Golf
November 27, 2009 / Friday
Momentary Lapse In A.D.D.
Hit a few balls at the driving range this morning. I still hook all my irons and slice all my woods. On the upside, I lifted every ball and didn't whiff. Not once! I even hit a few straight shots toward the end. How's THAT for concentration?
April 19, 2009 / Sunday
Golf Season Opener
Woke up at a fast-becoming-usual earlyish hour today for a round of golf with Eva, Thu, and Ellen (whose last name happens to make her 2/3 of Riceberg, at least in name ;) at Blackberry Farm Golf Course. I've been meaning to check out this course for a while now, as it's a 9-hole close to home.
I hadn't swung a golf club since last September. Amazingly, I made contact with the ball off every tee. Granted, contact does not equal lift, but it's a heck of a lot better than a whiff!
I was the only one who bothered to keep score, although really, I shouldn't say "bothered", since I don't "bother" to keep score, I *have* to keep score. Have to. Everything must be recorded in painstaking detail.
Painstaking enough that I can say, I shot a 57 on a par 29 course, but only because I didn't count the almost-whiff on the fairway of hole three, the ball I blew into hole six, the do-over that replaced the grinning watermelon ball that Eva fished out of the water for me on hole seven, and the do-over that replaced the same grinning watermelon ball that I subsequently lost in the creek for good on hole nine.
Goodbye, grinning watermelon ball that someone else lost before me. That was a fun round. Thanks for making me grin too. =D
I rediscovered golf muscles that I'd forgotten I had. I'm sure I'll be even more keenly aware of their existence tomorrow.
September 11, 2008 / Thursday
Golf Trophies
I have two of them now. I kid you not.
I haven't gotten any better. I haven't played in months. I didn't make a single good shot until at least the fifth hole. I didn't make all that many after the fifth hole.
So how, then, did I end up with two trophies?
Good scramble teammates and rule screwiness. The former got each of us a 2nd place team trophy and the latter got me a "Closest to the Pin" trophy for the 11th hole. Did I deserve either? The team trophy, a bit; the other trophy, not at all.
I tried to put them next to my hockey trophies. The individual trophy doesn't match. The team trophy doesn't even fit; it's too tall for the trophy shelf!
The team trophy sports a little golden golfer with his club at the top of the backswing. It reminds me of the baseball trophies I got as a kid. I think I should bring those back to California with me the next time I go home. It'd be funny to put them side by side.
Okay, no more undeserved trophy talk. We played 18 holes on the Cypress course at Sunol Valley Golf Club. It's not as swanky a course as some of us had hoped for, but given that we were being paid to golf, I'm not complaining. The parking lot has a bit of a scary approach, though; the first tee runs parallel to the road coming in, and in the short time that we were there, quite a few line drives were sent screaming across the road. Good thing there were no cars in their paths!
For the first time, I got to ride in (and drive!) a golf cart. It's so much easier to look for balls when you can zip around effortlessly. Back and forth, left and right, donut this way, donut that way. We didn't get tired as quickly, either. That said, we still ran out of juice toward the final two holes. On one of those, we need a good pitch to get to the green and all four of us sent the ball skipping along the turf in every which way. Still, we finished the course on par. That is, by far, the best score I'm ever going to get. Thanks, team!
I'd like to note that I didn't lose a single ball the entire afternoon. :)
I'd also like to note that I enjoyed the assortment of animals we encountered out there: geese, ducks, turkey vultures, and cows. No, the cows weren't on the course, but they were just over on the other side of the fence. I mooed at them. Of course I mooed at them.
At the 17th hole, I hopped into the porta potty near the tee box and somehow broke the top button (yes, the button, not the thread) off my capris. I came back out and teed off with my capris feeling like they were going to fall off. I walked over to my teammates whilst pulling my capris up and told them what had happened. Albert whipped out a twist tie from our goody bags. "Here," he said, "use this." MacGyver to the rescue! I'm sure I looked like a big dork, but it worked wonderfully.
