Bowser

Welcome VMAN, I lived on the Island from Jun '17 to Jul '18 and managed to be a mbr at Mill River for most of one summer as I stayed in Summerside waiting for our house to be finished. Then became a mbr at Stanhope once our house was finished in Pleasant Grove. I visit at least once a year now as I did before our year on the Island. Love it there and plan on going back as soon as COVID 19 decides we can travel again. Take care and be safe.

Indoor golf hitting into a screen has a certain appeal but that wears off quickly enough; watching Morning Drive most mornings is fine but frankly unless there is controversy that gets redundant; hobbies are one thing but constantly looking at the 14 day forecast on the weather channel should not be a hobby. My track has been closed since mid-Nov; golfed in Cheraw State Park in Dec and Cuba in Jan... So it is time once again to look south from the 49th parallel at driving down Highway 81 through NY, PA, MD, WV, VA and into the Carolinas...(usual route has me take the 64 to the 95 and south from there) I have a friend in Myrtle with an open invite so will make it there in time for Wed next week and then play 2 rds a day for 3 or 4 days and head back but... Any hidden gems I should play on the way? I don't mind at all going off the main road with my GPS as long as I can play a track that is in good playing condition (I get that this time of year can be challenging) and a good value for my money. I've played a lot of golf on that route and always looking for that track I just can't miss the next time around. 30 Miles off the main route is not that bad for me or even if I have to take a different route that doesn't lengthen my trip too much; let's say one hour added to overall trip. Thanks in advance

No Pictures! Actually left my phone back at home and it was really nice to just unplug from the world for 8 days. I didn't miss it at all (except getting my hockey scores was difficult).

Going to Cuba as a Canadian is simple and I understand many of you on this site cannot go there without considerable effort (if at all). That being said I'm not sure you are missing all that much (from a golf course conditioning perspective) except for the extremely affordable golf at the only 18 hole course on the island. The course itself has a very interesting layout with some holes playing up against the ocean making wind a major factor to deal with on any day. The greens were large and receptive but not in the greatest condition; inconsistent speed ranging from I would guess 7 to 10 and bumpy in spots which resulted in many 3 putts!! Plus I saw them cut once and never saw them rolled in my 8 days there (and I played 36 a day) and I was there a lot. Fairways and rough were acceptable (comparable to Florida this time of year). Tee boxes needed some "time off" or at least a break from usage to recover. I found the length off the tee be a little short from the whites and a little long from the blues but given the extreme wind conditions at times the white tees at almost 5800 yds was manageable where 6300 yds from the blues was just not in my game. Reds were at 5100 yds and gold at close to 6700 yds. They could use something in the 6000 range as a resort golf course. Their website list green fees at $100 (Cuban CUC which is almost at par with USD) but if on a golf package, as I was, you only need to pay $33 CUC for the cart (mandatory) for the whole day. Of course a tip goes a long way to ensuring your afternoon tee time (that is maybe a $1 CUC tip... money goes a long way in Cuba). The resort at the golf course is listed as a 4 star but it is more like a 3 star resort; food was acceptable; all inclusive package meant plenty of drinks available and of course bottled water as the local water might have you spending more time sitting than standing. Lobby, bars, restaurants and pool was all in great condition but rooms were a little dated and in need of some TLC and/or updating. If you can get there it is an experience worth having and I recommend an all inclusive package to cover your food, drinks, room, and unlimited golf. I just wouldn't put it on a bucket list item solely for golf. For me it was $1700 CAD for 7 night, 8 days and I played 14 rounds of golf ($33 CUC a day for cart, about $45 CAD). Of course the beer and rum flowed freely 24hrs a day... and the locals are very friendly and willing to help were possible.

Well you get use to it and now actually prefer Celsius... Zero being that freezing point (your 32) makes it simple as if there is a minus sign in front I'm not golfing if there is no minus sign just look for frost and I'm good to go... We all adapt eventually... Today no golf... -7 (feels like -13) and snow covered... if I wasn't so sad I'd chuckle!!

Oh I get it and would truly enjoy a trip there for all those reasons and I'm sure more. (I meant with my 382 logo balls traded in for 382 pints I'm set for a while; just take my darts away from me or duck)

Well with 382 logo balls this would be the place to visit...too bad about the cross Atlantic flight required...

I do post all my scores but with Golf Canada there is an option to say you played alone and it doesn't count as part of your handicap factor. The Grint (another site I mostly use for stats) has an option to include rounds you play as a single while not including it with the handicap (for both practice and out of season Rds).

This all started in the late 80s somewhere in Vermont at the Wiliston Golf Club...they had a logo ball and I liked it and thought I might just want ONE! I wasn't golfing much in the 90s given my profession with the RCN taking me away from home often (although I did manage a couple of logo balls from Australia). This little obsession really took off at the turn of the century and since then I have collected 382 logo balls from courses I have played at and only ones I have played at. Of course I display them in cases and they are in alphabetic order (my friends think I'm nuts) so I've learned to keep the odd spot at the bottom of the cases for just that time I play at a course at the beginning of the alphabet...moving 300 balls to the left one spot can be tedious. At this point there aren't many local places for me to collect a logo ball but I did move often in the early 2000s and I like travel the Eastern US down highway 81 and 95 for the most part. My collect includes many locations from Orlando up to Maine and of course many locations in between. Canada has a prime spot for me in Southern Ontario, PEI, BC and Alberta. So plenty to choose from and I can name every course as long as I can see the logo ball up close. Some of them only have a logo and no course name so it can be a challenge. Even have a solution to moving them when we had to relocate often as a member of the Canadian Navy. Numbered egg cartons! You just need to eat a lot of eggs at the start until you build your stash. Anyone out there have a similar obsession? How many do you have and do you display them?

