluminum hosel allowing clubmakers to change any shaft in seconds, EVEN after you purchase the driver. The swingweight is ALSO adjustable by using a 10, 12 or 14 gram screw to secure the 460cc forged two-piece titanium head to the hosel. Basically, you would demo the driver and then walk out of the shop that day with your favorite/ideal combination. There's no need to order since the demo club becomes your own and no possible difference if it had to be created like Callaway's Opti-Fit.

After comparing the two though I'd have to say Nakashima has the edge. I just love the idea that the driver and shaft combo you go with can be altered and even re-altered again and again..now this is serious innovation.

My New Toys..

Well, with a little help from a good friend, I was fortunate to get my hands on one of the newest golf gadgets. It's the Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 w/slope Laser Rangefinder. I was testing it out around the house and it's pretty awesome. I was debating whether to plunk down the money to get this but I got a deal that I couldn't resist.

Besides taking accurate measurements from point A to point B (tee box to flag stick) it can take "real-time" roving yardages at various objects you point at as well as give you the yardages based on the slope between you and the target..how cool is that. For example, if you're looking at a 150 yd. shot but the green is elevated the rangefinder will compensate for this and give you a distance with this taken into effect.

I guess this particular one, with the slope feature, is "illegal" to use in tournaments but I'm not a regular tournament player anyhow and the slope feature is just too cool.

The other toy I got was a Scotty Cameron Red X. I saw, once again, a deal to good to pass up on the "SwapShop" at 4gea.com. Do I need ANOTHER putter..no..but it was purely an offer I couldn't resist. Hopefully I'll get it before this weekend for me to try both out this weekend.

I owe $4..

I ended up shooting an 85 and my friend shot a 101 and by our wager I owed him $4 (less the $1 for him going one stroke above 100). I really didn't keep an eye on him to see what he was shooting but have a feeling it was a tad further north of 101.

I was more involved in my game than anything and since his brother in law (also a beginner) was with us I just asked him after each hole what he shot. He was having a hard time anyhow bickering with his brother in law about what each other shot.

I did finally break the evil curse of playing bad when I play with less experienced players. Reflecting on this though the 4th person in our group, a single walk-on, was about my skill level. I was actually playing off of him, so the reason why my head was in the game..maybe the curse isn't really lifted..yet.

I'm actually playing in my first tournament at Oak Quarry next Saturday. I've never played there but I heard it's a beautiful course. It sounded some what serious since they asked what my index was. It's actually for a charitable cause but they're giving away some prizes too.

I just found out that Vijay Singh is going to be on "The Apprentice" on NBC tonight. Looks the the winning team will get to play with Vijay, and "The Donald", at the Trump National GOlf Club..how cool is that.

Aeration Conspiracy..

Looks like all the courses in my area are aerating and just letting everything grow out including the fairways..I guess it's that time of the year. I was debating whether or not to play tomorrow but will. I did last week and I just remember the greens were so shaggy..it just felt like a big practice round..and I played pretty good too. It was no use reading breaks but rather distance control. This was probably how they played in the old days anyhow.

One thing that worked in my favor was EVERYHTING checked. Well, not because of some PGA caliber tour spin I imparted on the ball but the greens had so much sand/seedings that it just killed any forward momentum of the ball once it hit. Hopefully it will be a little better tomorrow.

I'm playing with my co-worker, the same one cutting his teeth from my previous post, and it's kind of leaving me a sick feeling again. I've really made a mental commitment today to get into my game and play good. He, once again, wanted a wager on the side. We decided that for every stroke he goes over 100 it's $1 per stroke and for every stroke I go over 80 the same. It seems like a fair bet but from my previous outings with him I play so bad when it's just me and him. We'll see.

Free Callaway X-18..not

I was reading the latest issue of GOLF (May 2006). It's the ClubTest2006 issue. Anyway I saw a pretty enticing offer. It looks like there's a credit card, Upfront Rewards Visa (Universal Savings Bank), that is giving away a set of new Callaway X-18 irons ($800 Callaway Gift Card). What's the catch right? Well, it looks like you have to transfer over a $5000 credit balance and maintain $3500 in balance, with them, for 18 months. Looks like they've also offered similar offers before.

