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Returned to Eastlake today, the tougher North course. Because the sand is softer and deeper than my home course, i decide i needed more bounce. i put away my Vokeys and put in the first SW i ever bought, 18 years ago: a Top Flite Tour SW with TT Dynalite Gold shaft (no loft shown), and a clubmaker's LW, a Bite 'n Spin 60* HI-LOB with Brass Face Technology (as stated on club) with DG S300U shaft. Both have Lampkin Crossline Midsize grips, in good shape because i keep them indoors for dinking around foam balls. Hit a variety of shots with both clubs: sand, chips, pitches and full shots. Both performed very well. I didn't get a lot of spin, but all shots accomplished their primary mission, i.e., get out of sand, on green, etc. Shot 45/49 for 94, I've never broken 90 on the course in about 100 tries. But i parred some of the toughest holes. The course is just narrow (hit 9/14 fairways) and the greens are fast and rolling (4/18 gir, 36 putts). Fun to put the old wedges to work. On a couple of tight driving holes, i teed of with 4i, both went over 200 down the middle. My irons missed mostly short or right and usually thin. Once on the green, the speed was like lightning, so tough to stop near the hole. I only had 2x 1-putts ans 2x 3-putts. My best shot came on #18. My layup was left of the fairway on some detritus of old leaves and branches from a gully. I had 130 to go, against the wind and needed to carry a 50 yd pond in front. Unfortunately my ball had a tree 20 yds in front. I could either punch out sideways to fairway, or thread the needle between the tree in front and the heavy woods to the left. I could not fly over the tree, it was too close. Normally I'd hit a 9i 130, but took 7i to ensure it stayed low below the branches and carried far enough to clear the pond. The ball came out just as planned between the tree and the woods, carried to the green and rolled into the back bunker. I was so excited when i saw it hit the green I didn't see it finish. Anyway, chunked it out and 3-putted for double, but 2 others in my group picked up on the hole and i tied for low score on the hole. Great to pull off that shot!

Walked today 47&45 for 92, my usual. Course wasn't too muddy or crowded, which was nice. Bad case of topping the ball today: 6x, including 3x with 3W. Unusual for me. Need to figure that out. Also blocked 2 approaches, unusual but ok by me, since my standard miss is a pull/ pull hook. Pedometer says i walked 7.6 miles. I feel it. Couldn't get driver going, and the rest was downhill from there. At least i got the exercise.

I'm not surprised. In south Tampa, the streets are flooded. I know our course will be unplayable for 24 hours, and even then, only if you're hard-core.

Foz, you have my sympathy. PC does not drain well, i've been there when it's wet. It's not an easy course even dry. But, from what I've seen from their adverts, Mulligans has good brew on tap, so I'm sure you're far from dry. 😋

Weather report says wind is 11mph with gusts to 24, but our course is at the tip of the peninsula exposed to the full force of the wind between Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay, so it's more like a steady 20+mph. So that's my excuse for a 94 today. How else could I hit 10 fairways but only 2 gir? Missed 5 left, 4 right, 4 short and 3 long. 1 bird, 5 pars, 1 double, 2 triples and 2 quads. Lovely.

Nightmare round today 47+51 for 98. Only 16 more strokes than yesterday. I was in a rush to beat the rain, and so was everyone else on the course. Couldn't get a rhythm going. Driver was all over. Finally hit some good iron shots into the greens, those crappy, weed-covered, raccoon-infested, pock-marked moonscapes they call the greens. Hit a nice 3-footer right to the rim, where the ball put on a blinker and made a hard 90* right turn. What a difference a day makes.

$150 is my limit. But worth it? Yes. They keep my feet dry in the dew, and I have foot problems, so they must be comfortable but traditional. Not those tennis shoe things which I can feel the spikes thru. I'm on my 2nd pair of FJ Custom Contours, the best value in golf shoes. Custom made with my colors and logo for $150. Problem is, I can't find them anymore. FJ replaced the Contour line with Icon, which cut my ankles, and their Tipshield lines which are around $230. There's no end to Titleist and FJ ripping you off. My first pair of FJ Custom Contours are about 5 years old, the 2nd about 2 years. I walk a fair amount, so must have shoes that don't hurt my feet, and these are great. I ordered both pair from TGW and tho they said 5 weeks, they both came straight from China in 2 weeks. Soft leather, polished, no break-in needed. I'm sure some craftsman in China wants to keep making these, but the marketing execs at FJ said, "nah, we can increase our profit margin on the top of the line shoe."

