EasyPutter

Good morning MGSpies from almost frosty but not! WNY on this middle Monday of April and with the outdoors sorted for springtime it looks like a good day for 9 holes after the workday ends work computer going online for the zero commute workday and the basement command post feels warmer today so that to me is proof of Spring has finally arrived in these here parts coffee soon to make its debut and then off to the salt mines, hope golf is a part of your day! 37

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What I know as fact: if you read and understand what is written in this thread: I have no doubt that you will be chosen as a tester with all the testing that is going on this year. Just get yourself in a position to be one of the preferred forum members to be chosen. Testing is not just getting free equipment because you can get it. We do have people with low post counts who get chosen for testing and on occasion someone will receive the whateveritis and we never hear from them again. That behavior hurts the community and shows that disreputable "anonymous" people will volunteer to be a tester who then renege on their responsibility and violate the trust placed on them taking what was given, making their action theft of the product. I have been chosen for 5 tests, completed all requirements that were expected of being a tester for all 5 products, and with the need for testers this year can expect to be chosen again. I have a photo on my profile, I post regularly and respond to others that proves involvement in the forum community, and by writing as much as I do, it is well understood what kind of test review will be provided when the testing of the product is complete. So quick comparison: how does your presence in the forum compare to mine? Or to others who have been chosen to test more than once? Try this: Follow the guidelines and see what happens, I'm looking forward to seeing the posts you make and recommend looking at The Good Morning Thread which is perhaps the most popular thread now on the Forum. Here's a link to the just posted latest message there: Great question and thanks for the opportunity to respond. We are as diverse a community as any but you will find the forum participants are the kind of people you would want to associate with because we keep it real without getting rude or obnoxious.

Good morning MGSpies from a still chilly but the sun is threatening to break through WNY where this was what was outside just 3 years ago. Today is getting the winter critter fencing in the yard stowed for the summer and getting the first cut of the lawn as yesterday ended up not just showery but some of that white stuff was in the air too, thank goodness the surfaces were too warm for it to stick. All the concern of cold and white stuff is suddenly tempered by @Rob Person's comment about blood sucking vermin that I share the aversion of @Dead Solid Bogey and @sirchunksalot and you know what? I'm good with putting on hat, gloves and heavy jacket to do the yardwork today Hope golf is a part of your day and it's now only 38

MyGolfSpouse learned to drive stick when she fell in love with a 1982 silver and black Dodge Charger 2.2 and it only took her a few minutes to discover the joy of manual transmission. That vehicle was driven into the ground and literally died arriving at a dealership to take possession of a1995 green 4-door Suzuki Sidekick stick with 4WD manual locking front hubs. That vehicle lasted just over a year and was t-boned in a hazardous intersection but it saved my wife who was carrying our daughter born 6 months later, the Suzuki replaced by a 1997 white 2-door Ford Explorer V6 with overdrive stick and selectable low range with auto locking hubs. The Ford suffered rustbelt rot over the 10 years we had it replaced by a Ford Fusion she tolerated because it did not have a stick and neither did the leased Chevy's, Equinox and Trax that replaced it when the Fusion became my son's car. When son was looking to buy his own Ford Bronco Sport, and his sister was already liking the Chevy Trax, he easily swayed his mom to look at the Subaru Crosstrek available in a manual transmission and full time 4WD as all Subarus are. That is her current vehicle that took very little time for her to get used to the clutch pedal again. And she only forgot once to shift into gear after turning off the motor and found it in the street minutes later - claims she just doesn't have the arm strength to put the hand brake on hard enough to stop it rolling but truth is if she does pull it on that hard, she can't release it again. My bane to driving stick: I learned to drive standard transmission as it was called then, in Driver's Ed in a brand new 1978 Dodge Aspen 2-door, owned a '85 Plymouth Volare station wagon with 318 V8 with 4spd OD stick, for years drove all manner of US Army vehicles, and then there was the '97 Explorer. I had driven the Volare towing my Catalina 22 sailboat on it's trailer to Mt Desert Island, ME (before I ever met my wife) for vacation - launched and sailed out of Southwest Harbor - and on the way home got into stop and go traffic on I-95 heading towards NH clutching in and out of 1st gear. My knee was on fire with the effort and I had to get off the interstate and used the Mohawk Trail to keep from blowing my knee out. The clutch pedal range on the Explorer was so similar to the Volare's that I could only clutch about 20 times before I could no longer push the clutch to shift. It became the vehicle I could not drive for most of the years we owned it. The Crosstrek thankfully gives me no such discomfort. I have always loved the direct control of power to the drive wheels with a stick and I know it is not supposed to be done but knocking it out of gear on a downhill is an amazing way to get great gas mileage though a policeman friend of mine once observed me doing it and I got a lecture for the next many miles lol

