Monday, November 24, 2008

Cold Play

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2735/2070 - 4805
Par: 34/32 - 66
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 45 (Front Nine)
Date: November 23, 2008

Although the temperature only climbed to around 40 with a steady breeze, the sun came out so I decided to try out my new Wilson Staff Di7 irons with nine holes at Juniata Golf Club. Wearing my Under Armour Coldgear Compression Mock under a Mizuno Breath Thermo Classic Mock, with an Under Armour Stableford Pullover, I was ready to battle the elements as well as the links. The course was more crowded than I expected given the weather. The ground was soft on top, but frozen underneath and the fairways are becoming very spotty as sections of grass go dormant in the colder climate. This meant that teeing up was a challenge and even the best drive in the fairway sometimes led to unexpected and tricky lies.

I hit the ball decently considering I'm playing more sporadically and with several layers of clothes on. I drove the ball well, especially with my Wilson Staff Spine Driver, hitting four out five fairways that I used it. In the last 27 holes that I've played with the driver in the bag, I've hit 10 out of 16 fairways. The new Wilson Staff Di7 irons played well also, although with the colder weather, the ball didn't travel as far as usual. Still, I managed to hit the golf ball straight and it the air. I had a few miss-hits, but they were more the result of bad lies. Chipping was also good with the new sticks. I hit the ball crisply and it often stopped quicker on the greens than I thought it would. I'm not sure if this was the result of the slower greens or the irons putting a bit more spin on the ball.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Hellooooooo Mr. Wilson!

No, it's not Dennis the Menace calling to his next door neighbor, George Wilson. It is a switch in golf equipment. As you may have noticed, I have been partial to TaylorMade/Maxfli/adidas golf equipment over the past 10 years; everything from golf clubs to balls to shoes to gloves to headwear. But I recently decided that a change was in order. I still think TaylorMade makes a very product, but I felt it was time to try something different. After some looking around, I decided to move to Wilson Staff golf equipment.

Wilson doesn't get a lot of attention these days since most of the players on the professional tours are using equipment from the larger companies like TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist and Nike. In fact, Wilson only has three players representing them on the PGA Tour: Padraig Harrington, Jesper Parnevik and D.J. Trahan. Harrington, as you might recall, has won three of the last six majors played-- the 2007 and 2008 British Opens and the 2008 PGA Championship. In fact, Harrington, Wilson Staff member since 1998, just renewed his agreement with company for the third time. What Wilson does have is legacy. It has won 62 majors, more than any other equipment company. Players who have used Wilson equipment during their careers reads like a "who's who" of golf: Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Patty Berg, Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart, Vijay Singh and John Daly, just to name a few.

I started moving toward Wilson about a month ago when I purchased one of their new Spine Drivers. The Spine has a square shaped clubhead, and has a hollowed out crown, ala the Cleveland Hi-Bore Driver. This allows for more perimeter weighting and one of the highest MOI's (moment of inertia) in the game. According to Wilson's Website: "The Spine achieves high MOI and low CG by redistributing weight from the center of the crown to the perimeter. The result is the industry's first truly perimeter weighted driver with a higher MOI and lower CG than traditional 460cc drivers." The Spine comes with a 46-inch UST Proforce V-2 HMOI graphite shaft. So far, I have found the Spine to be a great driver. During the 18 holes I've played with it so far, I've hit 6 out of 11 fairways with it.

I moved further towards Wilson last night when I traded in my TaylorMade r7 irons, along with several old drivers, fairway woods and hybrids at Golf Galaxy for a set of Wilson Staff Di7 irons. I read many reviews of these irons before making up my mind to purchase them. These irons come with Wilson's proprietary Fat Shaft, which was introduced in 1997. According to Wilson's Website, "The most important performance variable in an iron performance shaft is torque – less torque means less twisting, which equals greater accuracy. Fat Shaft technology provides a larger tip diameter (.500” versus typical .370” or 35% wider) providing 40% more torsional stability than skinny shafted irons for greater accuracy." The Website also states about the Di7 irons, "Simply stated, the new Wilson Staff Di7 irons are not like other clubs. A lower profile moves the center ofgravity down for higher ball flight. A wider sole moves the CG back for greater stability and straighter ball flight. A wider tip shaft prevents twisting on off-center hits. If you want to hit it longer and straighter, play Wilson Staff Di7 irons. We're talking 'club longer,' not 1-2 yards." I look forward to working with irons through the winter.

