The Golfchick

That chick blabbing about anything golf related.

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Golf Vacation, 4th course: The Ledges

July 6, 2006 / / 4 Comments

The next day, we drove up to St. George, Utah, one of my favorite places for scenery. After playing Wolf Creek, I was really looking forward to the beauty a course in St. George called “The Ledges” should afford.

The front of the clubhouse.

The proshop (duh).

We wanted to get there an hour early for our 8:00 teetime, and we gave ourselves almost an hour to get there from Mesquite. While driving up the road in St. George, we noticed a clock on a bank sign. Instead of saying it was almost 7:00, it read 7:44! Crap! No one mentioned the time change and obviously we didn’t think of it. Fortunately, it was a weekday and not too busy, so when we arrived at a few minutes before 8:00, they were able to accommodate our late arrival and allow for a relaxed approach to the first tee.

Even after our late arrival, I had a chance to use their wide-open range… …and practice green. You can see the chipping area behind it.

The first thing we noticed was a surprising absence of anything resembling a ledge nearby. The second thing, once we made our way in, was a swanky clubhouse. Fancy, fancy, fancy.

Just inside the front door.

Looking back on the clubhouse from the path between the range and the practice green.

The Ledges golf course has only been open for a few months and its condition reflects that. The fairways and the greens haven’t seen enough play to even seem touched. They were absolutely gorgeous. And the rough… oh yes, I saw the rough. Maybe most of the courses I’m used to have been beaten into submission by thousands of players over time. I don’t know the reason – maybe it’s a different type of grass or maybe it’s just trying to protect itself being so new. But the rough here is ROUGH. Not that it looks rough; it looks beautiful and green and lush and not actually that long. But it’s thick and grabby and difficult. It’s like “keep of the grass” grass.

We got lucky with the weather. This area gets extremely hot and extremely windy. The day we played, it was only about 80 degrees with a little cloud protection and the wind didn’t pick up until we were on the 17th hole. And boy, did it pick up. I’m glad we didn’t have that kind of wind all four hours of the round!

Keeping with the fancy theme, the golf carts are cherry and equipped with state of the art GPS systems, which not only come in handy for yardages, but allow you to order your food for the turn right on the screen. Even the cart paths are fancy – textured squares like a giant concrete parquet floor. And the smallest detail was not lost on me – the pencils are fine and sharp and produce crisp, dark marks. These people sure seemed to have thought of everything. It sure doesn’t seem like a public course. But where are the ledges?

The starter came to our cart to send us out to the first tee. The course had only recently been USGA rated, so the scorecards didn’t have the ratings on them yet. He gave them to us verbally and said we’d probably find the course pleasant and easy compared to Wolf Creek. We both played from the 6230 yard white tees (the tips are 7145). The front nine was pretty basic, flat and friendly, like many public courses. Nothing too spectacular to look at, nor grand elevation changes like I was expecting. The course was designed by Matt Dye (Pete’s grandson), and he did a good job for what he had to work with on the front. In my opinion, The Ledges is all about the back nine. I wonder if Mr. Dye was as disappointed as I was that the whole course couldn’t have been built on that side of the road.

This is the only picture I took on the front nine because it pretty much all looked just like this.

After you finish the front nine, you cross the main road (under it) and start the back on the other side. By George, I think we found the ledges!

The green on #10.

Now this is more like it. The back nine goes further back into the rocks and has a few elevation changes like I was expecting. It had a few really pretty holes and definitely was more of a challenge than the front.

Can you say “O.B.?” Wait, who cares? Is that Snow Canyon back there?

This is #15. It must be only the #12 handicap hole because of its short distance (281 yards from the whites), because it certainly isn’t because of this “easy” landing area for the requried layup teeshot. Nor because of the green that’s so “easy” to hit and hold, especially with that sucker pin. I was proud of myself for making a regulation par here!

Here’s the same hole (#15) from behind it. One of the prettier views!

They’re still doing a lot of building back there, so even though the views will have more homes and less nature, they will still be gorgeous. The model home we saw was that same beautiful dark earth tone they used on the clubhouse that blends so nicely with the other colors.

