Welcome Back Mr. Wilson!

I have made some changes to the arsenal of clubs in my golf bag over the past few weeks. These changes have coincided with two of the better rounds I've played this year. After making a switch to TaylorMade/Adams Golf equipment earlier this season, I have decided to go back to the Wilson Staff clubs I have used with success the past few years. These clubs are mainly the driver and irons, and I've added in a Fybrid--a cross between a fairway wood and a hybrid--as well.

Although Wilson Staff doesn't get the love and respect it deserves, mainly because it only has five players on its PGA Tour staff, the company makes golf clubs as good or better than the major equipment manufacturers that over-populate the Tours. But Wilson Staff does have a rich history in the game. Their irons have won more majors that any other brand. Wilson Staff clubs have been used by some of the game's all-time greats, including Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Cary Middlecoff, Billy Casper, Johnny Miller, Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart, Bernhard Langer, John Daly and Vijay Singh.

So here is what I currently carry in my golf bag:

Driver: Wilson Staff Smooth. 10.5 degrees. This driver was introduced in 2007/8. While it is one of the oldest club's in my bag, it remains one of the best drivers I have ever hit.

Wilson Staff Smooth Driver

4-Wood: Callaway X2 Hot. 17 degrees. I have carried a 4-wood for several years now. Research has shown that most amateurs get more distance from hitting a higher lofted 4-wood that a traditional 15 degree 3-wood. It is also easier to hit off the fairway.

Callaway X2 Hot 4-wood

Hybrid: Wilson Staff Fybrid. 19.5 degrees. A cross between a fairway wood and hybrid, Wilson's research has shown that the Fybrid's loft and length (41-in.) makes it easier to hit from the fairway that a traditional 2-iron, 3-iron, or 7-wood.

Wilson Staff Fybrid

Irons: Wilson Staff Ci7s, 4-iron through Gap Wedge. These irons were also introduced in 2008 and have mostly been in bag since 2010. A cavity-back iron, they give me better control, but also the distance I need. I may swap out the 4-iron for a Wilson Staff 4-hybrid.

Wilson Staff Ci7s

Wedges: Solus 4.1, 53 degrees and Solus 420, 56 degrees. These wedges have a cavity-back design, allowing for better forgiveness and helping to get the ball in the air. The crescent cut on the sole of the club allows you to open the clubface to hit from a variety of conditions. These are the best wedges I have ever played.

Solus 4.1 Wedge

Putter: Odyssey XG #9, 34-in., with a WinnPro X 1.32 over-sized grip. The putter is a toe-weighted, heel-shafted, flanged blade with a soft white insert.

Odyssey XG #9 Putter

I hope this arsenal, which includes 10 Wilson Staff clubs, will continue to produce the consistent golf I've played over the past few weeks. In any case, I plan to stick with Wilson Staff for the forseeable future.

Beginning of a Streak?

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 40/44 = 84
Date: August 8, 2015

After finally snapping my run of awful golf the previous Saturday at The Fairways Golf Club, I decided I should return there this past Saturday to see if I juts had a lucky round or if my golf game was beginning to show signs of life. I only made one slight change to the clubs I had carried the previous round, swapping out my Adams Tight Lies fairway wood for a Callaway X2 Hot 4-wood. The weather was absolutely gorgeous--upper 80s with a slight breeze--as I prepared to tee off late in the afternoon.

The Fairways Scorecard

Hitting my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver off the first tee, I found the right side of the fairway and had only an 8-iron into the hole. Although I just missed the green to the left, I was able to two-putt for an opening par, just like I had the previous round! Because I had been hooking a lot of my shots with the driver, I had decided to put some lead tape on the toe of the club to see if that might help the problem and seemed to be effective at the First Hole. At the Second Hole, I over-hit my driver and hit a low fade that missed the fairway badly to the right. However I managed to recover, but a miss-hit chip led to a double-bogey. Another par at the short Par 3 Third Hole was followed by a bogey at the Par 3 Fourth Hole. Standing on the tee at the long, 372-yard Par 4 Fifth Hole, I was tempted to hit the 4-wood after the driver produced the slice at the Second. But I told myself to have confidence, so I pulled the driver and striped a beautiful shot right down the fairway. Even though I made a 6 on teh hole, I was proud at how I had performed off the tee. A three-putt bogey followed a poor tee shot at the Sixth Hole, and another three-putt led to a double-bogey at the Seventh. But I redeemed myself at the 355-yard Eighth Hole. Seeing the tees had been moved up 10 yards, I hit 4-wood off the tee and found the center of the fairway. I had an 8-iron into the green, which you cannot see from the fairway. I hit it to eight feet and sunk the putt for a birdie! Another three-putt bogey at the Ninth Hole gave me a 40 for the opening nine holes, one stroke lower than the previous week.

