After turning my hat around, untying and re-tying my shoelaces three times, and deciding to stop sending chili peppers up Johnny Miller’s ass, I got back to my usual level of mediocrity yesterday, carding a gentleman’s 82 (with a 4-putt) at Little Bennett (pro tip- the green on #9 has a slope that parallels intermediate ski resorts so if your ball is on the green and it’s above the hole…you’re screwed).

Maybe being sick the last week and a half helped me get rid of the demons (I got rid of everything else, or so it seemed).

The bigger aid was to move up.  My two gong show rounds were from the black tees at Redgate and the blues at Northwest.  If I’m being honest with myself, that’s probably a bit too much for me (it’s the difference between hitting a hybrid or a 4-iron to the green or hitting a middle/short iron).  While discussing the state of affairs, I think the PGA has it right with the “tee it forward” and here’s why- if you play and go out and have a great round with multiple birdies (and if you’re the wagering type, maybe you won your bet with your buddies), are you really going to beat yourself up afterward with “well, I only played the middle set of tees?”

Didn’t think so.  You still had to sink the putt (or chip in) for the birdie, and being someone who openly jokes that I can 3-putt from anywhere (I joke mostly because drinking myself into a drunken stupor and crying uncontrollably would probably unnerve most people)…I can say that making that 12-footer can be the hardest part.

Speaking of putting, the LPGA International Crown has been riveting stuff (I would argue that the LPGA is a lot more fun to watch currently than the PGA Tour), but for the love of everything good…the pace of play is beyond horrendous.  The playoff between Korea the USA was tremendous, and if they had been able to complete shots in under 3 minutes it would have been even better.  The Ryder Cup, I fear, will be more of the same of glacial pace of play.  Let’s keep it moving along, folks.