I was glad I didn’t have to use the restroom during the round, because there were none out on the course. With all the building going on and all the fancy details, I had some questions. Surely, there must be plans to make this a private club. So after the round, when I couldn’t find Shirley, I spoke with the Tournament Coordinator, Paul Holden. First things first. Bathrooms? Should be finished within a month. Homes? 2400 will be built. (And if you’re thinking of buying here, buy now, because the first 50 lots will come with a golf membership.) They will also be building another, separate, members-only clubhouse, as if the first one isn’t fancy enough. Oh yes, it will be private. They’re planning on a $50,000 membership fee plus $400/month in dues. So if you’re not thinking of becoming a member, you have about 3 years to get out there and play the course while it’s still open to riffraff like us.

I think I got spoiled by playing Wolf Creek the day before. Otherwise, this course would have seemed much more spectacular to me. They are really doing a nice job with it, and based on their plans, I would expect them to maintain it in such pristine condition. So try to keep it in the fairway!

Fancy restroom inside! Each stall is its own private room with its own deluxe sink and vanity, but just in case you only came in to wash your hands, there’s this setup outside the stalls. Leave it to me to photograph the bathrooms.

Next post.


Golf Vacation, In Between Rounds

July 5, 2006 / / 2 Comments

The night before we played Wolf Creek, we checked into our “hotel.” Some of our plans were of the last minute variety, which meant we didn’t have a lot of options for lodging in Mesquite, as some of the hotels were sold out. We figured most of the hotels in that area would be pretty similar anyway, so we just picked one – The Oasis.

Now, I’ve done a lot of travel on the corporate dime and I am accustomed to the cleanliness and amenities of the nicer chains. However, I don’t think I’m spoiled. I can happily stay at a Motel 6 or Super 8 if those are my options and for the most part, find them perfectly acceptable for what they are. If I can sleep in a seat on an airplane, I can sleep in one of those beds. I bring my own girly shower accoutrements and don’t spend a lot of time in the room anyway. As long as it is clean, I can deal. What really got me about the Oasis, however, was the smell. No, stench is more like it. Kind of a cross between a tenant-maintained old-folks home full of incontinent smokers and a Barstow gas station restroom. It filled the rooms, the hallways and even leaked into the casino.

I checked for bedbugs before getting into bed. All clear. Fortunately, we had an early tee-time so we got out of there post haste in the morning. Oddly, there were no visible signs of filth or disrepair or fleas, but I still put it in the fleabag category. We had two more nights to spend in Mesquite and I knew I didn’t want to spend them there. The fact that the casino wasn’t friendly to my wallet had nothing to do with it. Really.

Things start looking up

After our incredible experience at Wolf Creek, we shifted addictions and headed to a casino. This time, we tried out the one at the Eureka, which is the hotel that partners with Wolf Creek. If only we’d known that earlier! After warming up on the Blackjack tables, we headed over to play some Craps. That’s when things really started heating up. We started out betting pretty small, sticking to the pass line and the numbers. As we started winning and rolling well, we started to get spread out with hard ways and the like. Naturally, the more we won, the bigger the bets became. We were tipping like crazy and the croupiers were making bank on our hard ways. I had a twenty minute roll and a thirty minute roll, and the whole table was whooping and hollering, just like you see in the movies. It was fantastic! The pit boss lingered at our table but couldn’t cool us down. We actually both walked away from that table with about a thousand extra dollars each. Sure, we put a lot of it back before leaving town, but it was free gambling the rest of the time.

Checking out, checking in

There was still plenty of daylight and desert heat outside and we had some time to kill before dinner. We walked over to the hotel side of Eureka and secured a room there for the next two nights. Then we went and gathered our things from the Oasis and checked out, not even caring that we would be paying for two rooms for the same night. We just wanted out. The rooms at Eureka were similar to the Oasis, but they didn’t smell! The staff was much more friendly and accessible. We had a room with a patio right by the pool and we even found entertainment in our exchanges with “Crackhead Betty,” the housekeeper assigned to our area. It was a wise switch, indeed.

