Month: September 2010

Today we played course number 8 Riverview in Elizabeth which is about a 30 minute drive from my home. This course is very nice, plays about 6400 yards from the tips and was in pretty good shape. The greens were about a 6.5 and putted very smooth. This course is typical  of a lot of golf courses in this  area, in that the first hole is one of the more difficult on the golf course. It is the number 3 handicap hole. This breaks a basic architectural rule in that the first hole should not be the toughest or the easiest hole on the course. I always thought one way to solve this problem was to reverse the nines. The first 6 holes at Riverview are pretty challenging and then after that the course plays much easier. Those first holes would then be 10 through 15 and I think it would speed up play because players would be more warmed up to play the more difficult side. The greens at Riverview are the biggest challenge. They have a lot of undulations and sometimes they can be quicker than 6.5 which can make them down right treacherous. The hot dog at the turn was very tasty. In fact I would say it would be placed in 2ond  at the moment,only to Firestone Farms. Is this course worth the trip. No no more than a 40 minute drive.  Everybody played pretty mediocre today. I shot a 79, Pete shot 78 and Donna 94. For me it was it was just a plethora of mistakes. A pulled 8 iron on 4, 3putt on 6, pulled 9 iron and skulled sand shot on 7, 3 putt on 9, bad chip on 10, horrible duck hook drive on 13, major block to right at least 50 yards on 14, and fat 5 iron on 15 for a 79. I had one birdie. My swing thing as I will call it, I am still doing it but modifying just a bit. One thing I do know, is what not the answer is. The swing is not the thing. There are so many swings on tour and every one is looking for what’s common in the swings of the pros. I can tell you right now, nothing. You will here people talk about how impact position is so important and how everybody looks the same. Even if that was true which it is not, of course they are very close because these guys hit the ball solid and straight. Everybody worries about their swing but believe me once you get the basic concept of the swing which is to turn the body away from the target on the backswing and turn your body toward the target on the downswing then how you do it is very unimportant. My putting pretty well stunk today but that is another story all together. Well we have 8 down and 82 to go.  Certainly no closer to an answer.       

Today we went to the local county course South Park. This course is only a 15 to 20 minute drive from the house. This was also the South Park senior championship which the 3 of us played. The course is about 80 some years old and almost takes care of it self and that is the key word almost. We have had a really hot and dry spell and the course was certainly paying the price. The greens were browning out and the fairways were brown and sparse.  The course played about 6400 yards today and the greens ran about a 5 on the stimp. This course is not worth the trip unless your trip is very short like mine.  The group did pretty well today. Pete shot a 73 and finished 2nd overall and 1st in our age group. I shot 79 and while I did not strike the ball well my putter and chipping were the main problems today. Donna had 91 and finished 3rd in her age group. The park has always been a course that has had condition problems but at times has been in excellent shape. This was not one of them. The course is fairly open but it is hilly with lots of uphill blind shots. Pretty boring and not the most enjoyable course to play but their rates are reasonable. Needless to say the search continues and now it is for some short game answers. If your just starting to play golf I would recommend the 9 hole course there. It is not crowded on Friday or the weekends and is good place to start to learn golf, that is, if you want to learn this game. I would not recommend it myself. The hot dog was pretty good but nothing special. Well 7 down and 83 to go.