The tournament was fun, but even with the cart, I think I prefer 9 holes to 18, at least until I retire and have nothing better to do with my oodles of free time. Still, that was a nice way to spend a Thursday afternoon. :)
August 08, 2008 / Friday
Muscle Memory FTW!!
No thanks to a mild case of golf elbow coupled with a wicked case of tennis elbow, I stopped playing golf in May. Since then, the golf elbow has healed and the tennis elbow is refusing to. It frustrates me a lot, because I really want to start hitting some balls (both golf and tennis) again. I suspect that typing is preventing the tennis elbow from healing, but that's kind of hard to avoid.
Anyhow, my company is holding a golf tournament next month. I'm signed up to play, and I intend to. Tennis elbow be damned! This means I have to start practicing again, so today I went to the driving range.
The good news: I can still hit the ball. This in itself is a surprise to me, and even more so is the fact that I'm hitting the ball better than I was before I stopped playing. Why? Because I don't remember all the things I was supposed to remember. Instead of going through a way-too-long checklist in my head before every shot, all I know to do now is get comfortable, focus on the ball, and swing. Muscle memory does the rest. My first shot (with the 7-iron off the tee) sailed a very straight 120 yards. Nice!
I can't pitch to save my life, though. It hurts the tennis elbow a lot. I'm hoping that I can get by with a brace. We'll see how that goes next time.
Putting was frustrating. I'm not focusing and being patient like I need to, which makes me miss, which makes me less focused and patient. I'm going to have to work on this a lot more, and I have no excuse not to because it's the least injurious golf stroke with the greatest potential to lower my score. Back to the putting green I go!
Aaron came too and we had a putting contest. I ended up buying him dinner.
May 14, 2008 / Wednesday
For Real This Time
I lowered my score! I really did! By more than a point! Same course as last time (and the time before that, and the time before that), but I scored a 51 this time. (52 if I count my one do-over, which I guess I should for consistency, but that's still way better than last week's 59.)
What changed? I went to the range this week to get my (back) swing right again. I've also come up with my latest reasonably sized list of things to keep in mind at the tee: (1) head still/eye on the ball, (2) relax, and (3) swing through the ball. My coworkers added: (4) don't worry about looking funny. Apparently, they agree with Aaron's observation that my swing looks funny, but they do think that it looks less funny that it did before I took my class. They think it has to do with hockey. I think it has to do with me. In any case, it doesn't really matter how funny it looks, as long as it works.
Focus, be patient, relax, etc. When do I get to go back to try to break 50? *bounces impatiently*
May 10, 2008 / Saturday
Different, But Same
Played the Las Positas 9-hole for the 3rd time on Friday and left with yet another 59. My putting was much better, but I could not hit the ball to save my life. I attribute that to too much thinking on the backswing, which I tried to change on Thursday after Aaron said it looked like I was doing it wrong. My change was disastrous and I tried to change it back, but didn't quite succeed.
I guess this means more time at the range for me. Speaking of which, I noticed that I was blowing through cash a lot faster than usual. (I try to put everything on my credit cards so I can keep a lazy eye my spending via the monthly balance.) Where was all my cash going? Into the range ball machines.
Fore!
May 07, 2008 / Wednesday
Back To Basics
At the driving range today (I've been to way more driving ranges than hockey rinks lately, sigh), I was working hard at hitting the ball consistently and failing. What was my problem? I ran though the big long list of things I'd learned. Did I need to relax? Was I standing the correct distance away from the ball? Was my grip not correct? What was it, what was it?
Then I overheard a really really good player coaching someone nearby. "Look at my head," he said as he demonstrated his back swing, "it doesn't move." I looked at his head. He held it so still through the entire back swing that not a single hair moved. I know because I was focusing on the spikey gelled tips.
Amazing! I was inspired. I guess when they say to keep your eye on the ball they mean for you to do it with your head in the same place. I focused on doing just that, and whaddaya know, it worked! I hit every ball solidly after that.