Also, if you’re traveling to Mesquite to play Wolf Creek, you might want to coordinate it through the Eureka. Since they have a partnership, you can get a good deal on a room and I’m told they can also hook you up with a lower greens fee than if you book straight through the golf course.

Next post.

Wolf Creek

June 26, 2006 / / 16 Comments

Golf Vacation, Part Two – Mesquite, NV. First course: Wolf Creek.

Before Dennis and John Rider filled it with their architecture, the area where the Wolf Creek Golf Course lives and breathes was probably pretty nice to look at. Now, it’s so beautiful, it’s a distraction to the golfers trying to play there. I could practically hear it mocking me.

The view from the clubhouse.

There’s no question that Wolf Creek is one of the most gorgeous courses I’ve ever played. I expected it to be and it didn’t let me down. I have always had a soft spot for the types of rock formations and terrain found in that region, and to combine that with my green addiction, well, I started drooling in anticipation before we even turned onto “Paradise Parkway.” What did let me down was my game.

Paradise Fairway?

Tee Selection

Okay, it’s a difficult course – I’ll give it that. However, I should still be able to break 100 when “playing a realistic set of tees for my ability,” as it recommends on the score card. I guess the trouble is my “ability” still changes from round to round. There are five sets of tees from which to select, which is nice. For men, they even have recommended handicaps for each set. I highly recommend following those recommendations, especially if you’re just visiting and only get to experience this course one time. You’ll want a fond memory, not a day of struggles.

Speaking of driving responsibly

Yes, Wolf Creek boasts dramatic and picturesque elevation changes. But this truly three-dimensional aspect means more than just challenge and photo ops. In fact, you even have to sign your life away on their liability release for driving (or riding in) the golf cart – no, you will NOT be walking this course. The waiver is not just for damages to the cart, like many courses have. I wonder if anyone has actually been killed or maimed while maneuvering on those cart paths. When you turn in your signed release to the starter, you are rewarded with his gift of the yardage book. And if it’s your first time there, he’ll give you the spiel about the course before sending you on your way.

A Manly Course

I don’t think this course was necessarily designed for men. I mean, there are five sets of tees, like I mentioned. I do think that it is definitely managed for men. When they put the tee selections on the card, they decided to only show two sets on the ladies side and those are the only two with ratings for women. They also don’t show the recommended handicaps for them like they do for the men. And while the yardage book is a very slick piece, it gives nicely worded tips for landing areas and club selections… from the “men’s” tees.

The landing area might appear obvious from here, but when I got down to the “signature” tees, I wanted to cut off some of that corner. Hmm… let me consult my yardage book.

Of course, I was playing with two men, who had each other for discussion on these matters as well as the yardage book and time on the tee. Then we would drive to my tees, and they weren’t always where they said they’d be, so I was left to make a quick calculation and decision on my own. Math is not among my strengths. Also, the rocks with the directional arrows to guide you up stairs and whatnot to find your tees were occasionally mis-marked for the tees I chose. Hike up one set of stairs with one or two clubs only to see my tees on an entirely different cliff across the way. Hike back and recalculate!

Worth the hike!

I hereby offer my services as a consultant to Wolf Creek. I’d be happy to have them bring me out for a week or two to write a female friendly yardage book and make recommendations for changes to the card and the markings to help attract more female players.

Every rose has its thorns

The male-centric management might be a frustration just from my perspective. There were a couple of factual snags as well.
One – Choose your tee spot carefully. Due to the nature of the terrain, the tee areas aren’t always flat. You don’t want to give yourself a sidehill lie for a teeshot.
Two – The greens are hammered. There was damage from unrepaired ball marks everywhere. I asked about this after the round, and apparently they have a lot of foreign tourists come through who are accustomed to caddies following them around and cleaning up after them. Consequently, the marks don’t get repaired and the damage has been done. They said they have hired a new greens-repair service to fix them up and keep them maintained.
Three – The practice range is irons-only. Hmm, I guess this is more of an opinion than a factual flaw. I don’t mind irons-only on a course I play frequently or even one I don’t that isn’t so difficult, but for me, I want a few swings to get my driver in shape before tackling a course like this.