Went out Easter afternoon and thought I'd have the course to myself. Wrong. Caught up with a guy who was playing the back tees (6768 yds) and just killing it. I wanted to keep playing with him, but the guy was practically sprinting. We both had push carts. I did decent, +11 after 11 holes from the middle tees, but got tired from the humidity. I mishit 3 shots in a row then called it a day. Today I went back with a cart. Shot +5 and +5 for 82, a good score for me. Concentrated on a slow, smooth backswing and a full shoulder turn. 10/14 Fwys, 6/18 gir, 31 putts, 10 pars, 2 doubles. Killing the M1 with drives 250, 262 and 265.

I feel ya. I felt like quitting several times the last 2+ years due to shanks. I took lots of lessons, read lots of instruction, watched golf instruction on YouTube. Did I mention I bought new equipment? Tons of it, the whole bag. I think what has helped is just slowing everything down. My swing, my pace, my rhythm. Slowing down (watch Chris Kirk) and thinking about balance, tempo and rhythm has improved my swing. Also, taking the time to practice instead of playing. I enjoy practices alone, working on my swing. It restores my confidence. Rushing out to play over and over, you're gonna have bad days.

After several rounds in the 90s or worse, finally shot an 87 today. Finished with 3 pars, including a sandy. Highlight was a 30 ft chip in for birdie while playing through a foursome. But the best part was finding my iron swing. Started to get some confidence that I've figured a couple things out. I knew I was on the right track when I missed the green on #5 with an 8i block to the right. I never miss right, so something was working. Hit the F6s well, including a sweet against the wind 4i across the corner of a pond to get to short iron distance. Still figuring out the distance on these F6s. Yesterday hit 5i 180, didn't hold the green and rolled 10 yds over. Today hit 6i and barely got to 165. Overall, I'm happy with today's round.

Went back to my old club today as a guest. Forgot how much I hated the place. I was low shooter with a 96, yep, 96. First rule of Eastlake: you gotta hit the fairways. Second rule of Eastlake: you gotta hit the fairways. The holes are all lined with woods. If you miss, you have no choice but punch out, basically a penalty shot. I've been hitting driver great, but forgot how today until the back 9. Putting was actually pretty good, considering the speed. What also got me was the sand: fluffy and deep. I'm used to scraping my SW off the clay beneath a quarter inch of grit. Today my ball mark left a 6" deep hole I needed a backhoe to fill. It was a beautiful sunny day with good company, though, and I finally hit some solid shots on the back.

Ken, absolutely right, short game has been my bane for a long time. Funny, I have the same problem : the short game practice area at my course is crappy. It's next to the parking lot, so a skull or errant shot can do real damage, but also, there are no tight lies. All the grass surrounds are 4-6inch deep sawgrass. To practice, I also do it on the course, but that's limited for obvious reasons. But that's what I need, so thanks for confirming that. It's been too crowded to practice on the course lately. Maybe I'll try to find another place. My club last year had fast greens, unlike my current course, and great short game practice areas: a chipping /putting green (both allowed ), a separate pitching green for shots up to 50-90 yds, and a short iron range for shots up to 160. And a double-ended full range. I practiced a lot and enjoyed it as much as playing. Unfortunately it was a long drive in tough traffic, so it actually led to my playing less golf. So I quit after a year, and re-joined my current course, about 10 minutes away, but not nearly so nice.

