Good round, Bad Golf, the shanks, and Bubba's Emotional Finish

During the 20 minute commute to Pease Golf Course this past Sunday, I played over and over in my mind what my round would look like.  In my head I knew every shot I would need to hit, where I would need to place it in the fairway and I was assuredly going to score somewhere close to par.

Unfortunately my swing did not agree with my imagination.  I knew the shots I wanted to hit but failed in every respect to execute them.  Luckily the day turned out to be quite beautiful weather wise, else it would have been a wasted day.  I cannot quite place where it happened but somewhere in the last two week I have acquired the dreaded shanks.  I simply do not feel confident with any club right now.  I am especially not confident with either of my wedges which used to be my two go to clubs.  Almost every shot was darting straight out to the right.  I would almost be OK if it were instead a slice, but these are just simply mis-hits entirely.  If it were a slice I would at least know where to begin in fixing it.  I see long frustrating hours at the range in my  future.

To cap off my Sunday afternoon I sat down with a frosty beverage and enjoyed the final remaining holes of the Travelers Championship.  Nothing finishes off a dismal day of golf better then a playoff.  Bubba Watson, Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank.  It seemed that Bubba would take it on the first playoff hole after very nearly holing his 124 yd sand wedge to the green, but Verplank made a clutch put to keep him in the game.  Corey Pavin made a either a poor club selection or a mis hit off the tee leaving him too far back to really be a contender in the playoff, although he was very useful in offering advice to Bubba who was a little confused as to whether or not to mark his ball or tap it in once he reached the green.  It goes to show you that there are situations that even tour pros get into where they need advice.

On the Second playoff hole, Par 3 154 yds, both Bubba and Scott were off the green with their tee shots, but it was Bubba who was able to get up and down to secure his par and the Win.  What followed was an emotional hug from his girl friend and an awkward interview with David Feherty.  Poor Bubba was still so choked up he could barely answer the commentators questions.  It was evident that a lot of emotion had been building over having not won and finally being in a position where it could and did happen.  Congratulations Bubba on a great win, it could not have gone to a more deserving golfer.

For more details on previous rounds of the tournament and an interesting take on advertising at a golf tournament check out Golf Girls's Diary.

Until the next Round,

Cheers to All!

A tee box to make you smile

The sun shines for Camp Sunshine

Despite a rainy weekend the sun came out over Casco, Maine for the Camp Sunshine Golf Tournament hosted by Point Sebago Golf Club this past Monday, June 7th.  In the late morning, the winds started to pick up but it didn't negatively effect the golf as there were some pretty low scores to be had.

The normal team of myself, my father and Golf Grammie were joined by the Director of Special Events for Camp Sunshine, Mike.  (Sorry Mike if I got your title wrong, I did not take good notes :))  Most every year we play with someone who works for the camp and it is always a great pleasure to hear how the camp is going.

As seems to be the case every year the turn out was very good, filling nearly every hole with two foursomes. Our group started on the 17th hole, which in our case seemed to be just what we needed for we started our round with 3 straight birdies.  On the first hole, Golf Grammie with her first swing of the day hit a fantastic shot up to the green leaving her 6 feet 6 inches and assuring her the closest to the pin for the ladies on that hole.

In the end we bogied the last hole to finish at 6-under, capping off the lowest round we have ever shot in the 6 years we have played in the tournament.  That 6-under snagged us the 2nd overall net score for the tourny and a 4 pack of greens fees with cart to Sunday River Golf Club.  First for overall gross went to the team sent out by the MSGA (Maine State Golf Association) with an astounding 58!

When it comes to prizes given out, the Camp Sunshine Golf Tournament "shines" above most others.  Their goal is to make sure that everyone walks away with something at the end of the day.  They get so many donated rounds of golf that they are able to give away a round to almost every foursome that plays.  On top of that they always have a great goodie bag and this year added a silent auction with some great items

Point Sebago did a wonderful job preparing the course for us.  The area received nearly two inches of rain the day before and yet we were still able to play a 90 degree rule in our carts.  The greens were a bit on the bumpy side due to being plugged not that long ago but I think in some cases that may have been helpful in keeping the ball from running too far on the green.