 The practice range, bunker and chipping area.


Cool stuff

A lot has been said about the design and beauty of this course and it’s all true. The scenery is breathtaking, and notwithstanding the stunning views from the higher-up holes and dramatic par-5s, the par-3 8th hole is probably my favorite. There’s a creek on this hole that snakes around in front of and behind the green that epitomizes the use of the natural landscape in the smart architecture of the entire course.

Par-3 8th.
Compared to the other photos with the majestic views, this may not look like much from here. I should have taken a shot from closer to the green.

There is a drive-through snack shack for your convenience once you’re out in the middle of the course. It was my first drive-through in a golf cart, which I thought was cool all by itself. In addition to that, there are chipmunks and a family of birds (they’re called chuckers) that come around and get fed by the snack-shack attendant. They even have their own wading pool behind the shack. Sure, the plastic kiddie pool looks out of place, but come on, it gets hot up there!

The pro-shop and the clubhouse are really nice, too. They certainly didn’t forget anything in their branding campaign. Even the dinner plates are emblazoned with the Wolf Creek logo. The food was good, the wine list is comprehensive, and there’s even something on the dessert menu called a “spider shake.” I didn’t go there – anything to do with spiders, count me out.

The professionals were… professional. The service was efficient and, in cases, ultra-friendly. Charlie, one of the starters, was particularly likable and open. I’ll end this with a quote from him, which, rather than being indicatave of the predominance of men there, sums up the beauty and challenge of the course: “Don’t come here to score.”

Go back to Golf Vacation, Part One – Primm Valley.

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Skip to the next course: The Ledges.

The Jam Boy is back, the Jam Boy is back!

June 26, 2006 / / 0 Comments

Or is he, really? Sure, he made a post over the weekend, but in it he’s already making excuses for being gone for another stint, teasing us with “another update” in the future. And this wasn’t much of an update. I mean, we all knew he was smoking crack, right? We just thought he was doing it in Florida.

Don’t tease us, Jam Boy! Are you really back?

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Golf Vacation, Part One – Primm Valley

June 22, 2006 / / 3 Comments

The plan: six days of golf, three days of drag racing and whatever trouble we can get into in between.

Part one begins as we set out for our first destination. After dropping off the Goose at Grandma & Grandpa’s house for her extended stay, we rented a car and headed out on Friday for Primm Valley. Our golf club (The Treehouse) held its annual “away” trip at this California/Nevada Stateline location. The hotel and casino are just on the Nevada side of the border and the golf courses are just on the California side. It’s the same location we went to for our away trip last year, where we won the team event on Saturday and did quite poorly in the Sunday team format.

Primm Valley Golf Club has two courses: The Lakes Course and the Desert Course. The Desert course does have some water, however, not as much as the Lakes course, as you can imagine. Both are well designed and scenic Tom Fazio courses. The Lakes course has much more shade, and the water helps cool the ubiquitous breeze, so playing it in the summer is more comfortable than playing the Desert course. We actually got lucky with the weather and it wasn’t too hot. Even though our scheduled shotgun start was suddenly changed to a series of foursomes and we were near the end of the group, the heat didn’t beat us. According to the course and slope ratings, the Lakes course is easier for women than the Desert course and vice-versa for the men. From my perspective, the ratings are accurate for women, but according to the men, they got it wrong. It seems the Desert course is more challenging all around. The Lakes course is a little more shielded from the wind, and it might also have something to do with the comfort factor of the temperature. The format we played on the Desert course might have been the biggest culprit. I’d like to get my hands on that course for a whole round of my own.

Bunnies relaxing in the shade by the clubhouse.
See last year’s post from this tournament for photos of the jackalopes (link above).

