Oops!

Golf isn't cheap. The equipment and greens fees start to add up when you play as much as I do. I made the mistake of talking about the costs with my girlfriend Stephanie. Here is how the short conversation went.

Me: "Man, I spent too much on golf this week!"

Steph: "Don't tell me. I don't want to know."

Me: "No, seriously for what I've spent on golf in the last six months, I could've bought a car!"

Steph: "Or you could have bought me a (engagement) ring!"

Awkward Silence

Me: "So what are we doing for dinner?

Ouch! Me and my big mouth! Considering I need a car and an engagement ring.....double ouch! Oh, but the wonderful experiences I've had hacking away at a ball that doesn't move, but I still can't hit. At least my priorities are in order!

Emerald Lakes

10/18/10

Joey and I headed out to Emerald Lakes for our weekly golf outing. Emerald Lakes is located off Lawyers road in Mint Hill. I had heard good things about the course and for the most part it didn't disappoint. The tee boxes could have been in better shape, but the fairways and greens sere in good condition. I went to the range yesterday and tried to work out the kinks in my driver. Definitely not a one day fix. I hit a few decent drives with the Burner, but nothing special, and I still feel more comfortable with my 3wood. Some of the fairways were tight and required really accurate shots. Others were wide open and didn't penalize you too much for errant tee shots. Joey had mentioned a par 5 that required two shots over water. The par 5 fifth hole is the signature hole at Emerald Lakes. While only 442 yards from the white tees, it requires a tee shot and approach shot over a lake, giving you something to think about. My tee shot wasn't great, but it was dry. I didn't have a good angle to play my second shot because there were trees in the way and I was about 200 yards out. My 200 yard clubs are my 3hybrid and in some cases my 4 iron. Since I needed to carry the entire distance I wanted to use my hybrid, but I din't think I had the loft to get over the pine trees that were staring at me. So, I made the safe play and laid up to about 75 yards. The only problem was that my lay up ended up in the rough. I've been playing my wedges better as my overall iron play has improved, but today I just wasn't feeling my irons. My contact wasn't crisp. I wasn't concerned with the water. I just wanted to make good contact and leave myself a shot at birdie. Not so much. Not only did the rough catch the club, but I hit a fat shot that I din't even have to look up to tell was going in the water. No problem. Joey and I always play one mulligan per 9 holes, so I just used my mulligan. From the rough again, I just wanted to make contact. A good swing and I'm looking at par at the worst. Not so fast. Another chili dip that went swimming. I dropped on the other side, took a double bogey, and went about my business. Joey made par. That was pretty much my day. I hit a few good shots, but mostly I realized that I'm still a very bad golfer, and no matter how good or bad I think I play, my score remains relatively the same. I ended up right at 100 which is frustratingly consistent. I've played much better and worse and had the same score. I'm starting to track my handicap, and I think next round I'll track my putts. I know I lose about 9 strokes to putts. Nevertheless, any day golfing is a good day. I'd play Emerald Lakes again. Especially because we only paid $28 through EZ Links. Can't beat a nice round under $30. Until next time, hit 'em good

Welcome Back

10/13/10

It's been a while but, I'm back. I know all twelve of my followers have missed me! This has been my first full season of golf. I've learned a lot about the game of golf and my game as well. I've played nearly 50 rounds this year. I could have bought a car with the money I've spent on golf. I've changed my swing a few times with varying degrees of success. As of this post, I'm not using my driver. Somewhere during the improvement of my iron play, I forgot how to hit the driver. So instead I use my 3 wood. I lose 30-40 yards on average but I'm usually in the fairway. I don't got to the range as much, but I play enough to recognize my faults. Hopefully I'll make it to the range soon, so that I can get my driver back on the road. I stillplay with the same guys. Usually Joey or Kevin. Sometimes Jimmy. Different people come out with us when they can.

My game is better. My score doesn't always agree, but I can tell big differences. When I started playing I had no concept of how the club face should contact the ball. Now I have a feel for the interaction of the club face and ball. Golf is a feel game. Everyonehas a different swing, but the point is the same. Square the club face at impact. So I make consistent contact and my iron distances are true. Not long but true. I basically hit my 7 iron 150-155 yards. I take off or add 10 yards for each club shorter or longer. I use my hybrid for 20o yard shots. I'm still learning how to play from the rough and fairway bunkers, but I can think my way around the course better to avoid big numbers. I've learned to close the club face , so I hit a draw more times than a fade. I can feel which shot I've hit immediately upon impact. I constantly think about my posture and backswing. I've always liked practicing sports, and golf is no different. Every round is practice unless a friendly wager has been made. So, sometimes I try things that I might not if I were in a real competition. I have more respect for the courses I play and the rules of the game. I spend less time looking for balls in the woods because I hit less balls in the woods. I still manage to lose quite a few though. Golf has been good. I appreciate each day and each round. Whether it's raining or 100 degrees, I love to be out on the course taking it all in. The last month and a half have been great for golf in North Carolina. Temperatures in the 70's and 80's and not much rain.

I hope to keep playing frequently, and to improve more rapidly now that I have a basic concept of the game. My goal is to travel and play all around the country(maybe the world), following the weather! We'll see how that goes.I hope to share my golf experiences with anyone interested, and I have ideas to allow others to share as well. Until next time, hit em good!