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The Goofy Game Golf of Searching for the Answer

An unexpected new course was added this week, as I was able to get in 5 rounds. We went back to Blackhawk in Beaver Falls, Pa. about a 45 minute drive. This is the course that has 36 holes and each nine is named 1 2 3 and 4. This is where we finished the front nine in one hour and twenty seven minutes and they told us we would have to speed up. I thought I would never go back but my friend Andy suggested we play there and this time the 36 holes worked out and we played nines 1 through 4. I have to admit I really liked playing the 2 courses and the greens were in great shape running a nice 7 on the stimp and were very smooth. This course features a lot of short par 4’s but has some nice par 3’s and a couple of really long par 5’s. Course 1 and 2 played 6100 yds. and course 3 and 4 played 6300 yds. They both played to a par of 72. Neither one of us played very well as I shot two 81’s and Andy shot 81 and 83. I had already had a hot dog there and really didn’t feel like having another one. Now let me take a deep breath as I write these numbers down, 81, 81, 80, 80, and one final 80. The definition of consistently lousy. I am through with mental madness and have replaced it with I don’t give a shit. This winter I will go through some of these mental experiments but lets just say for now they have failed miserably. It’s back to drawing board and another beautiful week ahead. At least we got course number 92 in and the search will continue, at least for now.

 

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Another rain shortened week, as it rained pretty much all day on Saturday. The three rounds I played were as up and down as the weather, with scores of 81, 73 and 84 today. Putting has been the big problem but ball striking today was not exactly superb. Since my game is in a state of limbo, I thought I would write about a subject that is strictly mental and certainly has nothing to do with swinging a golf club and that is green reading. Now I have read all the books and watched a lot of instruction on TV, concerning reading greens but it still can be one of the most mystifying and frustrating parts of golf. I can deal with over reading or under reading the break of a putt, but when I think a putt is going to break 3 inches to the left and it breaks right then that can really leave me bewildered and deflated. Now even though we see on TV, that the tour pros can misread a putt, one thing that they do, is they spend a lot more time than we can in actually reading the putt. They look from behind the hole, to the side, and from behind the ball. In fact, despite what you read about getting on the side below the hole to get a feel for the distance of the putt, the pros do a 360 around the line of the putt almost every time. If we took that much time to read our putts then every round would be of the 5 and 1/2 hour variety.   Now I don’t know if it would even help, if we took that much time in reading our putts. Your never going to read in any instruction book to take that much time in reading putts, because of the slow play issue. Let’s face it, that is where the tour game really slows down, when it comes to reading putts. Are greens that diabolical or are we making something hard that may not be all that difficult. No matter what method you use to read greens, when you are finish, there are one of three things that are going to happen.

1. You know how this putt is going to break and you are right, make a confident stroke and the ball goes in.

2 You know how this putt is going to break and you are wrong, make a confident stroke and miss.

3. You are unsure how the putt is going to break and you have to do something, so you try to commit to a line, make a tentative stroke and most likely miss the putt.