The first tournamentThe formats this year were the same as last year. Saturday was a two-person team event, where each person plays out his or her ball for an individual score, and using handicaps, you take the best net score of each hole for a total team score. This format is played on the Lakes course. I mentioned that Greg and I won this event last year, and this year we won it even more dramatically. Greg shot the round of his life (a +4 75) and I shot a rare sub-90 (89). I had two birdies in the same round (on the same 9!) and 38 putts. In other words, that should have been an even better round for me than it was. Woulda coulda shoulda, yadda yadda. Greg holed out his second shot of the day to eagle the first hole for a net 1 and nearly eagled the second hole, settling for a birdie there. He probably would have been lynched if he eagled two in a row, so I guess he did the right thing. Combined, we netted a 54, which tied another team and we won it in a card-off for the $250 payout. Great start for our trip!

This beautiful yellow-headed bird cheered us on to victory on the Lakes course.

The gambling

We headed back to the Nevada side of the line for the evening, feeling like luck was on our side. Greg sat down at the sports book and on his very first bet won a $2 trifecta for $200. My horses didn’t come in. We moved around to different games and although I was down almost $200, my luck turned around when we changed casinos and took the monorail to Whiskey Pete’s. By the time we went to bed, we were both up, but just a bit. Still, it beats being down. Plenty more golf and plenty more gambling to do on this trip.

The second tournament

Sunday’s event was played on the Desert course, using the same “modified Pinehurst” that we played and hated last year. It’s another two-person team format, but rather than play out your whole round, you each tee off, then you each hit the other person’s tee shot, then you pick the one you want to play from there and alternate hitting that ball until you hole it out. It might sound like fun, but it’s not. You can’t get into any kind of rhythm, you don’t get to play an actual round, plus, your teammate is forced to play your bad shots. All I can say is you better really like your teammate. There were a lot of grumpy golfers out there that day. One of them was in my twosome and it wasn’t me. :) I didn’t enjoy the format either, but I just tried to go with the flow and enjoy the day anyway. It wasn’t easy. I think we shot an 88 for a net 73 (+1), which was nowhere near good enough to place. Mr. Grumpy cheered up by the time it was over, which was a good thing because we checked out of Primm and now it was time to drive to Mesquite for the next segment of our golf and gambling marathon. Stay tuned for part two!

Next post.

Skip the next post, go straight to Golf Vacation, Part Two – Wolf Creek.

Golf Chick Turns One

June 20, 2006 / / 9 Comments

Today is my one year anniversary of starting this blog!

So far, I have put up 118 posts (this one makes 119). That’s an average of about one post every three days. August 20 will mark my two-year anniversary of taking up the game of golf. As you can see on my Courses I’ve Played section, I have already played 55 courses in 14 states! I have written about my experiences at some of those courses on this blog and will continue to do that. Thank you to all the readers that continue to come to my site to share in my experiences and especially to those who post comments – you help keep me motivated. I really enjoy keeping this diary of my golf life and I love to write!Pardon the interruption

I have been away from online life for the past 10 days. In fact, I just got back last night (actually, early this morning) from a golf vacation! I can now add 4 new courses and 3 new states to my list, which I will be updating soon. I will be writing about those courses and my trip in general in the coming days. The course write-ups will also be seen on worldgolf.com. I got a lot of good photos to go with the stories as well.

Ducks in Nashville (Tennessee, one of the states I can add to my list)

Now I need a vacation from my vacation. I know, vacation from what? I’m unemployed! I told my dog it was because she was too damn cute and I just had to get away from her for awhile because I couldn’t stand it anymore. She’s so cute it makes me sick. Actually, I did come home with a wicked cold I’m still fighting, which might mean it literally makes me sick to be away from her for so long. It’s good to be home, and just as soon as I can get my ducks in a row, I’ll be writing those stories. I have also purchased the domain www.thegolfchick.com and in the near future should be transferring this site over to it. I’ll keep you posted, so to speak. Stay tuned!

Lining up those ducks!

Next post.

Curing My Slice (Now what did I break?)

June 5, 2006 / / 8 Comments

Rather than struggle for weeks, months or years trying to figure out the problem on my own, I went to see a professional about the slice I developed with my driver. It came on quite suddenly and became more pronounced as the days and weeks passed. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t figure out what I was doing differently.

I had to run an errand on the east side of town, so I called up Simi Hills this morning to see if there was an instructor available who could cure my slice in one magic session. Matt answered the phone and he said “I can do that, what time?” I love it when a plan comes together.