Some lead tape on the toe has helped my driving

Although I was playing well from tee-to-green, my putting was not as consistent as it had been recently. I was missing too many short putts. I could easily have shot a 38 or 39 on the front nine if I could had made a couple of short putts. This would continue on the back nine. In addition, I took two shots to escape bunkers on three different holes. But I was hitting it much better off the tee, especially with my driver. For the round, I hit 9 of 11 fairways off the tee; probably my best effort of the year. I basically played bogey golf on the back nine, except for two holes--Fifteen and Seventeen--where my bunker play did me in. I shot 44 on the back--four strokes better than the previous week--and 84 for the round. That was five shots lower than the 89 I had shot previously.

A Wilson Staff Fybrid will soon audition in my golf bag

Based on my last two rounds at The Fairways, it feels like my game is rebounding from the horrible six-weeks stretch I had earlier in June and July. I hit the driver much better and my iron shots much crisper. It is easier to play this game from the short grass of the fairway than the long rough off it. Although I will not get a chance to practice this week, my confidence level is up and I am looking forward to teeing it up this coming weekend.

Finally! At The Fairways

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 41/48 = 89
Date: August 1, 2015

It has been six long weeks of frustration. Poor tee shots, fat iron shots, chunked or skulled chips and inconsistent putting. Six weeks in which I manged only 11 pars in 90 holes played. In which I lost nearly two dozen golfs. But that all ended Saturday at The Fairways Golf Club. In shooting an 89, I played my best round since shooting an 86 at The Fairways on June 19. It was only the fourth time I managed to break 100 in the 10 rounds I've played year.

The Fairways Scorecard

The turnaround began earlier in the week, when I decided to go back to the Wilson Staff Smooth Driver that I had played most of last year. I also returned to my Wilson Staff Ci7 irons. I kept the Adams Tight Lies 4-wood that I been carrying, as well as the Solus wedges and Odyssey XG9 putter. I rounded out my bag by adding my 20-degree Elevon Tour 3 hybrid back in the bag, along the Ci7 4-iron in place of the Alpha Rx 4 hybrid.

Wilson Staff Smooth Driver is back in the back

Armed with the new configuration of 14 clubs in my bag, I hit the first tee at The Fairways. My opening drive naturally went a bit left, but from the rough, I managed to hit a low short iron shot that rolled to the back of the green. I two-putted and had a par at the First Hole! Was this just an aberration or a sign of things to some? I quickly found out at the Second Hole. I again hot my tee shot into the left rough, but my 7-iron approach shot found the green. Although I three-putted for a bogey, I had played well two holes in a row. Even though I went bogey and double-bogey over the next two holes, I was playing more consistently. At the Fifth Hole, 372-yard par 4, I hit the fairway off the tee, found the green with my approach, and two-putted for another par! My tee shot at the Sixth Hole was pushed to the right and came up just short of the creek that crosses the course. That shot would have found water in the past few weeks, but it stayed dry, although I did make a double-bogey 6 when I three-putted. I made three consecutive bogeys from there, but finished the front nine in 41. It is one of the lowest nine hole scores I've shot this year.

The Fifth Hole where I made par

The back nine was not quite as clean as the opening nine holes, but I still played better golf. I made a par at the 139-yard Twelfth Hole after just missing a 15-foot putt for birdie. I also made three straight double bogeys at holes 14-16, and an 8 at the 374-yard par 4 Seventeenth Hole when I took three shots to get out of the right bunker. But I recovered at the Eighteenth to make a nice 5 after hooking my tee shot left. The back nine 48 wasn't great, but it was much better than the way I had been playing.

I just missed a birdie at the Twelfth Hole

Overall, I hit it better off the tee on Saturday, and on those occasions when I didn't, I didn't compound my error by making three or four bad shots in row afterwards. Except for a few instances, I hit my irons much better, as well as my chips and pitches around the green. And my putting was consistent. I will take a lot of confidence from this round and I look forward to continuing the improvement during my next round this coming weekend.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

A Change for (Hopefully) the Better

There is a saying in golf that goes, "It's not the arrows, it's the Indian." That means that it's not the golf clubs' fault when a golfer is playing poorly, it the fault of the player, himself. And while much of that rings true during this slump I am experiencing, I still feel it's time to shake up my golf bag and the mix of clubs I carry.

TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver

So over the six days, I have examined the clubs in my golf bag and made a few changes. Some clubs have remained, while the majority have been replaced--at least for now. So here is new composition of the 14 clubs currently in my golf bag:
Driver: I am sticking with the TaylorMade Aero Burner that has been in my bag since the end of May. Even though I have wildly inconsistent with it--even shortening by a half-inch to gain better control--I feel confident that will soon begin to yield better results for me off the tee.

4-Wood: I have upgraded the Adams Redline RPM 4-Wood that was in my bag with a newer Adams Tight Lies 4-Wood I purchased at Golf Galaxy last Saturday. The Tight Lies is one

Adams Tight Lies

degree stronger, but both are the same length. I used it in my round last Saturday at The Fairways Golf Club and was impressed with the results. I expect to be as good off the turf as it is off the tee.

Hybrids: I have replaced my steel-shafted 3- and 4-hybrids with new TaylorMade Jetspeed hybrids. I purchased the new hybrids last night from Golf Galaxy, which had them on sale for about 40 percent of their original retail price. Combined with an e-mail coupon that I received and I got them for practically cost. These new Jetspeed hybrids have a Matrix graphite shaft and match my old hybrids almost exactly, except the new 3-hybrid is one

TaylorMade Jetspeed Hybrid

degree stronger. It will play as a 5-Wood/2-iron in my bag, while the 4-

hybrid replaces my 4-iron.

Irons: I have replaced my Wilson Staff Ci7 irons, 5-through Gap Wedge, with an old set of TaylorMade 200 irons, also 5 through Gap Wedge. The 200s, which came out around 2002, are a cavity back iron that looks and feels more like a blade iron. I have had very good success with them in the past and I hope they will instill some needed success in my current game.

Wedges: I am sticking with the Solus 53- and 56-degree gap and

TaylorMade 200 Irons

sand wedges that have been the bag for several years. These wedges are the best I have ever played. They are extremely versatile and I like the fact that they are more of a cavity back than a blade, which helps with forgiveness.

Putter: I have played a great deal with a Snake Eyes MCS2 putter through most of this year, but I have been horrible on short putts all

Odyssey XG9 Putter

year long. My last two rounds, however, I have played with an Odyssey XG9 putter and I have been much better on both my long and
short putts. It has a WinnPro X over-sized grip, which has helped my with my feel. This putter is staying in the bag.

So there you have it. Only four of the 14 clubs in my bag last week have survived. Ten new clubs have entered the bag and will comprise my arsenal when I tee up this weekend and the forseebale future. I will keep you apprised of now they work out.

A Slow Byrne

John F. Byrne Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa.
Yards: 2273/2658 - 4931
Par: 33/34 - 67
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 116
Score: 50/52 = 102
Date: July 5, 2015

Hoping to change the declining fortunes of my golf game, I played a round at one the Philadelphia-owned courses, John F. Byrne Golf Club in the Northeast. Originally built as Holmesburg Country Club, Byrne winds through a valley with the Torresdale creek coming into play on no less than ten holes, including the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth.

John F. Byrne Scorecard

Hoping to switch up my luck, I put an old 3-wood (TaylorMade Burner), my Callaway X-Hot 7-wood, Wilson Staff RS 4-Hybrid and Odyssey XG #9 putter into the bag. Unfortunately, other than my putting, which improved greatly from my previous rounds, nothing much changed in my game.

The tee shot at the First Hole

Although I pulled my opening tee shot left, I still had a shot at the green, but came up short on my approach and made double bogey. I redeemed myself at the Par 3 Second Hole, where I missed the green right, but chipped on and two-putted for a 4. At the Par 4 Fourth Hole, where you have hit your tee shot over the creek through an opening in the treeline, I managed to find the green in two, but missed short putt--one the few short putts I missed during the round--and made a 5. Unfortunately, that was sandwiched by a 7 and 6 on two of the easiest Par 4s on the course: the Third and Fifth Holes. I made bogeys and the Par 3 Sixth and Eight Holes and double bogeyed the easy 242-yard Par 4 Seventh Hole, before making a disastrous 8 at the Ninth Hole. It added up to a Front Nine 50.

The tight drive at the Fourth Hole

Again, my tee shots were a major cause of my poor play. I hit several tee shots off the heel of the club, putting in a poor position. My second shots were often not much better and my chipping was tentative at best. No excuses, but we had an extremely slow three-some in front of me and my playing partner, 84-year-old Bob, who more than held his own off the tee. The threesome became a five-some at the Tenth Hole, and the prospects for a quicker Back Nine looked grim.