Now you can do 2 and 3 for only so long and you will begin to lose confidence and your putting begins to fall apart. Right now I do not see a solution to this problem. I’m not saying there isn’t one. I just don’t see it for right now. Yes, I know all the green reading rhetoric. Start reading the green from 20 to 30 yards out, it breaks toward the water, it breaks away from the mountain, there is a high point on the golf course and everything breaks away from that, and the grain grows toward the setting sun. My favorite is the one about water being poured on the green and you visualize where it is going to puddle and flow. Doesn’t that make you want to visit golf courses when it is pouring rain and take pictures of all the greens that are covered with water. So, green reading is a problem that must be solved if one is going to play to his full potential. The mental madness was more like just madness this week. Another week awaits and the weather is looking better. Maybe I will take 5 minutes to read every putt. How to become the most popular golfer in your group in just one easy lesson.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Because of weather problems only three rounds this week, but added a new course this week. On Wednesday we went to Mountaineer’s Woodview golf course, about 6 miles south of Weirton, West Virginia, a 50 minute drive. The golf course was very tight and relatively short with very small greens and no sandtraps. It was 62oo yards from the blue tees and played to a par of 72. The greens ran a 6 on the stimp and were very smooth. Even though the greens were small they had quite a bit of slope in them and were a challenge to putt. The fairways and rough were just fair and the course for lack of a better a term had some real ugly areas. I have to say, I liked the course but it was not worth the trip. The hot dog at ther turn was one of those big fat ones, which I don’t care for, but it was cooked well,and tasted pretty good. They did not have any onions which was a downer. This course was a lay up course with many short but tight par 4’s and par 5’s but yours truly wanted to have “fun” and took the driver out on every hole but one and paid the price. I could only muster an 83 on such a short track and David didn’t do any better shooting a an 86. But it was a gorgeous day and we did have a good time hitting many punch shots under trees. Course Management F. The rains came on Thursday but Friday was cool and sunny and I shot 78 from the blue tees at South Park and with the help of a 40 foot par putt shot 1 under on the last 5 holes. Today after a poor front nine, I managed to shoot even on the back, for a 77 at Ponderosa, a pretty tough track. I am doing what I call mental madness. The results so far while not great are far from discouraging. If I continue to make progress with mental madness, I will explain what all this nonsense is, I am talking about. In order to help the mental madness along, I am going to play golf courses this week that I not only know but really like, just to see how I do. This may finally answer the question how much is this game mental and how much is it physical. Ninety one courses down and nine to go.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