After I warmed up a little, he watched me take a few swings with my driver. Sure enough, I produced the dramatic slice I wanted him to cure. Ten minutes later I was hitting it straight or drawing almost every hit. We continued for about thirty more minutes to make sure I had the idea down. I did.

Familiar prescription

So what was the answer? First, he changed a few things in my setup. He had me position the club head right up next to the ball (I was placing it a couple inches back). My shoulders were pointing slightly left of my target line, and he fixed that (directing them to point AT the target – doh!), and he brought my hands back in line with the ball (I had them in front like an iron). Then he got to the heart of the problem in my swing. Mainly, I wasn’t able to square up the club face because I was transferring my weight forward with a swaying motion, moving my head and shoulders forward as my weight shifted. I’d have to swing the club awfully fast and get really wristy to get the club face square at impact. Rather than do that, why not just keep my head and shoulders back and just let the weight shift in my legs like I’m supposed to do? And just for fun, how about if I actually turn my hands over and produce a draw? DUH! Sure, now I say duh. Sounds familiar… hmmm…. I seem to recall having that same reaction after that group clinic I attended when I completely lost my swing. The answer there was also to transfer my weight correctly. Trouble was, even though it was enough to give me my confidence back, I kept that swing thought and was over-correcting! Sure enough, that’s right when I started slicing with my driver. I guess I could get away with it with the rest of my clubs at least most of the time. The longer the club, the bigger the slice. Funny how that works.

So, for the first clinic I shelled out 20 clams, and this lesson cost me 40. Actually, the lesson was $40, but when I went out to my car I discovered they were slurrying the parking lot right next to where I parked and my car was covered in black dust, so I guess I should add the cost of a car wash to that total. Anyway, I wonder what problem I’ll develop now that will send me running out for the next magic fix.

Putting update

My new putter is feeling great, by the way. We played Malibu Country Club yesterday and even though I only hit 4 fairways and 1 G.I.R., I only had 32 putts! 32! I think that might be my personal best for putting! No thanks to their recent course modification, either. I was really disappointed they had removed the brass cups from the holes. No more *clangety-clang* when you sink a putt! That was my favorite thing about playing that course, dangit.

Now what?

Now I need to take my improved putting and my straightened-out drive and attack some course to see if I can make it all come together. Wouldn’t that be special? Then I can go to work on the most important stat of all: G.I.R.s. Don’t you just love this game?

Next post.

The busy times of an unemployed golf addict

June 2, 2006 / / 3 Comments

Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. It’s been two weeks since my last post. (Come on, that’s hardly pulling a Jam-Boy.) I have let several topics pile up, so this post could get long-winded. Where to start?

Well, unemployment is really keeping me busy. Over the last couple weeks I spent some time down in Dana Point visiting my family and hosted my best friend as a houseguest over the long Memorial Day weekend. I’ve been dreaming up and researching business ventures for my future, planning a vacation with Greg, and of course, I’ve been playing some golf.

Golfing with the folks

While visiting my parents, I managed to get them both to agree to play golf with me! Dad plays occasionally (probably once or twice a year) but he’s a natural athlete. He used to play a lot, so he’s definitely got me beat on experience. Mom was inspired by me to take up golf and has had a whopping two lessons. Her second lesson really turned her off but I was thankful she still wanted to get out and play with us. We went out one afternoon, and since they’re not addicts like me, we set out to just play nine holes at San Juan Hills. Dad gave away his golf clubs a couple years back, so they both had to rent sets. I played from the white tees with dad and mom played the reds. They rode in a cart together and I really enjoyed the way they communicated and watching my dad coach my mom through the process. It was so cute! I hope they start playing golf together.

Dad and I were pretty evenly matched, at least that day. I didn’t exactly have my “A” game with me and it was kind of hard to get in a rhythm, but the day wasn’t about playing my best, I guess. Mom commented on how similar our swings are – big and smooth. I out-drove him once or twice (of course, he refused to use his driver, opting instead for the 3-wood for better control) which pissed him off in his jovial way. Heehee. I only beat him by one stroke, which pissed me off in my hidden way.

