Marginalizing Hackers

Too Funny To Not Share

2012-01-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

Love This Swashbuckling Lefty!

2011-11-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

Young Rory

2011-06-22T20:59:00.002-04:00

Chipping/Putting Breakthrough?

2010-12-30T19:28:00.001-05:00

They say you are supposed to hold the triangle on the short shots, right?

Well I've always struggled with a *handsy* short game.

What's been torturesome about it, is that I'm fully aware of my fault but haven't been able to fix it - for years!

Messing around in my basement I think I may have just found something.

When I take the club back, instead of holding the triangle, I make it so that my hands go back first, holding somewhat of a broken triangle, forcing the clubhead to lag behind.

Then when I transition to the downswing/downstroke, I also lead with my hands, also forcing the clubhead to lag behind.

All of a sudden my chips and putts are SOLID; it feels like the club is heavier and bigger!

Why does this work for me?

I think that on the takeaway the natural inclination is to flip the hands back a little - a definite no-no. You never want to introduce handsiness into the golf swing - BUT it's death to start off with a handsy move right away.

And I think that the *hold the triangle* swing-thought was just too rigid and tension-inducing.

I've heard others, gurus, say that the only thing that's important in the short game is generating a *pendulum motion*.

Well when I lag the club behind on the way back....I'm finally feeling like I'm swinging with pendulum tempo - instead of my customary yank, whip, and flip.

The ball is absolutely jumping off my wedge, and putter.

Here's hoping this breakthrough isn't fools gold, again.

In a sense, I feel like Ryan Moore makes this type of move on his (full swing) backswing, no?

Body Flex

2010-10-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Alright.

I took screenshots of those *flex* shots so we can study them closer:

Hmmmm...

Okay, so why specifically do we have to have those specific flexibilities?

I'd really like to know but I can't afford to pay the exorbitant rates this guy charges.

But I would like to try to take these measurements of myself to see how far I fall short of his ideals.

I can tell you right now, that I can't twist my neck like that on account of the major back/neck injury I suffered in 1999. And in that clip above, he briefly remarks that inflexibility in the neck prevents a golfer from keeping their head still as the body turns on the backswing.

So might that explain why once in a while I interrupt decent rounds of golf with shanks and whatnot?

I'm very curious.

Stiff-Necked?

2010-08-19T12:34:00.000-04:00

Shoot!

You know I messed up my back and neck pretty badly in a 1999 car accident? I even had invasive surgery to address the injury.

If golfers need to be able to turn their necks 110 degrees to become proficient, that might explain why my game hasn't progressed to where I think it should be after 20 years and a bazillion swings. I can probably only turn my neck 60 degrees, at best, in each direction!

These Somax guys sound good - but a little over the top. Perhaps I've just grown too cynical. After all, $350 an hour to release *micro-fibers*? That is what they are selling.

Yoga has helped my back more than anything so I am willing to push the envelope and dig deeper for non-pharma, non-doctor approved remedies.

One thing I just found is a book that might be down the same track as the $350/hour Somax microfiber reduction remedy.

With 4.5 stars on Amazon.com, I am definitely going to order it.

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide For Pain Relief

Ha! Even better, I just found the book on my library network and reserved it!

A Couple Of Clips

2010-08-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

Wayne DeFrancesco

2010-07-19T23:35:00.001-04:00

I had never heard of this guy as a player (competed in 8 majors!) or as an instructor...

But he obviously knows a whole lot about the game. In the realm of golf instruction, I'm all into edifying video analyses:

I checked Wayne DeFrancesco's website. A video analysis cost $75 - provided you do the taping and send in the clips. And the price is doubled, $149, if you want a 15 minute verbal response. And $200 per hour if you want to drive down to Rockville, MD for in in-person lesson.

Now I've never paid for golf instruction of an kind, but one of these days I'm probably going to break down and do so!

Reading his Teaching Philosophy it's clear that this is one highly intelligent man.

Nicklaus' Singular Swing

2010-07-19T22:52:00.000-04:00

The second part of this video is amazing for its symmetry.

Be sure to re-watch it and note the slight differences in his swing as the club lengthens, e.g. the increasing size of the swing, the hip and shoulder turn, and his arc.

It'd probably be instructive (or scary!) to line up me hitting those four different clubs. I'd suspect I'd find 4 completely different swings!

Hitting Golf Balls From The Knees

2010-07-19T09:49:00.001-04:00

One of my goals this year was to figure out how to do that.

You see, I've always struggled with insidious handsiness in my swing and whenever I tried to hit a ball from my knees the club would hit the ground 10 inches behind the ball.

But now, and I don't know what I did specifically, I can crank it out there 200 yards, right down the middle, almost every time from that position.

Next, on my 2010 goal list, I have to figure out how to take full swings and hit the ball nicely with just my left hand....AND I have to figure out how to swing that left-handed iron I procured.

Hitting all those golf balls, the most I've ever hit in my life, seems to be really paying off!

Rangefinder = Cheating

2010-06-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

At a golf tournament a few weeks ago, the one my jabronis dominated, I was shocked to see that competitors were allowed to use rangefinders in their matches.

When exactly did this rule get liberalized?

I feel like it's essentially cheating. Sure, use them when you practice. In your mind and by walking it off, try to guess the distance to the pin. Then, check out the rangefinder to see how accurate you were. Certainly one should use today's technology to improve their distance judgment.

But apparently they've already moved beyond that...

And I have to say this, the rangefinders did help with figuring out who was *away* from the fairway and whatnot, but still, it didn't at all speed up play in my estimation. I witnessed, and endured, 5.5 hour rounds down there in South Jersey!

Winnersville!

2010-06-12T21:18:00.001-04:00

Be sure to read about my - Triumphant Jabroni's.

Crooked Left Arm

2010-06-12T20:36:00.005-04:00

I battle *inconsistency* on the golf course - of course we all do.

But my problem is particularly annoying because it seems like I either hit the ball stiff (or long and straight off the tee) or I semi-shank/duff the ball.

Obviously, because I'm capable of numerous near-perfect shots there's one fundamental thing that I'm doing wrong even it I'm getting-away with it a lot.

Inconsistency means, necessarily, swinging differently - the dreaded *non-repeating* golf swing.

Grip, alignment, handsy-ness, ball position, tempo,....I've looked askance at these usual suspects more times than I could count over the years.

And several times a year, I wax optimistic that I've finally solved the mystery.

This week, after watching some video I took of my swing at the range, I re-resolved to deal with my crooked left arm.

They say that the left arm doesn't have to be straight on the way back, so long as it's straight at impact. And they say not to focus too much on keeping it straight because such a mindset will introduce too much tension.

Whatever. I'm going to call BS on that.

I've never seen a great golfer bend his left arm as much as I do at the top of the backswing. Try as I might I haven't been able to stop it. That is until now. I think I've finally figured out how.

Essentially I wasn't turning my left shoulder enough; I wasn't thinking about putting it *on top of my right shoe* on the backswing. And that was making it hard for me to get the club up to where I felt like it should go on the backswing. Since I wasn't turning properly, I made the deadly mistake of LIFTING the club up with not only my hands, but also with a hinging of the left elbow.

I just never felt *solid* at the top of my backswing and tried a bazillion things to gain the elusive feeling, e.g. really strengthening my left hand grip.

But today after turning a bit more AND focusing on keeping the left arm straight, I finally felt the club snap solidly at the top of my backswing. Before I never had a wristcock....I HAD AN ELBOWCOCK!

Later today I read this and felt even better about my break-through:

Most people that complain of this problem try to move their arms and hands farther around than their torso has turned. The left arm should not continue to wrap around the upper torso or neck once the shoulders have stopped rotating; it simply lifts up a little bit, if anything. This means that your arms and hands are still pretty much extending in the same direction as your chest is facing at the top of the backswing, not wrapped around your neck or behind your back. Practice the following sequence in front of a mirror to demonstrate to yourself that you can keep your left arm straight.

There you have it. Once the left shoulder stops rotating, the club only has a couple more inches to rise. This is what I can key on - coordinating the movement of my shoulder with movement of the shaft.

The results?

Today I enjoyed a much easier and free-flowing back swing and was hitting no-sidespin wedges knocking all over the 100 yard sign.

I'm heading back to the range tomorrow to see if this insight has any staying power.

Advice For Cheaters

2010-06-07T20:50:00.002-04:00

Here's an interesting funny from a reader-compilation of on *golf cheats*:

I played with a guy that is a casual golfer, but is the longest/straightest 15 handicap you have ever seen in your life. I noticed before tee balls he would go and bend over at his bag, one day I caught him using chap stick on the face of his driver. This would limit the spin and keep him from having any back/side spin off the tee. He hit driver 320...and 5 iron 160. He was also guilty of dropping balls out of his pocket when he couldn't find the one he hit...but that paled in comparison to the "chap stick".

Chapstick!

Who knew?

Geisha Golf

2010-06-07T18:07:00.001-04:00

Hmmm...

But they need to show her putting on the one she wore!

On Hip Speed

2010-05-16T20:28:00.003-04:00

This video is pretty convincing....not convincing enough for me to go out and spend $275 on the product, but persuasive nonetheless:

My problems are more accuracy/consistency than power anyway. If I ever get a repeating swing....then maybe I'll start looking for a little more pop.

Bethpage-Bound?

2010-03-31T20:32:00.003-04:00

Since I'm probably moving to Long Island soon, I thought I'd look into my future golf options: slim, none, and Bethpage.

I did once, some years ago, leave Brooklyn at 5am, get in line at 6am, only to be told the next available tee time on Bethpage Black was 6.5 hours later, at 12:30!!

The process has changed a bit in the 7 years or so since I went. Apparently they have a *Tee Reservation* system or something - which makes sense here in the modern era.

Though you can still camp out for a few open slots. And it sounds even more hellish than before:

Your second option for getting on Bethpage Black, as mentioned above, is to try and walk on, as all of the first hour’s tee times (which begin at 6:30 am), and one slot per hour thereafter, are made available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the Bethpage brass.

Walk-on hopefuls typically arrive at Bethpage in the afternoon or early evening the day BEFORE they wish to play, backing their cars into the designated and numbered "overnight" parking spaces. At about 6:45 pm, a Bethpage official hands out wrist bands, one per car, which confirms the order for the next morning’s ticket disbursement.

It is these tickets, handed out between 4-4:30 am, which allow you to purchase your round of golf. It used to be that only one player in the group needed a ticket, but now every person has to have their own ticket. [Note: If you want a caddie ($60 plus tip) or locker room use for the day ($10), pay for them at the same time as your green fee as you probably won't have time to get through the long cashier line again.]