I have also picked by a dozen Wilson Staff Fifty Golf Balls to test. With a compression of 50, "Wilson Staff Fifty now stands as the softest two-piece distance ball on the market today. Its unmatched combination of maximum distance and ultra-soft feel appeals to the widest segment of golfers," according to Wilson's Web site. I have also read very good reviews about this ball and look forwrad to playing with it, especially in the colder weather, when the softer compression will make the golf ball feel less like a rock. I also want to try Wilson Staff's new Zip Golf Ball, but it has been extremely hard to find in stores, so I am probably going to have to purchase a couple dozen online.

In addition to the golf clubs and golf balls, I've also picked by a couple of Wilson ProStaff Golf Gloves to try out. I'll keep you informed of how this new equipment rates over the coming months, weather permitting. But I look forward to entering next season with Wilson Staff golf equipment in my bag.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Juniata's Fall Flavor

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2735/2070 - 4805
Par: 34/32 - 66
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 47 (Front Nine)
Date: November 9, 2008

On a brisk, breezy fall Sunday afternoon, I played another nine-hole round at Juniata Golf Club. As I wrote in my previous post, I like playing in the fall, when the temperatures are cooler and the multi-hued leaves cover the fairways and greens. The course was again fairly empty as I teed off with Sam, another older Asian gentleman I met on the first tee. Sam and I managed to play around the front nine in one hour and forty-five minutes.

Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

One of my main goals during the round was to continue evaluating my new Wilson Staff Spine Driver I recently put in my bag. I used it on five holes Sunday and hit 3 fairways. Through the last 18 holes, I have used the driver on 11 holes and hit six fairways, better than 50 percent. So far, I have found that with a slow, smooth swing, it hits the ball long and fairly straight. I am interested in seeing how the driver performs with a softer golf ball like the new Wilson Zip. I'm hoping to pick up a box of these balls in the very near future. I am also liking my Sun Mountain Swift X carry bag more and more with each round I use it. It is so light, yet carries almost the same amount of clubs and accessories I had in my previous bag. Fatigue of my shoulders, back and legs from carrying my golf bag is no longer an issue when I hit the home stretch of holes.

Wilson Staff Spine Driver

Other than continuing to test my new driver, there was very little to distinguish my round. The conditions were pretty soft because of all the rain we had late last week and the fairways have become a little spotty due to the weather getting colder. This caused me to hit a couple of worm burners with my approach shots. The tees have also been moved all the way up in order to allow for seeding of the tee boxes.

Sun Mountain Swift X Carry Bag

Even though the weather is getting colder, the reshaping of Juniata Golf Course goes on. New paved cart paths are being added at strategic locations around the course and some paving and landscaping has also been done around the bridge over the Tookany Creek between the 9th and 17th tees. I'm certain that if course architect Ed Ault were alive today, he would be pleased with the changes taking place to his creation.


Photos by The Muni Golfer

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Playing Cold Weather Golf

The leaves have been falling and so has the temperatures. Most golfers have long put their clubs away for the season. But now is a great time to tee it up. The Sand Trap.com has a great story on what is to like about playing golf in cold weather.


I personally like teeing it up and challenging myself as the weather turns colder. Usually, the course is a lot less crowded, the prices are cheaper, course conditions are a little tougher. True, there may be a little less grass in the fairway, the greens may be a little bumpy and leaves might make that stray tee shot a little more difficult to find. But, as long as you prepare yourself by dressing in layers and realizing that you are going to get some bad bounces, you can still shoot a reasonable score.


One equipment change you might want to consider if you do tee it up during the months is to switch to a low compression or softer golf ball, which won't feel like a rock when you hit it.


