Alf. S

For those of you that know me I have been struggling to play for the last 6 months due to being hospitalised a couple of times. Starting coincidentally as I sat in bed watching Brian Harman start his final round at The Open, falling asleep then waking up with my wife, neighbour, 2 paramedics and a bathroom full of vomit! Anyway flew out from the UK 2 weeks ago to Tenerife with 75'F and sun, great 2 weeks only played 3 rounds but feel I'm capable of getting back to it. With my fitness level being an issue decide to play only twilight golf giving you about 3 hours to get round. I usually walk with an electric trolley and Amarilla Golf has no boundary fences so at the 13th and 16th you can just end there and go to my favourite bar and restaurant "The 19th Hole" which sits at the conjunction of the of these holes. 1st Round at Amarilla Golf finished +9 thru 13. I doubled the first which I always find a difficult hole, especially when it is windy and it was blowing about 35mph. You drive into a tight area which has a branca on the left with penalty area, waste land on the right side and pinching in the further you go. Needless to say I ended up running out of fairway and into the waste area. By the time we got to the 11th I was getting pretty tired and my back was tight and sore, this wasn't helped by the guys in front holding us up all the way from the 8th. Came away quite happy, driving the ball quite well, distance no too bad and chipping and putting OK. 2nd Round at Golf Del Sur was just a bit of a joke, the wind was gale force, less said the better. But again my ball striking was good but into the wind getting blown off your feet not so good. 3rd was back at Amarilla, with fitness now an issue and stiff back, buggy was in play again very windy, got a bit frustrated when I turned up at my appointed tee time to see two gents teeing off the red tees in front (no starter) and hacking up the fairway at 50 yard duffs, double bogied the 1st again. On the 2nd waited for the guys in front to hack their way down and they disappeared over the hill, I stripped one right down the middle, fairway cambers to the right so expected to find my ball about 270yds down the fairway on the right. Came over the brow to see one of the guys hitting from where I expected to find my ball, not significant in itself , but after searching for 5 minutes and them finishing, they shouted my ball was by the green (330yd drive????). But it wasn't my ball, I can only assume they played the wrong ball. Anyway managed 14 holes this time and gave up with the sun setting and a queue of players waiting to play the short 15th. Finally had a game of Pitch and Putt with my wife (not a golfer), she used my clubs. She went round in 39 blows for 8 holes which I thought was pretty good (9th was a bit of a mare), she actually wanted to play another 9. I've got a couple of videos and wil try and post them for those who are interested. ee84e3b6-62f8-4057-9f33-ad3d35bc93af.mp4 8th at Amarilla

Still no score to post but managed to walk round 18 holes yesterday! Had 29 stableford points which equates to +14. Had 3 holes on front 8 which were no returns due to a lost ball, the first one at the 4th which was straight up the middle, lost sight of it and it must of plugged never to be found. Very windy 45-50mph, 48'F with drizzle turning to sleet in places, the course is standing up well, unlike me. Merry Christmas Everyone

Another storm coming in today 80mph winds so I need the Key West weather. But I've got Tenerife in the Canaries to look forward to in 3 weeks, clubs booked, checked in yesterday raring to go.

I'm really struggling to post any scores at the moment. In and out of Hospital most of November, UK being battered by storms and course closed and when I do get out I struggle to complete. Saturday only managed 13, yesterday only 7. Saw this by Max Homa So thought I would post a picture of my MVP from yesterday .

Any got any experience with Mizuno golf shoes? Saw a pair of boa spikeless for sale at $50 and bought them, won't use them until on vacation in Jan. Seemingly they are entering the market the Pro was selling Gore-Tex version for under $100.