At the beginning of the awards ceramony we were able to hear from a Camp Sunshine family who came over to speak to us direct from camp.  This week is the single organ transplant session and the little girl that we heard from had had a liver transplant three years prior.  The family was very appreciative of everything that the camp has done for both them and their daughter and gave myself and the rest of the crowd a more personal view of what were really playing for, a great cause.

The Camp Sunshine Golf Tournament will always be one of the things I look forward to every year.  From the wonderful course to the company I get to play with and most importantly the cause it represents, it really is one of the best tournaments is the state, if not the country.

Until the next round...

Cheers To All!

Camp Sunshine Tournament

On the morrow I tee it up with Golf Grammie for a charity golf tournament played at Point Sebago Golf Club on the Shores of Sebago lake in Casco, Maine.  The Tournament benefits Camp Sunshine, a place where family's with children affected by Cancer and other diseases can go and enjoy a great summer vacation, free of any medical expenses during their stay.  We have been playing in this tournament with a Volunteer from Camp Sunshine for the past 5 years.  I look forward to bringing you pictures and outtakes from the tournament as soon as I can.

More Information on Camp Sunshine can be found at: http://www.campsunshine.org/

Cheers To All!

First Lesson, "Dude Where's my Ball Marker" and an Electric Ending

Date: June 6, 2010
Tee Time: 1:00 pm
Course: Pease Golf Course

Holes 9

Par:36

Location: Portsmouth, NH
Playing Partners: None - Playing as a Single

For my upcoming birthday my wife surprised me with a trio of hour lessons starting with my first one today.  As previously mentioned I have never had a true professional lesson.  I have been nervous about it all week not knowing what to really expect.  I think my biggest fear was that my instructor would try to change my swing, making me have to almost start over in learning a new swing.  

The lessons were set up at one of my favorite courses, of which I was a member a few years ago and am familiar with many of the staff.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a brand new club house and a huge new practice putting green upon my arrival.  

Tim (My Instructor) started me out hitting 8 irons.  Although I was nervous I could not seem to hit an off shot.  I felt as though I was wasting Tim's time as I hit shot after shot nice and smooth.    I switched over to my driver and started to show my true colors as i sprayed shots both to the left and the right.  Tim was able to determine that a lot of my problems with errant shots come from being too quick at the top of my golf swing.  He never once asked me to change my swing, only to slow down at the top and save my speed and power for the hitting zone.  I am not sure I was as good a student as he would have liked but I feel that I made some improvements and now have something to work on at the range.

The next part of the story comes from the first green of the first hole I played after my lesson.  I was joined up with three friends out trying to get some golf in before it stormed.  All of us were lying on the green, I had chipped up to the green leaving myself a 12 footer.  The three others were in similar positions but I was the only one who had marked my ball, in this instance I used a quarter.  One of the guys had mentioned to me that this was only the second time playing the game, to which I said he was playing well and moved on.  


So here I am, leaning on my putter waiting for the others to finish putting out and this new player to the game starts to eye my ball marker.  I don't say anything as he walks over, and starts to look quizzically at my marker.   After thoroughly checking it over he bends over and picks it up.   I am laughing on the inside, but I very casually get his attention and say, "Ahh, you realize that's my ball marker?", then he looks at me funny and I say, "That quarter, I use that to mark where my ball is.".  His face went white as he let the quarter fall back to the green.  I am pretty sure that his friends are never going to let him live that move down.  


To finish off my golf day a severe thunderstorm caught us off guard.  We heard the thunder but it sounded distant.     As we approached one of the tees it was as if someone flipped a switch and turned on the wind machine.  We rode as fast as the governed cart would allow back to the club house, in the process getting completely soaked and narrowly being missed by lightning all around.   Watching a thunderstorm from a window at the clubhouse can be exciting, seeing lightning strike within yards of you while sitting in a golf cart, not pleasant.  


I look forward to future posts on my next two lessons and future rounds from Pease Golf Course.


until then...


Cheers to All!

Playing Tiger's Game

Number 17 at Pebble Beach

No, I don't mean playing like Tiger.  I mean playing his game, as in his new online video game Tiger Woods Online.  EA sports has taken a bold leap into the world of online gaming and it seems upon first glance that they have produced a winner.  Now, golfers and non-golfers alike have an outlet that doesn't require buying software at the store or spending time installing software that you probably don't have room for on your hard drive.  Just go to the website, create a user name and you are almost instantly put on a golf course playing for the first time without having to wait.  For the time being EA is making it free to play one course at a time.  The free course changes about once a week.  If you want all courses all the time it is going to cost you, $59.99 for the yearly or $9.99 if you want to pay by the month.  I am still playing the freebie as long as I can but I plan on filling my membership card in the near future.

