Tom the Golf Nut

The Big Easy Ernie Els always had me mesmerized. It looks like he is swinging so easy and the ball went forever.

I look for the sock type insert rather than the separate tongue. This eliminates any potential for shifting. You can see that in the photo above.

The recent edition to the family.

If it helps I just purchased another pair of Puma’s with the BOA system. Sometime the want is greater than the need.

Almost afternoon but reading all the morning thoughts takes a while when trying to work at the same time. Hopefully my day is not too eventful. I have an appointment at 1:15 to have my transmission looked at. Hopefully a fluid and screen change will get her fixed. Under somewhat aggressive power it works fine. With less power the shifting stutters a bit. Don't need that to go bad leading into a trip to Kingsmill with the spies!

The cargo shorts can come in all types of fits. From fitting to baggy and it would be too hard to name the conforming brands which could change weekly. And who's going to inspect the tag on your shorts. What the higher end courses don't want is the baggy unkept look. Your wearing working shorts and came straight from work look. Cargo shorts are considered too casual for the traditional and formal atmosphere associated with golf. The dress codes are often in place to maintain a certain level of decorum and respect for the game, the club, and other players. I was a member at a private club for 16 years. They have rules. You have your choice, conform or leave. But they have changed policies over the years. Looking back in history we are pretty lucky. Would you like to be golfing in a starched button-down white shirt and tie? Rules change over time. We can wear shorts; Tiger came out with the mock tee golf shirt and now that is accepted. Now they have the untucked designed shirts being allowed at certain places, hoodies. Times change and dress codes change over time, but golf attire acceptance changes slowly. The main issue is every course has a different set of rules. I just got used to dressing to be able to play anywhere. A lot of the exclusive clubs put ownership on the member if they invite a guest. I played Southern Hills with a member, and he sent me a do's and don'ts list (no hats to be worn in the club house, you can't change your shoes in the parking lot, you will be assigned a locker for the day to change. Collared shirts tucked in, shorts to the knees, no cargo shorts, hats to be worn correctly on the golf course and so on. Which is totally acceptable to me. As long as I know the rules up front. There could be nothing worse than being asked to leave because your attire did not conform after traveling to get there. No different than going to the Masters as a spectator. They have rules and a lot of them (and you're not even playing ). Unfortunately, I have had to do that a few times when inviting people to play at my previous club. It's embarrassing for both parties. I sent the rules, he chose to ignore them. They told me that he had to leave or change. He was embarrassed or pissed and left. Then they got on me and asked if I informed him of the dress code. Their course their rules. My new club is less strict, but I still dress the same as I would for a private course. It's just what I'm comfortable in. Plus, you get the added benefit of moisture wicking and UV protection materials in today's golf apparel.

I typically do not watch anything on swing fixes or anything like that. I don’t want to mess up what I have going on. But having said that, I struggled with any 3 wood for years. To the point I just pulled it from my bag. During my Cobra fitting the fitter even said I hit my 5 wood better than my 3 wood. While looking for something on You Tube I came across something on hitting your 3 wood. So I gave it a whirl. I watched and listened and the next day put the 3 wood back in the bag. It was an eye opening experience. The first opportunity was on a par 5 I thought it was a fluke but each time it was pure performance. I always hit the 5 and 7 wood fine just not the 3 wood for some reason. For a month now the 3 wood is killing it on the par 5’s. Now there is an unexpected confidence level. 35 years of struggling gone in a 10 minute video and one swing. It just happened to be something I connected with.

Burger cooked medium with American cheese, tomato, ketchup, and grilled onions. Regular fries and a coke. option 2. Burger topped with a little pulled pork, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, tomatoes, and onion straws. Side of sweet potato fries and a coke.

Feeling fine now, thanks. It must have been way off. The same spot rotated quickly to the top. This ball was moving 30 yards off center with the driver both ways depending on how I aligned the ball on the tee. Also about 20 yards shorter. I don't have a ball cutter and no TV out in the work shop area. So it would be a hacksaw and vice to cut it. Maybe later.

Today it was not about how I played but rather what I learned. Friday and yesterday I was dealing with food poisioning. I was sick as a dog. But feeling good this morning I was at the course just before 8 am. Not expecting much so I didnt keep score. My shots were going left and right, putts were doing the same. Okay I was ill. But after 5 holes I said to myself something is wrong I normally hit straight or a baby fade. After another heavy fade, I dropped another ball and hit. Straight as an arrow. Second shot straight on to the green. So then I decided to play both balls. Sure enough original ball played poorly. The second ball played well. So a bunch of bogeys and a few pars on the front 9 and tossed the bad ball aside. Played the back 9 the replacment ball with mostly pars one bogey and a birdie. When I got home I put the poor performing ball through the salt water test and and sure enough it failed miserably. So the core was off center. I probably should have cut the ball in half to see how bad it was but the Masters was calling me. Sometimes its not the driver but the vehicle.