So screw the big list. I'll take it one item at a time. Head still. Eye on ball. Darn, that's two items. Okay, then, two items at a time. Head Still. Eye on ball. Rinse. Repeat.
May 02, 2008 / Friday
I Lowered My Score!
After six weeks of golf lessons and range practice, I finally got a chance to try out my new skills on the course. I headed back to Las Positas with a coworker at lunch today. This is where I last played before starting the lessons. Did the lessons lower my score? Yes. By how much? One point.
Um, yeah. One point. But it was a much different round than last time. Instead of tumbling the ball down the fairway, I actually got good lift on the ball a decent number of times. So what did me in, then?
1. Brain overload. I have so many points and tips to keep straight in my head now that it's hard to remember to do it all. This unfortunately resulted in my lifting during the swing, hitting the top of the ball, and watching it tumble forward a few feet. Now repeat that a bunch of times. What a waste of strokes!
2. Not enough focus. Boy, does that do a number on putting.
3. Actually being able to lift the ball. While that's much prettier than tumbling the ball down the fairway, it also means that if I hit the ball too hard or aim it wrong it lands way out of position. Also, I'm realizing that I'm more prone to losing balls now that I can knock them every which way. I'd better go buy a pack of cheapies. I can't tell the difference between those and more quality balls yet anyhow.
It wasn't all bad, though. After all, I *did* lower my score; 59 is 2x par minus THREE! That's a new low. Also, for the first time, I finished every hole in under 10 shots. Hey, it's all about the small victories.
I quite enjoyed being out on a course after so many weeks of range practice. There's a lot more to think about given the layout and hazards. On the 8th hole there was a steep sand trap in front of the green, and after much debate I actually selected the right club to clear the bunker, land on the green, and remain in place after landing. *petselfonhead*
Speaking of clubs, I totally dig the new 7-wood. It launches balls straight and high. Best $20 7-wood ever! I didn't have a chance to play much with the 9-wood; I'll have to spend some time at the range to get a better feel for how much distance I get with them.
Used the sand wedge once; got out on the first try. Nice job, pretty bronze club!
The Instructor Grip is now my default grip, and as she'd suggested, it eliminated the wicked slice I'd started to develop. Aside from one minor slice off the tee and a 5-iron hooked fairway shot onto adjacent airport grounds, everything flew nice and straight. That is, if you factor out aiming deficiencies and inability to launch.
I'm totally going for a 58 next time. ;)
May 01, 2008 / Thursday
Way Cheaper Than A Hockey Stick
"I need a 7-wood," I said yesterday to my coworker, "and I don't want to pay a bazillion dollars for it."
I paused, and then exclaimed, "I bet Craiglist has just the club for me!"
I opened a browser window, navigated to Craigslist, and did a search for "7-wood". Up came the results: "Nike T40 7 and 9 Wood - $50 (dublin / pleasanton / livermore)"
Ooh, a 9-wood. I bet I need one of those, too. And look, it's close by!
It took more coordination than I thought was necessary, but a little over 24 hours later I am $40 poorer and two fairway woods richer. I can't wait to try them out.
- - -
On a related note, I finally picked up a sand wedge on Tuesday. It's pretty and bronze. :)
April 28, 2008 / Monday
Practice, Practice, Practice
Well, I'm now officially done with my six week series of beginner golf lessons. We wrapped up with a class on hitting out of the bunker. I'm not spectacular at it, but I am at least willing to spray some sand to get the ball out. It was pretty amusing, actually, since there was a bit of a headwind; I was shaking sand out of my hair the rest of the night.
While I'm talking about sand, a note about the setup for future reference: Low to the ground, open stance, weight on FRONT foot. Choke down on the grip for shorter shots and hit down on, THEN through the ball.
Speaking of grip, the instructor tried yet again to change my grip. It still felt weird, but less so than it did last week. It's different from the grip recommended by The Great Internet, but she explained that it was more suitable for women, since we generally have weaker hands. I filed it away as something to think about working on and spent the rest of class hitting with the Internet Grip.
