Monday, October 8, 2012
Moved to Tumblr
I consolidated and now share/post golf stuff that I find or crosses my mind at http://edyhsgr.tumblr.com/tagged/golf.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
R.I.P. 4 Iron
Played our little executive course in Juneau today-- because it's
such a small course, and because I have a small selection of clubs, I
brought just a 4 iron, a pitching wedge, a lob wedge and a putter. (If I
had a 5, 6, or 7 iron I probably would have brought one of those
instead or in addition to the 4, and if I had a 8 or 9 I would have
brought that instead of the pitching wedge, but no matter, I don't have
those.) Well on the 9th hole, which is a sort of long 3 or maybe a very
short 4, I swang away with the 4 iron and hit it so great, but in doing,
the head of the club sheared right off! I didn't even know the club had
much wear! Never even heard of that happening! Well, now I'm down to my
3 iron and wedges (and a 5 and 7 wood, but I've been enjoying irons).
Hopefully some lefty clubs will show up in Juneau soon.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
3 Iron, and a Slice Insight
Also, I had an insight into my slice: for a long while I have been rotating (in my hands) my clubface inward to face me a little bit before each shot, and that has corrected my slice, but I didn't understand exactly why until yesterday: I was in the office and had a 3 iron and for fun was doing a slow-mo swing-- well I noticed that even though the club was rotated in a little before I'd go back into my swing, when it got to the ball it was flush/straight, and this was all due to the rotation of my hips!: If I stand at the ball (at "address" I think they call it) with both feet flat on the ground and then lift the heel of my rear foot and turn my hip/body to face downrange a little (as is done naturally in my downswing), the club naturally rotates out/open a little. ! That's a useful insight. Have a lot more knowledge and control of my clubface now.
Will hit some birdies with an old "Sam Snead" Wilson 3 iron tonight here in AK, and see how it goes. Thinking I might go all irons for a while.... Would be awesome to show up with just an old 2, a custom-8 and a lob wedge and outplay someone.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
DOLPM Snow Golf Guidelines
Did some research on the ground today-- a good day for snow golf, and should be several to come.
Some draft guidelines:
1. Temperature should be below 30F, with clear to only partly cloudy skies (should look for "crisp" days-- high pressure systems).
2. Instead of golf balls, "BirdieBalls" or similar are used, and they may be painted any color or left un-painted.
3. If no BirdieBalls are available, a platform tennis ball or in fact any ball agreed-upon by the players prior to the round may be used.
4. A piece of ribbon is tied to the BirdieBall in any fashion so that it can extend at least 12in from the ball. If BirdieBalls are not used, no ribbon is necessary.
5. Ribbon can be any color other than a white, and must be 1/4in wide or more.
6. Tee boxes, boundaries (optional), hazards and holes are agreed to by the players prior to the round (in quick makeshift fashion if that's preferable for all), with the full length of an agreed-upon club used to judge or mark (optional) the extent of the holes (radius of the hole is the full-length of the agreed-upon club).
7. A single radius is used for all holes on a course.
8. Any reasonable item at all may be used as a pin-flag, and the type of item can differ from hole to hole, but should be placed before the round and maintained (moved only as needed to play the hole, and then replaced) throughout the round.
9. Penalties are agreed-upon prior to the round. This agreement can be as simple as a universal one-stroke penalty and minimum movement of the ball for any unplayable or out-of-bounds ball.
10. A minimum of three holes must be formed and agreed to, and either six, nine, twelve or 18 holes must be played in a round (repeating play of holes as needed).
11. There is no handicap system.
12. Any agreed-to distances are allowed, but a typical par3 hole would have a distance of approximately 100paces for a sixft tall person. A par4 would be appoximately 150-200paces. A par5 probably 225paces or more. (Research is on-going.)
13. Balls may be set upright in place before each stroke on a given hole, but not moved across the plane in doing so, or replaced with different balls.
14. No tee or tee-ing system is allowed.
15. The name is "snow" golf, and snow is generally present, but not necessary.
16. No discernible fairways or greens are necessary.
17. Ideal holes would have characteristics that keep the technical and artistic interest of players, and would require traditional golf athleticism and technical ability.
