Kevin Kikkert

Wow, it has certainly been WAY too long since I have been able to update the spreadsheet with a birdie "X." The last two weeks, I have not been golfing my best, but seem to be in a "Par or Double Bogey" area, which is not a good feeling. There is no in between. Last week we signed my wife up for a GHIN account at our country club so she can start tracking her handicap and join the women's league next season. Little did I know, this was going to lead to her "dragging" me out for 72 holes this weekend! We golfed 18 at two of our other county club properties and and 36 at our home course. We were playing the home course yesterday, and the Par 3 third hole was finally playing back to 156 (had been 170's all week, and I kept hitting front fringe) and I stuck one to 20ft right of the pin. There is a high ridge that runs through the center (back to front) if this green, so I had to putt up to that ridge with left break, and then plan for down the ridge to the pin while breaking back to the right. Rolled the putt right into the center of the cup and marked a circle. What was even more fun, was right after I made my birdie putt, my wife (who had chipped onto the back of the green) sunk her par putt.

I would definitely be in for a 2nd event in Lexington. I am actually thinking about heading down that way this fall for some hiking and golf, and might have to play Lakeside! Haha And I agree, that Hallelujah bit by Mike was absolutely hysterical. I was listening to it while on my way to a golf outing and was dying in the car!

@juspoole I agree! Chasing Scratch is one of the most entertaining podcasts I have ever listened to. Mike and Eli are HILARIOUS!!! I am one episode behind on Season 3 and almost died from laughter at Mike's version of "Hallelujah." A friend and I who are big fans of "the pod" went down to Raleigh for the listener's par 3 event and had a blast. We didn't play well, but got paired with Eli and had some great conversations. I also listen to all of the NPG podcast powered by My Golf Spy and really enjoy the insight and information that is provided. Always good for a laugh and update of the golfing world.

If you are looking for a classic and easy to follow instructional book, "Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" is a MUST read. For fun, I have "Commander In Cheat" by Rick Reilly. I have not been able to start it yet, but I have heard it is pretty funny. I also own "The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers" by Adam Young that I flip through on occasion. This book is great for training yourself on how to practice, and full of drills and improvement techniques you can take with you to the range.

Michigan or Ohio State? (Hint: The answer is Michigan)

Hole #2 at my home course, Sunnybrook Country Club is my absolute least favorite hole on the course and for some reason is a psychological nightmare for me. It is a 389-yard, Par 4 that is straight as can be. There is a creek that runs down the left side, with a large tree that can block you out from the left rough. On the right, there is some thick grass you have to clear if you go too right, but just 10-15-yards off the right side you have large, leafy trees that run down the entire length of the fairway. It is easy to get blocked, and if you're in the trees on the right, you may never get out of them. There is one bunker on the front right side of the green, but it really shouldn't ever come into play. The hole is quite simple...hit a good tee shot, have about 130-150 in, and hit a pretty easy oval green. But, it rarely happens that way and I get blocked on the right 8 times out of 10. I have shot par on this hole several times, but have missed every birdie opportunity I have had. Last week, I rolled my 2nd shot into the flag stick from 151-yards and it bounced off of it 15ft...of course, missed the birdie putt and tapped in for par.

Congrats! Should be a fun one.

BIRDIE UPDATE!!! As stated in my original post about my home course (Sunnybrook Country Club in Grand Rapids, MI), here is my statement on Hole 4 (see above). If you asked me straight up which hole I would never birdie on this course, it would be Hole 4. The closest birdie putt I have had on this hole is probably 40+ feet....until last night during league! I had never birdied this hole before and it happened in the strangest way possible: Tee shot right off the toe of my driver and hit a tree about 100yds from the tee box and fell straight down 2nd shot with a 3 wood was struck very well...but, to the right of the corner I was aiming at. Fortunately, hit a tree and dropped straight down, otherwise I would have been in the pond protecting the next hole's green From here, I have 220-230 yards in and trees everywhere. I have about a 15ft wide by 15ft tall gap that I can get back towards the fairway in and the ball is sitting about a foot above my feet. I take a choked up 3 wood...close my eyes...and pray. End up hitting the ultimate stinger that never rises more than 3 ft off the ground...rolls up the green and sits 8ft short of the back pin location Drill the putt with right to left slope and card my first ever birdie on Hole 4. Conventional or orthodox? Nope. Does that matter? Nope! Very happy to "X" this one off the list! With this one out of the way, there should be no reason not to card them all this season! (Worst part was, with my handicap and a stroke on this hole, it would have been a gross birdie/net eagle, and I did not go in on skins this week)

I would love to see Phil golf well in this event. I think most of America enjoyed watching him the most (from a personality and fun standpoint) in "The Match," and it will be a blast pulling for him.

Great point about the walkers. My home course has a pretty tight parking lot to begin with, and relatively cramped parking spaces. It is almost impossible to walk in between any vehicles while carrying a bag on your shoulder...but, I am sure far too many people do!

