Category: Grill Room (page 5 of 6)

On outings and the latest demise of golf

June 29, 2014 / / 0 Comments

On a warm but not oppressive June morning I played at Fairway Hills in Columbia.  The course was, in the main, in good shape (a couple of fairways had some burned out areas but by and large the course was in great shape; the greens were rolling true and the rough was thick (our incessant wet weather is helping I’m sure) but but to a manageable level.  Full credit to the course superintendent and his/her staff for keeping the course in great shape given the wild weather swings we’ve had this year.

One new thing Fairway Hills is doing- weekday mornings you can play 6 holes for $6.00 (all back 9 holes).  I don’t know how many people are doing this, but full credit for them trying something beyond the norm.

If there was a hiccup, it was at the end when we came up upon the start of a scramble tournament…specifically three foursomes on/around the par 3 17th hole, playing at a pace that would make Kevin Na scream “hey…while we’re young!”  It took 45 minutes to play the last two holes (I timed it).  At that pace, that’s a 6 1/2 hour round, and there is absolutely no excuse for that pace of play.  Watching them play (we had plenty of time) it was like watching a “what not to do” video relative to pace of play.

If you’ve played for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly played a scramble.  Get paired with a good group of your fellow golfers and it’s a fantastic event.  Get paired with people who have the personality of a lawn chair, and it’s like spending five hours in the dentist’s chair sans painkillers.

Nobody likes to be told to move things along, but if your response is “I paid my money and I’ll take as long as I feel like” then you’re part of the problem.

 

Courses need outings- they bring in revenues, and it brings your novice golfer out.  However, like anything else, they have to be managed.  Shoving them in front of your dawn patrol/dew sweeper groups grinds the entire pace of play to a halt.  Courses also have to take care of their core, and it is a balancing act.  I’ve seen outings start first thing in the morning (especially your shotgun format like we had yesterday), or starting at noon (when the course has had time to get your morning groups around) or later.  A balance has to be struck.

Amid the men’s US Open getting horrible ratings (the final round had zero excitement unlike previous years) and the FIFA World Cup getting huge ratings for the US team’s games, you’re having the inevitable “See- soccer’s going to take over!! and golf is dying out because Tiger’s not around/golf is old” dirge (I can’t bring myself to link to this stuff).  I’ll admit to watching the US team’s games (the late-game drama helps as does the lack of commercials), but am I going to go watch Major League Soccer?  No, and neither is the vast majority of people tuning in.

As usual, SWIRIC nailed it.  She likened the World Cup to swimming in the Olympics.  People love to watch swimming in the Olympics- for two weeks every four years Americans cheer like nobody’s business to watch.  And when the Olympics is over, everyone goes back to whatever it is they were doing to begin with.  I mean, people love to go swimming (especially on a hot summer day…few things rival that dip in a refreshing pool), but would I tune in to watch the ASL (American Swimming League)?  No.

I won’t claim any science, but I’m seeing an increase of younger golfers (under 30’s) this year.  Not sure if it’s being driven by the PGA Tour, marketing, or what.

Hit ’em straight, and let’s keep moving along.

 

Going Sideways In Santa Barbara and Solvang

June 14, 2014 / / 0 Comments

After two days in the searing heat of Paso Robles, our journey of the absurd took us approximately two hours south via US 101 into Santa Barbara; a trip that offers numerous ocean and mountain vistas.  Santa Barbara is a coastal town right on the ocean.   Unlike the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific tends to cool things down with prevailing onshore breezes.

Golf

Santa Barbara has a few options, but opting for a “taste of what you can’t get back home (always a preferred option when on the road)” I opted for the pricey yet scenic Sandpiper Golf Club, located just north of Santa Barbara (approximately 15-20 minutes north of downtown via car).  Check-in was fairly perfunctory, but unlike most tracks, there’s no slip or bakery ticket to hand to the starter…the young man in the pro shop sent me on my way to an equally young starter who appeared to be young enough to be my offspring (if such a thing had happened).  Range balls are included with your green fee (honestly when you’re paying $100 plus this should be automatic), and to their credit, the range was actual green grass, and not mats.  So after a dozen or so swings to get the body warmed up (on a morning where the famous marine layer was in full effect), it was off to the first tee.