Right around 26 rounds so far. Another one planned for tomorrow morning.

I’m going with 13.

Play over watch but normally I do both since my tee times are usually before 8am and I’m home in 3 hours.

Morning all, Almost ready to start my drive home from HQ. In 6 hours I should be home. Just in time for the Community Call. Then catch up on what was going on during day one of the Masters. Have a great day everyone.

The RX has a softer feel but not as soft as the RX S. It also keeps up in the distance portion which is key as you get older. It is also designed for the under 105 swing speed. I play the Maxfli Tour or the Titleist AVX normally and I felt this model would be similar. So far so good. I have not played Bridgestone until this year. My course sells a lot of them and I find them all over the course so I played a few models. I thought the e12 wasn't bad. The different dimple pattern gave you more surface contact for greenside spin but was still delivering straight distance.

https://youtu.be/w0-phkey6uo I had my first round with the Bridgestone RX Mind Set on Sunday. At first, I wasn't sure about the mind set image and how it increased focus. I typically use a line on my ball for aiming both on putts and off the tee. So, what was I gaining by this image? Well after a few tee shots and putts maybe there is something to it. I made some longer putts than I normally would and if I took chances by hitting a tee shot right down the edge of a tree line to get in the best position on a dog leg it went right where I wanted on multiple occasions. I'm not talking about a general direction either. If I aimed two feet from the edge of a pine tree it flew two feet from the edge of the pine tree. I was considering it a fluke, but it happened a couple of times. The balls distance was good and was comparable to other high-end balls. The stopping power was a little less than I normally see but well within the playability range. I have some more testing to do. This is just a fresh out of the box and put in play summary from one round.

That was one fun filled experience. I’ll expand on this later. I’m jumping in the car for a 5-1/2 hr trip to my company’s HQ stateside.

Click the arrow in the top right corner. Once you are on the testers wanted page click by the number of testers wanted (4) or the open until Monday at 8 pm. That should get you to the registration.

It depends on the season. Prime time (fairways are grown in) roughly late April through September, I will start a round with a new ball or maybe one that has a round on it that still looks new. Once the fairways go dormant or after a rain I use a used ball. The base of everything in my area is sand. A ball hitting this is like sandpaper and can wear the clear coat off the ball in no time. After a rain the fairways can be so soft in spots the ball can plug and sometimes be lost. A damaged ball goes into a bucket to hit on the range at a later date. (My used balls are better than my courses range balls) Our range is so soft that after running the ball picker, most times they have to go back and hand pick the range. To make matters worse they keep the range balls in a garbage can full of water so they can soak the mud off them. So in essence you are hitting lake balls all the time.

I have been several times and to several different locations. Once you have decided to go, you have to go in with certain mindset. 1) This is not real golf or a real driving range. It is a entertainment center. 2) The balls are limited flight balls with a chip in them to track the ball. 3) The clubs are crap, bring your own, but watch them carefully. If you sign up for platinum membership they will loan you good clubs. Membership is ridiculous so your back to bring your own clubs. 4) They are out to take your money. Don't go hungry. Food is good but pricey. 5) Adult beverages are high priced as well. Especially the drinks that come in a light up golf bag looking cup. 6) Always go on half price Tuesdays. I'm not a fan of going there either but my customers like to go there. Its fine for chatting, having a few cocktails, and smacking a few balls at targets. But thats about it.

My concern is that my dog might be interested in trying to pick up one of those air pod inflators and chew on it. I like the concept but I would like a longer and wider version that you could actually stand on.

My bad didn't look close enough at the dates. I should be around the entire week if any travel it would be to Charlotte. We’ll just stay in touch.

I leave Monday morning for TN for our quarterly sales meetings and will be home sometime on Thursday. I think Friday afternoon would work. But I'll keep you posted.

Knowing your weakness is half the battle. I am by no means a data junkie. I have the equipment to analyze if needed but I know what my weakness is. I find it’s getting harder and harder to maintain my current handicap. Being in my mid 60’s I am loosing distance. This is putting pressure on the weak part of my game which is the 150 to 170 range. It’s not that I’m not working on it but it is an obstacle that I need to find a way to fix. My short game is my go to to save par and make birdies on par 5’s. I am good with my woods which are 7, 5, 3, and the driver. But as anything in golf it’s a work in progress.

Sounds like improper training to me. I have my wife trained. “Honey it’s a nice day aren’t you going golfing” A true golfer does not hesitate. “Yes dear just grabbing a drink and snack for the round” see ya in a few hours.