EasyPutter

Good morning MGSpies on this last Saturday and day of August, here in the States it is our Federal Holiday for Labor Day so Monday is the added day for the 3-day weekend. Love seeing the photos and thanks for taking us along @Byrnzee It's good to be reading more good news than not which is uplifting, and also uplifting those with things shared especially @Shrek74 as spirits are forever and though we part we are never really apart. Love your stories @BIG STU as they never fail to help me appreciate those things I would have liked to do but have been your life so grateful for you sharing, and really did miss them for some time. My friend Robert @rkj427 you are doing amazing work constantly knocking it out of the park Family rock-n-roll band rehearsal today in an hour for Monday's open mic, no golf in my plan but that has ways of changing. Hope golf is a part of your day and let's give August a good send off whatever you are doing!

Good morning MGSpies on the last early start for this workweek with the commute a walk to the basement coffee in hand and computer going online for Friday's rendition of workday. Yesterday afternoon was the PGA HOPE session 3 of 6 at NFCC and those on the community call were treated to the second consecutive week view from the city of Tonawanda just before entering Niagara county and a more or less direct route through the residential are of Niagara Falls to the northern edge close enough to Lake Ontario for the weather to be cooler by the lake. It was a good session and helped the teaching pro facilitate chipping and pitching mostly by wrangling the balls hit onto the practice green and surrounding grass for the next part of the session. Left the course in that low sunlight, got gas at the Tuscarora Nation Territory we call the Rez and then home arriving after dark as it is about an hour drive time north. Great to see the early morning sunshine @Byrnzee on the buildings in your photo as low angle light always brings out the colors. Great news Jason on Mr Socksie's return to health and thoughts prayers and well wishing for your pup @Northern Monkey and your family as it is going to be a thing for a while. Best intentions for everyone and whatever challenges are in play. No golf in the plan today, recovery of sorts by the time Friday rolls around and the weekend looks like mixed bag for weather and family things to attend to. Hope golf is a part of your day

The regulars will tell you that not only will I login and show my view out the windshield while driving to a golf event but I will login and show my play while on a course, started last year when our friend Jason @sirchunksalot was unable to get out on course due to recovering from an injury so I was able to share an hour of my round with him and everyone else who was no doubt entertained with the way I golf

Good morning MGSpies on an early Thursday community call day from WNY on a zero-commute workday with coffee in hand and computers going online, and laundry already started - sometimes the mind is active early and I do tend to get most of my tasks done early each day. Golf yesterday was with regular partners Marc @Marc Threeput and Jim @The1C3man on Arrowhead GC in Akron NY, great round on a hot humid day with lumpy clouds more than direct sunshine that at times made it look like there was rain in the distance, that was only the shadow of the thicker clouds in the haze. We did have a brief sun shower but nothing more until we had turned in the carts to head to dinner, and it poured as soon as we were in the restaurant. Driver continued to be more on than off, still trying to get it as dependable as the hybrid, mostly bogies with a couple either side of that. Great to see Italy @Byrnzee and hear of things no as bad as thought, prayers and intentions for all who are facing health issues with loved ones, and for good health and strength for everyone. Hope to see/hear many on the community call later, will be on my travels to the HOPE session in Niagara County, and hope golf in any of its manifestations is part of your day!

Sending thoughts for all good things for your furry kid and both you and wife, so much goodness in your family. I know you have got this as you do all things but I also know how it seems like if it isn't one thing it's another... because that is how we are challenged to find out if we are still being the person we are supposed to be. I'd say you're doing very well my friend, prayers of strength and peace are constantly coming your way. Can you believe it is now 90 days since we met at Kingsmill? Time flies much too quickly

Good morning MGSpies on a half no-commute workday for me and the cool of the night here in WNY went all the way down to 75F after yesterday's 90 with high humidity. I'm always reminded that the air conditioning, that I had to wear winter layers for while at work in the office and changed out of leaving the building, was invented right here in Buffalo by the Carrier Corp no doubt inspired by the industrial and architectural advances of the day and the abundance of electricity from nearby Niagara Falls. The other half of the day is golf. It was another good HOPE session again yesterday evening in Rush NY with the entire time on the range assisting the pros guiding our Veterans to hitting lofted clubs of all kinds and the drives really were amazing "not swinging hard but swinging controlled" as I could attest to being effective from my Monday round. Always a long day, made it home in time to unwind and get to bed. Golf today is with regular playing partners Marc @Marc Threeput and Jim @The1C3man at Arrowhead GC. Glad to see everyone getting out on the course and hearing about travel desinations as well as all the other stories people share Hope golf is a part of your day too!