Mom was a real trooper, literally, clocking around 7000 steps on her pedometer. She didn’t hit it far, but she hit it straight and she really has focus. There is so much to learn at that stage. Trying to actually hit the golf ball while learning rules and etiquette can be overwhelming on your first outing. I hope she keeps at it, not just so I can play with her more but because I think she’d really enjoy it and could be quite good. Overall, it was a great afternoon. They want to come up here and play with me and Greg, and I hope they do that soon.

Golfing with Ariana

My best and longest-time friend, Ariana, came down from the Bay Area to visit me over the long weekend. Last time she came down, I got her out to my local par-3 nine-hole course and she really enjoyed her experience there. She’s not a natural athlete or even sportily coordinated at all, but she has a great sense of adventure and understands the lure of the sport. Plus, she has her own growing business now and recognizes how playing golf can be an asset in that regard. She has a very competitive nature (as do I – you should see us at dice or cards!), so it will be interesting to see if she applies that to golf as she learns and gets better. She has signed up for a six-week muni lesson plan and even though that hadn’t begun before her visit, she was eager to get back out there and play, so we went back to that same course. Her goal was double par, and even though it was only her second attempt at the game, she nearly reached that goal, missing it by only a couple strokes! Another fun afternoon and another golf recruit successfully signed up.

On Memorial Day, we went to a fun little gathering at a friend’s house. Good barbecue, great company, and the fiercest, most aggressive game of croquet I’ve ever seen!

Defending my title

Our golf club plays tournaments once a month, and after a couple months of stroke play qualifiers, May was our first round in the bracket match-play eliminations toward club championship. As reigning club champ, I automatically qualified first and this year, my handicap index just barely has me playing in A-flight. Since I’m at the higher end of it, my first opponent still had to give me eight strokes.

**Explanation of match and stroke play for beginners – skip it if you know**
In tournament play, your handicap index is translated to a course handicap depending on the difficulty of the course and each set of tees has its own rating. It’s all formula based and very mathematical. In stroke play, everyone just “gets” that number of strokes and it is subtracted from your total gross score for a net score, and best net score wins. In match play, you’re only playing against one opponent, so whichever person has the higher course handicap gets the difference of the two numbers. You play to win each hole rather than a better overall score. Each hole is assigned a handicap rating (1-18) based on difficulty of the hole. So, if I get 8 strokes, I get them on the eight hardest holes. This means on any of those holes, I can bogey and he can par and we still tie that hole. In match play, putts and holes can be conceded. For example, if your opponent reaches the green in two with an easy two-putt and you hacked around and got on in five with a long putt in front of you, you can concede the hole rather than play it out. In our club, we play a simultaneous stroke play tournament, so we play out every hole.

I won my match handily, beating my opponent 7 and 6 (beginners: that means I was up by 7 holes with only six to play so the match was over at that point) and played out the rest of the round well enough to take second place in the stroke play event.

My next match is against one of the best golfers in the club. He’s consistently on top of the birdie club, usually wins at least one closest to the pin in every tournament, wins an occasional long drive and places in the top three in most stroke play events. His attitude appears to me to indicate that he is among the dissenters in the club when it comes to women joining, but I don’t know that for sure. He’s going to be a tough customer and I better bring that “A” game I mentioned earlier. I’m pretty nervous about it, but it would be quite satisfying if I can take him down. Greg also won his first match, and if we both win two more, we will be facing each other for the A-flight championship. Wouldn’t that be interesting? This month is our away tournament, a fun weekend event at Primm (Nevada-California Stateline) so our next match play tournament isn’t until July. Time to practice!

New putter, same golfer, new drive

I’m still not happy with my game overall. I don’t feel as confident and solid as I think I should and know I can be. I believe I mentioned something about a “not unplayable slice” I have developed with my driver in my last post. That slice has grown and in a round I played yesterday, it was decidedly unplayable. So frustrating! My drive used to be the most reliable shot of the hole for me. This is the area I will really be working on in the coming weeks.