On Sunday, I headed to Spring Valley for some more practice. My main objective was to work on my putting, which, quite frankly, sucked. I did a round on their 7-hole putting green, starting each hole from 15-25 feet away. The first couple holes took about four strokes per ball to finish, but by the last two I was sinking everything in two strokes. Not bad.
I gave the Instructor Grip another go, and found that if I did it correctly, I really did have a better handle on the club throughout the stroke. I'm developing something of a setup routine now. I line up the ball to the target, set up my grip, line up the ball between my feet, and adjust my distance from the ball so that I'm not trying to balance on my toes or my heel. Next comes the hard part. I try to run through a list of everything I'm supposed to do during the swing, and when I manage to do everything on the list the results aren't bad. Of course, trying to remember to keep my lower body still on the backswing, my eye on the ball, my left arm straightish, my wrists not so stiff, my grip firm but not too firm, to rotate my body, to finish with my rear foot pushing forward, to hit through the ball, and to fight my urge to whale at the ball and just relax is not easy! I guess that's what practice is for; one of these days I'll just do all this naturally, right?
Right.
I'm itching to get a round in soon. I want to see if all this practice will mean anything on the fairway. Expect grumbles if it doesn't...
April 23, 2008 / Wednesday
Getting A Grip
I followed up a terrible outing at the driving range on Wednesday with another terrible outing at class on Thursday. This was due in part to the fact that the instructor tried to change my grip. While she correctly pointed out that I was holding the club too much in the palm of my hands, she didn't quite convey what she needed by telling me to cradle the grip in my fingers. I ended up holding the club in some awkward position that (1) hurt and (2) obliterated all progress I'd made in the last few weeks.
I did what I do for any and all issues I encounter in life: I asked The Great Internet for the answer, and the answer I received, pictures and all. Me, the 3-hybrid, and those pictures, we spent some quality time together (3-hybrid, you lucky, lucky club), and then I headed out to Spring Valley to try out my new grip.
Magically, my shots returned. I even learned to pitch on grass over various distances. The best part is, this new grip is much easier on my achy left thumb, which is trying to heal but not getting enough time to do so.
Next Thursday is our last class. I think we'll be learning to hit out of a bunker. Whack! Spray! Whack again!
April 16, 2008 / Wednesday
Non-Improvement
Met a couple of my coworkers for a big bucket of balls at Tri-Valley Golf Center this morning. This facility is nice in that it has a real grass driving range. I've been itching to try out my newfound hitting-off-the-mat skills, so I was really looking forward to this visit.
And now that the visit is over, I declare it a total failure. I could not hit the ball properly to save my life. Most of the time, I lifted and whiffed. I'm not sure if it was because we were in the shade (I don't see well in lower light; that's how we discovered I needed glasses when I was young) or if I'm just plain afraid of damaging the grass. It's true: divots make me cringe. The grass is innocent! Don't hurt it! Maybe what I need is an AstroTurf golf course.
April 12, 2008 / Saturday
There's A Hole In My Finger
Went to Spring Valley today to get some more practice in. Yes, I know, I am obsessed with this golf thing these days. That shouldn't surprise any of you. It involves hitting things, and I like hitting things.
Speaking of hitting things, I swung a wiffle ball bat and hit Aaron square on the chest with a bright orange ping pong ball yesterday at Sports Authority. It made a loud smack on impact. I was shocked. I'll admit that I was aiming for him, but I honestly didn't expect to (1) make contact with the ball and (2) have any sort of aim even if I did hit it.
Anyway, back to the driving range. I broke out the 5-iron, hit a few off the tee, and then worked on hitting off the mat with it. I was really happy to find that I can hit off the mat now, and with the same consistency, aim, and distance as I have off the tee. I think this calls for a happy dance.