Good morning MGSpies from the streetlights dark thirty of downtown by the office building for today's workday, listening to Ryan Farish's Starlight on Pandora and sipping coffee before heading in. Golf yesterday was a great experience with driver working right for the first time in 2024 and the tee shot on the 6th that needs to carry reeds, trees and water on the end of South Park lake was found in the middle of the fairway inside the 150 stake and 227 appeared on the club tracking before GPS settled on 226, longest yet for the Callaway Ai Smoke Max D. I'm seeing an erosion in my app calculated handicap so sometimes going well this year. Lovely photos everyone of Italy, golf courses and wildlife! Thoughts are for peaceful focus and letting stress slip away like water draining away to uncover the spirit in all of us that is who we really are, sending intentions for strength and endurance to get there. As AK's Life's so Short is reminding me as the last Pandora sounds leaving the vehicle, make today yours. HOPE session in Rush NY this evening for me, hope golf is part of your day

It's back in the bag and back better than before. As expected it was me all along and not the club. 9 days ago got a spot on my driver by PGA Teaching Pro and Glen Oak GC owner Tim Fries who got me swinging the baseball bat swing, slowly transferred to an angle off horizontal plane, adjusted my set-up and put the ball on a higher tee than I think I ever used (felt like T-ball but nothing of that height lol) and voila, a long drive on the last hole of the tournament we were playing together in our foursome. All the others in the foursome were PGA Pros and one was last year's WNY PGA Professional Champion of the Year (and #2 this year) and it took them 17 holes to ask me why I was not using my driver... hahaha the respect going both ways in the Section for Veterans and Pros is really awesome and they had not wanted to ask until that point. I told them it was in time-out, or maybe it was me in time-out as the draw bias of the club face wasn't stopping my slight to strong fade. Today's practice round was just put the ball on the tall tee, relax and swing. 3 drives today captured with SwingU app club tracking were better than anything during testing: 1st tee - 158 yards = wide right and no surprise pretty much why it's/I'm in driver time-out. 2nd tee - 169 yards = fairway and hello. 3rd tee - 154 yards = got underneath it and not too far right. 5th tee - 116 yards = into the wind and provisional with first lost off tree into the lake. 6th tee - 227 yards = newest longest shot (tracked average of 150 yards). 8th tee - 193 yards = slightly left but straight. 9th tee - 177 yards = longest hit on the 9th hole ever. The last 3 tracked shots were the longest since the beginning of testing earlier in 2024. Which leads me to believe that "intention" and "result" are linked with this and every club. This was part of an actual conversation I had with Ryan when we shared a cart on The River Course on Saturday at Kingsmill almost 89 days ago today. My recognition of this is at this point there is no "testing" going on so I am perceiving no pressure to perform and just swinging to make contact. The correct term for the play today is, wow does it make contact. I've recognized my driver is a good performer and it's back to having its place in my golf bag. @TylorJudd hope you have found the same thing now the pressure is off from what you had said before top of this page!

Technically the R&A shortened the course from 22 to 18 holes in the 1700's so have not always been 18 holes plus there was no standard before that with some courses having as few as 7 holes. It would have been great to try courses like Prestwick that had 12 after St. Andrews went to 18 holes as 9 is a good play but more would be better and 18 is often just a bit too long for the aging duffers.