18. Players may act as their own spotters, may spot for one another, and may bring a spotter.
19. Any clubs or number of clubs may be used, but must be carried by the player or their spotter throughout the round. (This is vague.)
20. Any rules from traditional golf on striking the ball apply.
End.
Some draft guidelines:
1. Temperature should be below 30F, with clear to only partly cloudy skies (should look for "crisp" days-- high pressure systems).
2. Instead of golf balls, "BirdieBalls" or similar are used, and they may be painted any color or left un-painted.
3. If no BirdieBalls are available, a platform tennis ball or in fact any ball agreed-upon by the players prior to the round may be used.
4. A piece of ribbon is tied to the BirdieBall in any fashion so that it can extend at least 12in from the ball. If BirdieBalls are not used, no ribbon is necessary.
5. Ribbon can be any color other than a white, and must be 1/4in wide or more.
6. Tee boxes, boundaries (optional), hazards and holes are agreed to by the players prior to the round (in quick makeshift fashion if that's preferable for all), with the full length of an agreed-upon club used to judge or mark (optional) the extent of the holes (radius of the hole is the full-length of the agreed-upon club).
7. A single radius is used for all holes on a course.
8. Any reasonable item at all may be used as a pin-flag, and the type of item can differ from hole to hole, but should be placed before the round and maintained (moved only as needed to play the hole, and then replaced) throughout the round.
9. Penalties are agreed-upon prior to the round. This agreement can be as simple as a universal one-stroke penalty and minimum movement of the ball for any unplayable or out-of-bounds ball.
10. A minimum of three holes must be formed and agreed to, and either six, nine, twelve or 18 holes must be played in a round (repeating play of holes as needed).
11. There is no handicap system.
12. Any agreed-to distances are allowed, but a typical par3 hole would have a distance of approximately 100paces for a sixft tall person. A par4 would be appoximately 150-200paces. A par5 probably 225paces or more. (Research is on-going.)
13. Balls may be set upright in place before each stroke on a given hole, but not moved across the plane in doing so, or replaced with different balls.
14. No tee or tee-ing system is allowed.
15. The name is "snow" golf, and snow is generally present, but not necessary.
16. No discernible fairways or greens are necessary.
17. Ideal holes would have characteristics that keep the technical and artistic interest of players, and would require traditional golf athleticism and technical ability.
18. Players may act as their own spotters, may spot for one another, and may bring a spotter.
19. Any clubs or number of clubs may be used, but must be carried by the player or their spotter throughout the round. (This is vague.)
20. Any rules from traditional golf on striking the ball apply.
End.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
'Judy Is Many Things, Mostly Frank'
Picked up this neat book of essays by a famous sportswriter, Gay Talese. I'm liking all the pieces, esp the golf ones of course (too brief even for me, but they're nice anyway). One has the above-repeated title. Here is his webpage with lots of neat items: http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/talese/. (I should note-- after seeing those pictures of him on his site, I was moved to type "is gay talese an a**?" into Google, but nothing much came back, and anyway who cares-- he can turn a phrase in print, and that'll do.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Rolling Acres Pitch and Putt
A nice place to learn some golf (Harvey Penick style) with one of your brothers on a lazy day. A real mom and pop operation! (And what a great life that must be.) Pitching and putting on 18 holes (60-120 yds per as I recall) for $10. Rolling Acres Pitch and Putt
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Mendenhall Golf
I returned to Juneau Alaska a few months back, and had not lived here as a golfer before, so there was some golf-exploring to do. Well there are slim choices for a round around Juneau*-- just a small, privately owned place called "Mendenhall Golf" in a wetland area near the airport, which has a nine-hole "executive course" (these are all par-3's) plus three holes (two par-4's and a par-3) to either take-on after the nine, or repeat three times. Here is the course layout.A friend (terrific guy) and I went out for the regular nine on my first outing (unaware of the alternate-three), and we had a great time, but the course itself was a new-beast for me-- the fairways and greens were very "prairie-golf-" style as I recall, and this coupled with short distances, thin paths and soggy land made for a tough challenge. I was dismayed about the course but took heart that golf can be played well in any open space, and that adverse settings have their own rewards.