*does happy dance*
Spent some time with the 5-wood and 3-wood after that. They like me less today than they did on Thursday. That's okay; at least they don't outright hate me.
Played around briefly with chipping. It's still easy and boring. Yawwwn.
Spent a lot of time working on pitching. I suck at it, big time. I have no control over distance and have tons of questions about grip, swing, and positioning. I'll have to remember to ask at class next week.
I finished off the bucket pitching. Toward the last few balls, I felt a sharp rubbing pain in my pinky at the end of my swings. I took my glove off and saw some skin hanging off. I looked a little closer and saw that I'd worn off a lot more than just some skin; there was a little hole about two or three layers deep where that skin had been. I have no idea why it's not bleeding, but it sure does sting.
So let's see... 5-iron is good, 5-wood and 3-wood are okay, chipping is fine, and pitching needs a lot of help. Thursday, we fix!
April 11, 2008 / Friday
Chipping, Pitching, And Maybe Someday, Whaling
It's been a couple classes since my last golf update. Last week, we spent the session hitting woods. I opted to swing the 5-wood, and after a bucket of balls I was still sending balls left, right, right, left. I returned to the range for more time with the 5-wood the next day, and continued to hit balls all over the place. I was a little sad that my 5-wood didn't want to be friends with me.
Yesterday, we had class again. We've now moved on from learning the full swing to a couple shorter swings: one for chipping, and another for pitching.
Chipping came naturally to me; it's like bad bowling (when you throw the ball and it lands halfway down the lane and rolls forward), and that's how I've been playing my way down the fairway anyhow (not that I meant to). I used a 7-iron, choked up on the grip, stood with my feet together in an open stance (rear foot forward to check my backswing), kept my weight on the front foot, held my wrists firm, brought my hands a few inches ahead of the ball, and swung like a pendulum from the shoulders (not much more than 90 degrees of swing total). It took me about 10 balls to get the hang of it. Chipping is boring. Yawwwn.
Speaking of boring, all that detail above is so I have something to reference when I forget how to do it, which will probably happen in the next day or so.
Pitching was more difficult; I'm not good at hitting off the mat (or, preferably, grass). Nonetheless, I broke out the pitching wedge, stood with my feet apart in an open stance (still need to compact the swing a bit), placed the ball slightly forward, swung back and cocked my wrists so my thumbs were pointing away from the ball, then swung forward and hit just under the ball with my thumbs pointing directly at it. It took the rest of the bucket, but I did manage to get under the ball a good number of times and lift it in the air with enough backspin that it stayed where it landed.
And now, a review of swings, by size:
- Pathetic - chipping
- Small to Medium - pitching, depending on distance
- Medium to Big - irons
- Big to Beluga - woods and driver
After the class, we got more balls and hit through another basket's worth with the woods and driver. I finally made friends with the 5-wood and made peace with the 3-wood. I'll need to work on consistency, but hitting the sweet spot every few shots was a great feeling. My range has increased a bit, too. I've bumped the 3-wood distance from 135 yards to 150 yards, and can now reach 135 yards with the 5-wood. Last week's advice about hitting forward and through the ball is finally sinking in, and this week's demonstration of proper body position at the point of contact (weight on front foot, shifting forward during rotation) helped a lot too.
And finally, I broke out the driver and actually managed to hit the ball. It's certainly not my friend yet, but it's much closer an acquaintance now than I'd dared to hope. I'm still not hitting it right, though; I get less range on it than I do with the woods, but I do believe that it's at least considering being my friend someday...
March 30, 2008 / Sunday
Temperamental 3-Wood
My 3-wood doesn't seem to like me anymore. I think it's either jealous of my new iron friends or mad that I haven't swung it in weeks. Come to think of it, it's probably both.
March 28, 2008 / Friday
Range Rat In The Making?
Went to the driving range two days in a row. Last night was our second class, and we spent the session hitting with our 5-irons. I got a little more coaching on my stance and swing, and was able to hit a few balls right on the sweet spot. Soft and smooth like butter, with a long and straight flight. Wow, that's a nice feeling.