One of the great things about the game is that you can be standing in the middle of the fairway and a ball will come bouncing past you.  This ball is not random, it represents another plater playing on the same hole as you.  You are also offered the chance to create foursomes and play against other players.  You can play with your real friends and follow them as they progress in the game all the while you make points off their achievements.

All in all EA seems to have created a gold mine in online gaming.  They are proving that we are a long way from the days of Microsoft Golf 2.0 which required 4 floppy disks and about a half hour to install.

Look for me as RolandOfGil3ad.

Click here to visit the site

Cheers to All!

Hard Greens, High Scores and Good Company

Date: May 2, 2010
Tee Time: 3:00 pm
Course: The Oaks Golf Links
Holes 18
Par:71
Location: Somersworth, NH
Playing Partners: None - Playing as a Single

In southeast New Hampshire golf does not get much better then at The Oaks Golf Links in Somersworth, NH. From the road you may not think that you are approaching a top notch golf course, but your assumptions are quickly shattered as you stand on the first tee staring at a 350 yd par four that puts a sand trap right in between you and the green making the fairway dogleg around it. On their website they have a quote that reads, "The Oaks..is a course that plays as well as any course in the state, public or private."  In my opinion certain private NH courses would have trouble comparing to the conditions at The Oaks.

Do not expect to hit your driver very much on this course.  On the front nine there are only two holes that should require a driver for anyone who hits it over 200 yds.  Expect to be hitting 3 iron or a wood to put yourself into position for an approach shot.  If there is one thing that you can expect from playing The Oaks,  every club in your bag will be used.  It is not the type of course where every hole is similar and you end up hitting the same 150 yd club over and over again.  The Oaks will challenge not only your golf swing but also your ability to play around a course.  A perfect example is the 11th hole,  Par 5, 518 yds.   On the tee box are three markers labeling the hazards.  One for the hazard on the left 214 yds, one for the right 224 yds, and one if you go down the middle 230 yds.  What the markers don't tell you is that to get into the section where you have 230 yds you would need to place your shot inside of a 5-10 yd window, outside of that places you in the hazard.  It also does not tell you that if you hit your normal 230 yd club it will hit on a downslope and kick forward past 230 yds and into the hazard.  The best option is to hit a 3 iron about 215 down the middle and leave yourself two shots into the green, but from the tee box you would not immediately see this.

The greens at The Oaks are unlike anything you will find here in the north.  Hard, fast and impossible to stop a ball on.  The best hint for any one playing here for the first time is to land short and let the ball roll.  If you land anywhere near the pin expect to have a long putt ahead of you on very fast green.  However fast and green, they are exceptionaly well manicured.  Putts roll where you tell them to go.  A well struck putt will reward you with a clickity click, but beware the overly zealous putt, you may well find that you are chipping your next shot.

Today for my round I was joined by three gentlemen, Bob, Jason, and Brent.  Bob, a corporate exec, has had the privilege of playing courses that most of us only dream of . . . Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, but he chooses to be a member at The Oaks along with his wife.  Bob, I could tell was a good golfer who was maybe not having his best day.  He had a very nice swing, compressing the ball very strongly creating a shot that slowly rises into the air with a nice fade.

Jason and Brent were a couple of Air Force men recently stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and  made for good playing companions.  Jason's frequent statements of, "I don't get paid to do this so why should I get upset" about sums it up.  Although none of us probably played the best game that we are capable of playing there were some good shots to be had.  After the round we went and grabbed some burgers and beers and got to know each other a little better.  I will say it again, "you never know who you'll find playing as a single on a golf course."

Nothing can or should be said about my round other then it had more high points then low.  The high was parring the last three holes.  The low was . . . everything else.  I think I am still taking the club too far to the inside and too far back.  It might be time for a real lesson to try and work my kinks out.  Maybe I can get in a free lesson this month since it is free lesson month at most golf courses.

Score :
Front Nine - 51
Back Nine - 46
Total - 97 :(

Until the Next Round,

Cheers to All!