Doing the math it looks like it's NOT A DEAL! $3500 X (9.99% + 2.24%, added to prime rate - 12.23%/mo.) = $42.80/mo. in interest alone. $42.80 X 18 (months required to fulfill the agreement) = $770.49 YIKES!! Well, actually it probably is cheaper than if you buy it off the rack from a golf store, just you're not paying tax, but you can probably get around that if you negotiate/haggle with them anyhow.

Who's Your Caddie..

If you're interested you may have the opportunity to caddie for Billy Casper in the 2007 Masters .

I got bored today and have included a couple games you can play on the sidebar area under "Fun Stuff", sorry for the lack of creativity for a title. I'm actually kind of picky when I play internet games but these looked rather cool. There are a bunch more from the same site that I've linked to. Actually, I believe the site that is hosting the games, http://meph.eu.org/penguin.php, were the originators that introduced the ever popular YetiSport "Penguin" games..I really love all these.

Not Bad..

I played last Saturday morning with a co-worker from work. He started playing this year and still cutting his teeth out on the course. I'm a firm believer that if you play with bad players it rubs off on you. We ended up just playing the back 9 because there was a tournament going on. I just don't know what it is but when he and I just play as a two some I start mimicking his game..just bad shots followed by more impressively bad shots.

It got so bad at one point he tried to give me a tip. I looked at him as if he was speaking some foreign language. I'll gladly take advice from a better player but not from one who still considers moving the ball from bad lies and hitting a ball without checking if it's his. He wanted to play for money and I just rolled my eyes..Calgon take me away. It was the worst I've played in a while. I just wasn't into it. For some reason I just can't get serious when I play just a back 9. I ended up playing 2 to 3 balls per hole just for practice and fun..if it was that.

I did get to finally try out the new HX Pearl. It does have a unique pearl-luminescent cover to it. It definitely is a "harder" ball than the softer HX Blue that I'm used to playing. It was noticeable pretty much on all my shots. One thing I didn't like was that it seemed to come off the face a tad quicker than the HX Blue. I'd say it's in between the HX Blue and the HX Hot. I've ordered the HX Red yesterday. It's supposed to be a tad harder than the HX Blue but still a soft 3 piece. If it comes by this weekend I'll give you guys a report of it also.

I played again on Sunday with my normal playing partner. He and I play about the same and I played pretty good. I was only 7 over for 13 holes but we ended early since he wasn't playing good and that we promised our wives to get home early..I had some easter egg painting duties left.

Ta-Daaah!!

Well, actually I finished it last night..impatient. The Testor's paint seems to dry fairly quick and it probably helped I used my wife's blow dryer on it. It came out much better than I imagined and have a newly found attraction to it now.







I was reading that the Testor's paint may not hold up that well under play. That's alright, I was thinking the next time to go with a hot pink. I also found out they sell these paint pens which would make the job even quicker, cleaner.

Facelift for my 588..

After reading a few "how-to's" on other various golf forums (GolfWRX and TourSpecGolf..to be exact)I decided to take the plunge and "soup up" my old Cleveland 588 RTG 56 deg. sand wedge. Actually, I don't think I would've done it but I was with my wife, she was shopping for Easter stuff, today and we were at Michael's, arts/crafts store, and it turned out they had a bunch of Testor's paints.



After looking at all the colors they had I decided to go with "Flat Yellow". I wanted a little color to go against the natural patina of the wedge. Here's the process:

1. I removed all the original paint..the majority of it was already gone do to use. I ended up just picking the rest out with a tip of one of those utility razors. I heard they sell some goo (solvent) that will take the paint off of anything..which sounded way too scary for me to attempt to use even in the first place..saw bad things could happen.

2. After the paint was all out I cleaned it with some soap and dryed it out with a blow dryer..I'm impatient.

3. I brought out a few toothpicks, round kind, and dipped a little bit of the tip into the paint and then carefully dabbed it into the cavity of where the old paint was.