Today, my coworker Andy came by and dragged me (kicking and screaming, I was!) and another coworker to the range with him. I didn't have any of my stuff, so he let me borrow his 4-iron and 8-iron. I hit a bunch off the tee with the irons, and then finaly dared to hit off the mat. I'd been hesitant to do this because it hurts to mishit off the mat, but I figured since I was finally developing better control of my swing I should give it a go. I actually launched a couple decent ones. Yays.
Toward the end of the session, Andy let me borrow his 7-wood for a few shots. I managed to hit the last ball right on the sweet spot, and launched a beauty about 175 yards. I asked to buy the club from him and he said I could pick one up at Play It Again Sports for $30. I'm so tempted.
March 21, 2008 / Friday
Making Friends With The 7-Iron
Went to my first in a series of six golf lessons last night. Sunnyvale has this cool program where you can get six one hour group lessons for $100. A screamin' deal! So, on Thursday evenings for the next five weeks, I'll be at the local golf course.
Last night, we got a briefing on all the things we'd be learning, a demonstration of the different types of grips, and then spent the night working on a full stroke off a tee with our 7 irons. I really needed this, since I usually get impatient at the range and change clubs every 5 balls or so.
The instructor (whose name is some spelling of Cheryl, which I will document here so I have a reminder before I go back next week) made some small suggestions regarding my stance, and a very big one regarding my swing. Simply put, I was way too stiff. I'd been trying too hard to incorporate bits of advice I'd heard and it had resulted in a really rigid and unnatural swing motion. Once I relaxed my elbow, wrists, and knees, everything felt better. My first "relaxed" swing sent the ball into the air high and straight. How about that?
How fixed was my short shaft swing? I didn't whiff all night. That speaks volumes.
After a while, I introduced a competition. (Gee, that's a surprise.) There was a little roped off patch of grass out by the 100 yard marker, and I declared that the first person (between me and Aaron) to hit it would win dinner. The problem was, my range with the 7-iron is 85-90 yards. That didn't stop me from trying, though, and toward the end of class I launched a super high shot that dropped in. Aaron missed my amazing feat, but the instructor didn't; I had a witness! Then, on my next shot, another! Two in a row! Aaron missed that one, too, but once again the instructor was there to vouch for me. Aaron says he's going to take me to McDonald's. I think since I hit it twice should be allowed to upgrade to In-N-Out.
Next week, we learn some other stuff (I think) and move on to the 5-iron. I'm itching to get to the woods and driver (and what the heck do I do with this hybrid club in my bag?), but I'm realizing there's some sort of method to this club monotony, so 5-iron it shall be!
I'm totally looking forward to next Thursday. :)
February 15, 2008 / Friday
Friday Fore!
My coworker Andy rounded us up for 9 lunchtime holes today at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore. After my last outing, I did lots of Internet Research™ and figured out that I was trying to hit the ball with my irons too late in my swing. This was, of course, only one of many things I was doing wrong, but it seemed like the biggest change I could make.
So I made the change, and hit the ball a *lot* better. Granted, a lot better for me still sucks compared to everyone else, but I'll take what I can get.
I'd thought that hitting better with my irons would do wonders for my score, and I really think that it would have, had I not forgotten how to putt. My final score wasn't too different from the others: 60 on a par 31 course. The good news? I'm 2x par MINUS two. I've never been under 2x par before. I do believe that's progress.
The 3-wood and I continue to get along. I think I'm going to name it Buddy.
I lost my first ball today. I teed it just to the left of the green, where there was a lake waiting to gobble it up. Splash! 53 holes, 1 ball. Not bad, and at least I got the distance right on that shot... just not the trajectory.
I hope golf doesn't end up like tennis, where I have all the shots but can't get everything to work in the same day.
