Kenny B

Bayou is certainly tough in the wind, but I think it's plenty challenging without wind.

I prefer to start clean, but that's just me. I put 4 wraps under my lead hand and two under my trail hand. I know it's a pain to clean the old tape off, but I think it's better in the long run. Once, I put the grip on over the old tape and it stuck to the grip so blowing it off later was problematic. Goes on and off nicely with clean painter's tape.

It was a cold, rainy day... 37* with a 10 mph wind but we played anyway. Not many people out today; I wonder why? This picture was taken from the #7 tee looking across the water/ice to the approach to the #9 green, a par 5. There is still ice on most of the pond, and yesterday I counted over 2 dozen balls on the ice. The ice has melted a little since then and many of them sunk, but you should still be able to see a few out there! I managed to shoot 85 today and only hit 3 greens in regulation. It seemed like all the clubs from the top of my bag only wanted to go my 6i distance... well except for my 6i which was less. It could have been a lot worse; it seems like when I was close to the green, my SCORs worked pretty well. Saved a bunch of shots. If I had putted halfway decent, it would have been a good scrambling round, but I'm happy with many of those shots. My highlight was a bogey on the par 5 #18. I hit driver, 7i, 50*, 50*, 50*, 50*. It went like this: Poor drive short down the middle. No shot around the big tree at the dogleg, so hit a 7i... poorly into a fairway bunker up against the lip. Grabbed my 50* and got out but my ball went into a grass bunker on the downslope. Hit the 50* around the dogleg to middle of the fairway which happened to end up at my yardage for... you guessed it, my 50*. The pin was front left, and I hit my 50* about 20 feet from the pin but off the green. Chipped in with my 50* for bogey! So why did I use my 50* so many times. Well, I had grabbed the 50* to get out of the fairway bunker while my wife drove the cart to her ball. Since I didn't hit it very far out of the bunker, I walked to my ball and found the lie wasn't very good so I used the 50* again, and kept walking. We met up in the fairway, but I already had the correct club. I walked all the way to the green where I chipped in. Not a bad bogey; I've made worse on this hole!!

I've got that shot!

I would have thought that being a Great Dane, your dog would prefer Carlsberg or Tuborg.

First 18 hole round on my course this year! It's still a little soggy in spots. The snow melted last weekend, but I think the ground is still frozen about 6 inches down, so the water is just sitting below the grass level. Temp was 45 with a 15-20 mph wind. In recognition of Barbajo's MacGregor purchase, I played my MacGregor VIP V-foil Tourneys and shot 81; 42/39 with one birdie and one double. The chipping/pitching practice yesterday paid off. I got up and down with my SCORs 5 out of 8 times from 10 yards and in.

Leaving the house shortly for a little Saturday golf. Temps will be in the low 40's today with 10 mph wind. But at least it's sunny. Riding in a cart with my wife.

Call me an old bastard.

Congratulations!! I knew you had it in you!

Yesterdays 9-hole walking round left me sore, so decided not to play today. The greens are slow and my chipping suffered yesterday, so I spent today working on a couple of things. On the chipping green I used my 58, 54, 50, 46, and 42 SCORs to see what worked better on the slow greens; fly it halfway to the hole or land it just on the green and try to control the roll. Turns out the 42 worked the best today. I usually hit the same shot with my 50, so that shows you how slow the greens are. After chipping I moved to the back side of the driving range where there is some slope. The normal driving range at my club is very flat and I usually don't use it unless I am working on a swing issue. Today I wanted to hit off a downslope. The backside of the range is used for lessons, and there is an area when the range slopes away from you. I have trouble on some lies on the course where the fairway has undulations, and I am hitting on the downslope. Taking a more lofted clubs results in better shots for me. My wife and I are teeing it up in the morning, but I suspect there will be a frost delay as the temperature in the early morning is supposed to be 25*. Dang!

My course has leagues in the late afternoons on Mon-Tue-Wed each week after daylight savings time starts. Lots of businesses have leagues at different courses in the area. Check with each course in your area. The Mon league is my company from which I retired 18 months ago. I still fill in from time to time if my old team needs a player. I find the leagues to be a pain because the only time my wife can play during the week is after work, so that means only Thu-Fri.

It was a sunny, cool day on my course that just opened this week. Today was my first opportunity to get out, and all I can say is I'm out of shape! I only walked nine holes today with one of my usual partners, and I am sore. The course is still a little soggy in spots and the ball is not rolling in the fairways. I actually had one plug. The greens are also a little slow. The pond in front of the clubhouse on #9 still has ice on it. I limped around in +6.

It's the puttee; not the putter.

Golfing today? Why YES, yes I am!! My course opened this week; first time this year! 46* and sunny.

It would be a good "driving iron" depending on the shaft you put in it. FYI, the hosel is tapered .355

Great history read! Thanks for putting it in one place. You will absolutely love the VIP 1025 V-foils. I play the 1025M. They are very forgiving for a muscleback. I thought about getting the 1025C in the mid- and long irons, but the 1025M is so easy to hit, I didn't think it was necessary. I reshafted them last year from the DG S300 to the UST Proforce 95 graphite, and that made them playable for me again. I just got too old to play steels anymore. I also have a set of MacGregor M685 cavity back, newer clubs than the 1025M that Greg Norman played. I was going to reshaft them, but I did a test between the two and the 1025M was much better for me. Good luck with them and enjoy!!!

While in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, I tried several EVNROLL and Edel putters at the PGA Superstore. I can tell within a couple of strokes if a putter will work for me. Neither felt right for my stroke. Several Ping Sigma G putters felt better, and I have never been a Ping putter person. But I may own one soon.

Lunch at McMenamins in Corvallis OR; Terminator Stout and El Diablo Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries... Yum Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Etiquette

I firmly believe that we all need to have a coaches point of view periodically. They can see things for what they are, while we think we are doing it perfectly. haha

I resemble those shots! Still a very nice score.

52* today and sunny; my course opens tomorrow!! Woo Hoo! Lots of people out on the driving range today. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I have the Pure Grips gun too. When I first bought the Pure grips, the online shop (can't remember which one) included it for free with 13 grips ordered. So handy.

So you are saying he f... up and should have had 19?

If you leave the shaft bare, at least put a piece of painter's tape on the end of the shaft and fold it into the shaft end. The shaft is usually pretty sharp and can catch on the inside of the grip.