Thank you. That is exactly what I intend to do! Everything inside is almost exactly how he had it (he hadn't driven this truck in at least 15-20 years). There are little memo notebooks that list every maintenance event, as well as every time he filled up the gas tank. He also kept a postcard that had the Lord's Prayer hand written on the back. I know he would be proud of me for getting it running and driving it around. I just purchased a house with a third stall garage, which will be perfect for working on it in. Just need this pandemic to simmer down so I can tow it over. Your truck looks pretty mean, have you added any exhaust or other features to it?

Missed a 10ft birdie putt on 15 yesterday during league...brutal! Still a tap in for par (birdie with a stroke) to win the hole!

Thank you. Very fortunate no one else in my family wanted it and my aunt (who technically had the title) did not choose to sell it after all these years. I cannot wait to get it going and drive it around for a round or ice cream. I agree with the VW's! They are fun cars to drive and they are well built, as well. Your Jetta just looks fast in that red color!

Nothing wrong with that at all! My thoughts and rationale are the same as yours. I owned a 2001 Ford Taurus for a long time and have had two jobs in my career that I was fortunate enough to be offered company vehicles for. I would not have been the type of person to just go out and purchase a luxury or classic vehicle on my own. I got very lucky that no one else in my family wanted this truck, or at least did not want to put the necessary work to get it running again. Maybe someday you will pull the trigger!

This is amazing! Love the ingenuity and I definitely believe you get some quirky looks! Thanks for sharing.

At my local country club, I have clearly noticed that people like to "show off" their vehicles by commonly placing them in the front and center parking spaces in front of the clubhouse entrance. I see everything from Corvettes, Mustangs, a classic Cadillac Eldorado, and of course your common, shiny, and expensive BMW's, Mercedes, and so on. Obviously, part of this behavior is just using the vehicle as a status symbol, but I have to imagine that some of these vehicles are just outright fun to drive and the owners enjoy getting them out of the garage on a beautiful, sunny day. I drive a company vehicle (boring 2020 Nissan Altima) and have never been the type of person to own a luxury or classic vehicle...until now. While it doesn't look like much now, I have recently taken possession of what used to be my Grandpa's 1989 Ford F-150 pick up truck (see attached picture). It was a farm truck, and never went all that far. It has around 11,600 miles and overall is in pretty good shape considering it has just sat in this garage for 10+ years. I am working on getting it fixed up and started, but it is a slow work in process because I just haven't had the time to allocate to it. While there is satisfaction and a nostalgic feeling of "driving Grandpa's truck," I also cannot wait to throw my clubs in the bed and take it to my country club. In no way am I expecting this truck to appeal to the same people driving the shiny, classic, and very expensive vehicles that get parked up front, but I believe it will still make a fun conversation piece and spark some questions and comments. That being said, I am wondering if any of you out there have a fun, luxury, classic, or just downright interesting vehicle that you love driving to your local country club or home course. Maybe you have a vehicle with a story similar to "Grandpa's Truck," or something you restored by yourself, or maybe happened to randomly find in a junk yard. If so, feel free to post a picture of your vehicle (probably will want to blur out the license plate if needed) and give a brief story or description about it! Enjoy.

Keep us posted on the lefty experiment!

My home course: Sunnybrook Country Club in Grandville, Michigan. Sunnybrook CC is a well maintained course with a very walk-able Front 9 and a Back 9 with 3 holes that are steeply up or downhill. The greens are in great shape and can be deceiving without the correct read or knowledge of the course. The maintenance crew keeps the rough very long, which makes missing the fairway feel like a penalty many times. Hole 1 | Par 5 | 452: Reachable in two with a great drive, but there is a pond that covers the last 30-40yds just in front of the green, so flying your 2nd shot is difficult Hole 2 | Par 4 | 389: This course has a lot of long Par 4's. Creek and trees on the left, big trees on the right. Plays straight, but feels scary. My least favorite hole on the course Hole 3 | Par 3 | 155: Three of the four Par 3's are almost identical. Play at 150-165yds and have some bunkers, but no real danger. Hole 4 | Par 5 | 527: Drive 230 to a corner protected by a huge tree. 90° left dogleg with 250+ from there. Not getting home in two. Hole 5 | Par 4 | 320: Shortest Par 4 on the course. Green is protected by trees on the right with a pond. Straight forward, though. I hit 3 wood off the tee. Hole 6 | Par 3 | 149: See Hole 3 and rearrange the bunkers. Hole 7 | Par 4 | 353: Short, but has another 90° dog leg left and the corner is protected by woods and a giant willow tree. Another 3 wood off this tee. Can be a very tricky green. Hole 8 | Par 4 | 422: The beginning of the "Long Par 4" stretch. Plays like a Par 5 for me, but reachable with a good 3 wood second shot. Straight as can be. Hole 9 | Par 4 | 382: Another straight Par 4, but a creek runs 40yds in front of the green that is very dangerous for me. Hole 10 | Par 4 | 419: Yet another straight, long Par 4. Hole 11 | Par 4 | 374: Feels almost identical to Hole 10 to me. Hole 12 | Par 4 | 328: The first of the three "Hill Holes." Tee shot over a large "ravine" to an uphill fairway landing spot. Plays short, but tee shot placement is absolutely crucial. Hole 13 | Par 3 | 157: See Hole 3 and 6, but add a very sloped, speedy green towards a pond on the right. Hole 14 | Par 4 | 411: Blind tee shot uphill. Woods scare you on both sides and looks daunting. Second shot is straight down hill into a steep green with bunkers and a pond. Hole 15 | Par 5 | 488: Straight Par 5. Still cannot get home in two, but 3 decent shots put you in great position. Hole 16 | Par 4 | 391: There is a corner you can cut the slight dogleg left, but you do not want to hit through the fairway. Green protected by bunkers on approach. Hole 17 | Par 3 | 212: Longest Par 3 by par and always feels into the wind. I rarely hit this green and usually end up right and blocked by a tree and bunker. Hole 18 | Par 5 | 561: Again, not getting home in two. Speed slot to the right allows you to cut a corner of trees, but again, three decent shots can put you in great position. The holes that I am most likely to birdie are: 1, 3, 5, 6, 13, 16 and 18. The hardest holes for me are 2, 4, 8, 12, 14 and 17. Let's see if I can birdie them all!