 

 

The course isn’t cheap, so saying Sandpiper is a value proposition would be a bit foolish, but much like in real estate, it’s all about location.  An opening straight-forward par 5 offers a straight hitter a chance at a birdie; holes 2 and 3 are relatively benign.  It’s not until 5 and 6 (4 and 5) that you start to sense where you’re at, when the Pacific Ocean vistas you’re paying for come into play.

5th hole @ Sandpiper

5th hole @ Sandpiper

You’re started with an uphill par 5 that ends at the very edge of a cliff, followed by a short par 3 that punishes any leftward shots with a trip to a watery grave.  Can’t imagine anyone who’d be dumb enough to hit a big ole hook into the Pacific Ocean.  Surely you’d want to miss short or right…

 

Sandpiper #6. Note hazard left (closest point of relief is Catalina)

Sandpiper #6. Note hazard left (closest point of relief is Catalina)

The back nine goes right into visual golf porn mode; the tenth is one of those holes where pulling out the camera is completely within reason; the ocean framing the short dogleg par 4.

From 10th Fairway @ Sandpiper

From 10th Fairway @ Sandpiper

dogleg par 4 while 11 offers a downhill par 3 to a green that fronts the ocean.

Sandpiper #11. Avoid the guy sunbathing.

Sandpiper #11. Avoid the guy sunbathing.

On a clear day (the day I played the marine layer was in full effect) you can see forever.  A few more holes lead you to the finisher; a par 3 that requires a full carry over a lake.

18th hole @ Sandpiper. Over a lake.

18th hole @ Sandpiper. Over a lake.

There are other options; you could drive approximately 30-40 minutes up to Solvang/Buellton/Lompoc and play courses up there.  While these tracks are lighter on your wallet, you won’t get the dramatic vistas on offer at Sandpiper.  All in all I enjoyed my round (it definitely had a Torrey Pines feel to it in terms of design, layout, and the native flora) but would I put in on a must play list?  Not so sure about that one.  The clubhouse and pro shop aren’t exactly opulent, and other than the holes that front the ocean, there’s a lot of fairly boring holes of similar yardages.  Did I have fun?  Yes, but when I return to the area I’ll probably look for something in the Santa Ynez valley area just for a change of pace.

One minor quibble…they were punching greens the day I played.   Their website had no notice of this.  I am now convinced that there is a wild pack of crazy green-punchers who show up and punch greens at random courses.  These people must be stopped.

Wine

Since SWIRIC enjoys the occasional tipple, the après golf activity of choice was wine tasting.  If you like Pinot Noir, you’re in what is arguably the Pinot Noir capital of the US (people in the Williamette Valley part of Oregon might justifiably want a say on this but both regions are doing the good work).  Options number in the hundreds.  My list is by no means comprehensive nor definitive, but we hit Foxen (two different tasting rooms) and were met with incredibly fun and knowledgeable folks.  After Foxen we hit Babcock, Melville, and Sanford.  My wine palette pales in comparison to SWIRIC, but if you go, Sanford would be at the top of the list if you’re into Pinot Noir.  If you’re really into the film ‘Sideways’ you can find an app that has all of the places in the area that they filmed at/were at (if you really want to nerd out Sanford was one of the locations).

One other pro tip- in Lompoc there’s a Wine Ghetto that’s only open on Sundays.  We missed out, and while I made a stream of jokes about doing tastings of Mad Dog 20/20 and Thunderbird (why yes, the 2014 Thunderbird has delightful notes of high fructose corn syrup, urine, flop sweat, and just a hint of stale beer farts), it’s a real thing, and well worth your time.

Food

While no trip to Buellton would be complete with a trip to the Hitching Post II (the steaks are really good and the 2011 Highliner was a great wine once it opened up), there are other and less expensive options in Solvang (warning- the entire Solvang/Buellton area isn’t known for late nights so plan on making it an early night).  The Solvang Brewing Company has good pub fare (and a selection of fine beers).

