The Good Morning Thread

[Rob Person]

@GolfSpy_SHARK. Great photos! Looks like all had fun!

[EasyPutter]

Good morning MGSpies from a late morning in WNY where the day began before first light with a trip to son's apartment, loading up the vehicle maintenance equipment then following his MG Midget all the way back to the EP command post where it will reside until he finds his first job hopefully to follow-on his internship that is going into it's 5th last week. 

Golf today is a PGA HOPE Graduate Play Day at Stafford CC about 2/3 of the way back to son's apartment, with the morning trip a 145mi round trip the road cruiser will have close to 250mi for the day and likely 500mi for the weekend by the time son is returned to his apartment. 

Nephew's graduation party to follow the golf so packed day of fun and excitement.  Hope golf is a part of your day! 

Edited July 13 by EasyPutter
Photo added

[William P]

Good Saturday morning Spies!

Not much on the personal agenda today, however, the mistress of economic distribution has booked my chauffer skills for the day as she embarks on a monumental tour of fabric shops... Somehow "that's going to leave a mark" just doesn't describe it...  

@skraeling Be careful out in the heat and don't overdo it. Stay well hydrated and take plenty of breaks to cool down.

@ILMgolfnut Hope you play your best round today and safe travels on your return trip.

@Cfhandyman Your wife continues to impress! Please let her know her work is beautiful!

@Byrnzee Happy birthday to your wife and hope you both have a good time tonight.

@buckpillar Nice surprise! Hope you enjoy the new flatstick.

Everyone have a great day and stay safe out there in this heat.

 

 

Edited July 13 by William P

[William P]

57 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SHARK said:

Good morning all, been some time since being on, life’s really happened the past few months and golf has really taken a back burner unfortunately, think I only have 4 rounds this year….but hopefully that will be turning around as work keeps rolling.

just got back from vacation in North Carolina. Left last night during some heavy rains (supposed to head out this morning but decided to get a full day in back home since we weren’t doing anything in the rain). Glad to be home ready to hopefully get a club in my Hanson the upcoming week or two and get back into the forum 

Vacation, don’t mind the photo dump!

Looks like an awesome family vacation!

[tdc1]

Good morning, everyone!  It’s been awhile.

No golf today.  My home course is usually packed on Saturdays with traveling groups and Michigan weather is hotter/more humid than normal.  I did get the Cub Cadet in for service this morning—helps to have a golf partner with a truck and trailer!

Apparently, my annual allotment of 2 weeks of good golf has expired.  Last couple of rounds have been pretty rough.  Double bogies and 3 putts are back out in force—the latter often causing the former.  However, the Terra Forza Green shaft in the driver continues to perform well—distance still up +10 yards and FIR near 70%—so that’s good.

Hope all y’all have a great weekend!

[ILMgolfnut]

10 hours ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Good morning Spies! Up at the crack o' chickens for my last full day in Scotland. Clean up, pack, drive an hour and a half to Brora, hopefully play some decent golf, come back down to Inverness, buy candy for GF at her request, put gas into the car, check into the hotel, and then get up at 4:15 Sunday to catch my flight. I suspect I will crash quite early tonight.

It's been different than the October trip, which involved traveling all over the country. Longest drive of this trip is less than 60 miles this morning.

Brora is a James Braid design. Braid won the British Open five times as a player, but his lasting impact is as a designer. Some people wonder when Braid slept or ate, he designed so many courses in the UK. Including Carnoustie, Gleneagles King's Course, and about 200 others. You share the course at Brora with sheep, cows and rabbits, which is why there are electric wires to keep Baa Baa and Bossy off the greens. (You get free relief if your ball lands in sheep poop.) I didn't see any cows or rabbits last year, although I certainly saw rabbit droppings, and the sheep were huddled against the out of bounds wall on the west side of the course.

And at long last I played some decent golf. If I'd putted at all I would have been well under 100. Take 18, a 200-yard uphill par 3. Hit a 3-wood as well as I can hit a 3-wood and bounced it up on the green, about 25 feet away. Then 3-jacked that sucker.