Overnighters should consider bringing a tent or sleeping bag, too. Cars aren’t conducive to sleeping, and, if you choose to bed down on the root-laden grassy area near the parking lot, you’ll need more than your golf towel to stay warm and comfortable.

Better yet, get a hotel room nearby. Remember, only your car has to stay put to maintain your place in line. As long as you’re back before the tickets are handed out in the morning, you’re golden.

From our experience and stories from people we know, if you’re one of the first few cars in line, you’ll likely get out in the morning. Later arrivals will likely get out, too, but it probably won’t be until the afternoon. Either way, if you go this route to get on Bethpage Black, you’ll be spending a good deal of time just waiting around, so bring a good book and/or some good beer.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one other option for getting on Bethpage Black, though it’s better suited to those for whom money is not an object. NYGolfShuttle.com sells Bethpage Black packages that include the green fee and round-trip transportation from Manhattan for $750 ($400 per person for a foursome). At 15 times the in-state green fee, it is a huge premium, but convenience does have its price.

See also - Montauk Downs - It's Better Than Bethpage.

Was Probably Improving His Lie...

2010-03-24T23:25:00.003-04:00

On Spine Angle

2010-03-22T22:33:00.002-04:00

Personally, I never much enjoyed watching Ernie swing. For a guy who burst on the scene some 16-18 years ago with a spectacularly SMOOTH swing, his motion since then has looked contrived and unnatural to my eye. He's an ornery fella to boot!

Defrosting The Clubs

2010-03-12T14:36:00.002-05:00

The weather has been mild here lately - around 50 degrees at afternoon peaks. This past week I made it to a driving range for the first time since early November. It felt so good that I returned three more times this past week - and hope to be there again this Saturday and Sunday.

I've been picking up where I left off last year: standing a bit farther from the ball, keeping the hands lower on the backswing to effectively shorten the swing, and focusing like a madman on the relationship between my left hand and the club. To the end of the exercise, I've resumed hitting a significant number of balls lefthanded. John Daly was on color TV last week; he said that he does a lot of one-handed practice - all the way down through the putter. Daly said it forces him to *follow through*

Every year I get a little better, but I'm optimistic one of these years my game is going to take a real LEAP. 2010???

Golf Fantasies....

2009-11-17T16:39:00.001-05:00

"....Bob's mouth was on the ground!"

I myself, I fantasize about wedge accuracy...

Signing Morther Earth's Death Certificate

2009-11-11T21:34:00.001-05:00

I'm always firing golf balls back and forth in my yard - 35 yard pitch shots mostly.

Occasionally, I skull one into the woods - or into the house, or car. And once in a while, I'll intentionally smash one, or ten, irretreiveably into the trees. These are shag balls, so who cares right?

Just today I was pondering how many hundreds (more?) of golf balls I've sent into the trees....and I laughed that it is probably an *environmental catastrophe*, in the minds of some eco-pagans anyway.

Most ironically, look what headline was listed atop today's Drudge Report:

London, England (CNN) -- Research teams at the Danish Golf Union have discovered it takes between 100 to 1,000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally. A startling fact when it is also estimated 300 million balls are lost or discarded in the United States alone, every year. It seems the simple plastic golf ball is increasingly becoming a major litter problem.

With an increasing number of golf balls discarded each year, the Danish Golf Association devised a number of tests to determine the environmental impact of golf balls on their surroundings.

It was found that during decomposition, the golf balls dissolved to release a high quantity of heavy metals. Dangerous levels of zinc were found in the synthetic rubber filling used in solid core golf balls. When submerged in water, the zinc attached itself to the ground sediment and poisoned the surrounding flora and fauna.

I'm a half step ahead of these Morons!

What's next, organic golf balls?

Tees made from recycled wood? Solar powered golf carts?

Remember, some people really hate golf.

Crossposted on Marginalizing Morons.

Flexibility, Angles, Breathing

2009-11-11T21:22:00.001-05:00

Very interesting read here.

Upstarts?

2009-10-30T00:00:00.004-04:00

Rickie Fowler and...

My *quiet* co-blogger, LeagueIslander, has broken out. His game has been on fire, all year long.

I asked, and he answered:

As for the golf swing, I must admit, this has been about my best ever year of golf. Especially since I have just 17 rounds in the handicap system since last September. Carrying a 3-handicap playing 1.5 times/month? That's pretty good.

I think two things have really helped me this year. One - starting in February - I have hit wedges almost exclusively when I've gone to the range. I usually keep a towel or glove under my left arm pit (so that I stay connected on the backswing and follow through), and try to cluster balls in groups at all different distances - up to about 120 yards. My primary focus is making a good, rhythmic swing, staying in a good posture, and getting my lower body started before my upper body at the start of my downswing. And of course, I try to figure out the swing length and speed that creates shots that fly 50, 60, 75, 85, and 100 yards. If I can cluster balls to those distances, I know I'm in good shape. If I can't, it sort of doesn't matter how well I drive it. I'll probably shoot 80.

The second thing: I have decided (discovered) that most of my missed shots are due to poor timing, or the sequence of body movements during the swing. When I miss, it's usually because my legs were too far out in front of my body, arms don't catch up, and bad timing through impact (ball usually goes right). Or, my arms and hands start before my lower body from the top of the swing, club closes on the way down, timing is bad at impact - ball goes left (or a wild push to right trying to make a last minute compensation). So when I hit wedges or other shots on the range, I think primarily of getting my lower body started from the top of the swing before my arms and hands. In fact, I will take practice swings by swinging back with my feet together, then stepping towards the target with my left foot to start the downswing (like a baseball player planting his front foot during the swing). This gives me the feeling of having the lower body lead the upper body.

This seems and sounds simplistic, but seriously, most of the time I spend on the range is dedicated to these two things: connection and control with the wedges; timing of the swing and letting the lower body lead. Of course I make sure that my grip is good, my alignment is correct, and posture is sound - but I hardly ever think about club position or anything else.

These thoughts have also helped while I play. When I make a few bad swings during the round (I always do), I simply make a few practice swings with a glove under my arm - getting my legs going before my arms and hands. I have gotten to a place - psychologically - where I believe that I do these two simple things properly, I'll hit good shots.

You see, LeagueIslander already had a picture perfect swing; he just needed to cure his inconsistency - those couple of holes that always arrive and threaten to ruin otherwise good rounds.

Me, I too have had my best year ever. I pretty much get a little better each year. Nonetheless, I've made few inroads against my inconsistency.

Next year I'm going to break out - just you watch!

Remind me to try that *towel* thing.

Back From Florida....

2009-10-10T23:13:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I flew down to Naples for my annual golf trip - the one with my South Philly jabronis.

Would you believe that guy, still barefoot and in his skivvies, drained the 30 footer for bogey AND went on to shoot a tidy even par?!?!?!

On Day 1, at Miromar Lakes, I got off to a very hot start - only four over through fourteen, but then...

I'll summarize my golf-year-ending trip when I get a chance. This time of year, with darkness and the cold weather descending in Boston, is always downright depressing.

Marginalizing The Right Hand

2009-09-16T19:53:00.003-04:00

Since I've been *left-arm focused* recently....

The last few days, in my back yard, all I've been doing is hitting left-arm-only pitch shots.

Every time in my 20 year career I've gone to this drill it's instantly improved my feel.

So why do I ever go away from it?

That YouTube tip above was only OK for my needs/flaws. Nonetheless it seems like pretty sound advice.

All Left, All The Time

2009-09-12T21:26:00.003-04:00

Much of my recent practice has been focused on changing the *feel* of my left hand.

In fact, I am starting to think that one of the biggest differences between good golfers and Hackers is that the real players have so much more left-hand dominance throughout the swing - only the naked eye can't see it on account of there being two hands physically connected to the club.

Anyways, I played today in the rain and hit some really good shots - 18 or so by my count.

What *worked* today was standing further from the ball - see previous post - and making sure the club was coming back to the inside right away.

What also *worked* was a grip swing thought where I told myself to "push the right-side of my left hand toward the club....and to push the left-hand side of it toward the club". This is hard to describe. I guess I am squeezing the club so as to not let my wrist hinge initially, in either direction - as was my bad habit for years.

Nobody reading this is going to understand what I just said so I'll think about how to better articulate it. This blog is for me, anyway.

But for now, understand that I simply do not want the relationship between my left-hand, left wrist, and left forearm to change during the swing. A *straight left arm* is what those old pros used to teach - which I guess is almost the same thing. But I used to focus on the arm so much that not only did it induce unwanted tension, that I let the small muscles (wrist) flap around ever so imperceptibly, but nonetheless.

These days I am watching the pros carefully and noticing how consistent and how solid they keep the *left-arm through left-wrist through left-hand through clubface* geometry.

As I watch a guy like JB Holmes waggle his brains out I can't help but think the very essence of his swing is finding the right feeling in his left-hand.

Also, what about hitting balls one-handed? Can you do it? All the pros can pick up a club and easily smack shots with just their left-hand.

I'm thinking the inability to do so is a clear indication of insufficient, inconsistent, and improper left-hand grip action.

I can only do it a little bit. Everytime I try to practice it I get frustrated because the club just flips around, on the way back and on the way through.

Stepping Back

2009-09-08T21:24:00.003-04:00

I apologize for being remiss on my golf updates.

Make no mistake, I've been working my tail off. Hitting the range at least 3 times per week.

Allow me to run down the process of a huge insight I just had:

Consistency is my problem. Not from round-to-round, but from shot to shot! I can hit one perfectly and the next one might shank. Or, I'll shank one, drop another ball and stiff it. This doesn't happen too often, but enough to ruin my scores.

So my game just comes and goes, despite the 20 years experience I have playing.

One thing I discovered from pounding all these balls recently is that my left hand was not firm enough. It was not in control as it should be. So I've tinkered with lengthening my left thumb and pressing down on it, with keeping the relationship between my left forearm and the shaft constant, and a few other *feel* strategies to get some more left hand dominance. You see, at the top of my swing I've never felt solid. I've never felt like I was in a position where I could effortlessly and confidently start my downswing. How could I achieve consistency if every swing felt different, right?

One thing I tried to achieve that solid feeling at the top was that Dave Pelz theory of trying to get my forearm precisely at either 7:30, 9:00, or 10:30 on each backswing. This works....but only to an extent.

When I was up in Maine and my driver deserted me....the trick that got me back in play was shortening my backswing.

Then, a few weeks ago, I shot a good round and drove the ball spectacularly by doing the precise opposite - I tried to take as big a swing, i.e. shoulder turn, as possible. I was seeing the clubhead over my left eye a la John Daly!

But then that stopped working.

This is what totally sucks about golf. All that effort, sweat, frustration, and false eureka moments and yet I have only marginally improved over all. Tantalizingly, I do get a smidge better every year.