However, the real honest-to-god-if-you-ruin-this-place-I’ll-beat-you-with-a-bag-of-hammers culinary find was Los Agaves in Santa Barbara. Honestly I don’t know where to start.  It’s casual.  It’s packed.  Parking can be a nightmare.  You wait in line and order at a counter and grab a seat and they bring you your food.  They have bottled beers if that’s your thing…plus fountain sodas.  First, some tortilla chips, so go ahead and get a few samples of their many salsas (seriously they have about 8); SWIRIC was ready to steal whatever Salsa Aguacate (an avocado-based salsa) they had left, and that was before her shrimp and halibut enchiladas in chipotle cream pepper sauce (sounds funky but it’s oh-so-good).  The shrimp tacos I had were easily the best tacos I’ve ever had (and let’s just say I’ve had a few).  Topped with a mango salsa and cabbage slaw that normally I wouldn’t like…but this…oh, me likey.  This place will never be on a concierge’s list of recommended hot spots, and the area isn’t exactly upscale.  Their beer selection is the usual- Corona, Dos Equis, Carta Blanca, Tecate, etc.  It’s just damn good Mexican food, done right.  The crowd was about 98% locals, which is all you need to know.  I may or may not have frightened the manager when I begged him to open an East Coast outpost.

All in all, Santa Barbara/Buellton/Solvang is a great place to visit if you like golf and wine.  Just go easy on the tasting (one trick we found that worked was sharing a single tasting- we got to taste everything and no sobriety issues).

Emptying the bag out

May 25, 2014 / / 0 Comments

On a day that might be as perfect as you’ll ever hope for to go play (seriously- go play…this will be here when you get back), I’m inside emptying out my bag with all kinds of stuff.

Went to go renew my handicap today at (club name redacted for my own sanity)…a 20-minute slog of patiently and quietly watching someone try to figure out how to collect money so I can post the horror show of scores I have to put in and have some half-wit call me a sandbagger (not really the case- I tend to play really well when I’m playing at a fast pace but when it’s a 5-hour slog my game goes to pot).  I don’t know how the MSGA works with clubs on handicaps, but a way to renew online would be totes awesome.

My first two interviews are almost done.  They’ll be posted in early June.  I hope they’re informative.

If you haven’t heard, the LPGA is returning to Maryland in July (the old LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock is no more, having been moved out) with the LPGA International Crown which is a 2-person international team event at Caves Valley.  I wish the tournament a ton of success and weather similar to today.

The former AT&T National has been re-named the Quicken Loans National.  Next year (2015) it moves to RTJ in Manassas, VA.  So there’s that.  RTJ has been used on three occasions to host the President’s Cup.

Accomplishing the Doable in 2014

May 22, 2014 / / 0 Comments

One of my biggest complaints about golf courses is the way that many of them try to pull the wool over my fellow golfers when it comes to aeration/punching or other goings-on that might otherwise dissuade one from wanting to play a course.  I’ve long said (before I started this blog) that courses should publicize any aeration or partial closures (i.e. temp greens, temp tee boxes, etc.) and let an informed customer make the decision.  Golfers will respect this; where you lose people is when you have the starter tell them what’s going on, and you send people off in a frustrated mood.

Last Saturday (5/17) I played Northwest Park; as I’m want to do I made my tee time in advance, and if you remember (if you live in this area) it started raining.  And raining. And holy crap Sweet Baby Ray did it rain.  So I came home after work on Friday, and Northwest Park had left me a voice-mail letting me know that the back nine had flooded out, and they were using the front nine and the “inside” nine as the second nine, and were offering a reduced rate due to the closure.

On the day, the guy in the pro shop, and the starter, could not have been nicer.  The starter was adamant that it was cart path only (understood, and I also understand he’s doing his job) but otherwise was quite pleasant.  He explained the problem holes (13 and 16) and was quite polite about it.