Out of desperation over my lack of putting skills, I got a new putter. It’s a Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Newport 2.5. I like the red grip and the festive colored dots, but I can’t stand the silly Cameron lettering on the grip. I’ll admit I was looking for a panacea out of this new putter, even though I know it’s still me doing the putting. I’ve only used it a few times, so I’m still getting used to it, but I will say I really like the feel of it. Results have been similar to how I putted with my TaylorMade Monza – some rounds better than others – what a shock! Psychologically, I think the new twist has helped and over time I’ll get better with it than I was with my old one. Truthfully, I’ve been so wrapped up in my terrible drives that my focus has shifted. New toys are fun, though! Since I started golfing, this is the first club I have replaced. I can see how people get a renewed excitement when they get a new driver or some other club. Sure, it’s still ultimately the same golfer with the same swing, but any change you make in golf brings that spark of opportunity to better your game. I’ve never enjoyed the process of shopping, but I do enjoy getting new things! Combining that with my golf addiction could be dangerous – like that first taste of crack.Next post.

Am I being hazed by the putting gods?

May 17, 2006 / / 11 Comments

Is this some kind of “true golfer” initiation process I’m experiencing? Let’s check the stats.

After finding my lost swing at the range on Saturday, I was still a little anxious about taking it out on the course. I mustered my courage and played yesterday, only to find myself playing like I did back when I was on a roll and winning. Aside from a couple of disaster holes (a 7 and a 9 – both on par 4’s!), I had a solid round with7 pars and 6 bogeys. It was a really hot day and I was fatigued by the end, but I still parred out the last three holes to shoot a 90, which is my best round in months. I was walking on sunshine (instead of my aching dogs) and thinking to myself “oh yeah, I remember this… I actually CAN play golf.” I was even putting well – only one 3-putt all day and a total of 35!

Then I turn around and play again today only to shoot a disappointing 100. I walked off the course feeling a little dejected but refused to let one round shake my regained confidence (even though I was quite willing to let one round just the day before build it up). I then chalked it up to some kind of golf god’s hazing ritual – like now I’m REALLY not a beginner anymore because all real golfers go through this kind of thing. I know that’s true – we all have our ups and downs, and I’m sure I’ll continue to do that as well. HOWEVER…

…then I checked the stats. I know how important putting is. I do. I also know I’ve been struggling with that aspect of my game from the get go. To some extent, I believe putting is natural talent – you either have it or you don’t. Kind of like music or fine art: you can become pretty good at it with training and experience to develop the skills, but the people with the natural ability to begin with will always be better.

Yesterday I was putting with confidence, feeling the lines and the speeds and knowing that, even from 50 feet away, I could two-putt my way into the cup. Today, I putted like the spaz I am. So here it is: yesterday I had 35 putts; today I had 43. I guess this is why I keep statistics. Had I putted today like I did yesterday, my 100 would have been a 92. Plus, today my disaster hole was a 10! So, I found all the strokes and I feel better about it. I’m still striking the ball well. My irons are back to being relatively solid, and the bonus – my shots with my fairway woods the last two days have been things of beauty. My driver, which used to be my straightest club, has developed an enormous slice, though not unplayable, and I’m working on it.

I don’t know how many posts I’ve written complaining about my putting, but it seems like a lot. Putting, putting, putting, putting. I have to get better at putting. Maybe I’ll read a book. :)
Any recommendations?

Next post.

Inventing the paper napkin?

May 16, 2006 / / 1 Comment

Well, it’s a little too late for mother’s day, but here we have a gift idea for any occasion for that special lady golfer in your life. Just watch her eyes light up when she receives this amazing paper napkin! Well, maybe if that special lady golfer in your life is Christina Aguilera.

SHOULDER PAD FOR WOMEN GOLFERS

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” paper napkin…to protect a shoulder part of clothes of a woman playing golf from becoming dirt due to touching of a cheek, the chin or the like of the player to stick a cosmetic, a sunburn cream, or the like on it.”

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Gavin at patentlygolf.com
Check out all the other crazy “inventions” there, like the “Heel mounted sand trap rake for golf shoes.”

Next post.

 

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