They had me play off my USGA handicap of 20, not my Scottish cap of 37 (although that would have been limited to 28 anyway). With that, scored 22 Stableford points. Not sure exactly where I finished but I know it was not DFL.

At the hotel in Inverness now. Dinner in about 2 hours, crash early, then get up at 4:15 to go to the airport. They're going to make me a sack breakfast to take to the airport since breakfast won't be served that early. I was happy to see a bathtub in my room and I think I'll do a little soaking before dinner.

I see in going back through the thread that a lot of you wished me a fun day. Well, it was fun. The driver behaved as my swing diagnosis yesterday at the range proved to be accurate. My back didn't hurt until afterward. I only lost one ball and that was a layup that didn't quite lay up short of the burn. And I didn't have the late round dose of the chunks I get all too often. Only one par, rapped in from off the green after I had chipped over on my third shot, but should have had a few more if I could putt. I kept burning the edges, running it 4 feet past and missing the comebacker. Lipped out at least two of those.

Edited July 13 by ILMgolfnut

[Wheelieb]

Morning All,

Well the weekend started off wonderfully, and if you can read the sarcasm I have in my mind you’d understand why it wasn’t. First day back to the job for the drill weekend and we have a family day…it’s pouring rain. No golf today, or tomorrow. Going to try to hit the range when the storms end. I’m beginning to feel like Noah, may need an Ark to get back home. Hope everyone has a great day. 

[skraeling]

Fortunately help showed up. 
 

no morons were harmed in the making of this dirt pile.

[EnderinAZ]

Good morning spies! D-Backs won last night with a walk off in the bottom of the ninth. That was fun. We stayed to the end of the game...mistake. The light rail was full of celebratory partakers of the monster cans of beer at the ball park and homeless getting out of the heat. It was still 104 or 105 at 9:30 last night. Not a good combination. 

Holy crap the greens were horrible at Coyote Run yesterday. They hole plugged them on Monday and Tuesday. And because of the excessive heat they must let them grow a bit to heal the holes correctly. So we had sandy, long furry grass with canyons and ridges from the hole plugging. I am not a great putter. I freely admit that. But, I am not THAT bad. I couldn't get a ball to hold the line or make it to the hole to save my life. 

Other than that I played okay. Played as a twosome and we blew around the course in 2 hours 35 minutes.  

[Indy_Oz]

Good morning all!

@Cfhandyman- cracking painting by SWMBO!

@buckpillar- sweet score on the Lombardi! That milled face...

@ILMgolfnut- Brora is about as pure coastal links as you can get from the recesses of my memory.  Lovely part of Scotland (I toured that area on my motorbike about 22-23 years ago). I used to travel to (and play golf around) Lossiemouth and Elgin, South East across the sea from Brora. Hope the weather has been kind and you've had a great last day in Jockland. Safe travels back home.

[ILMgolfnut]

15 hours ago, Indy_Oz said:

 

@ILMgolfnut- Brora is about as pure coastal links as you can get from the recesses of my memory.  Lovely part of Scotland (I toured that area on my motorbike about 22-23 years ago). I used to travel to (and play golf around) Lossiemouth and Elgin, South East across the sea from Brora. Hope the weather has been kind and you've had a great last day in Jockland. Safe travels back home.

Weather was very good today. About 60 degrees, not much wind, sprinkled very infrequently. The course was running fast and I took advantage of it when I kept my shots in the short grass. There was a low layer of clouds that hid the tops of the nearby hills but it never became fog at ground level. I agree that Brora is pure coastal links. I love playing there.

One of the guys in my threesome is a Brora member. He said the sheep used to eat so much grass that there was very little rough. Certainly not the case now. Lots of sheep but also lots of shin-high fescue. Fortunately you could find your ball in that stuff.

I have looked at playing at Lossiemouth but haven't gotten over there yet. Maybe some day. Advisable to play there on Sunday so you don't get buzzed by RAF jets landing at the nearby airfield. Supposedly about 20 years ago a golf shot hit an incoming plane.