Here’s the thing- everyone in my group was okay with it.  We understand that you can’t control the weather. But you can control how you react to it.  That phone call was a great example in how to handle a difficult situation.

Take note course operators.  This is how you handle things like this. And well done Northwest Park and Montgomery County Golf.

Now…if we can just talk about your damn speed cameras…

Right back where we started

May 10, 2014 / / 0 Comments

It’s been a while, and between work and everything else that goes on, the migration out of the old blog into the new site is done.

So let’s talk about slow play. Really.  No, put the baseball bat down.  It won’t help.

I started my year with two of the slowest rounds I can remember, and for no good reason.  If you decide to play early, you’re committing to playing fast.  Seriously.  This means YOU.

I had the misfortune of playing a round at Laytonsville last month, where we were paired with your classic “well if Tiger does it then it must be great” rubes.  Million dollar wardrobes, Air Jordan golf shoes, top of the line equipment and these two clowns would have made Kevin Na scream “while we’re young!”  Playing early we got around in a tidy 4 hours and 40 minutes.  On a course that isn’t exactly on anyone’s toughest in the region list.

The list of particulars is an all-too-familiar refrain.  One of these two took 2 minutes 10 seconds to hit a putt.  20 seconds is more than sufficient.  But he had to walk every square centimeter of the green, and then proceed to hit the putt short and leave it on the amateur side (on greens that were punched).  They both were taking 3-5 practice swings on every shot.  I have to say that the marshal/ranger was of little help- when we got rightly confronted I explained what was going on…and he proceeded to ignore them.

So, for those of you new to the game, a few tips on how to speed things up-

1) Ready golf on the tee if you’re all hitting from the same set of tees.  This also means taking one practice swing. One. Not two.  Not three.  If you do the Sergio Garcia “waggle the club 10 times” bit…just stop.  It’s one practice swing. That’s it.

2) You do not “need to see all of it”…courses are doing a better job of listing handicap index recommendations by set of tees.  Take their advice.  Seriously. You’re not going to be castrated if you move up to the middle set of tees.  You might find that you’re hitting shorter irons to the green…when you’re bragging to your buddies about making 3 birdies in a round, do you think they’ll mock the fact that you played from the middle set of tees (hint- they’ll be jealous).  When you make a birdie, does the fact that you didn’t play from the tips cheapen it?  NO!  You still had to drain the putt.

3) Continuous putting. The Ohio Golf Association did a study that says you can chop 20 minutes off rounds by doing this.  Try it.  If you’re playing an official match you can’t do this (under match play rules) but how often does that happen?

4) In a casual round, if you spend more than 2 minutes looking for a ball then wear a sandwich board that says “I’m the reason your round takes forever.”  One stroke penalty and drop one.  Hint- stop using ProV1’s.  Oh, and if you have one of those ball retriever doo-hickeys and it gets used more than once in a round?  You also get the sandwich board.

5) Know your yardages (meaning how far you hit clubs). Easy hint told to me by a club pro. Go hit your 5-iron at the range until you know how far you hit it.  Subtract 10 yards for the 6, add 10 for the 4.  So if you hit your 5-iron 170 yards, you probably hit your 6-iron 160.  Will you occasionally nuke one?  Sure.

6) Figure 10 yards of distance gained/lost for 10mph of wind.

7) If you use a DMD (distance measuring device), use it while someone else is hitting. If it takes you more than 20-30 seconds to get a number, go find one that works faster.  The one I use measures distance to the pin. Takes 10-15 seconds.  I will, if asked, measure distance and give it to the other players in the group (i.e. “it’s 157 yards to the pin”) and go about my business (and distance is NOT considered giving advice per the rules of golf).

8) Put your mobile phone away.  If you must, take a peek to make sure there are no emergencies as you’re waiting to tee off (so let others go first). Updating facebook/twitter or making calls in earshot of other golfers?  Unless you’re dealing with an actual emergency, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY.  YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT. IF YOU WERE (AND YOU’RE NOT) YOU WOULDN’T BE ON A MUNI COURSE ON A SATURDAY MORNING.