A week or so after that round I went to Mendenhall's driving range after work, and as I was walking back to the car I saw this big broad fairway pointing to the glacier-- the first hole of the alternate three, and a surprise that felt made out of my golf dreams. I/we played those alternates instead of the main-course for the next few rounds, and I have enjoyed them greatly.
Well today I played the regular nine again, and am glad to report that they were much better than my recall of that first outing-- the greens were very sharp** (though small), and staff has cleared out a lot more space than we had before (there was well-trimmed fairway space and more of it, esp. on hole 5).
I really like the younger guy who seems to be running the place-- he seems to work hard to improve things-- and I'm sure the weeks of dry-ness also helped a lot. So it was great fun today-- the scenery's always great but even better with so much sun lately and plant-flowering, and brought my Ipod along with some ELO and John Cale. Juneau golf is looking better and better-- a good and often-familiar-feeling (executive-) course layout on the main-nine.
*And there aren't any roads-out, so regular treks out of town aren't feasible.**And I felt they were generally pointing south, similar to Ben Hogan's prediction (though his was west) in Harvey Penick's "Red Book.".
Monday, July 18, 2011
Annie Lake Excursion
Ivonne and I were on a weekend trip to Whitehorse (Yukon) and played the front nine of the Annie Lake Course (found through PastureGolf.com) in nearby Mt. Lorne. On the way out we stopped at the local rec-hall and asked for directions-- the person there said "Oh, the wilderness course..," which was a good description. We were the only ones out there except a guy who showed up at the end to run his dogs around. Old fashioned sand "greens," many many gophers (which was neat actually-- funny little guys) and gopher holes, a few very tough lies from the woods, bugs, rain and mud, chance of bears (I brought an air-horn for these) and moose I suppose, and a lot of fresh air, open space and fun. The acoustics were great for solid Thwack!'s from many swings. The price?: $5 per for a full 18-- leave it in the box by the first tee. Some photos (click on them to see the full size versions) and video:
The first tee (note the Juneau Joggers and air-horn, and the gopher hole going below the "tee box").
An intimidating start for this hole.
Po' greens-- actually were pretty solid and smooth, and there were mats to run over them to keep em smooth. (She's not as miserable as she might look here.)
A nice "fairway" to drive for.
Heading back-- a very pretty place.
The first tee (note the Juneau Joggers and air-horn, and the gopher hole going below the "tee box").
An intimidating start for this hole.
Po' greens-- actually were pretty solid and smooth, and there were mats to run over them to keep em smooth. (She's not as miserable as she might look here.)
A nice "fairway" to drive for.
Heading back-- a very pretty place.
A nice tee-off by my partner-in-crime.
Check out this cool cat-- if only he were a better scorer.
ps Finally did see a bear (from the car) a couple days later...
...and a bunch more terrific sites.
ps Finally did see a bear (from the car) a couple days later...
...and a bunch more terrific sites.Harvey Penick's Little Red Book
I've been reading Harvey Penick's (renowned) Little Red Book, and second to The Underachiever's Manifesto (which isn't about golf at all, actually, but is for me), I'd say it's my favorite non-fiction golf book. The Little Red Book is made up of a long series of one- or two-page lessons and stories-- all fun to read. Here are some of my favorites (incl. the most useful and the most enjoyable):
What's the Problem
Golf Medicine
Take Dead Aim
Beware
The Left Heal
Swing the Bucket
The Weed Cutter
The Prettiest Swing
The Magic Move
The Stance
Chip or Pitch
Long and Short
Learning
Warming Up in a Hurry
Easy Bunkers
Some of the Women in My Life
And Some of the Men in My Life
What's the Problem
Golf Medicine
Take Dead Aim
Beware
The Left Heal
Swing the Bucket
The Weed Cutter
The Prettiest Swing
The Magic Move
The Stance
Chip or Pitch
Long and Short
Learning
Warming Up in a Hurry
Easy Bunkers
Some of the Women in My Life
And Some of the Men in My Life
Corner Gas: Whiner Takes All
A golf episode of a new favorite show:
Watch Corner Gas SE05E03 - Whiner Takes All in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Watch Corner Gas SE05E03 - Whiner Takes All in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
PastureGolf.com
This is my kind of golf-- I was lucky to come across it recently (and just in time for a trip near Annie Lake)-- have been looking for one like it for years actually-- wish I'd seen it when I was still in CO, as there were a few there, and one pretty nearby. Hopefully the site will get maintained and not forgotten.