Kor, Kenny, That's good advice, thanks. The #1 HC hole, Par4, has a creek running across the fairway at around 220, to carry you need 240 in the air. With my M1, the creek is the perfect distance to drink my ball. So that means 3W layup, leaving 175-200 to the green. The green is problematic. It's 20 ft, yes, feet, deep (front to back), 50 yds wide. The right front is guarded by a large deep bunker. The green lies at a 45* angle to the fairway, with the left side closer and the right side further back, behind the trap. So the approach must be to the left side. This avoids the trap and leaves plenty of green to pitch to. So to be left of the green, you need to be center or right side of fairway. Left side is blocked by trees. Even if your approach is left, you must be pin high, because of the narrow green. Long brings the elevated back edge and the trap into play. Short leaves the trap in play, or if the flag is left, you're short-sided on a very narrow green. BTW, this particular green has had a fungus problem for years; the grass is bumpy or non-existent, so 2-putt is good. Yesterday I hit 3W 202 to the left edge of fwy and was blocked by the trees. Hit 7i over the trees to 20 yds short. Had a delicate pitch to a middle flag, needed to avoid bunker right and not go long over the back. Left it short on the front collar. Chip shot goes 10 ft, but needed 15 ft. 2-putts on bumpy green for double. It got me again, but I deserved it. The only good shot was the 7i layup. Once you're approaching from any side but from the left, you've got a big distance control problem.

Shot 43+47 for 90 today. Skulled a couple short iron/wedge. First time that's happened in years. That's from reading Golf Magazine. Second skull lead to a triple. Had a triple, 3 doubles, 9 bogies and 5 pars. 8 fwys, 4 greens, 35 putts. Bad greens on this course, weeds and dead chewed areas. Pulled too many iron shots left, couldn't get up and down with crap putting. Courses are really bad with racoons digging all over, looks like the moon, no decent lie or stance. That's a pretty average round for me, but I would have liked to break 90. Trying to see where it went bad, I noticed my doubles and triple came on the #1, #2, #4 and #13 HC holes. The #13 was the first hole. So the tough holes got me. Makes me feel better. Need to figure out how to play those holes.

+7 and +9 for 88. Windy and crowded. 8/14 fwys, 4/18 gir, 1 bird, 6pars, 4 doubles and a triple. Still learning the King F6s. Some highlights : #1 HC, hit fwy. 170 to the middle of the green. My old clubs, this would be 5i, but the F6s are strong. I pulled 6i. Ball is a nice, high draw, carries 180, bounces over the back 5 yds over the green. I dropped another ball, pull 7i. Another nice high draw, lands at 165 and stops 10 ft from the pin. Amazing! On a Par 5, 2d shot-- 4i downwind, nice medium low shot never leaves the stick: 215 yds. Next hole, turn around, against the wind, Par 3 180. 4i again, low draw, just carries the front edge and stops pin high. The 4i sets up like a hybrid, it's a hollow iron with a wide sole. But--180 yds straight into the wind!? I haven't carried any more than a 5i in years. I did manage to chunk a few, and I doubled 4 of the last 6 holes, but that was poor short game, chipping against the grain in wet, sticky grass. Loving these F6s.

Played first full round with the King F6s in the wind today. It's just hard to mishit these irons! The wide aluminum soles just glide along the surface, preventing any digging fat shots. I hit down and get a nice high draw, not overcooked pulls to the left. Easy to pick the ball off a fairway bunker, the club just slides over the sand. The 4i trajectory is medium - low, and just stupid long: a couple have gone 214-217. The GW and PW have a players' club feel being muscle -backed, and fly surprisingly low for wedges and dead-on consistent distance. I dropped a second ball a few times, hit same club again, and could cover both shots with a golf towel. I'm starting to feel cocky, looking at pins I would previously play away from. I'm figuring out the distances on the course, but one thing is clear: Cobra has engineered these clubs to be gapped evenly. I get a nice predictable distance with each club up or down. I really can't wait to see how well I can score with these, and the thrill of watching a high iron shot float into the green is back.

First full round with the King F6s. What sweet clubs. I hit 28% GIR vs the 22% YTD. Actually did better than that. Shot +7 and +5 for 84. Finished with 4 pars and a birdie. The irons just glide thru the turf and over the sand. I'm now looking at iron shots as opportunity, not dread. The game is fun again! Hit 4i 214 to reach a Par 5 in 2! (Downwind). Last week I didn't even carry a 4i.