9) Have an extra ball in your pocket. Ideally it would be different number or have a different marking than the one you’re using.  Also, keep a few tees, a divot tool (and for the love of God and all that’s holy learn how to use one), and a ball marker in your pocket (hint- do this BEFORE you tee off so you aren’t scurrying about looking for a peg).

10) The goal is to keep up with the group in front of you. Are you more than a hole behind them and the people behind you are on your ass the whole time?  We have seen the slow players, and you’re it.

How hard can this really be?

March 8, 2014 / / 0 Comments

So with today being quite nice, and Monday and Tuesday of this week expected to be nice as well, it’s not unreasonable to ponder sneaking out of work early to go play golf (I mean, the clocks go forward Saturday night- it’s like they’re doing this on purpose or something).

And yet, here in Howard County, you’d think that our courses would want to let folks know what’s going on.  You would think that.

My goal was to send out a blog on what courses are and aren’t open, and hopefully see signs of excitement after this really cold and snowy winter we’ve had.  Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

Timbers at Troy and Waverly Woods “should” be open.  I say should, because their attempt at communication is poor at best.  Timbers at Troy has a Twitter account, which is nice (except that it hasn’t been updated in 2 years).  Waverly Woods is worse- no tweets since 2011!  Their websites have nothing on them that say “we’re open” or “we’re opening on ‘X’ date.”  So they might be.  Maybe.  Or not.  Unless they are.

Waverly Woods does, however, have a Tumblr page from their Superintendent that was updated on 2/24/14 but makes no proclamation of “hey everyone we’re open!”

Timbers at Troy?  No clue.  Their website has great photography, but nothing about being open (it does have a calendar with all of their outings and league dates).

I hate to keep hitting them with this stick, but compare that to Montgomery County Golf.  They sent out tweets TODAY for every course (most of them along the lines of “open and cart path only” or “open and walking only”), and not only that, but they have a PUBLISHED aeration schedule!  You can see when they’re going to aerate what courses.

Columbia Association?  Nothing about golf in the last month.

Turf Valley?  Nothing about golf this year.

At January’s PGA Merchandise Show, there was no amount of bleating about trying to grow the game.  It’s not easy, it’s not cheap, and it takes several hours to play an 18-hole round.  One good thing to do is to reach young people, and that would be via social media (seriously- it takes about 30 seconds to send out a tweet).  Updating your website might be good, but I can understand that this can take time.  Twitter is easy.  Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram are also easy.  This is where young people (and Gen-X’ers like myself) go for info.  Yes, your website is important, but sending out a Tweet is cheap, easy, and is a great way to reach people.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go ask my magic 8-ball if our local courses are open.

 

The pre-round food and drink experiment (Part 1)

February 26, 2014 / / 0 Comments
Photo courtesy Johnnie Walker

Accept no substitutes. The breakfast of champions. Or lunch. Or Dinner.

Nutritionists like to say that what we put in our bodies is important.  While eating healthy food can help us be more productive, unhealthy eating can lead to a loss of productivity.  For golfers, this can mean the difference between a good round and a mediocre or poor one.  If you look at the professionals on the PGA, European, LPGA and Web.com tours you certainly see a lot of fit athletes engaging in healthy eating habits.  Many have nutritionists and fitness experts they work with to help them maintain peak performance.

I am not one of those people.

The reality is that most of us on the public courses have full time jobs and are trying to balance this wonderful game of golf with…well, these people I live with…do they have names or something?  I should write this stuff down.

Heck, you’re probably busy right now.  In fact, you might be reading this before you go hit the links (if you do, can I take a moment to compliment you on your world-class taste in golf blog reading?) and worse, you might be hungry and/or thirsty and you’re not sure about what to do, and the idea of taking a $10 Nassau off of that asshole coworker of yours is the only thing keeping you from committing homicide so any advantage would be more than welcome.

Or, you’re reading this on the can on your mobile at work.  Again, you have great taste reading material in bathroom category (and really, this is much better than Cousin Sally’s latest post on Facebook on LOLCats).