I have some pictures I took today but frankly too tired to post them. Maybe tomorrow during a layover.

Edited July 14 by ILMgolfnut

[Indy_Oz]

35 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Weather was very good today. About 60 degrees, not much wind, sprinkled very infrequently. The course was running fast and I took advantage of it when I kept my shots in the short grass. There was a low layer of clouds that hid the tops of the nearby hills but it never became fog at ground level. I agree that Brora is pure coastal links. I love playing there.

One of the guys in my threesome is a Brora member. He said the sheep used to eat so much grass that there was very little rough. Certainly not the case now. Lots of sheep but also lots of shin-high fescue. Fortunately you could find your ball in that stuff.

I have looked at playing at Lossiemouth but haven't gotten over there yet. Maybe some day. Advisable to play there on Sunday so you don't get buzzed by RAF jets landing at the nearby airfield. Supposedly about 20 years ago a golf shot hit an incoming plane.

RAF Lossiemouth is where I used to go with work. I worked on the engine programmes for UK fighter jets based there. I played a few midweek afternoon/ evening rounds on Moray GC which is in part at the end of the runway, so we'd have UK and US jets overhead. Fun times!

Some of the jets were pretty low over the course and I'd heard the stories about balls hitting jets (both from the staff on the base and other golfers), so it wouldn't surprise me if it was true.

Edited July 13 by Indy_Oz

[Cfhandyman]

13 hours ago, buckpillar said:

That is beautiful, great job by the wife. That painting is better than any Bob Ross ever painted!

Thank you for your very kind words. It is appreciated and I have let her know.

13 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

@Cfhandyman, tell your wife that picture is fantastic!

Thank you very much for the kind words and I have let her know. 

12 hours ago, Rob Person said:

Tell her amazing job!

Thank you Rob. It is appreciated.  It will only cost me a dinner out. 

12 hours ago, Byrnzee said:

@Cfhandyman beautiful work from your wife! My grandma used to do similar style watercolor paintings and this reminds me of them.

Thank you for the very kind words. She appreciates it. 

12 hours ago, Erin B said:

Fantastic job by the spousal unit sir!!!

 

Thank you very much for the kind words.  I have let her know. 

11 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

@Cfhandyman tell your wife she did an amazing job on that painting! 

Thank you for the very kind words. She appreciates the feedback.

@Indy_Oz thank you for the very kind words. She will appreciate it.

Edited July 14 by Cfhandyman

[fixyurdivot]

3 hours ago, EnderinAZ said:

Good morning spies! D-Backs won last night with a walk off in the bottom of the ninth. That was fun. We stayed to the end of the game...mistake. The light rail was full of celebratory partakers of the monster cans of beer at the ball park and homeless getting out of the heat. It was still 104 or 105 at 9:30 last night. Not a good combination. 

Holy crap the greens were horrible at Coyote Run yesterday. They hole plugged them on Monday and Tuesday. And because of the excessive heat they must let them grow a bit to heal the holes correctly. So we had sandy, long furry grass with canyons and ridges from the hole plugging. I am not a great putter. I freely admit that. But, I am not THAT bad. I couldn't get a ball to hold the line or make it to the hole to save my life. 

Other than that I played okay. Played as a twosome and we blew around the course in 2 hours 35 minutes.  

I'm starting to become a D-Back fan.  Now I'll have to start rooting for them over Boston and the Rangers.  Never lived in either city and have absolutely no idea why I like and root for them . I get many free ticket offers through Vet-Tix for D-Back games but have yet to make the trek from Surprise.  Maybe we can meet up for a game sometime?  It would have to be one of the 1300 hour starts though.

[buckpillar]

7 hours ago, Preeway said:

Good morning everyone. Up early and couldn’t resist one last steak and eggs breakfast with the leftover steak from earlier this week. Diced up some potatoes and made a skillet like meal out of it with a couple eggs and some toast. Pretty sure I don’t need to eat until dinner now, lol.  
@ILMgolfnut I hope your last day goes well and may your last round be your best. Your exploits have me craving my own Scotland experience soon. 
@buckpillarLove the look of the new putter. Was it a contest win or are they aiming to bring you on as an influencer? I know @Rob Person does stuff with Lombardi and loves their product. 
Not much on the docket for me today. Gonna get in 9 holes to match up the nine I shot at league on Wednesday for another VCT score. Gotta up my game a little now that I got promoted to Tier I. Hope everyone has a great day ahead!