I agree that it has gotten really bad the last 10 years or so. I remember playing right out of high school in the summers and it was more relaxed and fun. The bats are a great point. This summer league has all of the juiced bats and people just hit laser line drives and bombs all day. My skill has always been being good on defense, and they just take that aspect out of the game now. My fall league has restrictions on bats and basically bans the juiced ones, but people still show up with them and use them regularly. It is very easy to tell the difference in the sound of the bat when they are used together. We got mercied both games in a double header last night to a team that is the epitome of what we are talking about here. It wasn't fun at all, but at least the shorter games got us to the bar for some beer and food quicker!

Not sure I could have said this any better, myself! It sounds we have VERY similar experiences with softball! Maybe we need to make a team together haha. Last summer we took exception (verbally) to some teams and it did not end all that well. Told myself I was done. Yet, here I am about to get packed up to go play a double header....such is life. Hopefully, will be able to get some golf in tomorrow, though!

Completely understand where you are coming from. Same to @Kor.A.Door I have played on a summer ball team for 4 years now with an old high school teacher of mine and he gets younger and younger guys every year and now I am one of the old guys at 31! Plus, they don't allow any drinking so you can't enjoy a cold lite beer by Miller during the games. It keeps getting more and more serious. In the fall, I play a shorter season with a bunch of friends from high school and college and we have a blast. Always end up at a restaurant/bar after games and it is a great way to catch up. I have heard co-ed can be very difficult on the patience, but I would be more than willing to give it a try! Every year I debate with myself if I will hang up the cleats and quit it, yet here I am for another season!

That is a great point. A golf swing can definitely ruin a golf swing! I find that when I hit too many balls at the range, all of the small defects in my swing accentuate and exaggerated. My local course has had the rough really thick and long the last 2 weeks and with all of the rain in Michigan lately, it has been extremely hard to hit a ball out of. They just cut it midweek and now I am hitting under the ball in the rough and popping everything up. I can definitely see where you are coming from with the imperfect lies.

Thanks for the heads up! I will have to look those videos up.

Exactly! I am a huge Atlanta Braves fan, and you just reminded me of that old TV commercial with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Also, that is almost exactly what happens to my golf swing, also. I start hitting lower trajectory and flare my wrists out much more. I love both sports, and just haven't been ready to give up softball/baseball!

Just like most of you, golf was one of the only external activities that was still available to me during the months of sheltering in place (I live in Michigan and this just ended last week). The combination of starting to work from home and the postponement of all other social activities gave me the unique opportunity to golf more than I ever have going into summer. The Men's League at my local club was able to start 4 weeks ago, and I have been golfing 3-4 times a week on average. However, just when I started to feel like I had knocked off all of the rust and saw my golf swing return to form, it was announced that my annual summer softball league was finally going to begin. Yesterday evening was the first night of softball league, and due to lost time, we started out with a triple header in the immensely muggy weather and even down pouring rain. Aside from my knees getting a shock treatment from putting on cleats again and one night a week now unavailable for golfing, the most negative aspect of playing softball is the affects it has on my golf swing. Swinging a bat uses a completely different form than swinging a golf club and uses a separate group of muscles. A golf swing has quiet feet, little knee movement, and and no stepping involved. A softball swing has a toe pick up with a step, large knee movement, and your entire upper body moves on a completely different plane. While you could argue that there are also similarities between a golf and softball swing, I have historically found that one does not help the other. Quite the opposite. Every summer, my golf swing seems to "go to crap" whenever softball starts. I find myself moving my lower body more, topping the ball more, and trying to swing much faster with more power. While I will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how the first week of softball will affect my golf swing, I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this same dilemma. Furthermore, are there any other activities (sports or otherwise) that you have found to negatively (or maybe even positively?) affect your golf swing?