Date 10/14/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club (kinglass) Gross Score 71 Course Handicap 8 Gross Strokes over/under par 7 Net Score to Par -1 Net Score 63 Net Birdies or better 4 Longest Drive 273

Had a bit of a squeaky bum mid afternoon when the mid table started turning red. Major let off for Europe with Rahm winning the 18th for the half which really was the foundation for the rest of the team to focus on and rally behind, wasn't the warmest feeling needing the final point from one of the last 3 games which were all hanging by a thread. I think 6 all from the singles flatters Europe on the final day from the way the USA was playing. To me Johnson's wildcard picks were found wanting. Fowler 0 points, Burns 1 point, JT and Spieth struggled all week. Jordan was a horror show on the back 9 on Friday. But the biggest disappointment was Scheffler 0-2-2 from the world number 1 and that 9&7 horror show yesterday was an embarrassment. Oh and Joe LaCava going face to face with McIlroy on Saturday when he was lining up his putt was way out of order. Onward to Bethpage

Date 09/24/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 80 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 9 Net Score to Par 0 Net Score 71 Net Birdies or better 8 Longest Drive 290 VCT Match Play Like many a what might have been -1 after 5 and hitting the ball well then lost ball triple. First competition since I was hospitalised back in July so happy with an 80 butttt... double for the middle of the fairway at 8 and another on 17 were sore also lipped out 6 putts.

I carry 3w, 3h and 4h. With the 3w I've lofted up by 2' to 17' to make it easier off the deck. I dropped my 3i and 4i which I was losing distance and replaced it with the 3h and 4h, lighter shafts helped me maintain my gapping. 3w = 210yds carry 3h = 200 yds carry 4h =190 yds carry

At Whistling Straits Lee Westwood (a household name and Europe stalwart) made it as the last automatic pick, piping Robert MacIntyre. He was interviewed after the PGA at Wentworth and his interview was just terrible full of apathy and basically was neither up nor down if he qualified. And it showed when he played. Some people say europe will miss the LIV players, my views is that they would have been relying on a pick and after 2021 where Garcia, Poulter and Westwood contributed a grand total of 3 points out of a possible 10, there time has gone.

Looks right now, it is so long so I posted must have had a brain fart.

There has to be a mixture of players, I've always thought major winners are the players that can handle the pressure better than most and should make the foundation of the team. Hopefully Lowry will show some form over the next 2 weeks that justify his inclusion. 2 x 68s at the Irish Open over the last 2 days is a good start.

I think Luke Donald has mad a few marginal calls that you've got to hope they work out. So I'm just a hacker that hasn't played on tour or with any of the players but out of the possible picks Meronk and Alexander Bjork were the ones to miss out, I'm surprised Meronk was left out having won at Marco Simone earlier this year. I pretty sure the reason Nicolai Højgaard got a pick because of his performance there over the last couple of years at the course. My 2nd point is I'm not sure how much Straka is committed to the European tour since he has played in limited events and maybe might not fit in to a team environment and Bjork would be a strong player in his place, although not won this year is a strong player with greta short game. Aberg is interesting and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he fares but on Sunday at Crans Montana he was phenomenal.

Date 09/04/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 81 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 10 Net Score to Par 1 Net Score 72 Net Birdies or better 3 Longest Drive 290 VCT Match Play Score Staggered round 18 today.

Walked my 1st 18 since being discharged from hospital 4 weeks ago, suffering from BPPV (vertigo) but managed to complete. 15 over of h/c 9, hitting the ball well but not necessarily in the right direction and short game really rusty. Just happy I completed, was completely knackered last night.

In the UK for club golfers and most members clubs, buggies are not widely available so walking is really the only option. With the boon in electric trolleys this has enabled the older golfers still to walk. We have a 90 year old at the club that still plays twice a week. Having walked my 1st round for 5 weeks yesterday after illness it was a bit of a struggle with the 5 miles up and down hills but I'm sure it will get easier.

You can try and get a replacement with Skycaddie. They basically hid behind the 1 year warranty and wouldn't move. But they did offer me a large discount on the SX550 which surprise is far more robust and has a better IPX rating!

This post is purely for my own mental wellbeing. No score to post but I thought I would share a small achievement. After being rushed into hospital on the 23rd July with a blocked bile duct and acute kidney injury, i was discharged under observation for the last 2 weeks only to be diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), this is a bummer you walk like a drunk without having the fun of the alcohol. Joking aside the BPPV makes it really difficult to walk never mind swing a club. Today my wife took me out in a cart and managed 14 holes and shot +6 with a triple on the 2nd. I think having to keep my head still might have helped. After 4 weeks of illness, a bit of anxiety about recovery and been stuck in the house, I think there is an end in sight. For the last 25 years, I took for granted being able to golf 3 or 4 times a week and at short notice pop out and play any of the local courses. This brings it home that live for the day you don't know what's round the corner.