February 11, 2008 / Monday
Documenting How I Document
Since I'm documenting all my golf outings and scores, I should document how I'm scoring, since everyone seems to have their own little system. In a nutshell: I count all contact as a stroke. If I take a do-over, that's a stroke. If I swing and knock the ball two feet sideways, that's a stroke. The only thing I don't count is a complete whiff; I call those practice swings. ;)
February 10, 2008 / Sunday
Sunken Gardens
Played my first round of golf this year at Sunken Gardens, just a little over a mile from home. I think I'm making some amount of improvement at the tee; I seem to have made friends with the 3-wood, and it landed me on the green a couple times this afternoon. Not too shabby! My putting seems to be somewhat better now, too; some random guy gave me a tip when I was practicing earlier that seems to have helped.
I'm still clueless when it comes to the irons, though. Making it down the fairway is painful; I can't hit the ball without a tee! I think it's time for some lessons.
Still consistent: I shot a 60 on a par 29 course. 2x par plus change.
But I finished with par on the final hole. Woot!
December 26, 2007 / Wednesday
Golf For Lunch
Played a nine hole round at the Pleasanton Golf Center, which, as we discovered when we arrived, is a bunch of holes in the grassy area on the inside of a horse racing track at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. I'm serious. See:
In usual fashion, I shot just over 2x par: 61 on a par 30 course. It's a slightly better score than last time, and I completely whiffed only once. I'm tweaking a lot of things as I go; I really could use some lessons before turn my detrimental tweaks into habit.
My new golf shoes are awesome. They're comfy, give me great traction on grass, and look like funky bowling shoes. A++!!! Would wear again!
November 23, 2007 / Friday
Fore!
Played 9 holes of golf today at the Pruneridge Golf Club. It's been about half a year since my last (and first) golf outing with my dad, and my first round on the greens with my $60 set of clubs. Played like the n00b that I am and had a lot of fun doing it. I'm not nearly as intimidated by it as I used to be, either. I guess I just had to go out there and do it a couple times.
My score: 65 on a par 30 course. It's okay, you can laugh. I'm laughing too, as I order myself a new pair of golf shoes. 27 holes under my belt == justification for more gear! :-D
May 23, 2007 / Wednesday
Golfing With Dad
I played my first ever round of golf today at the Lost Brook Golf Club with my dad. Since sis is a golfer now, I got to borrow her sweet Callaway clubs and pink golf shoes. A huge upgrade from my $60 set of clubs (including bag!) and nonexistent shoes back in California.
Before today, I'd played mini golf a few times, been to the driving range even fewer times, and practiced at the putting green once, after which I unsuccessfully tried to pitch a few balls at the practice sand trap. I was a little intimidated by the thought of going on a real course, and was glad to hear that we were going to a smaller, non-snooty course suitable for beginners. Having my dad by my side made me feel better, too. It also made me feel like I was 12 again. Heh.
I had expected to lose a lot of balls, but in the end I lost only one, and in the process of looking for it found another, so I wound up with a plus/minus of zero. Not bad for my first day out! I also forgot to pick up my first two tees, but then I found three, broke one, and came out with a plus/minus of zero on those, too. I now understand why golf bags have so many compartments! One for balls, one for tees, one for water/beer, one for blahblahblah, etc. I think that's a fine excuse to get a better bag... right after I get some nice shoes. ;)
And now, my score. I shot (scored? hit? what's the lingo here?) a 110. Not bad for my first day, right? Sure, except that this was a dinky little par 54 course. I learned a lot, though, and actually had a few pretty good holes on the back nine until I got tired and started missing badly. Golf, not easy! But fun. Thanks, dad. :)
05:39 PM | Golf:Trips| Comments (0)
November 30, 2002 / Saturday
I went to the driving
I went to the driving range with my dad today. It was the second time I've ever been. He showed me a few tricks and techniques and by the end of the bucket had me consistently hitting balls out straight with the driver. It's amazing what a few tips on form will do for you. I think maybe I'll take this up as a new hobby in my superfluous spare time. Therapeutic! 