Good morning MGSpies from the suburbs of Rochester enjoying a brunch with my son doing a drop off and pickup for things needed at his RIT apartment and our house. Had a great fitting yesterday and learned facts about my swing and ball striking that was pleasantly surprising and the only thing that would have been better was a tee at the in between "gap" height apparently that I use. Should be getting outside when I get home to start taming the grass back into the appearance of a lawn, and hope golf is a part of your day 39

I think this is an option to moving your garage door opener unit.

Good morning MGSpies from the calm before the rains start again early on this Friday in WNY where the coffee is almost ready and work computer is going onto the network from the zero commute to underground central where I'm having the same kind of start Jason @sirchunksalot had and I don't know why the delay in getting started either, but community call was awesome yesterday with holes 3 through 9 shared from my phone camera (just not so good on keeping up with all of the discussion but I manage) and today I'm going to have a new experience getting a club fitting, heard lots about them but my first so hold me down!! Hope golf is a part of your day too! 40

Oh what a feeling to be on the Community Call again from a golf course! seems like forever since I last joined a call from last year's regular course Elma Meadows GC along Buffalo Creek. Today was from my old regular course Cazenovia GC along Cazenovia Creek in South Buffalo bordering my town of West Seneca. That "stream" in the UK would be called a "river" and that ball under the tree was 2 feet from escaping like @Yellow Ball off for a swim down a 20 foot high and steep embankment. And you got it right I am trying to get back to my 20 handicap before Kingsmill AND trying to train the clubs and balls to miss the unplayable parts of the course! Thanks Jason! I'm always thinking of you when I connect in from a golf course to give you at least one vicarious round a week to be out there with me and 40 days tomorrow until we get to do it for real at Kingsmill

Good morning MGSpies on Community Call Thursday from the wet springtime April showers of WNY eagerly awaiting the announcement of whateveritis Jamie @GolfSpy_APH has whetted the appetite for, as if Matt's @GolfSpy SAM birthday isn't reason enough to be thrilled, wait that is a trifecta Looking forward to seeing many of you friends on the call later on and possibly from the "fairways" as it is still a transformation process from park to golf course where I usually play, hope golf is a part of your day! 41

Each of the 17 sections has a slightly different focus and mine is the Western NY PGA Section covering an area that stretches from Erie PA to Rochester NY and from northern PA to Lake Ontario, a rather large piece of NY State on the western end and northwestern PA. Pay attention to the threads and use the search function, there are places in the forum that do look at courses wherever MGS Forum posters live, which really is worldwide. If your Section offers something called Down Range Days, it is a follow on program to HOPE for HOPE graduates and it needs to be well used by graduates or it could be pulled back by National for lack of perceived need as it was piloted here and we could not get more than a 50% response to fill available "free golf" tees, believe it or not. Hope your area does better with retaining graduates for additional free golf experiences.

Hello @RomanG welcome into the forum and The Good Morning Thread - I have the PGA HOPE logo in my signature as I graduated the program in 2018 and keep volunteering. Are you looking to participate in the program or have you already participated?