A very busy week with two new courses added, a tournament, and a good round today. On Wednesday we went to two new courses. We went to Bedford Trails in Coitsville, Ohio about a 70 minute drive.  I had never heard anything about this course but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The course was about 6300 yards from the blue tees and played to a par of 70. The course was nice and flat with some heavily tree lined fairways. We had to start on the back due to some on course maintainance, and the back nine was much narrower than the front nine. To start off on the back it was more of a challenge than coming into the turn when you know what kind of state your game is in. The greens were very smooth and ran about a 6.5 on the stimp. This course had a great variety of holes with some being pretty tough but none of them were unfair. The fairways were very good and the rough did have some bare spots but was not overly long.  This course was very enjoyable to play and was well worth the trip and very reasonbly priced. The hot dog at the turn was nothing special but was tasty.  We played pretty well with David shooting an 82 and I came in with a 75. Then we went back down the road into Pennsylvania to Tanglewood Golf course in Pulaski Pa. This course was about 6100 yards from the back tees and played to a par of 72. Although I liked this course and the price was right here too, it just wasn’t quite as nice as Bedford Trails. The greens ran a 5 on the stimp and fairways were not as good. The design of the course was good with a good variety of holes and some that were quite difficult. But it had what I call the typical fake par 5 of 425 yards which was tricked up so it would play as a 5. It was a shame, because this would have made a great par 4 with water down the left and close to the green. But all and all this course was fun to play with a nice  flow to the course. Just to do something different, I got a chile dog at the turn which was quite good. Even though I thought this course was easier some of the holes were tough to play for the first time and both David and I scored a little worse. I shot an 80 with some erratic driving and David had an 85. Then on Thursday I played in the South Park Senior Championship and my day was a synopsis of my entire year. It was boring, some chip yips and a putter that was luke warm. I drove the ball pretty well, but my iron game was just so-so and wound up making only one birdie. I did not take advantage of the par 5’s just making 4 pars. Twice it took me 4 blows to get down from about 20 yards which led to a double bogey  and a bogey. Despite all that I managed to shoot 78 which put me 4th in my age group and about 18th in a field of 70. For some reason the scoring was not that good. There was a 3 under 69 and a 71 but no one else in the field broke 74. There was some wind and few tough pins but I really don’t know why the scores were so high. Today we went to Buffalo Golf Course, which is one of my favorites and shot a nice solid 4 over 75. I did something today that was pretty drastic on the mental and physical side of the game that has been evolving. Again, this could be just dust in the wind but we will see. Overall this was one of the better weeks with the weather being just gorgeous and getting to courses 89 and 90. So the original goal has been met. I have played 90 golf courses within 90 minutes from my house. It has taken just a little over 3 years. When I started this I thought it might take a little over a year. Maybe I should I run for Congress Ha!  I am still going to try to make it an even 100 and will still try to find the answer. I think I have a better chance of getting to 100.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Decided to do the holiday blog since I played 18 today. It was an interesting week with some hope on the horizon. Played 4 rounds this week beginning with a 73 at Indian Run, an 80 at Fort Cherry, a 77 at Rolling Hills Country club my old stomping grounds back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and finished at Highland Springs with a 78. The funny round was at Fort Cherry. After giving my big disertation on club selection in my last blog, I had some real issues with club selection at Fort Cherry. I hit short irons, a PW, 9iron, and a 55 degree SW all long on holes 7, 8, and 10. This definitely got in my head later in the round which made for the 80 on a fairly easy golf course.   I think what the issue was, I was not playing attention to some swirling winds. My short game made a vast improvement this week. Putting was my best of the week. Even though this did not translate into any spectacular scoring it was nice to see the ball go into the hole a lot more. My chipping is improving also. I think I may be making some progress on the mental game. Only time will tell.   For the four rounds I had 29, 31, 27, and 31 putts. My GIR’s were not that great 11,6,6, and 7 but I am not too worried about that. My chipping and putting are impoving simply because of a new mental process and one that I am applying to the long game as well. I am dividing the mental game into three sections and each one is pretty critical to playing decent golf. This has only been one week of success, so we will see if this will be worth revealing or not. This week I will be playing in the South Park senior championship and we will see how some of this holds up under the heat. I am going to add two new courses this week as it looks like the weather is going to be very nice. The search continues with new vigor.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Another disappointing week with just average play. The rounds went like this: 82 at Lindenwood, 76 Indian Run, 78 South Park and 78 at Rolling Acre today. Nothing new to report on the mental game, only that I’m mental. I thought I would talk about the one thing that I have been doing with some success, and that is the system I devised for choosing the right club. We all know the drill that you should know how far you hit each club but how do you go about that and then how do you apply it to the course. The thing that you read most of the time is to hit about 10 or 20 shots with a particular iron and take the average. But how many times in play do you hit your “average” iron shot. So here is what I have devised and so far it has worked out pretty well. I want to know the distance that my iron goes when I hit my best shot. In other words, what I call my max distance with that club.  Here are my max distances with each club in the bag

3 wood 240     5 w00d 225   7 wood 210     5 iron  195    6 irons  180    7 iron   165

8 iron 150   9  iron  135    PW   120    GW  105    SW  90    LW 75

Now whatever my yardage is to the middle of the green even if it is just one yard beyond my max distance I drop down to the lower club.  Example if I have 151 to the middle of the green I will hit 7 iron. Now naturally if this is a big green and the pin is way in the front and to  the front is 133 then I will hit 8 iron. There will be other factors like wind, elevation and lie but rather than think whether this is one or two clubs different I try to add and subtract yardage and then select the club.  In Western Pa. there are lots of changes in elevation and this has really helped me in choosing the right club. When you try to calculate an average distance with your clubs it is always hard to judge just how bad you miss hit a shot. But when you groove a 7 iron everybody knows that feeling. That is a much more reliable distance to play off of. If choosing the right club has been a problem at times try this method and see if you don’t start getting more shots pin high. This is what I call my small victory buried under a quagmire of defeats. The year is passing fast and I am not getting any closer to the answer. It looks like it should be another big week of golf with Labor Day on the horizon. Labor and golf, Labor and golf the perfect combination.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