@Preeway I became an affiliate with Lombardigolf through my new start up small business Putso Golf, Promoting their line of putters with a discount link.

This putter is butter than my Scotty without question.

[buckpillar]

5 hours ago, William P said:

Good Saturday morning Spies!

Not much on the personal agenda today, however, the mistress of economic distribution has booked my chauffer skills for the day as she embarks on a monumental tour of fabric shops... Somehow "that's going to leave a mark" just doesn't describe it...  

@skraeling Be careful out in the heat and don't overdo it. Stay well hydrated and take plenty of breaks to cool down.

@ILMgolfnut Hope you play your best round today and safe travels on your return trip.

@Cfhandyman Your wife continues to impress! Please let her know her work is beautiful!

@Byrnzee Happy birthday to your wife and hope you both have a good time tonight.

@buckpillar Nice surprise! Hope you enjoy the new flatstick.

Everyone have a great day and stay safe out there in this heat.

 

 

Going to put it through the ringer and see what happens.

[ZJeb67]

Birdies.  Just wasn't on the course

Edited July 13 by ZJeb67
Typo

[ILMgolfnut]

Good morning Spies! At the Inverness Airport waiting to start the trek home. Already adventures this morning. None of my credit cards worked at the petrol station at 4:45 so the rental car isn't quite full. Took an hour to get through baggage check and security, they didn't have enough people at either on a Sunday morning. But I'm here, all luggage checked so I don't have to haul it through Heathrow, and in about 21 hours I'll be home.

Edited July 14 by ILMgolfnut

[William P]

10 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Good morning Spies! At the Inverness Airport waiting to start the trek home. Already adventures this morning. None of my credit cards worked at the petrol station at 4:45 so the rental car isn't quite full. Took an hour to get through baggage check and security, they dint have enough people at either on a Sunday morning. But I'm here, all luggage checked so I don't have to haul it through Heathrow, and in about 21 hours I'll be home.

Safe travels.

[ILMgolfnut]

2 hours ago, William P said:

Safe travels.

Thank you! Five hours layover at Heathrow underway, which MIGHT give them enough time to get my clubs and luggage on the right plane. 

Until then, photos from Brora. Lots of sheep, some awesome views, and one Highland cow who needs his bangs trimmed. However I did not get a photo of the sheep who was about 10 feet from me as I teed off on 17. Afterward I thanked her for not baa-ing during my back swing, which she had been doing frequently as we approached the tee box. The gent on the tee marker is James Braid, designer of Brora, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, and about 200 other courses. The bottom photo shows the 18th green with the electric wire around it to keep the sheep off. Not seen on the right edge of the photo is my golf ball after my only green in regulation of the day, although I had others that landed on the green and trickled off.

And I played Brora from the tips which is rare for me.

Edited July 14 by ILMgolfnut

[Wasper007]

1 hour ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Thank you! Five hours layover at Heathrow underway, which MIGHT give them enough time to get my clubs and luggage on the right plane. 

Until then, photos from Brora. Lots of sheep, some awesome views, and one Highland cow who needs his bangs trimmed. However I did not get a photo of the sheep who was about 10 feet from me as I teed off on 17. Afterward I thanked her for not baa-ing during my back swing, which she had been doing frequently as we approached the tee box. The gent on the tee marker is James Braid, designer of Brora, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, and about 200 other courses. The bottom photo shows the 18th green with the electric wire around it to keep the sheep off. Not seen on the right edge of the photo is my golf ball after my only green in regulation of the day, although I had others that landed on the green and trickled off.

And I played Brora from the tips which is rare for me.