However, I want to take a leap with my game. After all, there are scores of players better than me who haven't put in a quarter of the effort I have.

A couple of weeks ago I found some guy online who's selling a book/video titled The Efficent Golfer. You can go to his site and get a sample chapter emailed to you if interested.

Anyways, I found that because I was googling "how to properly videotape your swing" or something.

I still don't KNOW. But I think I just need a tripod set up to the correct height and I have to figure out how to put my digital camera on *shutter speed* (or *sport speed*).

Nonetheless, last week I plopped down my old camera on a bench behind the range and taped myself with the wedge and with the driver.

What I saw on the playback is what I've seen for years. A swing that gets outside and steep right away on the backswing. That's a flaw that I've only half-heartedly tried to correct. For some reason, I guess I didn't see it as that fatal.

But after seeing this off-plane action of mine for the umpteenth time, I started to watch the pros closely on this. Not a one of them took the club back like I did. Even Jim Furyk who someone told me takes the club back *steep* was flatter than me. Literally, my first move has been away from the ball, away from my body, and straight up. And I simply could not stop!

For a week I tried, and tried and tried. Why the heck couldn't I keep the club on the swing plane - EVEN FOR THE FIRST 10 INCHES BACK!!!???

I started to get really upset. I must be a complete Moron to not be able to correct the basic geometry of my swing.

Then I figured it out completely this past Sunday.

I had to stand further away from the ball. And not just a half an inch or a full inch.

No I was standing 2 whole inches too close to the ball.

It took more than a few duffs to get going. After all, my body has spent 20 years grooving a *crowded* swing. My hands couldn't possibly trust that they could deliver the club on the ball. But, eventually, they did.

My entire body felt different. I felt a power, a flex, in my legs never before experienced. With this new stance I could also really use my shoulders more predominantly.

Everything makes sense now. I was woefully inconsistent because my paths were off-plane.

My left arm/hand couldn't dominate the swing because of the outside path; the *pick-up* by the right arm/hand kept interfering with proper hand pressure. With my new, further-away-stance, the club naturally went straight-to-inside on the way back AND I could feel a controlling, powerful sensation in my left hand - the same one I was trying to manufacture before. Only this one came effortlessly.

Also, I realized that what worked about both *shortening* and *lengthening* my driver backswings was that both moves sort of got my left arm a bit more extended, and my swing a tad less steep - even it the paths were still slightly off-plane. So what excites me is that all of this makes sense now. I'm pretty optimistic that my improved stance is really going to elevate my game.

Next up, is ball position within the swing.

I admit it. If you ask me where in my stance I play each club....I really don't know. After 20 years I should really have this down to a science now.

Another insight I've made recently is that I don't set up my pitch shots with my hands far enough ahead of the ball.******

Also, I've distanced myself some more from the ball on the short game and when putting!

2.5 weeks until my annual Naples golf trip, my last hurrah for the season. I expect to have my best year down there yet. No excuses.

Watch The Entire Thing

2009-08-31T08:15:00.001-04:00

A Funny For Wage Slave Golfers

2009-08-17T20:39:00.001-04:00

What In God's Name....?

2009-08-16T22:55:00.000-04:00

The first pic, to someone well-acquainted with Hackers, is at least partially decipherable.

However, this second one remains a jaw-dropping enigma:

He's left-handed, right? That club is a putter - yet it's seemingly spun around AND inverted.

And WhyTF are his knees bent so?

It is true though. Seventeen years ago a guy I know who's fluent in such matters pointed out to me that non-white golfers bend their left (lead) knee through impact.

But still, even that ethnic insight can't begin to explain the full-body spasm captured above.

Cross posted at Marginalizing Morons.

Choosing The Right Club....

2009-08-04T21:42:00.005-04:00

Even though I was up at 4:30 am on Saturday....I decided not to play a round.

Instead, I went down to my course a bit later and practiced for a couple hours. Then I did the same on Sunday.

At the range I hit 90% wedges and 9-irons - both days.

At the putting green I just used my Putting Track from about 10 feet away.

And when chipping, I just used my 8-iron from the rough - to make the session difficult.

My full swing is taking giant leaps this year. After Sunday's buckets, I was pumping the ball straighter and more consistently than ever - even with my driver. I've discovered a whole new feeling to strive for in my left hand (at the top, and through impact) that's been easier to attain, and sustain, each week these last couple of months.

One thing I JUST realized is that with my new, BIGGER swing, I have been finally able to keep my left arm straight at the top of my backswing. This ideal position has been elusive throughout my career. Up until now I had just assumed that I couldn't do it on account of my bad back (I've had invasive surgery for TOS).

But just this week I realized that I couldn't keep the left arm straight because my left hand was too *floaty*. So it wasn't my BIGGER swing that did anything great....it was my fixed left hand grip that not only allowed it, but IMPROVED it.

This makes some sense as I pore over the most comprehensive advice I've ever gotten:

From what i see from Face on....you got one hell of a swing. I wouldn't mess with it too much. The "faults" you have described (in my opinion) are idiosyncrasies...not really faults. With that being said, your left arm clearly bends because...
-your middle does not move correctly
-your lack of wrist set (leverage)
As a result, your left arm bends to create a secondary leverage source (energy). Therefore, your left arm has to bend to make the backswing feel powerful. This is a short answer.
Now...your wrists do not set properly because of your grip
-left hand
-palmy
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger
-Right hand
-lack of dish angle
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger.
Your middle does not wind properly because...
-your right hip is a bit high at address
-lack ground pressure (you could be flat footed) so there isn't much to wind against.
You see, there would be quite a few things you would have to do to remedy the bent left arm and still have your swing feel powerful. You have a great impact and deliver the club on a good angle so I wouldn't get caught up in in what you don't like about your swing....look at what you do right......there is a hell of a lot of good things going on there. Great job.

You see? That guy there pointed out some things about my left hand that could be making my left arm bend. I guess the problem was that I couldn't comprehend *precisely* what he was saying: palmly, lack of pressure points, lack of trigger finger.

Read the funny story behind that analysis on my other blog - Help, Please.

Now, one note on my chipping.

I already mentioned that I was using short irons from the rough to make my practice more interesting. I have a golfing buddy who's always advised what he calls *goof-around-golf* where one goes out and practices all sorts of unconventional shots with unconventional clubs. His reasoning, "You learn a lot about your swing this way."

So what have I learned?

Well, before I practiced this shot I would have thought it IMPOSSIBLE to make short pitch shots from buried lies in the rough to tight pins on fast greens....with an 8-iron!

I was wrong. But how would I have known? For 20 years I've been cheating on these shots with highly lofted clubs. Cheating myself that is....with easy practice.

Something that really helped my rhythm when chipping this past weekend was soley focusing on the length of my backswing. I guess it reduces handsiness because both hands *know* where to stop moving. It gave me a better a pause, better tempo, and produced solid shots.

This week I will skip the course again and practice some more.

Some People Hate Golfers, Seriously

2009-08-04T21:05:00.001-04:00

Here's a post I wrote 3.5 years ago on my other blog:

The New York Times' Bigotry Towards Golf

Why Tee Times Are Made Online Now

2009-08-04T20:46:00.006-04:00

ACTUAL CALLS RECEIVED AT THE PUBLIC GOLF COURSE ( Amherst , Mass. )

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: What are your green fees?
Staff: 38 dollars.
Caller: Does that include golf?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, I need to get some information from you. First, is this your correct phone number?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, we have a tee time for two weeks from Friday. What's the weather going to be like that day?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, I had a tee time for this afternoon but I'm running late. Can you still get me out early?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, do you have one of those areas where you can buy a bucket of golf balls and hit them for practice?

Staff: You mean a driving range?
Caller: No, that's not it..,,,

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, I'd like to get a tee time tomorrow between 12 o'clock and noon.
Staff: Between 12 o'clock and noon?
Caller: Yes.
Staff: We'll try to squeeze you in.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Do you have any open tee times around 10 o'clock?
Staff: Yes, we have one at 10:15.
Caller: What's the next time after that?
Staff: We have one at 10:22.
Caller: We'll take that one. It will be a bit warmer.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: How much to play golf today?
Staff: 25 to walk, 38 with a cart.
Caller: 38 dollars?
Staff: No, 38 yen.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: What do you have for tee times tomorrow?
Staff: What time would you like?
Caller: What times do you have?
Staff: What time of the day?
Caller: Any time.
Staff: Morning or afternoon?
Caller: Whenever.
Staff: We have 16 times open in the morning and 20 open in the afternoon. Would you like me to read the whole list?
Caller: No, I don't think any of those times will work for me.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Do you have a dress code?
Staff: Yes, we do. We require soft spikes.
Caller: How about clothes?
Staff: Yes, you have to wear clothes.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, do you have a driving range there?
Staff: Yes.
Caller: How much for a bucket of large balls?
Staff: Sorry, we're all out of large balls. But we can give you twice as many small balls for the same price.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Can I get a tee time for tomorrow?
Staff: Sure, what time would you like?
Caller: Something between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock. In the morning, if possible.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Do you rent golf clubs there?
Staff: Yes, they're 25 dollars.
Caller: How much to rent a bag?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, my husband just called me on his cell phone and told me he's on the 15th hole. How many more holes does he have to play before he gets to the 18th?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, do you have a driving range there?
Staff: Yes.
Caller: How much for a large bucket?
Staff: Four dollars.
Caller: Does that include the balls?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Do you have a twilight rate?
Staff: Yes, it's 15 dollars after 2 o'clock.
Caller: And what time does that start?

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: Yes, I'd like some info about your golf course.
Staff: OK, what would you like to know?
Caller: I don't know, that's why I called.

Staff: Golf course, may I help you?
Caller: My kids just came home with pockets full of range balls and said they stole them from your driving range. Would you like to buy them back?

Obviously the smart ass answering the phone kept a notebook nearby....

The worst *question* I ever got in the 9 years I technically worked at a golf course was this:

How big is your 9-inch pizza?

Had that layup thrown at me three separate times!

The most memorable time was when some dude asked me with his girlfriend beside him. I told him *....about 11 inches* or something and she keeled over laughing - and probably never trusted him with measurements again.

Real Progress

2009-07-31T06:42:00.003-04:00

Last week I dumped my kids and wife off at a movie and hit a nearby driving range.

Though I bought a pile of balls, I mostly just hit wedges. I found a real groove when I was able to focus on having very quiet hands at the end of my backswing. The key was to keep them quiet on that first move downward - that night anyway.

I've also been goofing around with taking HUGE backswings. I mean ones where my club goes past parallel and I can see it near my left eye at the top a la John Daly.

Why do I do this?

Well, after hitting tons of half-wedges, I usually get my swing in a really good, smooth place. Then I whip out my driver and am really able to take monstrous, slow swings that are real head-turners on the range. The ball simply explodes off my club.