This was a busy but a very blah week.  Played four rounds this week and not any closer to the answer. Started the week by shooting 80 at St. Clair, 74 at Indian Run, 80 at South Park and 81 today at Pittsburgh North. The week was typical of what it has been all year. I had a good day at Indian Run, where I thought I had some good mental progress and ideas, only to have a very bad weekend where these same thought processes turn to rubble. This whole thing brings back memories or should I say nightmares, of when I was trying to find a swing. What I have found frustrating is the search for some kind of mental key or process has affected my ability to execute the shoulder swing. Today was a very bad brain day as I was yippy on most of my putts and even though I hit a lot of good shots , my bad shots were really bad due to a combination of bad swings and bad planning. The only good thing that has happened in the last week or so is that I have come up with a way of selecting the right club that is a little bit unique. If this continues to work well the next week of two I will give out that information. In the meantime I will continue to wander in the deep crevices of my pathetic brain trying to figure out this goofy game. The answer could be just a synapse away. This week looks good weather wise and hopefully I can get in another 4 rounds. Does it rain in bowling alleys?

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

This was a busy week and that is why the blog is a day late. The best way to write about this week is to take it in chronological order. On Wednesday added course number 88 by going to St Jude golf course in Chicora Pa. which was about a 70 minute drive. This was an interesting course but difficult to play for the first time. The course played to a Par of 70 and played about 6500 yards from the back tees. The greens were smooth and ran about a 6 on the stimp. There were many blind shots and doglegs, and to get from one green to the next tee was sometimes a great challenge. Little did I know how well this prepared me for the golf course I would play later in the week in the Poccono’s. On one hole, I even went to the wrong tee box and hit my drive before I realized I had played the wrong hole. At time the holes were very tight and hilly and overall not a very enjoyable course to play. I shot an 82 with most of the time putting myself in some real bad positions due to lack of course knowledge. There was no hot dog and this course was not worth the trip. I was going to play another new course but map quest gave me the wrong directions and then the skies started looking threatening and decided to go home. Then I let the dog out and the skies were better so I went over to South Park and shot a lackluster 75 and just beat the rain.  On Thursday I headed to Indian Run and shot one of my better rounds of the year a 2 over 73. I hit the ball really well and seemed to have my swing down, and short game and putting under control. So on Friday off to the Pocconos I go to play in the United States Golf Teachers Northeast Regional tournament. I had a good nights sleep, got to the course in plenty of time, despite getting bad map quest directions AGAIN, and then had a complete meltdown and shot 92. I could make all kind of excuses for this score. First time playing the course, many blind shots and doglegs, and many in course out of bounds stakes, where I knocked it out of bounds on three holes. But the bottom line I stunk. Unfortunately I was only staying on the second floor of the motel and I figured if I jumped out the window I would probably just break my legs and I would still be alive and in pain. There really isn’t any more to write about this, and today I found out the nine hole course I go to about 1pm to work out issues is closed till about 3 for highschool try outs. My next round is going to be at St Clair which is one tough golf course but at least I know it.   They say there is a reason for everything and maybe a day like I had will help me out in the long run. I have had these days before and it hasn’t helped. But another week has started I have 88 courses down and only 12 to go. See you Sunday.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

This week I was only able to get 2 rounds in because of getting a re check on my orat surgery and an outing on Friday at South Park, that closed the course. The rounds were not that great an 80 at Madison Club and a 76 at Riverview today. This will mark the third anniversary of starting the blog. I have played 87 courses, found what I consider the key to the golf swing and now in search of trying to figure out the mental side of this game. Along the way I have walked off a golf course after the 12th hole, hurled a sandwedge into the woods never to be found, battled the chip yips and shot a 4 under 69. I have read other golfing and non-golfing blogs and have marveled how everyone struggles at this game but continues to enjoy and love the game. The blog and fellow bloggers have kept me going, at a time when I had really thought I was through with this goofy game. This year has been an odd year so far, in more ways than one. The search for some mental answers has brought my game down a notch, just like the search for a key to the golf swing did. Believe me some of the things I have done trying to find the mental keys have been just bizzare as some of the things I tried with the golf swing. Getting a flu cold bug and having to have a tooth root removed has also slowed some progress. But progress has been  made. Right now I am in the process of losing the chip yips. My new putting technique, more mental than physical is starting to show so slow but steady improvement. My swing has suffered some, from the mental challenges. But today I got back to the shoulders controling the swing. Hopefully I may be on to something that can make this game just a little easier for all of us diehards. At the end of this week I will be playing in a tournament in the Pocconos so the blog may be a day late. Meanwhile keep on swinging, the ball will wind up somewhere.