So in the interest of helping you, my fellow public course golfer, I did an experiment of all the popular pre-round food and drink options.  If this was on Bleacher Report I’d make a slideshow, but even a blogger like me has some standards.  So on this post I’ll go over drink options, and in Part 2 I will cover food.

Item: Airplane Bottle of Whiskey

 IMG_20140208_105558_468

Size: Smaller than a sleeve of balls.  You “could” throw more than one in your golf bag and not be overly taxed.

Cost: A few dollars depending on how rich your taste runs

Taste: Scotchy scotch scotch…in my belly.  At 6:00 a.m. this isn’t for everyone, but greatness comes in many forms.  To the uninitiated, a bit like room temperature gasoline, but I like Scotch.  I’m having my (none of your damn business) ‘nth one now if you must know.

Performance: Initial reaction was “oh fuck yeah!!!” which a few holes later turned into me thinking that I need another.  Luckily they’re small so you “could” (I should note that I don’t encourage drinking to excess nor underage drinking) have another.  And another.  And…well, who’s counting?  Have another.  I can’t say that I played as well as I could have (doesn’t help when the course puts 3 goddamn flags on every hole…like I’m supposed to know which one to aim at), and maybe, just maybe, removing my pants on the 18th hole may “not” have been what you might call a good idea.

Best for:  People who think “hair of the dog” is a good hangover cure, people who are functioning alcoholics, bachelor/stag events, late day rounds when there’s nobody behind you.

Worst for: People who don’t drink.

Item: Diet Cola/Diet Coke

IMG_20140208_105652_666

Size: 12 ounces of cola goodness…fatter but a bit shorter than a sleeve of balls so easily fits in any golf bag.

Cost: varies…one can bought from a grocery store can be less than 50 cents.

Taste: Tastes like…well, cola.  A cold can of pop on a warm morning…not a bad way to go.  And, if things go sideways, I’ve been told that you “could” throw a few fingers of Jack Daniels, Crown Royal, or similar beverage in your cola and that this “might”, in some circles, be pretty good.

Performance: Most cola has caffeine so you get the stimulant of caffeine.  Always good to help you get going.  If you’re sensitive to caffeine (and I’m not) then maybe not a good idea.  Might make you jittery.  One of John Daly’s food groups.  May or may not lead to a desire to buy LoudMouth golf pants.

Best for: Warm weather rounds if coffee and golf don’t mix.

Worst for: People who don’t drink cola/soda or caffeine.

Item: Electrolyte/Isotonic drink

IMG_20140208_105810_629

Size: Varies from 12-32 ounces. Pictured is a 20-ounce bottle of PowerAde Zero.  Bigger and taller than a sleeve of balls.

Cost: Most courses I play at charge $2.50-$4.00 for a 20 ounce bottle.  I bought an 8-pack of PowerAde at Target for $4.00.  Just saying.

Taste: Opinions vary.  Ask 20 golfers about this and you could end up with 30 opinions.  I happen to like them in certain flavours.  Other people think they taste like crap.  I think other people are wrong. They come in a litany of flavours. Experiment.

Performance: Mixing with booze could induce vomiting so best not to.  For those that like them you get electrolytes and flavour and you get rehydrated.  On a warm summer day when I’m not half in the bag, it’s a great way to get energy.  For those concerned about sugar, PowerAde makes a zero-calorie version that has no sugar or calories.  Gatorade makes a version with half the calories.  You can dilute by pouring over ice in the heat.

Best for: Warm weather rounds when you need something more than water and aren’t looking to make a mixed cocktail mid-round.

Worst for: People who don’t like sports drinks. They can be spotted wearing wool slacks in July.

Item: Water

IMG_20140208_105810_629

Cost: Free out of the tap but who does that?  Anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 depending on how badly you’re getting gouged.

Size: A 16 ounce bottle is similar in size to a sleeve of balls.  A bigger bottle is bigger.