I played my regular round last Saturday, after my range session. I was simply all over the place. I hit bombs and stiffed some pins....and was also picking up on some holes.

But when I was finished, I was surprised to realize that in between snap-hooks and slices....that I managed 8 pars which is always a decent achievement on my extremely hard home course. So I had at least that to take away from the round.

Then, on Tuesday, I played Wachusett CC. It's a track that would invariably annihilate me as a young Hacker. I'd play my wide-open muni (Green Hill) and shoot mid 80s (when I was *on*) but then my uncle would take me to Wachusett, more of a real, tree-lined course, and it would smack me back down to reality, and up to the mid 90s.

But that was then; I'm a much, much better player now. This Tuesday I ate the course up. I shot a 78 despite carelessly bogeying 17 and doubling 18.

Why'd I play so well?

Well I was taking that incredibly big backswing with my driver from the first hole on. I tried to get my left shoulder as far under my chin as possible; I tried to see the clubhead next to my left eye; and I tried to start my downswing with those *quiet* hands from the range session while I kept the left shoulder wound as long as possible.

I was flat-out smashing the ball off the tee.

Wachusett also has one of the most *unfair* practice greens I've ever seen. It's literally carved into a hillside. I found it to be awesome practice trying to chip, pitch, and putt on it. To make my warm-up session even harder, I would only use my 8 and 9-irons for *flop* shots. I'm definitely going back to this practice green when in the area again. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that playing and practicing under extremely difficult conditions really pays dividends.

But getting back to my driving....

This is what makes golf so darn frustrating. After weeks of hitting my tee shots sideways, I fixed my swing up in Maine by shortening my backswing. That only worked for a little bit.

So now the temporary solution is to take a huge swing????

Crap.

Chipping Away

2009-07-23T20:58:00.002-04:00

I've really committed to practicing more and better these past few weeks. That great book I read really clarified the *hard work* foundation of success. For more it, read the end of this post.

I've been hitting the range a couple of times per week and I've been using Dave Pelz's putting track several times per week.

AND I'm trying to diligently articulate my swing thoughts here.

So my recent break-through was hitting it high...

I played twice in the past week and also hit the range twice. Unfortunately I haven't been able to regain my insight; I hit the ball OK and high at times. Though I've clearly got a lot of work left to do if I think I'm ever going to *taste* elusive consistency.

One newer thing I addressed was the position of my hands heading into impact. Us wristy casters all have the same weak position at impact, i.e. club pre-released.

So I was just making sure my hands were ahead of the ball at impact. I did this by simulating a *stop* of my hands just beyond the ball. It had the effect of slowing down my downswing, delaying the hit so-to-speak, and, best of all, of making my ball striking purer.

It increased my trajectory and pushed my divot out closer to where it's supposed to be - ahead of the ball.

So in my tinkering I got ball high like I wanted but did so in a much different way. This didn't feel good at all. It felt *handsy* - the opposite of what I want - no matter the result.

I also goofed around with standing further from the ball - particularly on my driver. A while back I tried this with great success and thought I *finally had it*!

And I experimented with moving my hands both higher and further ahead at address. Sometimes I was able to hit the ball really solid doing this.

We All Know The Feeling

2009-07-23T20:56:00.002-04:00

Higher Than Ever - My Trajectory

2009-07-15T20:57:00.003-04:00

On days I play golf, before I go to sleep I always think over my round and count *good* shots.

So what's a good shot?

Well, anything solid and straight - no matter the outcome. Even putts can count.

I usually dump about 7-15 shots into this mental category after each outing.

Scoring, as we all know, is something else.

I've been in a serious scoring slump for the past 8 weeks or so. But curiously, my confidence is at an all time high.

You see, I've made some wholesale swing changes, some swing *realizations* that I'm trying to adopt. Hence the erratic play I've been offering up.

This past Saturday was a perfect example. I had Xs on the two of ther first three holes (triples or whatever) and a couple of *foul* tee shots later on. Still, I went home very excited about my play because I made two terrific birdies and hit a handful of tremendous shots in between duffs.

I think I've finally discovered the source of my consistent inconsistency. And I owe it all to this blog. As I was writing a previous post, it hit me that I let the club float in my hands, I basically let it go at the top of my backswing....ON EVERY SINGLE SHOT, putts included.

So I've been working on swinging with the deadest possible wrists with great success. [This feels, to me, like an intense squeezing at the top of the backswing.]

My course has five par-3s, four of which are very difficult, very penal.

For 20 years I've been either pushing or pulling mid to long irons. I knew I sucked with those clubs, but was unaware of the extent. After all, they are the toughest clubs in the bag to swing, right?

Turns out, my flippy wrists were not only adding irremediable inconsistency to these shots, they were DELOFTING the club. Maybe if I had only played with scratch golfers I would have been more conscious of how low my trajectory was?

Anyways, with my new swing, I have been able to positively SKYROCKET these longer irons, once in a while.

I hit a few last Saturday, two 4-irons and one 6 iron, so well, that I've been thinking about my epiphany all week. The 6-iron was so tight, so solid that a hefty crosswind didn't budge it even though it went extremely high. (That was one of my birdies.)

We see what happens next time out.

BTW, I've been using my Dave Pelz Putting Track a few times a week and it's helping.

Wacky Par-3

2009-07-11T23:00:00.003-04:00

Not that one...another.

Click here.

Shaker Hills

2009-07-05T21:51:00.001-04:00

Shaker Hills has been ranked the *Best Public Course* in Massachusetts. Above is the signature 13th hole - a short par-3 that drops a whopping 90 feet tee to green.

I drove 65 miles to play it early the other day. Alarm clock went off at 4am.

So, is the course good?

Yes, definitely. I can see how it the *critics* can rate it so highly.

There are lots of elevation changes; tall trees line the fairways and preclude lofted recovery shots; the greens are fantastic; they are fast, sloped, and true; the clubhouse is nice; and it's relatively reasonable at $85 for a weekend round.

Despite some bursts of fantastic golf, I shot a disappointing 88 from the blue tees - which played a *long* 6500 yards on account of zero roll. I simply missed every single putt but one 10 footer on the first. This is a part of my game that's, still, in dire need of attention. I don't miss short putts and seldom 3-jack....I just don't EVER make midrangers or long bombs. Putting is 43% of the game, right? Over my golfing career I'll bet I haven't committed 5% of my practice time to it.

What's frustrating is that I KNOW what my problem is. It's handsiness once again. I flip the ball a bit; probably just enough to lessen solid impact; and just enough to twist the putterface at impact. Yeah, my misses are more to the right like a total bleepin' Hacker. That's it, my putting track is coming with me to the course every week henceforth.

It was tough to enjoy this round given my mediocre play, the long drive (got killed in *Cape Cod* traffic on the way back to boot), the five hours it took to play, and *cart path* only. Yeah the course was soaked from the preceding 6 weeks(!) of rain. I'm probably at risk of trench foot given how much of my past two weeks I've been walking around in saturated golf shoes. See my prior post.

Anyway, I can now cross this course off my list. I'd play it again but only if I was staying closer to it. There is another highly rated course in the same area called Red Tail that remains on the agenda.

By the way, anyone who thinks Shaker Hills is a *tough* course will be disabused of that misconception after playing Widow's Walk. Widow's is a good 5-10 strokes tougher depending on your handicap.

Point Sebago Golf - Maine

2009-06-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

It's not bad. Point Sebago's golf course is ranked the best in Southern Maine according to Golf Digest.

I played the track four full times last week (3 eighteens and 2 nines) while *camping* there with my family.

It was completely underwater except for the greens which were surprisingly in good shape. So the 6,500 yards played rather long; and it was a tough slog with *cart path only*. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my lonesome playing. That's right, I was the only one on the course most of the time. I didn't play one hole with another golfer; heck, I only played through one group all week. THIS is how golf is meant to be played!

As I said, the course played long from the incessant rain. Future readers take note that the past 5 weeks New England hasn't seen the sun more than a handful of times. Present-day readers know EXACTLY what I'm talking about - and they may never forget this horrible season.

The course was so long that it was extremely rare for me to pull less than a 7-iron out for my approach.

Nonetheless, my first round there was one of my all-time best. Having never played it before, and in those sloppy conditions, I shot 77.

My second round was *back to reality* - 88. Then I shot 81 and lastly 85.

By the end of the week I was fully spent and found myself aiming for the rough next to the cart path! I hadn't played 5 times in 6 days in probably 10 years.

I did plenty of tinkering, some successful, some otherwise, with my swing last week. I'll catalog my *thoughts* on my next post.

ESPN Dumps Golf

2009-06-28T19:39:00.002-04:00

Today 48 year old Kenny Perry won the Travelers Championship with a record-breaking 22-under par total. Yet, even though there is NOTHING going on in the world of sports this time of year, ESPN's website doesn't mention the result. Click the image above to enlarge.

Furthermore, ESPN has buried the *golf* link on its site. No longer does my favorite pastime have a tab on the front page. It's actually quite a chore to find leaderboards and whatnot now.

This is yet another reason to boycott ABC/ESPN!

Messiah Golfing

2009-06-11T13:03:00.002-04:00

First of all, he's standing on the wrong side of the ball....

Still Golfing

2009-06-08T22:49:00.001-04:00

I am changing my approach to this blog.

Okay, no jokes about *what exactly was I doing?* with a sporadic 32 posts.

I started Marginalizing Hackers, and tried to get some help, because there were seemingly no good golf blogs out there. We were going to try to cover everything about the sport. But, bear in mind, that I have another blog that occupies my scant free time.

Now here's the change. I am going to post here my swing thoughts and struggles. Ben Hogan swore about the importance of keeping a notebook to remember what he was working on; what successes he had; etc.

After all, how many times have you gone into a golf rut for weeks that only ends when you remember a *fix* that has been needed before?

I know, me too.

So here goes....

Four weeks after setting a personal best at my home course, I have since been hitting it sideways.

My tee shot, which had been, not only splitting fairways, I was drawing it around doglegs at will....my tee shot has deserted me.

I think this past Saturday I may have figured it out after a post-round range session. My backswing was simply getting too long. More than I can count this one bad habit has been my downfall. If only I had *shorten backswing* tattooed on my arm!

Now for my short game:

Right now I am concentrating mightily on my left hand and its relationship with the club - throughout the swing.

Like most Hackers, I am and have been for 20 years....*wristy*. I pick the club up a little on the way back; the club *floats* in my hands at the top/end of my backswing; AND I flip the hands a bit through impact.

But, as a single-digit handicapper, my wristiness is quite subtle. In fact, I had to diagnose this problem completely on my own as none of the many talented golf buddies of mine has ever even mentioned my *handsy-ness*.