So get those clubs out of the garage or closet and look for me on the first tee. I always welcome the company.
Photos by The Muni Golfer

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Nine Hole Test Drive at Juniata

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2735/2070 - 4805
Par: 34/32 - 66
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 45 (Front Nine)
Date: November 2, 2008

Under gray fall skies and cool temperatures, I decided to play nine holes at Juniata Golf Club. With everyone still basking in the afterglow of the Phillies win in the World Series this week, and the Philadelphia Eagles looking to pick up ground in Seattle, the course was fairly empty on this beautiful fall afternoon. I teamed up with Kim, an older Asian gentleman on the first tee. We had an enjoyable round that took less than two hours to complete. It has been over two weeks since I last played and while most of my game was okay, my short game was a bit rusty. I managed to get around the front nine in 45, with a birdie and two pars. My putting was very good today. I made a change in my putting stance playing on the lightning fast greens at Talamore Country Club where I stand with my feet together and shoulders more open and facing the hole. This is similar to Fuzzy Zoeller's stance and I believe it allows me to rock my shoulders better for a more pendulum swing. I stuck with it today and was pleased with how I putted. I knocked in an uphill, 20-foot birdie putt at the 360-yard, Par 4 5th Hole and lipped out several other long putts.

Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

The main reason for my round was to test out the new Wilson Staff Spine Driver I recently purchased from Rockbottomgolf.com. The Spine has a square shaped clubhead, and has a hollowed out crown, ala the Cleveland Hi-Bore Driver. This allows for more perimeter weighting and one of the highest MOI's (moment of inertia) in the game. According to Wilson's Website:

"The Spine achieves high MOI and low CG by redistributing weight from the center of the crown to the perimeter. The result is the industry's first truly perimeter weighted driver with a higher MOI and lower CG than traditional 460cc drivers."

The Spine comes with a 46-inch UST Proforce V-2 HMOI graphite shaft. Without the benefit of first taking it to the practice range, I used the new driver on six Par 4s during my nine holes today. The club felt solid and with an easy swing, delivered great power and accuracy. I hit three drives that put in position to go at the green with short irons on my second shots. The three drives where I wound up in a more difficult position for my second shot, twice I came over the ball hitting a sharp hook and once I hit a fade because I was standing a bit too far from the ball. The club makes more of a dull "thunk" than the high "ping" you hear from most of today's 460cc titanium drivers, but it delivers outstanding results. I was quite pleased and look forward to experimenting more with it through the fall.

The new Philadelphia Police Memorial
at Juniata Golf Club


Juniata continues to transform itself into a really nice course. The 12th Hole, which used to play as a downhill, 300-yard Par 4 and been remade into a 190-yard Par 3 and a sand trap has been added to the left front of the green (look for pictures in a future post). Also very nice memorial honoring Philadelphia Police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty has been created in a circle that has the 9th tee to the left, the 17th tee to the right and the 8th green behind. The memorial, which was created by the Juniata Golf Foundation, was dedicated on October 27.

The Memorial honors Philadelphia Police officers

The Memorial's Plaque
Photos by The Muni Golfer

Saturday, November 1, 2008

A Wickedly Good Read

The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf is a must read for any golf fan. Wonderfully entertaining, author Howard Sounes chronicles the rise of golf through three of modern golf's most prominent players--Palmer Nicklaus and Woods--as well as their impact on the professional game as we know it today. From Palmer's humble beginnings as the son of a course superintendent in Western Pennsylvania, to Nicklaus' Country Club education, to the training of Woods by an overzealous father, the book gives some fascinating behind the scenes views of how these three have impacted the game, as well as their successes and shortcomings.

Palmer, who became the first truly marketed golf superstar by Mark McCormack, and was used Palmer to build International Management Group, perhaps the most influential agency in sports. Nicklaus, who, while surpassing Palmer on the golf course, remained envious of his success off the course and nearly went bankrupt trying to maintain a lifestyle similar to Palmer's. And of course Woods, who has become the most recognized golfer, and perhaps athlete, of all time, yet remains a mystery to most.

The book also looks at how racism has long been a hallmark of golf and how these three leading golfers have done little to open the top echelons of the sport to minorities and women. It also paints a very revealing portrait of Tiger's late father, Earl Woods, who long held that he was a constant victim of racism, abandoned his first wife and children for Tiger's mother and believes he was chosen by God to raise Tiger and nurture his special talent.

Although a short read at 260+ pages, it is well worth it and I highly recommend it if you want a better understanding of the figures who have shaped the game we love.