Good morning MGSpies from 'it's already getting light out and definitely springtime' in WNY on this day before the Community Call, work computer going online and starting the workday from the zero commute to the basement command center. Got in 9 holes yesterday in sunshine, still Caz park with nice greens as the fairways are far from ready but did run into longtime friend and played 5 holes together before he had to leave. Rain in the forecast due to arrive soon today and again on Friday so might be taking everyone for a vicarious view on the call tomorrow for the first time this year. Hope golf is a part of your day 42 And welcome! Jessica @Jessica Adams to the forum and a great place to start on the Good Morning Thread too! Hope to see your good morning's more often as well as posts around the forum where I am sure you are going to find this a family kind of friendly the way we all enjoy it being as it has always been.

Good morning MGSpies from the downtown parking spot by the office building with Rameses B's Footprints (one of the best 2:43 songs IMHO) on Pandora and coffee in the mug enjoying the first light of day, thinking about Jason's @sirchunksalot low pressure and lower stress to remain calm with his day. Played Caz park again yesterday and this time they had been working at changing the parkland back to golf course cutting fairways on the far side of the creek but still just a good short rough length, good exercise with golf and a starting point for 2024 and getting ready for Kingsmill. Hope to do it again today. Hope golf is a part of your day too 44

Good morning MGSpies from 'it's finally springtime in WNY to stay' on this third Monday of April (hope the US spies have their taxes done!) and the day my municipal course is supposed to open but from all accounts they will be busy with the mowers turning parkland grass into fairways, manicuring the first and second cuts around greens, putting in tee box fixtures etc. Tee time temps this afternoon if they happen will be mid 50s and tomorrow low 60s before wet weather settles in for the rest of the week. Work computer just going onto the online network, coffee should be ready upstairs on this zero commute workday, and the dehumidifier is running constantly for white noise that's singing a duet with the sound always ringing in my head - should be an awesome day Hope your favorites did well in the Masters, my pool pics did not but I did my usual random pick so... the weekend was still awesome with last Veteran curling day for this season and curled some awesome stones to move my team from tied bottom of C Flight to winning B Flight , and inlaws treated us to dinner for wife's b-day later this week - and got my son's first USAJobs application submitted - all in one day! Hope golf is a part of your day 44

Good morning MGSpies from 'the rains have moved past with thunder an hour ago' WNY with sunshine (hello sun!) filling in now the front has passed on this Masters final day Sunday The Resurgence/OnCore kickoff yesterday was amazing as always Today's Veteran event is the last of the season for the Veteran Rockers at Buffalo Curling Club to finish day 2 of 2 for the tournament that should see my team dead last (just like my MGS Masters Pools - yes both of them lol) but like with golf it doesn't matter at all because it is the doing and being included that means more than anything else. Hope golf is part of your day 45 And I noticed a new forum member also in the Buffalo area, welcome in and maybe I will see you at Caz/South Park/Delaware or any number of other courses around the area! (those three as I will have the Olmstead Conservatory Parks season pass again this year) Derek

Good morning MGSpies from an it's the Masters on masters.com and I can't get up to post on the forum (until now) Saturday morning in WNY - and commiserate with Jamie as my MGS Masters Pool bid is like the time writing this, 1042 and how many are in the pool? I think I can dispense with the acceptance speech that was going to be so perfect Noontime today is the co-sponsored fundraising for Veteran Golf in WNY re-release of the Smash Factor IPA by Resurgence Brewery and OnCore Golf downtown - will be representing as a HOPE Graduate and persistent volunteer. Would love to have MGS forum friends join me for watching Masters on the big screens and all the fun that is the annual kickoff that includes presentation of the collected proceeds from the past year. Break in the rain is only a tease as it is forecast to continue until tomorrow evening and it is 40 with gusty winds outside right now. Hope golf is a part of your day 46