www.PastureGolf.com
www.PastureGolf.com
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A neat passage by John Updike
'Only one other time had been so ominous: the Wednesday in October of 1962 when Kennedy had faced Kruschev over Cuba. Piet had had a golf date with Roger Guerin. They agreed not to cancel. "As good a way to go as any," Roger had said over the phone. Stern occasions suited him. As Piet drove north to the course, the Bay View, he heard on the radio that the first Russian ship was approaching the blockade. They teed off into an utterly clear afternoon and between shots glanced at the sky for Russian bombers. Chicago and Detroit would go first and probably there would be shouts from the clubhouse when the bulletins began coming in.There was almost nobody else on the course. It felt like the great rolling green deck of a ship, sunshine glinting on the turning foliage. As Americans they had enjoyed their nation's luxurious ride and now they shared the privilege of going down with her. Roger, with his tight angry swing, concentrating with knit brows on every shot, finished the day under ninety. Piet had played less well. He had been too happy. He played best, swung easiest, with a hangover or a cold. He had been distracted by the heavensent glisten of things-- of fairway grass and fallen leaves and leaning flags-- seen against the onyx immanence of death, against the vivid transparence of the sky in which planes might materialize.'
--from Couples, by John Updike
--from Couples, by John Updike
Sunday, January 30, 2011
10 poor golfer tips
Poor golf refers to a few things, and one of those things is golf for folks who are a little light on cash(!).
10 simple poor golfer tips:
(1) Buy your clubs at a simple thrift store (even lefties, like me, can find them, if they're patient). You should be able to find them for one, or a couple or few dollars a piece. Fancy clubs don't make you a better golfer...they can make you a lame golfer though...I'm all about the Dunlops.
(2) Golf with few clubs-- it's much nicer anyway, and it might help make you a better golfer-- try playing with four clubs and a thin (perhaps range-) bag, if you can find one.
(3) Never, ever use a golf cart.
(4) Play in off hours (dawn, dusk)-- beautiful and peaceful out there at those odd times, and you can see some neat wildlife.
(5) Avoid any fancy equipment to improve your game (except BirdieBalls)-- apparently (from Carl Hiaasen's Downhill Lie) novelty equipment is almost always a waste anyway.
(6) Use cheap balls.
(7) BYOB, of course.
(8) Practice sometimes with BirdieBalls-- of course they are not the same as a golf ball, but they're helpful, a lot of fun to hit, and cheaper than going to the range.
(9) Use the Internet to learn things.
(10) Play cheap, rough courses. Or make your own course.
Overall, regarding golf resources: Pretend it's 20, 50 or 100 years ago, and do your best with very little. You can't beat the feeling of playing well with little.
10 simple poor golfer tips:
(1) Buy your clubs at a simple thrift store (even lefties, like me, can find them, if they're patient). You should be able to find them for one, or a couple or few dollars a piece. Fancy clubs don't make you a better golfer...they can make you a lame golfer though...I'm all about the Dunlops.
(2) Golf with few clubs-- it's much nicer anyway, and it might help make you a better golfer-- try playing with four clubs and a thin (perhaps range-) bag, if you can find one.
(3) Never, ever use a golf cart.
(4) Play in off hours (dawn, dusk)-- beautiful and peaceful out there at those odd times, and you can see some neat wildlife.
(5) Avoid any fancy equipment to improve your game (except BirdieBalls)-- apparently (from Carl Hiaasen's Downhill Lie) novelty equipment is almost always a waste anyway.
(6) Use cheap balls.
(7) BYOB, of course.
(8) Practice sometimes with BirdieBalls-- of course they are not the same as a golf ball, but they're helpful, a lot of fun to hit, and cheaper than going to the range.
(9) Use the Internet to learn things.
(10) Play cheap, rough courses. Or make your own course.