Good morning MGSpies on this no-commute last Monday for August workday from the glorious warmth of a WNY summer. Yesterday was shed day with all the supplies on-hand removing shutters, doors, and assorted parts that were cleaned, scraped and painted, and all restored to full operational parameters before sunset. Solo job as MGSpouse somehow avoided visits to provide insights and son is still sorting out the inside of the house with his merging back into homelife after college apartment time while he is working an extended co-op that has rumblings of a possible offer, and only rumblings. Great to see the new members in TGMT with us, welcome in @Jeremy1999 and @Bogey Train Conductor ! Also wondering how much @Byrnzee is paying attention to Italy following golf so well , @KC Golf safe travels home and great short term project @William P with such an amazing build Golf today after work, 9 holes at the practice course and forward plan is 2 workdays, a golf day, and 2 workdays before getting to next weekend. Hope golf is a part of your day

Good morning MGSpies on a glorious August summer Sunday morning with sunshine and cool before the day warms up to nicely hot Shed painting is on today with everything bought yesterday and with no big push to "get out and do it" mostly due to a summer shower that caused a panic rush to get laundry hanging on the line in, so coffee in hand and TGMT post made, it will be time to get out into the yard to do "the thing" while MGSpouse is watching her Sunday morning programs (coffee already provided... the key my fellows is to be aware of the soothing perks she prefers and provide them daily without a comment made, oh and "failing hearing" does have benefits Golf will be tomorrow at the soonest as the weekdays will be full again this week, hope golf is a part of your day.

Good morning MGSpies from a brilliantly sunny morning here in WNY waking up late for me after a long week of activity captured here on TGMT and I did get in 9 holes after work yesterday that went well, however... the driver tips and practice that started last Saturday seem to have been transferred across the pond to @Northern Monkey as what I seem to have lost he has gained (gorgeous photos ) my tee shots have suddenly become too variable without the control I have using a hybrid so more work on that, but the driver is being punished facing a corner in the bag. Arrived home to a quiet house with MyGolfSpouse and son spending the early evening with the 104yo matriarch of the family so peaceful dinner and slide into napping from which I got up just in time to go to sleep. No idea what today and tomorrow have in store. It won't be golf and probably things around the house. Sorry to read the demise of Moon @RichL85 and the golf ban for Jason @sirchunksalot. Happy to read the game with Tom @Tom the Golf Nut and John @JohnSmalls is on, and know that running on fumes first day on a European trip from the US Connor @Byrnzee (don't forget we like pictures!) Glad to read everyone's posts in the last 23 hours Hope golf is a part of your day

All I know is @GolfSpy_KFT if you don't get the new clubs you're likely going to golf more like me than like Jamie, or worse you might golf like @GolfSpy SAM

It was a good community call yesterday though getting the link on the app was delayed so I was not able to get connected until about 10 minutes into the call. I checked the app and the banner link was not there as early as it was last week when a brief glance was all that was needed to touch and get the prompt to connect. Yesterday before I left the parking lot, the app did not have a banner yet, and words on the phone are often too small for me to navigate easily with my older eyes without an up close inspection of the screen. So I kept checking the app enroute to my evening activity and on highways until the banner appeared about 10 minutes after the meeting time and connected in quickly. I saw some new but familiar faces and my old friends too and that is always something I look forward to. What I thought was great as I passed through the historic district of Tonawanda where the road passes over the western end of the Erie Canal where it meets its Niagara River section, Matt @GolfSpy SAM tagged my feed for the group as I was showing the back camera for the view out the windshield and it occurred to me I need a way to point out what is in sight as the highway follows the upper Niagara River, passes the Love Canal toxic waste site and other industrial parts of Niagara Falls that made it literally the Power House of the nation including the power transmission lines from the hydro plant (that the highway passes over), the bridge to Canada, and the view over the escarpment of US and Canada separated by the lower Niagara River to Lake Ontario. Lastly the turn off for Fort Niagara that dates back to the 1600s and the gorgeous Niagara Frontier Country Club where I have unboxed both putters I tested in previous years. Anyway, if you were watching, that is what you saw for the 45 minutes I was on the call before I got dumped off for hanging on to the end LOL

Good morning MGSpies on this Timecard Friday as it is called in my part of the government world, busiest workday of my 2-week cycle (the real fortnight don't you know) so time to read and post delaying my start until 0630 on a no-commute workday. Coffee about ready to sip and the white noise of the dehumidifier keeping the basement dry and a still sleeping work computer making this a great peaceful start, mind full of Rome and @Byrnzee, Scotland and @KC Golf, England and @Northern Monkey, my friends in east coast time-zone @sirchunksalot and @BIG STU and all you other guys many who were on the community call yesterday I could only listen to until just before the end. HOPE session went well at NFCC under beautiful skies Steve Carney is a PGA Master Professional and retired after decades long service as Head Pro at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville NY and he travels as I do for these programs so that and work yesterday did not leave much time for anything else. Golf on tap for this afternoon for 9 holes before dinner, hope golf is a part of your day too