Hi All I have just posted my review of the Craftsman Headcovers. Apologies for the lateness but I've had a pretty torrid time in the last 3 weeks, hospitalised for 8 days, back out only to be affected by vertigo issues which means I can't walk any distance without getting dizzy. This means golf is out at the moment and pretty much reliant on my wife to drive me around. Anyway hoping for better days. Enjoy Your Golf Alf

Date 07/08/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 10 Gross Strokes over/under par 6 Net Score to Par -4 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 3 Longest Drive 270 Club Championship weekend shot 77 with 36 putts. The greens had been mowed and ironed to be at least 1 more on the stint than when I played on Thursday. I'm a dead weight putter and the balls would look on line but as soon as they slowed swung away from the hole. 2nd round today shot 83 with again 36 putts I usually average 28. Grr

OK you've asked for it. Not just in Scotland but all over the UK the traditional butchers have created what are called "puddings" from the non prime parts of the animals. The butchers never divulge their exact recipes but the 3 most famous are White Pudding, Black Pudding and of course Haggis. They are all part of the National Cooked Breakfasts. Scottish = bacon, sausage, fried egg, beans, mushrooms and haggis English = change haggis for black pudding The traditional way to eat Haggis is with mashed potatoes and mashed turnip (swede). This is referred to as Haggis and Neeps Scotland's national poet Rabbie Burns (Auld Lang Syne) birthday is celebrated on the 25th January throughout Scotland with local societies and groups holding Burn's Suppers which will be Haggis and Neeps and toasts made up of whisky. A Large Haggis (usually Sheep's stomach encased) will be piped (bag piper) into the banquet hall and the toastmaster will recite Burn's poem to "Address to the Haggis" before bursting it open with a knife to be served. As said in my previous post it is now used as an ingredient and it is common to see Steak Balmoral or Chicken Balmoral served in restaurants. This is Steak or Chicken served with a whisky cream sauce and either stuffed or on a bed of Haggis. And also as a starter Haggis bon bons The traditional Haggis is cooked in a Sheep's stomach but this is not very common any longer but you can still get them from butchers. The supermarkets stock it either in a synthetic skin or in slices and in various sizes. For me I sometime buy the slices and grill or fry them and put them in a roll/bun. Long before McDonalds or KFC came to Scotland, post war an influx of Italians came to Scotland. The original Scottish fast food was the Italian chippie, Fish Supper (Fish and Chips); deep fried Fish in batter with thick cut deep fried potatoes (not crisps). Their menu evolved to deep frying everything with Chips, black pudding, quarter of chicken, PIZZA, chocolate and of course Haggis. This is also probably why Scotland leads the World in the level of Chronic Heart Disease. Like many foods there is good Haggis and bad. The key in my view is the moisture, too dry and it disintegrates during cooking, too moist and it feels gooey in your mouth. If you find a good butcher that makes a good one you go back to him. Do I eat it all the time, sitting in my kilt and saying "Och Aye the noo" like in Brig a doon, no but I probably have it once or twice a month. Before you get too judgemental I would suggest you look at where some of your "locally" produced food comes from and how it is produced. Burgers and Sausages can hide anything. And it is definitely more exciting than playing Mini Golf.

You cannae beat a good cooked Haggis, My favourite is a chicken breast stuffed with it and covered with a whisky sauce.

Why do people think that golfers like playing Mini Golf. I hate it with a vengeance. You play with a putter that usually has the grip falling off that is too small for you. The ball is usually as hard as a brick Normally on a thread bare piece of carpet You have to hit the ball so hard you can't possibly aim it. Ball normally ends up against a wall or off the course But still my wife will ask if I want to play it when we pass a course! Thoughts?

Date 06/29/2023 Course Name Harburn GC Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 10 Gross Strokes over/under par 7 Net Score to Par -3 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 7 Longest Drive 0

Heading to the course with my 1st try/setup, changed the wood headcovers to see if I like the black and red better than the red and white. One thing I did discover is that as I played round, I changed the position of the clubs in the bag to get them more visible and better ordered