Overall, regarding golf resources: Pretend it's 20, 50 or 100 years ago, and do your best with very little. You can't beat the feeling of playing well with little.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Handicap
Calculating handicap is pretty easy to do, even though it's not easy to exactly interpret:
http://www.ehow.com/how_15107_calculate-golf-handicap.html
I generally don't keep score, and over the long-haul I figure I'll continue this way, but in the "short-haul" it would be neat to know my handicap, and from that and some Internet searching to figure out about where I'm at, ability-wise...perhaps knowing my handicap would give me too much interest in my score though...will have to think about this a little.
Been reading Carl Hiaasen's Downhill Lie -- a very fun book, and has some nice insights-- was recommended to me, and I recommend it to you.
http://www.ehow.com/how_15107_calculate-golf-handicap.html
I generally don't keep score, and over the long-haul I figure I'll continue this way, but in the "short-haul" it would be neat to know my handicap, and from that and some Internet searching to figure out about where I'm at, ability-wise...perhaps knowing my handicap would give me too much interest in my score though...will have to think about this a little.
Been reading Carl Hiaasen's Downhill Lie -- a very fun book, and has some nice insights-- was recommended to me, and I recommend it to you.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Just stand there
I'm getting to a point at which I'm more comfortable, and less self-aware on the course-- This morning I found myself better-appreciating each shot. Before my good swings and putts I'd stand relaxed behind the ball for a moment and just look at my surroundings and goal, take it all in, and enjoy it. I wasn't getting all Zen or anything-- but it was nice.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A John Daly trick
One of my favorite professional golfers is John Daly (a fellow overswinger, and, aside from golf, he just seems like a good guy with a big heart)-- Well, from this great video-lesson (by the quickly-wise golfer John Richardson, who I'm glad to have stumbled upon) I learned a John Daly trick for a lighter swing: Swing a few times with just the forward-hand (left if you're right-handed). Got a couple good blisters pretty quick from that, but blisters only make you stronger, right?, and it does help a lot for my pitching/chipping (strengthening and memory). I noticed Daly seems to use it for more than pitching too-- good stuff.
Friday, August 20, 2010
The Strangest Swings in All of Golf
from rkodavey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3kh0bjlYX0&feature=related
Slate: Moneygolf
Moneygolf: Will new statistics unlock the secrets of golf?
A series of articles by Michael Agger of Slate.comWednesday, July 28, 2010
Good, poor putting
I'm not a good golfer, and I'm certainly not an experienced golfer, but I'll say what I think, and it's there, open to critique.
Golf on the green, or good, poor golf there anyway, isn't about precision, but about shortening distances. Back at the start of the hole, when I step up to the tee, I plan on gracefully driving the ball a good distance toward a goal, but I don't (hopefully) tighten up with any responsibility for getting it exactly to a goal; similarly, when I'm on the green, it seems wise to putt toward the hole, but not hold the burden of dropping it in the hole.
If I average two or more putts per hole (I average far more than two putts per hole), then I think I should always be "two-putting"-- that is, before every putt (even my third or fourth putt), I should perhaps be aiming more precisely than the last (unless my distance didn't shorten!), but still allowing my mind another putt: In the end, aiming toward that center of the hole, but Banking on reaching that goal only with my next putt (with my very limited ability to be precise). In this way, I can focus more on my body, or nothing at all, and less on my brain.
This helped me a lot today-- I enjoyed my putts, and I putted much better.
Golf on the green, or good, poor golf there anyway, isn't about precision, but about shortening distances. Back at the start of the hole, when I step up to the tee, I plan on gracefully driving the ball a good distance toward a goal, but I don't (hopefully) tighten up with any responsibility for getting it exactly to a goal; similarly, when I'm on the green, it seems wise to putt toward the hole, but not hold the burden of dropping it in the hole.
If I average two or more putts per hole (I average far more than two putts per hole), then I think I should always be "two-putting"-- that is, before every putt (even my third or fourth putt), I should perhaps be aiming more precisely than the last (unless my distance didn't shorten!), but still allowing my mind another putt: In the end, aiming toward that center of the hole, but Banking on reaching that goal only with my next putt (with my very limited ability to be precise). In this way, I can focus more on my body, or nothing at all, and less on my brain.