Love every bit of this. State side everyone wants to go to the beach and lay in the sand for a vacation, I want what you are documenting, gray skies, tall skies, and golf courses built by nature. Keep em out of the pastures and bunkers and have fun

[Wasper007]

My 7-month old decided to start his day at 5 AM, which meant I caught a little bit of LPGA Evian to find Lauren Coughlin in the lead. During COVID she played at my home course and I played a round or two with her and a couple with her husband/caddie John. Good people and easy to root for. 
He fell asleep and as expected my 2 1/2 year-old woke up. She wants Mickey Mouse/ Bluey, looks like I’ll switch over to Scottish Open on my phone.

Living my golf life through screens, but if it’s how I need to enjoy the game it’s what I will do.

[Josh Parker]

Good morning!

Looking forward to some family time and then a round of golf this afternoon.  

Hope everyone has a great day!

[tdroma98]

Good Sunday Morning Spies! 

Up watching Evian, sipping on first cup of espresso. Ranger duties today, going to be another hot one today in Central Florida, mid to high 90’s. Will try to inspire a quicker pace of play! lol. 

Looking forward to hearing about your monumental fabric shop tour @William P, the sites must have been exciting! You’re a good man! 

Nice photo’s @ILMgolfnut! 

Have a Great Day Everyone and Hit’em Straight ️️

[Erin B]

Good Sunday morning spies and los amigos! Another hot one today! I’ll tell ya what, caddying is hard work. Makes you look at the course in a whole different way. We tee off at 9 this morning so getting coffee and heading to the course in a few hours. This pic was from yesterday:

also came across some funnies for ya to spit your coffee out your nose ! Have a great day and happy birdie hunting!

 

[rkj427]

Good morning Spies on a tropical Michigan Sunday.

Rain and storms off and on here through Tuesday will make getting any golf activities difficult.

Have a few things that I need to get done before we head out for vacation at the end of the week, and I will use these rainy days ahead to get them completed, so I can get out and play Wednesday or Thursday.

@ILMgolfnut thanks for sharing the pictures, and I hope the rest of your trip home goes well without any other issues or delays.

@Erin B best to you and your player for today's round! 

All the rest, make your day the best it can be, and hope something fun or enjoyable is in your plans. 

Edited July 14 by rkj427

[MattWillGolf]

Good morning Spies,

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning in CNY. My amazing wife did awesome at her Aquabike race yesterday. She finished as the 3rd overall woman in the Sprint race. So proud of her. It was a great day. For lunch, she wanted a burger and a beer. So that was had.

On the way out of town we visited this little guy. I’ve long enjoyed military aviation. Up close it’s not as big as I expected.

Wishing all a wonderful day!

[Byrnzee]

Good morning spies!

Drove out to the burbs for an early morning golf round only to be greeted by an apocalyptic wall of storm clouds. Unfortunately had to call off the round as there are thunderstorms and heavy rain expected. Bummed because I was looking forward to playing this course. Oh well, we’ll be back. 

On the plus side, I can go home and watch the end of the Scottish Open. Should be a good battle down the stretch between Åberg and Bobby Mac. Euros and Copa America finals on later as well, which should be fun. 

Maybe if it clears up later I’ll hit the driving range to get my golf fix. Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

[Preeway]

Mornin everyone. Up early to start my brew day. Need to be done by 1:00 to go to my sons potentially last baseball game of the summer. State tournament and if they lose they are out. Otherwise, it will be a day for relaxing and catching up on my Ventus testing posts. Have a great Sunday everyone. 

[sirchunksalot]

Good morning everyone! 

It's expected to be a scorcher today with a high that's above the current state of the battery on my phone and it's currently at 97%.

I was up a bit later than I wanted to be last night since some neighbors decided to shoot off fireworks and I thought that after the first one went off that it was a gunshot. What's funny is I think it's the neighbors that have been running a yard sale the last two months to get money for legal issues and them they go off and literally blow money on fireworks. 

It's been a good start to the morning, I'm currently acting as a pillow for the animal horde with one particular weenie dog looking at me to give her love and use as a place to deposit fur on my black shirt. 

I hope y'all have a wonderful day and safe travels @ILMgolfnut.