So, I am trying to keep the relationship between my left hand - up through almost the elbow - completely constant on my pitching (and chipping, and putting). It's not a death grip, though it feels like one. What I mean by that is that I think a strong grip in golf isn't one that applies a lot of direct pressure to the club. I think a *strong* or *firm* grip is one that doesn't let the club float in the hands on the way back; it doesn't allow the wrists to hinge or the hands to help at those points in the swing where a Hacker is most prone, i.e. at the initial takeaway, on the transition from backswing to downswing, and through impact.

I guess the mental image that I am using, is that I want my hand to feel like a piece of iron welded to the club.

And don't misunderstand. One needs really muscularly strong hands to pitch in this manner. But, if little girls on the LPGA Tour can do it, then we all can.

When any swing thought like the above is introduced, the risk is always added tension. One thing I've discovered to combat it is to focus on my shoulders. After gripping the club more *intensely*, I am trying to remember that the grip just holds onto the club. I am reminding myself to really turn my shoulder (get the left one almost under the chin) when pitching. So far these competing tips have worked nicely together.

But I still have to focus on taking the club straight to inside on the way back. My tendency is to take the club way outside on my pitches. I've watched the pros and NONE of them ever make the horrible swing path that I've grooved.

Why do I take the club so far outside? I am really not sure. I've tried standing an inch further back from the ball to no avail. I've also tried holding the club more vertically (hands higher) at address - also to no avail. Maybe my clubs aren't fit properly? After all, I just bought the set of Tommy Armour 855s as is and have done no research into the specs or my own measurements.

Tonight I was out pitching in my back yard and succeeded in finding a nice groove. I was focusing on my *iron* grip like I mentioned above; and I was using my shoulders nicely to get a crisp, heavy pop on the ball that went straight up and fell straight down with zero side-spin.

What I really discovered - I mean remembered - was to incorporate my abdominal muscles on each shot.

Yes, abs and X-Factor on 15 yard pitches. Worked like a charm, tonight anyway.

My goal is to become a pure, big-muscle golfer. Only they are capable of *consistency*.

As for my putting....that's been a problem recently too.

I have to find some time to use my Dave Pelz putting track. It works, but not when it's gathering dust!

So you get the drift. This blog is now my personal golf notebook. Hopefully I can keep it up, and shave a few strokes off my game.

Could Almost Be Real

2009-04-18T20:14:00.002-04:00

A puerile golf buddy of mine, late into the extra beer-drinking nine, used to urinate in the hole. Then from the tee he'd eagerly watch the next foursome (our jabronis); he'd keel over laughing at the first guy who made a putt and had to pick the ball out of his Coors Light urine.

Me? When golfing I pee behind the *comfort station*.

Golf - A Great Game, An Irrational Business

2009-04-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

Above is allegedly some failed Greg Norman golf/housing *development* in Bakersfield, CA. It was called McAllister Ranch and the interesting story is here.

And here's a great article on the plight of Central Massachusetts golf courses and country clubs - Economy Plagues Plenty Of Courses.

The *money* quote:

The good news is if you have the money, you can probably join any golf club you’d like. The bad news is you most likely don’t have the money.

And even beyond that reality, country club memberships, in the Northeast anyway, make ZERO financial sense.

Naples Golf Trip 2008

2008-09-29T08:22:00.000-04:00

Alright. I am back from my annual golf trip to Naples, Florida.

I played really bad at the beginning but wound up in form.

First day I shot 90 at Miramar Lakes.

Second day I shot, er stumbled, my way to an abominable 93 at Tiburon. We didn't play the course there that hosts the Merrill Lynch Shootout - we played the other one, which sucked.

On the third day I decided to monkey with my swing; results came on the back nine. Still, I carded an 88 at Hide Out, Larry Bird's club. We played an additional 12 holes there and I really figured out my game. I put up a number of great shots; a couple of birdies. There were five of us that went out for that little match - all good golfers (and me). On one particular hole (the 6th) four of our fivesome actually birdied the hole.

It was during this extra match that I figured out my swing - for the week anyway. I just had to slow it down a full two notches. It really did the trick.

On Saturday, our last round, I shot an 80 at Lely's Flamingo course. Now THAT was more like it! To top it off, we went out for an additional 12 holes after that and me and my partner took $$$ from one of the best (former amateur champ) players in the Philadelphia area. I really got into a groove; stiffing pins and dropping putts left and right.

Here's what our golf cost us: $40, $65, $43, and $40. One of our guys, a member at the Island Club, gets us the generous *reciprocal* rates. That combined with the *off season* makes this one of the cheapest golf vacations around.

My hands are blistered and cut and my whole body aches. Saturday night capped our vacation off; we *went out* around 5th Avenue in Downtown Naples and didn't get home until about 5am.

I really need this trip because there might only be a month of golf left up here in the frigid Northeast - until April!

More from this trip will be discussed on Marginalizing Morons.

Davis Love III, Is He Done?

2008-08-15T07:58:00.000-04:00

I just saw not only that he was playing in this week's Mickey Mouse "Wyndham Championship", but that he had only earned $346,481 for the year - which is essentially over.

His stats indicate a 146th place on the money list. His 2.94 birdies per round rank him 172nd on the PGA tour.

At only 44, he may indeed be finished as a premier player.

Long Island National

2008-07-17T07:53:00.000-04:00

Somebody told me about this new course - Long Island National - nearby in Riverhead, NY. As much as I like Montauk Downs, I figured I'd give it a try. The first tee time was empty on Wednesday, so I raced down early in an effort to get out there first (and alone).

I was there before the pro shop attendant; and even before the sun.

I played lightning fast and pretty darn well, carding a 76 from the gold tees (6,238 yards, par 71, slope 126).

The course was pretty nice. As good as Montauk Downs? Almost. It's greens were truer, probably because it gets less play. It cost $89 (cart included) which is identical to Montauk now that I no longer get the massive NY State Resident discount.

Since it's a littler closer, the same price, and takes tee times, I think I am going to lean towards Long Island National from now on when I am in Southampton.

On the web, one review of this course said that it was expensive - $127 to play. Apparently, they drastically lowered their rates last year. Why is that?

Well, golf is a no-growth sport. People try it out; suck at it; get frustrated; and let their clubs rust in the garage. Then, about 20 years later, they try to sell their outdated sticks at a yard sale.

On Jack Nicklaus

2008-05-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

I remember reading a book on Arnold Palmer years ago. One thing it described was a long-standing, intense personal animosity between Arnold and Jack Nicklaus. You'd never know they hated each other's guts for years by watching them chuckle together on television these days.

The media tends to glorify these guys but few of them ever deserve it. Here read about Jack Nicklaus being an SOB in this excerpt from my other blog - Marginalizing Morons.

The RJR Air Force was Johnson's ticket to the high life. Each weekend the planes disgorged Don Meredith from Santa Fe, or Bobby Orr from Boston, or the Mulroneys from Canada. The jocks of Team Nabisco were frequent flyers on Air Johnson. The Pope took excellent care of them, paying more for occasional public appearances than for an average senior vice president: Meredith got $500,000 a year, Gifford $413,000 (plus a New York office and apartment), golfer Ben Crenshaw $400,000, and golfer Fuzzy Zoeller $300,000. The king was Jack Nicklaus, who commanded $1 million a year.

Johnson claimed his jocks yielded big benefits in wooing supermarket people, but the line between corporate and personal services was a blurry one at RJR Nabisco. LPGA pro Judy Dickenson gave Laurie Johnson golf lessons. Gifford emceed benefits for Johnson's favorite charities like the New York Boys Club. A pair of retired New York Giant fullbacks, Alex Webster and Tucker Frederickson, maintained offices at the Team Nabisco office in Jupiter, Florida; Frederickson ran an investment counseling business from his.

For all the money Johnson doled out for Team Nabisco, some of the athletes weren't easily managed. Nicklaus was notoriously difficult. For one thing, he didn't like playing golf with Johnson's best customers, which was his highest and best use. And he considered himself above the task of working the room at some Nabisco function. Although he was making more money than anyone at RJR Nabisco except Johnson and Horrigan, the "Golden Bear" growled at doing more than a half-dozen appearances a year. After several run-ins with subordinates, an arrangement was struck where only Johnson and Horrigan could personally tap Nicklaus's services.

A million bucks a year to play golf six times with executives???

And he complained about it???

For you young-uns, that was a lot of money in 1988. Curtis Strange led the tour that year in earnings with $1.1 million.

That same year, Jack Nicklaus only made $28,845 in nine PGA events.

Greg Norman - The Way Of The Shark

2008-05-28T07:45:00.000-04:00

A buddy lent me Greg Norman's book Sunday and I, well, read the entire thing in the afternoon. Sorry Greg, but your life story is speed-readable - all 300 pages of it.

But it was nonetheless an interesting read on a biographical level. Greg talks extensively about his failed battle against the PGA tour. His little tiff with commissioner Tim Finchem over expanding play into a "World Tour" is all by itself a case study in the tyranny of institutional bureaucracy and monopoly. We'll start with that first.

Back in the mid-nineties, Greg Norman had the idea to start a new series of professional golf tournaments. They would feature only the best 30-40 players in the world, have elevated and guaranteed prize monies, and be played all over the globe. Greg and his brain-trust had done considerable planning, sought out the support of his fellow players, and even had a lucrative television deal inked with the upstart Fox Broadcasting Network. Well, when the PGA Tour got wind of this development, they went ape-sh*t, to say the least.

The PGA used every dirty trick in the book to quash this rivaling development. They even went so far as announcing a similar "World Tour" right before Greg's scheduled public announcement.

They threatened to expel any card-carrying PGA players who partook in Greg's tournaments. They unleashed a bevy of legal pressure on Greg. They implemented a sleazy propaganda campaign from every angle: tournament sponsors, individual pro golfers, politicians (e.g. Senator Bob Dole), etc. And they took THE tack of dirty politics - they smeared Greg Norman, branding the new tour as a "money-maker" for him personally.

Anyway, the PGA won as none of the players besides Greg would stand up to it. One analog you could put forward is that it was like a failed unionization at an oppressive company. Norman's tour would have lavished an incredible amount of money on top players and loosened the grip that the PGA had on their livelihood. So what wasn't to like?

This isn't the place to go much further into detail but I want to point out that the PGA reacted to Greg Norman in the same exact manner as all large, powerful institutions do to their perceived competition. A few examples might be Microsoft destroying its upstart rivals (e.g. Netscape), the government school system attacking charter schools and homeschools, or the university/college system taking aim at "for-profit" education. The ultimate comparison is with the self-preservative bent of Big Government.