Hang in there, Kev! A friend from Texas told me Florida is windier than Texas, and I believe it. Another guy told me the golf season in Florida is pretty much over by June each year: too hot. For those of us who play year round here, we know all the challenges each season brings: wind, mosquitos, sand fleas, love bugs, heat, rain, hurricanes, snow birds, heat and humidity. Did I mention skin cancer? How about lightning? To be a golfer year-round in Florida, you have to be dedicated! Or insane.

Thanks. I'm turning more and more into Richard Fowler. All I need is the orange outfit with some black knee-high sox.

Played 9 holes first time with Cobra King F6. Course was packed as was the range, so I decided to walk the back and experiment with the new irons. Seeing them in my bag, I was a little taken aback at how huge the soles look. I've never played anything thst looked so SGI, even though GD calls these GI. It was nice to remember GolfSmith's 90-day playability policy, though I doubt I'd return these after I play them 60 times in the next 90 days. It was also nice to set up to the shot with these heads with the white index line in the bottom groove, knowing that huge flat sole was ready to glide through the turf. First iron shot was an easy 4i from a divot, set up like a hybrid, flew medium low 170. 9i 130 from rough, gir no problem. Next 9i 135 to front fringe. Then into the wind, a pulled low 7i looked like bunker but got past, club was long. Next 9i 130 GIR. Next 8i 150 GIR middle. Hit second ball 9i to front pin at 140 to 10 ft: bird. For fun, teed 4i on Par 4: nice draw to 217. Wow! Hit a second ball, chunked it, ball went straight 180 even. Pulled an uphill 7i left about 160. Next hole, good drive into the wind. Left an uphill shot. Hit 5i 175 on the green! Long time since that happened! Guess I got tired because next hole I hit 4i 3x on 205 yd Par3 and mishit all three high on clubface, all went about 160. So I shot +10 with 20 putts, and 3x 3-putts. 5/7 fwys and officially 2/9 gir, but actually hit 6 quality iron shots, 3 pulls, 1 block and 4 chunks or high on the face. Still getting used to these clubs! What I learned is that these clubs give me incredible confidence, feel great and produce consistent reliable results. At the end of the day, I'm looking at my scorecard, not my clubs. As I strive to get better, I don't necessarily need to move to better and better players' clubs. I can move to Game Improvement distance irons, and make the game a lot more fun. Epiphany!

I get a thrill seeing those itty-bitty blades (players clubs) in my bag, but out on the course, they don't look at your clubs--they look at your shot. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I pick up the King F6's tonight!

What a difference a day off and different irons make! After shooting 100 Wednesday, I shot +9 and +6 for 87 on our South course. I figured something out with the driver and hit 11/14 fwys. Two drives over 250. The wind was howling. On #4, ball took off straight, put on a right blinker and made a hard turn, flying over 200 yards off course before it headed over the swamp on its way to South America. Played the EZ Forged and hit 6/18 gir, back to my average. The greens on the South are like a pool table compared to the North, which is like putting on stucco.

After playing the MP54S for 5 weeks, and only having one decent GIR round, I took them to GolfSmith and got 50% over the normal trade-in value. After hitting a number of club/shaft combos, including Apex, MP15s, JPX 850 Forged, and Cobra Forged Tec, I swallowed my pride and got GI irons: Cobra King F6. They were just so forgiving on mishits. They just exude confidence. Something the players clubs didn't do for me. I just want to hit good shots, not impress people with my sticks. F6 went further and straight er on mishits, and I was able to even hit a fade, something which is next to impossible for me. Unfortunately they have to ship in the clubs from another store, so I went ahead and asked them to regrip them in Midsize New Decade. Should be ready tomorrow.

Two Ball Oddessey putters are hard to find, especially at that price. Good find! I still have mine as a backup.

In the interest of full disclosure, today I shot 49+51 for an even 100. It was a 3-club wind. Here are my drive distances: 253, 204(4i), 175, 253, 165, 192, 215, 240, 238, 185. I teed it low into the wind and hit 8/14 fwys, 3 gir, 32 putts. A lot of good pitches from 30-70 yds. Irons were again disappointing. But the rest of my game is pretty good. Switching back to the JPX EZ Forged.