Good morning MGSpies from a soggy rain for the rest of the weekend but springtime WNY on this last day of the workweek. Coffee is hitting the spot on the zero commute in basement command center where the dehumidifier has been running nearly constantly since yesterday and the sump sounds like Niagara Falls' little buddy. Conference call was great as usual and glad to see so many on interacting, also glad to hear Chuck @cksurfdude got his thermostat repaired (and that friend is one to keep!). Great looking profile pic @MattF and love the Aussi twist Tomorrow if anyone is in the WNY and Buffalo area, not intended as a plug for the brand but for the fundraising for Veteran golf it is, Resurgence Brewery on Chicago Street is again releasing for the 2024 summer season their Smash Factor IPA in partnership with OnCore Golf with a portion of the purchase price going to PGA HOPE program of the Western NY PGA section as shown on each can label. This is the 3rd year of the event and dedicated support to local Veteran golf I volunteer for that really does make a difference in Veteran's lives, kicks off at noon and if anyone does venture in, I will be glad to spend the time with you! Hope golf is a part of your day 47

Anyone who knows how I golf, you will know I will be choosing one of the holes on the putting green by the clubhouse. If I have to pick one out on the course it would be #11 and I am pretty sure I could bring it in under 72 for that hole. Congrats to @Phil_Elms @Pep and @JumboOctapus625 who all made their first forum posts right here on this thread and that is just as amazing a start in the forum as anything I have seen. Welcome in new Spies!

Always a good time of the week and even without a featured guest, it is always a good conversation when the hour long call goes for an hour and 32 minutes (but who's counting?)

That's like every other time I go to the course LOL edit: I'm kidding maybe...

Good morning MGSpies on a wet predawn Community Call Thursday in WNY with rain predominating the forecast now until Monday Got in another 9 hole round at the park with greens again yesterday although the 1st and 2nd fairways were prepared in the good weather for Monday's change from park to muni golf course, not stellar play as beginning any exercise program always starts gently without stressing the body too much. Work computer getting itself onto the network and full day of fun with finance ahead, yay hope to see lots of my MGS forum friends later today, and if possible for you, hope golf is a part of your day! 48

We are out of the 50s and into the 40s! 49 today and counting! Month and a half my friends

Or run tie a fishing weight on a string and lower it through the hole until it comes visible in the basement, pull the wire out in the basement and attach the end to the string (minus the weight) and pull the wire back up to where it was before. It might take some fishing to get that weight on the string to find the passageway to the basement and that might be aided by pulling the wire down. If all fails, get a wire snake and feed it up from the basement until it appears in the thermostat opening, or do it the other way around depending on how big the hole is for access in the wall. Just ideas to add to what you're faced with Chuck. Less than 50 days now until we slip the frustrations of home for the fairways of VA

Good morning MGSpies from a warm WNY this Wednesday, was able to get out for 9 holes yesterday at the park, can't call it a golf course yet as the city doesn't start operations until next week but the die hard golfers do take care of the place and greens are looking in pretty good shape already with cups and no flags, fairways are about short rough length and grounds have been doing tree removal after the winter took down one good size tree and some branches. I had an oil problem @russtopherb with a failed oil filter gasket (never heard of it before but that was what the shop across the street from the school I worked at told me). I used to put Slick50 into all my motors as I bought well broken in vehicles in that part of life usually at or approaching 100K on the odo. That was an 85 Astro with the V6 3.4 motor and running CB radio all the time heard from a couple of 18wheelers I had passed a few moments before about a van dropping oil on I-90 about a mile or 2 before my exit. I asked them and they told me details. I started watching engine temp. 12 miles north of 90 on SR-98 no perceived engine temp rise but oil pressure was zero and no change to engine sound, pulled into the shop and left a note with keys in the drop box. The tech said the engine had no oil in the sump but no evidence of anything wrong apart from the gasket failure. Just did the "oil change" and the vehicle ran for another 5 years and 110K with nothing but routine maintenance before it was totalled hit from behind. Might be able to get out for another round today, rain predominates the forecast through the weekend after that. Hope golf is a part of your day 49