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The Goofy Game of Golf: The Courses

This week I thought I would index the golf courses that I have done over the last 3 years. After each course will be a number 1 through 5, with 1 being a very poor, 2 poor, 3average, 4 good, and 5 excellent. The ratings are based on what I call the overall experience not just the golf course. This includes, the course, the condition, the facility, the staff, the hot dog, and the price we paid to play.  Later I will rate just the golf courses. The month and year was when the full review was done.

August 2010  Copeland Hills 4   Firestone Farms 3    Reserve Run 3  Kennsington 1 Castle Hills  4   Tam O’ Shanter 3

September 2010  Riverview  4      South Park  3

October 2010   7 Springs 3

November 2010   Cedarbrooke Red 3   Westwood 2

March 2011 Grandview   3

April 2011   Butlers Lakeside 3  Scenic Valley  4  Meadowink 3   Murraysville 2

May 2011  Rolling Green 3  Chippawa 3  Oak Lake 3   Moon 2   Linden Hall 4

June 2011 Cedarbrooke Gold 3    Cloverleaf 3    Madison Club 3  Manor Valley 2   Fort Cherry 3   Pheasant Ridge 3  Rittswood 3

July 2011   Village Green  3   Hartmans 3  Strawberry Ridge 2   Highland Springs 4  Millcreek North 5 Millcreek South 5   Ponderosa 4   Blackhawk 2   Rolling Acre 4  Beaver Creek Meadow 4  Turkana 4

August 2011 Mannitto 4    Quicksilver 4  Lake Arthur 4    Indian Run 3   Oak Tree 3   Yankee Run 5   Castle Shannon 3    Blackmoor 3  Foxwood Acres 1

Sept 2011   Lindenwood 2  Rolling Fields 3  Hickory Heights  2    Fairway Riverlinks 3  Becwood Hills 3  Krendale   3

October 2011 Red Oaks 3   Spring Hill 4   Stonecrest 3  Foxrun 4   3 Lakes 2

November 2011 Timber Ridge 3  Links at Spring Church 2

March 2012 Cranberry Highlands 3   Beaver Valley  3

April 2012  Suncrest 3

May 2012  North Park 3   Birdsfoot 3  Champion Lakes 3  Buffalo 4    Old Stonewall 3

June 2012 Donnegal Highlands 4     Pine Lakes  4   Knoll Run 4

July 2012  Lake Vue North 3  Rose Ridge 1   Lenape Heights 2   Totteridge 4

August 2012 Pittsburgh North 4   Spring Valley 3  Green Meadow 4    Dubbs Dread 3

September 2012  Pittsburgh National 3  Saxon 3   Phoenix at Buffalo Valley 1  Stoughton Acres 4

October 2012 Norvelt 4     May 2013 Conleys 3

As far as the rest of my week went, my mouth was more interesting than my golf game, as on Thursday, I had to have a cracked root removed and a bone graft put in, OOUCHH! Since then I have played 63 holes. I am one tough hombre. Of course drugs help too. My scores for the week were 79, 76, 76, and today a big fat 81. The philosphy of golf was what I was afraid it was, bullshit. However because of it’s failure I feel I made have made some progress on the mental side. My short game is improving some and the scores will come. Hopefully we can hit some new courses this week. See you next Sunday.