This helped me a lot today-- I enjoyed my putts, and I putted much better.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
YE Yang drive
from AWOLgolf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNVL7x723EY
Self taught golfer, YE Yang: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yong-eun
I bought a (new) driver
So I bought a new driver-- an Alien Ultimate Driver for $39.95-- I had a Big 5 gift certificate that needed spending, and whenever I'm in there I end up going back to them, noticing how light those modern drivers are, how nice the soft grips are, how big the face is, and wondering how well I'd hit a ball with one. Well, I found two things: (1) If I swing anywhere near the ball with this thing, it's going a long way-- it might slice, but not anywhere near me, and (2) I could swing it all day and not get at all tired.
It seems that I can hit further and easier with a bigger club (obviously), and that I can avoid slices by hitting with a club with more loft (and a smaller club), and so the plan is: to practice decreasing my slice with the driver, and increasing distance with the 5wood (which is somewhat heavier), and then, in that way....dial in on the 3. Continue to stick with the three clubs and a putter game, which I like a lot. Perhaps someday I'll be hammering them consistently straight and great with the 1, but I'm not in any rush-- it's almost too easy swing anyway-- crazy.
It seems that I can hit further and easier with a bigger club (obviously), and that I can avoid slices by hitting with a club with more loft (and a smaller club), and so the plan is: to practice decreasing my slice with the driver, and increasing distance with the 5wood (which is somewhat heavier), and then, in that way....dial in on the 3. Continue to stick with the three clubs and a putter game, which I like a lot. Perhaps someday I'll be hammering them consistently straight and great with the 1, but I'm not in any rush-- it's almost too easy swing anyway-- crazy.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
I don't know how to play golf
The other day I was watching an episode of Northern Exposure-- the 1990's show about a small town in Alaska. In that episode, one of the heroes, Ed, was overwhelmed by an endeavor to create an Orson Welles film festival. His problem was resolved by an idea from Welles' biggest movie, about a newspaper publisher, CITIZEN KANE: "I think it will be fun to run a newspaper." That's a good idea to apply to a lot of things in life, and of course to golf. Simply, "I think it will be fun to play some golf"-- something to keep in mind out there.
And how to explain folly on the course? "I don't know how to run a newspaper, Mr. Thatcher, I just try everything I can think of."
And how to explain folly on the course? "I don't know how to run a newspaper, Mr. Thatcher, I just try everything I can think of."
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Golf clubs and forecast error
(1) With every swing I can make a forecast, or prediction of where my ball will end up. And after each swing I can get a better picture of the error on my prediction.
(2) From one club to the next (say from 7-iron to 8-iron), my best-guess prediction should change by some distance (eg 140 yds to 130yds, respectively).
As long as the range of my prediction error is much greater than the range of the best-guess between clubs, it seems reasonable to carry just one of those clubs, save myself the weight, and focus on lowering the range of my error with it. This is a little bit like an idea from the economist Richard Ashley.
To give you an idea of how good a player I am, I added my third club last week.
(2) From one club to the next (say from 7-iron to 8-iron), my best-guess prediction should change by some distance (eg 140 yds to 130yds, respectively).
As long as the range of my prediction error is much greater than the range of the best-guess between clubs, it seems reasonable to carry just one of those clubs, save myself the weight, and focus on lowering the range of my error with it. This is a little bit like an idea from the economist Richard Ashley.
To give you an idea of how good a player I am, I added my third club last week.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Good, poor golf
Green grass, Blue skies, Some sunshine, Birds, A walk, Some tools and a toolbag, All those golf smells, Hope, A graceful swing, A good swing, Lightness, A good flight, A good landing, A good putt or three, Repetition... Maybe a coffee or beer after it all. All good and good for you. A best waste of time. Not much more than that.
To enjoy golf, you don't need to have a good game; you only need to have a serviceable game, or even a poor game, and to enjoy the two things that every person enjoys: nature and art.
To enjoy golf, you don't need to have a good game; you only need to have a serviceable game, or even a poor game, and to enjoy the two things that every person enjoys: nature and art.
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