Good morning MGSpies from the basement workplace for this Thursday rendition of workday, work computer going online as I'm putting this together, coffee ready and thinking of yesterday's fast 9 on South Park GC for +10 and the last putt watched by 3 carts of guys apparently waiting for others to arrive, perhaps waiting for their league times, a brilliant 4 yard roll that tagged the flag to stay on the lip of the cup. Golf today is HOPE session volunteer at Niagara Frontier CC with community call on the way there, hope golf is a part of your day ...and for those baking in Texas and parts south, our comments of cool weather we are not happy with are soon to disappear as our temps return to summer 80s in the not so distant forecast in these northern parts for the summer we crave before the Great White North stretches southward again.

Let's get something going, we have only about 2 months of good golf to go plus 2 more "extended season" months if we are lucky. We had talked about Ravenwood CC in Victor, I had a chance to play the front 9 a week ago and would like to visit that half plus the back 9 this time. It's pretty much in middle of our neck the woods just shy of 2 hours drive for me, couldn't be much more for Ryan and Matt coming in from the other direction. And anyone else who is interested of course! One day, flash in the pan, reasonably early start and time for 19th hole before return to fort home station. I can talk to Bob Gilbert on Tuesday at the next HOPE session in Rush, or sooner, to get things going. Oh no intention for this to derail or pirate the thread honest!

I thought it was a stylized but accurate white line track of one of Matt's rounds of golf...

Good morning MGSpies from the basement command center getting online for the no-commute workday. Will have to read-back when I get a chance as no doubt there is plenty I missed since arriving at work 24 hours ago. Yesterday was my one workday at the office each week followed by travel to the Rochester area HOPE session for 90 minutes of volunteering I would never miss, as graduate mentor for Veterans new to the program. One of our older Veterans is re-learning golf after medical history changed his mobility with his wife as an amazing assistant for everything he needs. We had passing showers alternating with sunshine accompanied with rainbows. Golf should be this afternoon after work if all goes according to plan, of course the grass will not cut itself and needs it after nearly a week of wet conditions and autumn-like cool this week so far. Hope golf is a part of your day

Good morning MGSpies from still dark and chilly downtown on an unseasonably fall like summer morning with high expected in the mid 60s on this in the office workday, sitting outside the office building with Ulrich Schnauss' Enfield on Pandora setting a mystical tone to begin this day of adventure. After work begins the trip to the HOPE session in Rush before heading home with just enough time for a wind down before bedtime. These are the good days and each one is a gift, like the early announcement of the next meetup in May/June timeframe. Hope golf is a part of your day

Put me in coach! everything else is just the details... and nobody tell @Yellow Ball

I had to update my WITB post after the past weekend when playing with PGA Pros in a tournament, the inevitable "why aren't you using your driver" question came up and the club came out, adjustment was made to tee height, "baseball" swing was encouraged with 2 degree up angle at ball contact, and I did not see it go but they did. 205 yards down the right middle of the fairway and kick down slope on the 10th fairway of Niagara Frontier Country Club back 9 to the creek side fairway and green. Driver is back in the bag, now I just have to do it again... We started on the par 3 11th and 3 of us had pars, one had birdie, and with my handicap my adjusted score was the second birdie carded for the team. Go Handicap!

Good morning MGSpies on a zero commute day here at EP central up early as happens when something changes in the house, coffee in hand and computer going online for a good start. Son is officially on his extended co-op so technically still RIT student but reality is he's got an extended paid internship with the company that is all too glad to have him. The absence of his own place in the Rochester area means today is his first commute from home, which is doable and not different than what I will be doing tomorrow to volunteer at the HOPE session in Rush NY. No golf on the plan for today as outside jobs were not completed yesterday and hopefully grass is back to looking presentable by this evening. Hope golf is a part of your day!