Not sure exactly what 40 would be in our celsius grading but I know 32 F is 0 C and that is the freezing mark. I have often golf up here in 1 to 3 C (and with that windchill factor taking to stupid cold for golf) but like many I wear layers and go with it. Remove layers as the days 'warms' up and adjusting to hitting a cold ball on approach shots. I actually like going south (as I did recently to SC first week of Dec with a buddy) and find that anywhere between 40 and 50 F is too cold for the locals. Gives us a great opportunity to have the course to ourselves and play 2 rounds without concern. I fully get it when locals think it's cold and they get to play all year round so being selective is an option. Cold and snow on the ground here so unless I want to hit an indoor golf range I'm not golfing here (like many parts of the northern US as well). Looked it up...40F is between 4 and 5 C

I look at it more in a number of rounds than years. Been gaming the C300s for a year now so that is 218 Rds and my belief is most good quality irons should go around 750 Rds. No actual data on this just my experience with my last few sets. Only time will tell but I should be good for at least another 2 to 3 yrs... Then what....

Well for a guy living in a Mid-Apr to End-Oct Active golf season 218 rounds of golf is a very successful year. Yes I am retired but that still means I have other things to do around the house when my early morning round is over. Generally I'm a dew sweeper and 2 to 3 trips south a year kind of golfer. When on a trip I try to get at least 2 rds a day or else what is the point! Majority of my golf was at my home track (100 rds at Casselview Golf Club) but I did manage to get out to few other places obviously; including North and South Carolina, North Augusta (just across the river from Augusta), PEI in Canada and of course multiple courses in the Ottawa region where I reside. Attached is a snapshot of the top few for the year; of course this is only 26 Dec and the week-end is coming and I am only about 14 hrs from decent golf weather...things that make you go hummm... How many did you get in? And what is your goal for 2020?

A golf buddy and I did a quick excursion from the cold of Canada to Cheraw state park for the first week of December. What a really nice place to go (short 15 hour drive from Ottawa). We stayed at the cabins ($85 a night) but try and make sure you get an updated one as the one we had was a little 'tired' in some places like the bathroom. They are updating them as they go and most will be finished by next year but better safe and ask for an updated one. 18 holes with cart was only $25 (if you are staying at the park) and the replay rate was $18...for a Canadian who is use to paying for some fairly pricey golf in his home town this was like a gift. The track itself was very nice but not over-seeded so you get use to playing of dormant fairways and hitting to painted greens (but they were rolled once and cut twice while we were there); the greens were quick and rolled very true so absolutely no complaints there. The sand traps could use a little more sand but again once you figure out the correct bounce angle and move some of the larger pebbles out the way it becomes second nature. The track is your standard 'Carolina' course with tall stands of pine trees with beds of pine needles. Played 14 rds in 7 days and used 2 sleeves of balls (2 in the water, 3 throw out after hitting a cart path). So a good place to hang on to a golf ball. A couple of the holes were very similar but in general every hole was a different challenge with 13 standing out as the hardest hole with a downhill approach shot over water (guess where I misplaced 2 balls). I sure that playing from the tips would make this an extremely challenging track but playing from the whites was a good fun round for this golfer. I believe fun golf can never be overstated when travelling to play golf. I can't say enough about the clubhouse staff and how friendly they are and how helpful they were with letting us go off first and off the back when it was crowded (one day). I would recommend a stop-over here if possible for anyone driving down to Myrtle or other southern destinations. You will not regret the small detour. BTW only about 2 hrs from MB if you plan on making a day trip... P.S. Leo's chicken wing joint in town is awesome. Little Mexican restaurant also provided good food and service.

Been reading this site for a while and just joined recently and wanted to take the time to introduce myself. Living in a small town East of Ottawa (Limoges) and playing out of the Casselview Golf Club. I play a lot of golf averaging over 150 rds a year since 2011 with 2015 standing out with 260 rds in that year. Yes it does mean I go South once or twice a year to get 2 to 3 rds a day when I can. In the bag: Driver: Mizuno ST 180 Wilson C300 Irons Maltby M+ wedges (52, 56, 60) Maltby PTM4 Putter I don't really have a fairway wood in the bag it stays in the garage as would much rather hit a 3i anyday. Currently gaming the e-12 from Bridgestone as long as I can find it under $30 or at this time of year under the tree all wrapped up.

Been reading this site for a while and just joined recently and wanted to take the time to introduce myself. Living in a small town East of Ottawa (Limoges) and playing out of the Casselview Golf Club. I play a lot of golf averaging over 150 rds a year since 2011 with 2015 standing out with 260 rds in that year. Yes it does mean I go South once or twice a year to get 2 to 3 rds a day when I can. In the bag: Driver: Mizuno ST 180 Wilson C300 Irons Maltby M+ wedges (52, 56, 60) Maltby PTM4 Putter