Repeatedly, the PGA propagated the talking points that Greg's world tour would "hurt the game of golf" and "hurt the many charities supported by the PGA". There's no difference between this tripe and the innumerable times politicians have raised fees and taxes "for the children", "for education", or "for the poor". Puuuuhhhleeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzz!

Sheeple fall for this junk. Arnold Palmer, the 'old coot', stood up and vociferously denounced Greg Norman's idea. More accurately, the unthinking Moron became a megaphone for the PGA's talking points.

It's not really a surprise that the players abandoned Norman as they were threatened (with expulsion) and essentially in over their heads in this war of wills. Pro golfers beat balls all day - for their entire life. They aren't studying any of life's larger issues or realities. Greg knew that his golf career had a finite window and he was, at the margin, at least interested in maximizing his current opportunities. The other meatheads on tour, just like the average voter, hadn't the stomach to stand up for their own best interests. I won't elaborate here, but the PGA had very strict rules on how its members could and couldn't earn income. It was all about "brand protection"....sure.

What it was about was monopoly entrenchment - just like government agencies and not-for-profit foundations, no matter how well-intentioned their births, always morph into self-perpetuating monsters. Finchem's over-riding interest was to preserve the insulated and cushy status of PGA Tour management. As Greg put it, the Tour saw players are mere "pass-through entities".

The personal attacks and betrayal from the "World Tour" fiasco left Greg quite bitter and disillusioned. The salt in the wound is that even today, when talking about the PGA's "World Golf Championship" series, Tim Finchem has the balls to publicly thank Greg for his "support". It's all a crock. They never wanted to or did listen to Greg, nor was he ever asked to consult on how they were going to STEAL and implement his vision. The PGA has never apologized or reconciled with Greg Norman. These public displays of gratitude are nothing but continued giant middle fingers thrust in his direction. If I were him, I'd have knocked Finchem out by now.

Now let's get on to Greg at the personal level.

He's always been a *risk-taker*. His tales include death-defying surfing incidents, scuba gear failure 100 feet below the surface, shooting an attacking 10 foot black snake at close range, and a car accident where he drove home a hundred miles with a leaking gas tank. Though hardly Captious, he surely was a Nut!

For those of you unaware, Greg Norman was the best golfer in the world for a few years back in the 1990s. He was known as much for his successes as he was for some unfortunate "chokes" in the majors. He pretty much walked away from golf to run his little empire of business enterprises: apparel, clubs, golf course design, real estate, wine, etc. I have got to respect anyone who has the stones to essentially leave one comfortable field and seek out a greener pasture.

One point of note - Greg's philosophy does not include risking his own capital. He reiterates it several times in his book. On this he loses some respect from me. Despite his undeniable business success, a cynic might assert that Greg simply leveraged his celebrity status into lucre. As far as I am concerned, if Greg is as confident in his abilities as he admits (over and over again), then why wouldn't he ever put his capital where his mouth is?

Remember I am a solo trader. Trading my own money has given me all sorts of freedom (and risk!). So I am biased against those who traffic in OPM (Other People's Money).

But many days, I get the feeling that my go-it-alone approach may be completely stupid!

I have in fact resolved to start trading OPM in the near future when my kids are a bit older and I can devote more time to the markets.

Now the last subject on Greg Norman that I want to address is on the gossipy side - his personal life.

Almost thirty years ago he hit on a flight stewardess (how cliché!). They wed and had two kids. In the photo section of his book there are pics of his son and his daughter, but none of his oft-discussed wife. Right there I knew something was afoot. Throughout his autobiography, the way Greg was running all over the world chasing dollars I couldn't help but see a parallel to General Electric's Jack Welch. What kind of marriage and family life is possible when Dad is always elsewhere? Not a very pleasant or enduring one in my vicarious experience. Welch incidentally has been thrice married. Many athletes retire so they can spend more time with their family but Greg simply replaced one all-consuming passion (golf) with another (business). Seemingly, even when Greg wasn't building golf courses he was off on extended hunting and fishing trips. Most normal guys who merely hit the bar on the way home (for french fries) get an earful from their wives. Highly ambitious men and women simply aren't conducive to family life. They and their spouses simply grow apart.

My hunch was confirmed way back on page 291 where Greg mentioned his impending divorce from Laura, his flight stewardess wife of 25 years. It turns out, Greg was bopping his neighbor, tennis legend Chris Evert who's now 54 (pictured above). Chris was married too so a couple of marriages were ruined from this sordid affair. As of this post, Greg and his new love interest are supposedly engaged.

Now I don't know why any guy would marry Chris Evert with her record. Sure she was married to current husband Andy Mills for quite some time (by celebrity standards) but she was a "player" on and off the tennis court for decades. Her little black book is quite extensive: Jimmy Conners, Burt Reynolds, Geraldo Rivera, Adam Faith, Vitas Gerulaitis, Pat Boone, and John Gardner "Jack" Ford, son of U.S. President Gerald Ford. Then she married and divorced tennis pro John Lloyd before marrying skier Andy Mills the latest cuckold.

I guess one of the most prescient acts of the past century was Chris Evert keeping her maiden name upon marrying John Lloyd. Otherwise she'd be now known as "Chris Evert Lloyd Mills Norman"!!!

For you young'uns unaware, Chris Evert was the Maria Sharapova/Anna Kournikova of her day. She was one hot babe!

Greg Norman is nobody I'd be hoisting up on a pedestal - but you'll find his bio worthy reading - particularly if you, like me, have dual interests in golf and business.

Cross-posted on Marginalizing Morons.

Granite Links - A Good One

2008-05-18T21:04:00.001-04:00

On Friday I played Granite Links a relatively new "upscale" track very close to downtown Boston.

It's 27 glorious holes built upon an old quarry. At $125 to play, it may be the most expensive course in the entire area.

High atop the border of Milton and Quincy, the course offers great panoramic views of the skyline and the ocean.

I had three birdies while carding an 82. Obviously, the course is not that hard! Next time I will have to play the 6,800 yards from the tips. Many of the holes were downhill and the wind wasn't particularly fierce.

Apparently, despite the great golf, convenient location, and a fabulous clubhouse, I believe Granite Links is, like most country clubs, hurting for members. The one time non-refundable initiation fee runs around $30,000 and annual fees are ONLY $4,900. That's as cheap as I have seen around here - for a course that surpasses most others. I believe there are no monthly minimums and no charge for a cart. My buddy, who lives in Charlestown, was tempted right then and there to threaten his marriage and plop down his Amex to buy a membership.

But, as you can see, he needs to spend some more time on the range.

AND, the math simply doesn't work. He'd have to play 40-50 times a year just to break even versus paying $125 as a daily fee customer. (Note that the golf season in Boston is only 5-6 months long.)

New Golf Terms

2008-04-08T22:14:00.000-04:00

Below is an email forward that I found worth publishing. Take note of and try to incorporate some of these golf neologisms during your next round.

Golf has given us some unusual and colorful terms to describe shots -- shank, chili-dip, skull, duck-hook, worm-burner, etc. Lately, most of these have been a big part of my game. Here are some new ones to add to your
vocabulary:

A *Paris Hilton* - a very expensive hole.

A *James Joyce* - a putt that's an impossible read.

A *Rock Hudson * - it looked straight, but wasn't.

A *Saddam Hussein* - from one bunker into another.

A *Yasser Arafat* - butt ugly and in the sand.

A *JFK Jr.* - didn't make it over the water.

An *Elephant's Ass* - it's high and it stinks.

A *Rodney King* - over-clubbed.

An *O.J. Simpson* - got away with it.

A *Princess Grace* - should have used a driver.

A *Princess Di* - shouldn't have used a driver.

A *condom* - safe, but didn't feel very good.

A *Brazilian* - Shaved the hole.

A *Rush Limbaugh* - a bit too far to the right.

A *Nancy Pelosi* - way too far to the left.

A 'Barbra Streisand' - ugly but still working.

A 'Teddy Kennedy' - goes in the water, but jumps out.

A *Peewee Herman* - Too much wrist.

A Picture Is Worth...

2008-02-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

...a thousand Chinese characters.

Michelle Wie turned eighteen in October. But that doesn't mean you aren't a perv for thinking those impure thoughts!!!

Quien Es George Lopez

2008-01-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

To me, the only thing more torturesome to watch than women's basketball is Pro-Am golf. The PGA plays one tournament at Pebble Beach with celebrities and tycoons and another such animal is airing this week - The Bob Hope Classic from Las Vegas.

I will not watch them.

Who really cares about Bill Murray? He was washed up decades ago. Who cares about an analysis of Emmitt Smith's golf swing? But the absolute most irrelevant star of these Pro-Ams has been George Lopez.

Disney/ESPN shamelessly promotes Jorge during the Pebble Beach tournament, I guess, because they want viewers to tune into the George Lopez Show, a primetime comedy of theirs airing on ABC.

But George is simply not funny. And what could possibly be worse than an un-funny comedian? I have NEVER even heard anyone talk about his show - which was cancelled last year. Here's the story from Wikipedia:

In 2000, after several years of performing stand-up comedy, Lopez was approached by actress Sandra Bullock for Lopez to produce and star in a comedy. Bullock was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television and pushed to get a sitcom on television that starred Hispanics but wasn't exclusively about the Hispanic American community. ABC, who had been criticized by Hispanic American groups for lack of Latinos on their television shows, quickly picked up the television series.

Aha! Just as I figured. George was not on television because he was an entertainment draw. He had his own show to satisfy a diversity initiative. With Latinos, Chicanos, and/or Hispanics such a growing (and kvetching) demographic, Disney just had to throw a bone and prop up this alleged comedian.

We are all prone to misunderstanding things outside our personal little bubbles. I really don't know anyone who has an iPhone or watches NASCAR, but I am aware that they are juggernauts. They say that George Lopez's show had "decent" ratings but I remain skeptical. I repeat - I have never heard or met anyone, heck I have never even overheard anyone talking about this clown. I do not dwell in the center of the Hispanic community but I do have Latino relatives on both sides of my married family.

Last year, ABC cancelled this propped-up show and replaced it with one based on the Geico caveman - no doubt to target the much bigger, Neanderthal demo.

George WAS NOT happy,

"I get kicked out for a caveman and shows that I out-performed because I’m not owned by ABC? So a Chicano can't be on TV but a caveman can? And a Chicano with an audience already? You know when you get in this that shows do not last forever, but this was an important show and to go unceremoniously like this hurts. One hundred seventy people lost their jobs. TV just became really, really white again."

By George, that's brilliant!!!

Whip out that race card, the very foundation of your fame.

The next thing you know, the show-less unfunny comedian has been made the new host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. In fact they advertise it as, "The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez".