Taste: Bottled water tastes like water.  If you can honestly tell the difference between a bottle of Deer Park and some other brand…then start a blog devoted to water and never speak of this again.  An icy cold bottle of water on a hot humid day…yeah, that doesn’t suck.

Performance: If you’re not thinking about how good a warm bucket of your saliva would taste come July, you’re probably less likely to get the nervous twitches on that 6-foot putt for par.  If you’re hydrated maybe you’ll perform better.  Probably.

Best for: People who want to appear in a commercial for one of those “I have trouble urinating” commercials (without sharing too much…I’m like a fire hydrant). Or people who want water and don’t want a soda, alcohol, or a sports drink.

Worst for: Everyone else.

Item: Beer

IMG_20140208_105725_968

Cost: All over the board, but anywhere from $4.00 and up depending on brand, course, and how much of a pervert you are to the beverage cart girl.  Seriously, egregious hitting on the beverage cart driver should be a fine.

Size: A 12-ounce can is similar in size to a sleeve of balls. Fits perfectly in your hand.  Has restorative powers.

Taste: Ideally it’ll taste like beer and not one of these fruit-infused “micro-brews” that the beer snobs trot out. Give me a Molson Canadian if at all humanly possible, but among the American macro-brews, on a hot summer day I find it hard to say not to a Miller Lite.  Even a Coors Light (known in my parts as “sex in a canoe” (because it’s fucking close to water)) on a hot day can be refreshing.  Cold beer can rescue a round going off the rails.  Experiment- after your next birdie, crack open a cold one that’s icy cold.  That first sip?  Yeah, you’re welcome.

Performance: Mixed would be a nice way to put it.  There’s alcohol which, according to “science” can dehydrate you (which by my reckoning means…that’s right- time to have another beer and ward off that dehydration!).  And alcohol “does” impair judgment (see “goggles, beer”), but is there a such thing as “beer putting”?  Methinks not.  When in down, aim at the middle flag/hole/fairway.  If you’re going to decide to hit the barley shakes like it’s going out of style, just keep moving it along.  It is possible to play fast and drunk- I’m living proof.   However, a beer can relax the nerves, so if you’re going off the rails a cold one might do the trick.  Or it might be putting gasoline on a fire.

Best for: People who like to have fun and like the taste of beer. My people.

Worst for: People who go from 0 to raging asshole after they have a few pops, recovering alcoholics, people who bet completely blotto on one beer.

Item: Energy Shot

IMG_20140212_092017_815

Cost: $2.00-$6.00 depending on brand and where you buy it.

Size: Smaller than an airplane bottle of scotch.

Taste: Red Bull is nectar of the gods by comparison.  Fruit punch?  Worst damn tasting fruit punch I’ve ever had.  I imagine this is what “Thunder Muscle” from IFC’s The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret would taste like but legal in more countries.

Performance: Sort of like drinking a few espressos, it’s a hit of instant energy and will certainly get you going.  And by going, I mean your heart rate will be up there with marathon runners and 15-year old boys driving there dad’s Porsche trying to buy beer with a fake ID.

Best for: Feeling completely sans energy and not having any other options.  Best not used if Nicotrol gum or patches are a part of your daily diet.  Seriously.  Use in small doses.  Or shit, just drink a few of them.  I’m sure your playing partners will enjoy a newly-energized you.

Worst for: Anyone who’s already hopped up.

Private Clubs RIP?

January 18, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I don’t always read Geoff Schackelford but when I do it’s usually pretty good.  This is no exception, from yesterday:

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2014/1/17/mccord-on-baby-boomers-we-supported-all-these-clubs-and-now.html

Gary McCord is usually good copy and usually makes pretty good sense.  In his interview with Golf Magazine, he talks about how a lot of private clubs are dying out- his quote, excerpted from Geoff Schackelford’s website:

Golf is in a tenuous situation with the current socioeconomic climate. I’m at the end of the baby boomers. We supported all these clubs, and now there’s nobody to tap us on the shoulder and take over our memberships because the game is too expensive, takes too long, and is too hard. People can’t invest so much energy into something that’s not giving them much in return. So how do you fill these clubs that are being depleted? That’s a problem.