Good morning MGSpies on a laze slept in Sunday in WNY having my morning read-back of the thread, thanks for posting and reading Yesterday was an amazing day at the tournament held in honor of the Country Club Head Pro Dan Antonnuci for being selected to the Hall of Fame in the WNY PGA Section having been a past section president and section member of the year for a region that covers the entire western part of NY State from just west of Syracuse NY to Erie and northern PA. He's been the Head Pro at NFCC for 34 years and even his predecessor was at the dinner program to extend words for him, so no surprise his name doesn't even show on the announcement flier. The sun was shining when Dan gave us the pre-tournament instructions about course conditions and expected weather as heavy rains passed south and east of us, one to the north over Lake Ontario with distant thunder but only a couple light showers passed over NFCC during the front 9. Comparatively one passing storm dropped 3/4 inch of rain in just under an hour at Glen Oak GC midway between NFCC and my house in West Seneca to the south. My foursome started on the 11th hole and first hits all ended up on the par 3 green including mine and I actually got par that counted as a birdie because of tournament scoring and my handicap playing with scratch golf pros. My foursome included the owner and a teaching pro of Glen Oak GC and one of the teaching pros from my local area, the GOGC owner is also on the National PGA board for this year, not that any of that put me off my game - I played well but I think the 18 holes the previous evening started to show in endurance faltering in the back 9 so my handicap advantage to the team was failing to help with a collective average showing due to wet conditions from previous day rains measured in parts of an inch and a shower that passed over during the front 9. I did play well and we had a good round on Dan's day that ended with a clubhouse dinner. This was all about my day yesterday at times and totally agree with @sirchunksalot and @fixyurdivot as my playing group hit great shots just about every shot to my second tee shot not quite disaster but added a stroke onto my hole score for sure. Not even going to mention my 3rd tee shot that even the provisional followed the first ball into water hazard, @GolfSpy_KFT I shared your experience - but is is all golf, each next shot was a new opportunity to hit well and most of my "second" shots, the one from where the duffed ball ended up, flew with amazing distance and accuracy to catch up to the other's balls but the added stroke was what constantly eroded my own sense of contributing to the team performance. But a last hole tutorial on my driver swing might have solved the problems with my driver time-out and get that part of my game in gear for the second part of this golf season. No golf on the agenda for today, will be doing things around the house to be ready for golf this week. Hope golf is a part of your day

Good morning MGSpies on a damp Saturday in WNY with hot coffee making the morning read-back of the thread a good browse, thanks for posting and reading Yesterday afternoon/evening round with @The1C3man was played as an easy exercise having been invited the night before to play in a tournament today. Knowing it is going to be 18 holes, I was concerned about overdoing it with 18 the night before, but I learned some good things. (1) I am in pretty good shape this time of the season as at the end I felt like I was not doing anything unusual for any given day. (2) Playing easier and not swinging hard at the ball produces a better result hitting right on my SwingU traditional handicap I reported earlier in the day for today's tournament of 16.2. (3) I played the same ball from 1st tee to 14th green and lost it in the reed filled water hazard that surrounds the front of the green so shots landed in short grass or right next to it, and the ball that took over did finish the round. Will be heading to the tournament in a couple hours with a totally different aspect than yesterday playing with scratch pros and others on a private country club rated not long ago as best in NY State. Lunch and dinner included, it is humbling to be invited by the Head Pro of the Country Club who introduced me on Thursday to the HOPE session as his soul brother... I just hope to play well and add good memories for Dan's day and those I play with. Good to see you are doing well Jason @sirchunksalot and Bill @fixyurdivot you're not alone in that lapse of presence when physics principles are proved (two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time) hope your healing goes quickly. Reading about the people who don't record their scores correctly is reminder that we must always be true to ourselves, the temptation is there on the golf course only to the point where it matters to self what not being true to self will mean to others. My 88 yesterday (couldn't believe it touching save round on the app) was a surprise when I thought back to the 7 on a par 4 I put down knowing it was the right thing to do. Funny how the read-back was affirmation that it doesn't matter what the numbers are on the scorecard, it is the peace that comes with doing what is right. Hope golf is a part of your day!