Now, whether this came from Chrysler, the tournament, the PGA, or the television broadcasters I cannot say. Regardless, this Moron is still in the spotlight, making viewers across the land change the channel.

Believe me, the guy is NOT FUNNY. Watch this clip.

How annoyed were you at his 5 or 6 terrible jokes and the contrived laughter of the interviewer? This is just a taste of what four days of Pro-Am coverage is like when Lopez is playing.

Anyway, even if nobody watches George on TV, at least the diversity-fetishists like the NYT are happy.

Adding the comedian George Lopez as the host is part of the tournament’s attempt to stay current and become inclusive.

Crossposted on Marginalizing Morons.

Has A Tree Ever Fallen On A Golfer?

2007-11-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

I got up at 5am this morning, did my exercises, cooked breakfast, showered, put on five layers of clothes and drove the 8 miles or so down to my new home golf course for an early tee time.

The forecast for today was a low temperature of 37 and a high of 43 degrees, 40-50 mph winds, and a 100% chance of rain. The periphery of tropical storm Noel was due to hit the Boston area.

Only it's not going to hit until at least noon.

And hold off it did, so far anyway. This morning temperatures were between 45 and 50 degrees, the wind was only blowing around 15-20mph, and there wasn't a drop of rain yet.

Teeing off at 7:30 on an empty golf course - I would be done in mere 2 hours. In fact, I once played 18 holes in 45 minutes but that is a tale for another day.

So at 7am, I was sitting in the parking lot, reading a Forbes magazine, when my playing partner pulled up. Yesterday I had told him "Saturday will be a test of golf manhood" and by showing up he passed section one of the exam. We were driving the cart up to the clubhouse and I giggled that I hadn't had a round rained out all year. It's been truly amazing; we beat the rain last week and were going to sneak another wonderful round on a wide open course.

Then the bad news came. The golf attendant was on the phone with her boss. They weren't going to let us play. We pleaded, reassured them we would be done in two hours but it was to no avail. They said we could go out and walk nine but weren't allowed to take a cart.

What?

The boss/owner said, "With the forecasted 45-50 mph winds, I am afraid a tree will fall on them...No carts. They can walk nine if they want."

Now we are pissed. It's okay to go out and walk the course and brave falling trees but for some reason we are more at risk riding in a cart?

What, do falling trees aim for riding golfers?

How do you respond to such asinine reasoning?

And how the hell is a tree going to fall on me considering that I play every second shot from the middle of the fairway?

Two years ago, I would've gone ape sh*t over this but alas, I am slowing getting inured to this Massachusetts bovine excrement. The course is quasi-municipal. The manager/owner doesn't care about revenue or common sense. Like every other bureaucratic, socialist clown up here he's worried about fantastic anomalies - falling trees and the like. Again, I submit to y'all that "legal liability" is hardly ever a legitimate excuse to cover one's ass - rather it's almost always a weak attempt to cover an empty skull.

Remember, this is the state that in parts has banned tag at recess, banned fluffernutter sandwiches, banned stressful honor rolls, cancelled football games for fear of mosquitoes, won't sell alcohol to 40 year-olds with out-of-state driver's licenses at Celtics games, and has authored innumerable more absurdities.

On the way out of the parking lot my buddy exclaimed that they should at least have given us a pass or comp for our next round. Now THAT was funny. This is Boston. This is essentially a municipal course whose only competition for golfers is one other municipal course (South Shore CC). There are really no privately owned (open to the public) courses in this area; hence a competitive, free, market for golfers doesn't exist. Customer service is a laughable concept where there's no consumer choice.

For sure, if we didn't show up and the course was playable - they'd have zinged my credit card for two greens fees. So in that vein, yes, they really should have comped our next round.

This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where George, after having been charged for a lately cancelled doctor's appointment, got pissed at the doctor because she subsquently cancelled on him at the last minute of his next visit.

George triumphantly declared that he had a policy requiring 24 hours notice to be cancelled on.

Can someone tell me what episode that was from? I am going nuts trying to remember.

By the way, how many of you jokers can get up at 5am on Saturday with a mere four hours of sleep?

My mind and body are such finely tuned machines that they never need to rest!

(cross-posted on Marginalizing Morons)

Trull Brook, Tewksbury, Massachusetts

2007-10-25T17:16:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I made a 52 mile jaunt northwest of Boston to play Trull Brook with a buddy of mine. The course is what I would call "Fool's Gold". Ranked as one of the "Best Maintained" courses in the state, it looks good but there's really nothing to it. The grass is lush and stands out only because they have irrigation - unlike a lot of other courses up north. But if you remember, one of my Hacker criteria is "You're more concerned with the beauty of the course than your score."

I couldn't give a hoot about how green a course is - especially this one.

Apparently the lush fairways really do attract the Hackers. It took us an astounding 40 minutes to play the first two holes. I have never, in my 20 year golfing career, seen it so bad. It was October 20th for crying out loud. Hackers abound usually in April and May (usually inspired by Tiger at the Masters) but by the end of the year, they've mostly tired of shanking and losing balls. It wasn't just one slow group either. We had a whiffer in the threesome ahead of us and meandering slicers, hookers, dubbers, and loafers visible in the groups ahead of them. I approached the ranger who was out there on the 3rd hole, I hadn't even said anything and the guy started screaming at me. At me! He told me that I wasn't going anywhere; it was weekend golf; and he was doing his job. I hadn't been patronized like that since perhaps the 7th grade. If it wasn't for the beautiful fall day and my high level of chi management,...I would have punched this Jurassic jerk upside his head. In fact, if he ever took that tact on certain other courses, say in South Philadelphia, he might be floating in a water hazard. This is an endemic problem in Boston - these losers have never been anywhere else, they are ignorant and unworldly - they are everything a "redneck" is supposed to be. I call them "bluenecks".

(One of my old Philly golf buddies did, in fact, strike an ignorant ranger with his 6-iron and started dragging him over to the "crick" to drown the scumbag. This was over at Cobb's Creek - a tremendous track that all true golfers will appreciate.)

It was a five hour round that while starting out inauspiciously, ended up not being so bad. Luckily the foursome behind us proved as just as slow as the Hackers in front so we were able to hit multiple balls and videotape almost all of our swings. In the course of all this tinkering, I figured out, er remembered, the X-factor. That would be referring to the hip turn as the first move from the top of the swing. The hard part is to turn the left hip without spinning the shoulders out; there has to be a small lag. If you do it properly you'll really feel the X-factor in your abdominal muscles, you know, they are under your beer gut.

I had two birdies and shot an 87 from the back tees. There were a couple of really tough holes, like the 200 yard par-3 pictured above. But there were plenty of crap little holes like a wedge par-3 and a 470 yard doglegged par-5 of which it was easy to cut the corner. I hit a driver over the short trees and only needed a 7-iron to reach the green. My buddy and I both missed every single put over 3 feet. The greens were green but TERRIBLE - bumpy, inconsistent, and as slow as my living room carpet.

Who cares how picturesque a course is when it takes 5 hours to play, Hackers are ubiquitous, and the greens suck? To boot, it cost me over $20 in gas and two hours in the car to make the 110 mile round trip.

What a shame, what an otherwise spectacular 70 degree day in October.

But you can't let the Hackers get you down!

Splash!

2007-10-22T12:44:00.000-04:00

Maintain Your Spine Angle

2007-10-18T18:44:00.000-04:00

One Piece Takeaway

2007-10-18T18:39:00.000-04:00

Talented Shiftless Kids

2007-10-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

Widow's Walk Progress

2007-09-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

My new home course, Widow's Walk, hasn't been so welcoming.

My first round there netted me a 98! Okay, it's a tough track, winds were blowing 35 mph,...I had my excuses.

Round two there netted me a 101! There was no wind, no slow play, and quite frankly no excuses for that abomination. (I parred 3 of the first 4 holes to boot!)

Round three at Widow's Walk was one of my most depressing rounds ever. I also shot around 101 - probably a little worse. I was hitting the ball short and crooked all day. Now the course was in my head and affecting my swing. It's a humbling game alright. Twenty years of golf and somehow I couldn't muster bogeys. What, am I completely retarded?

Round four was this past Saturday morning. Here's what happened.

I had the first tee time (on the 10th hole) at 6:57 am. Of course they paired me up with strangers. One guy was sitting way back at the blue tees ready to swing. I introduced myself whereupon he said, "Hit back here with me...those other guys are playing way up front."

CaptiousNut - I can't. I have been stinking it up lately. What's your handicap? Have you played here before? It's pretty hard.

BoldYouth - Never played here. My handicap is five. It's only 6,400 yards from the back.

Now I am getting depressed. My terrible rounds hadn't even been from the back tees. I was skunking up a 6,062 yard layout. I thought about jumping back with him because that's where, outside this course, I always play from - but I just couldn't. I went to the white tees feeling pretty low about my game.

Anyway, this kid cracked the ball right down the middle and still had a 3-iron approach to the elevated, bunkered 10th green.

After that first hole I decided to go back and play the men's tees with the BoldYouth.

This kid was a legit five handicap. He hit the ball very high and very straight. He was definitely a better player than me. It might have gotten lost in the fog of my Hacking but I still believe I am a 7-handicap. So what did my talented playing partner shoot?

HE SHOT A 95 !!!

Meanwhile, I seemed to have found my game a bit playing an early round the week before at South Shore Country Club. My fourth round at Widow's Walk was a sizzling 88! I had to play darn well just to pull it off. Who would have thought the solution to my hacking woes was to go play the back tees?

Of course, there's also that inescapable aspect of playing better merely because I was playing with a decent golfer.

My New Favorite Player - Aaron Baddeley

2007-09-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

I am no bandwagoneer. I have been watching Aaron's smooth swing for the past couple of years. I typically DVR the golf and fast forward to only watch a select few players swing and putt: Tiger, Mickelson, Vijay, and Baddeley. I have been cooling it a little with Vijay as he has gotten older and more slap-happy.

Of course Baddeley burst on the scene with Adam Scott a few years ago. They were supposed to challenge Tiger. It took a few bumps but both of them have started to live up to the earlier hype.

Watch the video.

Now on to Aaron's swing. I was shocked to hear (in the above video) that Aaron doesn't "transfer his weight". I have to think about that some more.

Coincidentally, I have been trying to shorten my swing and wrist cock so Aaron's "bunts" prove that one can successfully play taking half swings.

Tiger actually has a very short swing as well - I mean very short wrist cock. It's just that he turns his back so much that the club ends up pointing down the line at the top of his swing anyway.

Sometimes analyzing these guys' swings doesn't help. If they all had the same exact swing it would simplify things. Pretty much, whatever your bad habit or quirk, there is some pro getting away with it and making money.