4. I took out the blow dryer again and started to cure the paint..impatient..but now it's just sitting in a corner of the room drying out on its own.

5. (Tomorrow) Take a wool pad and rub off any of the excess paint..maybe even go over it with a little Acetone (wife's nail polish remover)...WA-LLA!

*IMPORTANT: If you plan on doing this in the house wait until your wife leaves the house.

Taxes..

I was getting ready to play a round last Saturday but this little bug in my head was telling me not to..I haven't done my taxes. I made an effort to dedicate the whole morning in doing my return. I was running into a few problems with the online TurboTax program, but was able to debug it and ended up finishing it Sunday night..hooray.

I received the Callaway HX Pearl's but wasn't able to use them so I'll have to give you guys a report after I play this coming Saturday. I did get to examine them close up and they have this interesting pearl luminescence shimmer to it. The cover seems a little harder than the HX Blue I'm used to playing though.

Go Ben..

I'm not going to go into all the hoot and holler with the start of the Masters..there are numerous other sites/blogs that can and will do a much better job than I can even attempt, for example these guys, but what I am extremely excited about is that one of my favorite golfers, Ben Crenshaw, is tied for 8th with a -1 finish today.



I really don't know what I can really add to all the other information you can dig up or by visitng The Masters site. Besides all the drama of the lengthening..again..of numerous holes (holes 4,7,11 and 15 to be exact) here are some quirky tidbits about Augusta National:

Average age: 72
Average handicap: 13.2
Jobs: Corporate titans, politicians, oilmen and golf legends.
Duds: Green jackets at all times in the clubhouse. But never, ever, off club grounds.
Youngest Member: Jeff Knox, 41
Richest Member: Bill Gates (net worth $46.5 billion)
Best player: USGA president Fred Ridley (1 handicap)
Former guests: Celine Dion, Mike Shanahan, John Elway, Sandra Day O'Connor
Total Members: 300
Cost: $50,000 (compared to $350,000 for a membership to Trump National)
Membership: Invitation only
(courtesy of GOLF magazine)
1st golfer to be shot at in Augusta: Tom Lehman (read the story here). I'm sure there will be a future trivia question about who Troy Willis Smith is.

Singing Hills..

Sorry for not keeping up with the posts but I was just feeling out of it last week and things at work were hectic. I didn't even get to play last week but I did play Saturday. One of my buddies was having his bachelor party in San Diego and golf was part of the festivities. The course that they chose was Singing Hills, but I believe it's now owned and operated by one of those gaming casinos and now it's called Sycuan Golf Resorts..or something like that..anyway I'll still be calling it Singing Hills.

"Singing Hills" has two 18-hole course and then a 18-hole par 3 course (Pine Glen). I thought we were going to play the good course, Willow Glen, but the guy in charge of the bachelor party said it was on Oak Glen..bah. Willow Glen is much more prettier and better designed. All the holes on Oak look the same..but he did manage to get us a good price on the green fees and after not being able to play all of last week I really didn't care at that point.

We all played from the white tees and I ended up shooting a 93. I was satisfied with it being that I was just putting horribly with just too many 3 putts for double bogeys. I was getting out of the tee box unbelievably that day. I only had 2 holes where they went stray but with the lack of water on this course I was able to bring it back in.

My best shot of the day was from a fairway bunker about 120 yards out. My tee shot had ended up here but it was a very clean lie. I decided to take an additional club and went with my 9 iron. I hit it super clean and it came out perfect. I landed about 3 feet away for birdie and 2 putt, story of my life, for par.

I was playing today with the Callaway HX Tour and I must say it is slightly longer and stays on line a little better than the HX Blue. Since I'm running out of my HX Blue I'm going to probably switich to the HX Tour or Tour 56 which I hear is a tad softer than the regular HX Tour. I ordered a box of the new HX Pearl from GolfGods. I'll give you guys a report after I try them out.