I’m not a boomer…I’m solidly a so-called Gen X in my early 40’s (I’m taking lessons on how to yell “get off my lawn!” and “you damn kids!” though…all part of the process).  I don’t have kids, and my family can be counted without needing to remove footwear.  I love to play golf (I did the Golfstyles “Solstice Survival” on two occasions…so I know what it’s like to play 54 holes in one day).  Joining a private club sounds intriguing, but honestly the options are, at best, limited.  Howard County options are laughable and trucking down to your country club havens like Bethesda or up to Baltimore is the very opposite of my idea of a relaxing weekend.

Plus, I don’t want to pony up a massive joining fee and be relegated to the dregs of preferable tee times.  I’ve already seen the “old boys club” in action over at Hobbits Glen (and my two visits were, to put it politely, very underwhelming).  What I want, more than anything, is pure golf.  I already pay for a gym membership that has a slew of locations, pools, and classes.  I’d like a standing tee time of sorts, and I’d like to be able to get around fairly quickly and play with golfers who share these views.

I’ve visited private clubs on several occasions.  I’m not a rube or a hayseed.  If you met me you’d probably (I hope) find me to be a fairly well-mannered, polite, decent guy.  Maybe a mensch of sorts.  I’m middle-aged, and yet- my experience in these private clubs has been more than a bit underwhelming.  Maybe because I don’t roll in like Judge Smails and make references to dreary old Manhattan I don’t have people waiting on me hand and foot (although that would creep me out to no end).  Part of it is that I’ve come of age in a “DIY” “self serve” world.

What would I want from a private club?  A minimal initiation fee, less focus on dining and social activities and more focus/emphasis on golf.  A course that challenges but one that makes for fast play (the 7500 yard tracks aren’t helping).  Good reciprocal play (I don’t expect to get into Augusta National but to quote Dr. Evil “throw me a frickin’ bone here people).

They reference the Palm Springs area (been there several times).  Not sure and myself and my Lovely Suitress would want to retire there if that’s ever an option (pretty sure a bit further west and more tropical would top the list) but we’ve enjoyed our visits and would go back quite happily.  Again, it’s all about value and what you get for your money.

What do you think?  Are private clubs dinosaurs in waiting?  Do they need reinvention?  What would you want from a private golf club?

Random thoughts on a frosty November evening

November 25, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Open ended question for DC area golfers- at what point do you put the clubs away for the season? First freeze? First day below 50 degrees? First measurable snowfall? When frostbite causes you to lose a digit?

I ask because with the hard freeze of the last two days followed by what should be torrential rain/messy mix the next couple days, not sure how many courses will be open on Thanksgiving Day (expected to be around 40 at best but clear…this following a boatload of rain).

I’ve always gone back and forth on this. I used to live in California where you can play year round (unless it’s an El Nino winter and then it’s raining every day and the courses all close) and enjoyed those winter-season rounds when everyone else was in the throes of real winter. On the other hand by summer I would feel golfed out almost…ready for something new. But having re-introduced myself to an actual winter, I find myself chomping at the bit by mid-March (the PGA Tour West Coast swing always making me nostalgic for living on the West Coast and the early Florida swing a big hint of what’s to come). Funny- I played in shorts in early April in 38 degree weather but somehow doing so in November seems not nearly as fun.

Glen Nager, RIP

November 19, 2013 / / 0 Comments

The USGA came to their senses and sent Glen Nager packing. on the subject by Ron Sirak details what exactly Glen Nager was trying to pull off (they did some equally excellent reporting in their November issue on how their deal with Fox went down).

Now if they can just get bifurication into the rules (leave the 10-handicappers alone, but have a different set of rules for professionals and elite amateurs) and adopt Jack Nicklaus’ going-on-three-decades idea of a tournament ball (each company can make their own “brand” but it has to conform to tournament specs) we’d be in a much greater place.

Older posts Newer posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

    Categories

    Meta

    © 2024 Single Golfer in Cart

    Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