Watch the video below to see the different angle of Rory Sabbatini's left arm at the top of his backswing. Instead of pointing "flatly" like Aaron's, his arm is pointing almost straight up into the sky.

There's no way Rory's loopy swing will hold up over time.

Oh wait, I forget about Jim Furyk and his long, fruitful career.

Jackpot - Widow's Walk

2007-08-18T12:39:00.000-04:00

I just moved to the south shore of Boston and unfortunately there aren't too many public courses around here. I now live right between the South Shore Country Club in Hingham and Widow's Walk GC in Scituate. Early this morning I ventured out to Widow's Walk and teed off at 6:39am.

What a treat this course is. It's just like Montauk Downs with the strong ocean breezes and course layout but it's much harder. I had to shoot in the mid-90s today. As of now I am still afraid to total the scorecard. Not only was I playing a difficult course for the first time, we were rocked by 35mph winds today. The greens are absolutely some of the best I have ever played on. This is now my home course so I will have plenty more to say about it in the future. But already I am thinking it may in fact be the best course that I have ever played.

To move (blindly) out to a new area and find such a gem is like hitting the jackpot as far as I am concerned. (only $58 with a cart on a weekend!)

One Swing Thought?

2007-07-16T13:55:00.000-04:00

Click the pic to enlarge.

I guess I have to post this classic video with that pic.

Remember that swing thoughts are 95% bad. Ideally, you should get the kinks out on the range and have nothing burdening your mind while on the course.

I guess the only "thought" that I would permit my pupils is this:

Decide whether you are going to take a 7:30, 9:00, or 10:30 swing length.

(I have also added the 8:15 and 9:45 swings.)

Of course this is Dave Pelz's theory of club swinging, primarily for calibrating wedgeplay. I have also heard Tiger on television talking about "the hands of the clock".

Recently I have been applying it to my entire game. I have been spending all my time on the range taking 7:30 and 8:15 swings from wedge right up through my 2-iron and driver. It does wonders for your rhythm - try it out.

It makes sense too. Figure that if you can't make a short swing with a club, any club, and hit the ball cleanly, straight, high, and without sidespin, then what business do you have thinking you can master a full swing?

Without getting too technical about mechanics, I believe that primarily two things are the bane of the Hacker,

1) Full swing practice before short swing mastery.
2) Target-based ball beating, rather than process-based practice.

More on this later.

Montauk Downs - It's Better Than Bethpage

2007-07-11T19:38:00.000-04:00

Last night I put my book down and went to bed at 2:30am. I hurried to turn my ringing alarm clock off at 4am so as to not wake my kids. Inhaling two eggs, I was out the door and on the road at 4:35am. I was heading to Montauk Downs - a gem of a golf course. I believe it's consistently ranked in the top fifty public courses in America.

Like Bethpage, it's owned and run by the state of New York. Tee times essentially don't exist. It's first come, first serve. Show up a little late and you could be waiting a few hours before you tee off.

I am on vacation in "nearby" Southampton. GoogleMaps indicates that even way out here, it's still a 30 mile, 54 minute drive.

Montauk is REMOTE. It's at the easternmost tip of Long Island - a full 119 miles from Manhattan. In fact, it's so far out, that it's actually much closer to Newport, RI (40 airborne miles) than it is to the Big Apple.

Almost halfway to the course I arrive in East Hampton. Thus far, I have seen more deer(5) than cars(4) at this wee hour of the morning.

I got to Montauk Downs at 5:20am - 5 minutes after the clubhouse opened. (How would you like to punch the clock at this course?) They slotted me in for the second tee time at 5:54am. After a 25 minute fog delay, we smacked our drivers down the first hole with only about 125 yards of visibility.

This course is pure beauty. Because it's so exposed to the ocean (on the north and the south), the winds, fog, and clouds roll in and out all day long. There's a British Open kind of feel that I have never experienced in my geographically-limited playing career. Also, last year, I must have seen twenty deer on the course during one round.

Ah,...last year. That's a round I'd like to forget. Played in the rain and shot ninety-something - a disaster for a self-estimated 8-handicap like myself.

Montauk Downs is one difficult golf track. It's 6614 yards and totes a slope of 139. (I am not sure if the slope accounts for the consistently changeable weather conditions either.) Forget the numbers, every time I have played this course it's summarily kicked my butt.

That is, until today.

I birdied the first hole in the fog and added three more later on. I can't remember the last time I had four birds in one round. Only once have I made five in a round - that was at Wyncote GC outside of Philadelphia. Today I carded a five-over 77 that, all things considered, was one of the best rounds I have ever played.

Here, I ripped a few pics off the website.

This first photo is of the 7th hole. It's a tantalizing par-5 with water in play on your tee shot, on any bold reach for green in two, and on all boring lay-up shots down the narrow right hand side.

This last pic is of the par-3 twelfth. The photo illustrates the abundant and cavernous greenside bunkering to be found throughout the course, but it does not convey the elevation change and in-your-face wind on this fierce par-3. Today it demanded a 2-iron, as did the par-3 14th which also had the added drama of water alongside the green.

What could possibly be better than paying $52 to play a top fifty course and shooting one of your best career rounds?

It almost makes you forget about all your bad rounds and all the frustration you've endured over the years.

To think that I once played Montauk so poorly that I seriously thought about quitting the game the whole torturesome ride home - which unlike the trip there, can't avoid the brutal summer vacation traffic.

Marginalizing Caddies

2007-07-10T15:46:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I went to the public driving range opposite the famed Shinnecock Hills GC, site of a few recent US Opens - ('86, '95, '04).

I haven't even hit one ball yet and some idler there with summer teeth ("some are here, some are there") started making unintelligible communication with me. I did my best to sever the conversation - and actually had to let him try out my 3-wood to get the job done. What did I care? It was a worthless 20-year old Taylor Made Burner that, had he started running with it, I'd have scarcely blinked an eye.

I eventually got to hitting my balls but he was still trying to talk to me. Successfully ignoring him, he moved on to harassing somebody else. He stood behind a poor Hacker, laughed, and exclaimed,

Toothless Wonder - What, is this the first day you've ever played golf?

Don't bet that plaque hijacked all his missing teeth; I am sure this clown has been punched more than a few times.

Anyway, to keep a short story short...

After I was almost done hitting my balls I ended up talking to the agitator. Turns out, he's a caddy and works across the street at Shinnecock. He name dropped all the big shots that he's supposedly caddied for. For example,

CaptiousNut - Ever caddy for Rush Limbaugh? I heard he plays up here a couple of times each summer.

Billy the Caddy - Not up here. I caddied for him about ten years ago in Florida at Naples National.

CaptiousNut - What's he like?

Billy the Caddy - He's a cheater. You better not lose his ball. And when you find it, it better be fluffed up in a good lie... or, believe me, you won't get paid the same.

First of all, who is really the cheater? Who's bending the rules for an extra twenty bucks? Never mind.

Billy told me he makes $100 a bag caddying at Shinnecock.

For the record, the caddy rates when I was doing it at Worcester CC were $7.50, $8.50, and $9.50 per bag depending on your caddy ranking back in the summer of 1988. (Usually, with a tip I would get $10 total for that backbreaking work in 90 degree heat.)

Billy's credibility went from slim to none after he identified himself as a caddie.

You see, most professional caddies are clowns. Just think of Stan the Caddy as a useful stereotype.

Now I haven't used as many caddies as say Rush Limbaugh, but the few that I have come across have all been real screwballs. Once I was playing in a scramble at Lu Lu CC outside of Philly and even though we were riding, they forced a caddy upon our group. He was supposed to "carry the putters".

On the very first hole, the nitwit caddy stared out into the distance and proclaimed, "Golf.....I play this game..."

Caddies are just another argument for riding a cart.

He Should Have Yelled "Fore"

2007-07-09T16:27:00.000-04:00

Watching it, at first I thought the ball bounced off his buddy and then took him out. But it seems the ball caromed off a pole near the other dude before returning to sender.

Paying to Work

2007-07-05T13:41:00.000-04:00

I went to Butternut Farm GC in Stow, Massachusetts yesterday.

CaptiousNut - Hi, 10:15 tee time. I'll pay for one, riding.

Woman - That'll be $55.

CaptiousNut - Wow, it's cheaper than I thought (having checked rates on the website).

Woman - Well, it's a holiday (4th of July).

(long silent pause)

Woman - F*ck!!!

(Obviously she was undercharging golfers all day - charging them a normal weekday rate.)

My buddies asked me what happened. I confessed that I think I just cost us all some cash. One of them then asked her to undercharge us - since we shouldn't be penalized for honesty and she consented.

After nine holes I went back into the shop for some food.

CaptiousNut - Did you tell your boss what happened?

Woman - I just charged my credit card $480 - sixty golfers at $8 apiece.

CaptioutNut - Nooooo. Why? Did your boss make you pay?

Woman - No, he didn't.

CaptiousNut - Well, why'd you pay then?

Woman - It was a big mistake.

CaptiousNut - But it was an honest mistake.

What a dummy! For a nanosecond, I actually felt bad that she had paid for part of my round. Forget that. She's retarded and it is one of the true justices of this world that Morons and their money soon part ways. She was dumb to undercharge and dumb to reimburse.

Imagine paying $400+ to work for a day! She might even need a second job just to pay for this one!

I am going to have to call up today and find out what days she normally works so I can plan future, discounted rounds.

The course is very nice, tree-lined and Hacker-unfriendly. It's much nicer than its overrated neighbor Stow Acres.

Of course I had to cross-post this one on my Moron blog.

Who's a Hacker?

2007-07-03T18:33:00.000-04:00

By no means is the following exhaustive criteria - it will be updated in the future.

You know you're a Hacker when:

You think "bend your knees and keep your head down" is solid advice.

"Mulligan" is in your vocabulary.

You're more concerned with the beauty of the course than your score.

You mark your ball directly beneath it rather than behind it.

You see nothing un-masculine with a pull cart.

You've occasionally played with an orange or yellow golf ball.

You play with an extra ball in your pocket. (by the way, that's illegal)

You tote a ball retriever.

You think the secret to lower scores is a new driver.

You rarely hear "good shot" after you swing.

You get extremely nervous on the first tee when it's crowded.

You're scared to death of bunker shots.

You subscribe to golf magazines.

You don't ever step foot on a driving range.

You think any bunker shot that lands on the green is a great shot.

You refer to a scramble as "best ball".

You go entire rounds without having to repair a ball mark.

You've had to go in the shop and buy more golf balls intra-round.

Every shot you hit, including putts, goes to the right.

You circle pars on the scorecard.

Hello Hackers!

2007-07-03T13:03:00.000-04:00

I was itching to branch out and start pontificating on my favorite pastime. So yes, this is an offshoot of my world famous blog but no, it won't be more of the same - it'll be all golf.