The tee shot at the Tenth Hole

After finding the fairway with my 3-wood off the Tenth, I made a 5, At the Eleventh, the five-some mercifully allowed Bob and I to play through. I made a double bogey after coming up short on the uphill Par 3, then took two shots to chip on. At the Par 5 Twelfth Hole, I began a three-hole stretch that started to give me some hope. I hit driver off the tee and found the left side of the fairway, just in the rough. But my 7-wood went right and hit a tree. I punched out to just inside 100 yards, then wedged on and two-putted for a good bogey 6. I made my only par of the day at the very short, 89-yard Thirteenth (lucky for me) by hitting into the middle of the green and two-putting. At the long, 219-yard Par 3 Fourteenth Hole, I hit my tee shot right of the green, in the Twelfth fairway. I pitched on and two-putted for a 4 on a fairly difficult hole. It was the last decent hole I played. It took my 29 shots to play the last four holes. My legs were gone in the humid weather and I limped in with a Back Nine 52 and disappointing total of 102.

The Par 3 Eleventh Hole

As I stated earlier, my putting was much improved using the Odyssey XG #9. I missed only one short putt, which has been my achilles so far this season. Those missed short putts have turned numerous pars into bogeys, bogeys into double bogeys and even doubles into triples. But that wasn't the case at Byrne. I am however, really struggling off the tee, whether it be the driver, fairway wood, hybrid or iron, but especially with the driver. After the round, I removed some lead tape I had put on the bottom of my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver and I hope that might help with the problem. I also think I need to use the driver less off the tee in favor of my Adams Golf 4-wood--which is now back in the bag--until I get more consistent. Perhaps a session at the practice range is in order.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Fall Golf in the Valley

Neshaminy Valley Golf Club
Jamison, Pa.
Yards: 3338/2676 - 6014
Par: 36/34 - 70
Rating: 68.7, Slope: 118
Score: 45/48 = 93
Date: September 15, 2012


The calendar has passed Labor Day and there's no better time to play golf than in the fall. Granted, the leaves can be a pain, hindering searches for golf balls that land off the fairway  and creating obstacles on the putting surface. And there are the putting surfaces themselves, which are generally recovering from being aerated. But cool weather makes for ideal conditions and the courses tend to be less crowded on the weekends, meaning faster rounds, as the casual golfer turns his attention to football. Saturday I teed it up at Neshaminy Valley Golf Club in Buck County. It was a gorgeous day and stiff breeze blew through the course under blue skies. I haven't played Neshaminy Valley in over year, since posting an 87 last August.

 Neshaminy Valley Front Nine

My round was pretty unusual. I drove the ball on the Par 4s and 5s, but was awful off the tee on the Par 3s. I played the three Par 5s in one-under, making a par at the Second and Ninth Holes, and a birdie at the Fourteenth. I parred two of the Par 4s. But on the Par 3s, the best I could do was a bogey at the long, 219-yard Sixth Hole. The rest of the Par 3s were either double or triple-bogeys. Again, my short game was the main culprit and is definitely an area I need to work on to improve my game. But despite my troubles with the Par 3s, I was only 6 shorts higher than my 87 last year.

Neshaminy Valley Back Nine

This round also continued my year-long trend of shooting higher on the back nine than the front nine. This the 11th time it has happened in 16 rounds this year. At the end of the season, I need to sit down and evaluate the reasons. In past years, I have usually scored better on the back nine than the front. It is either mental, where I begin to think about my final score, or physical where I am tiring over the second nine holes. I am leaning more towards the former than the latter.

 Par 5 Second Hole

On an equipment note, I had a new Cleveland Launcher 17-degree fairway wood in my bag. It replaced the 17-degree Adams 4-wood that had been in my bag. I had received a $20 gift certificate from Dicks Sporting Goods, and the club was already on sale, so it was a deal I couldn't pass up. Although I only used it a few times off the tee at Neshaminy Valley, I hit it pretty well with really good distance. The real test will be hitting it off the fairway.

Back 9 Breakout at The Fairways

The Fairways Golf & Country Club
Warrington, Pa
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 44/39 = 83
Date: July 23, 2012

After recently lamenting my plight on the back nine during my rounds this season, I finally managed to get over the mental hurdle and put together a solid round of golf. Sunday I teed it up at The Fairways. Iguess everyone had the same idea as me: watch the final round of The British Open, then head to the golf course and play. The course was unusually crowded for so late on a Sunday afternoon, bu the started teamed me up with Phil and Brown, which turned out to be a very enjoyable pairing. I re-did the makeup of my golf bag, putting the Wilson Staff Smooth Driver, Adams Redline RPM 4-wood, Wilson Staff ci7 irons (4-GW) and Snake Eyes MCS-2 putter back in play.

 The Fairways Scorecard

The new bag set-up immediately paid dividends and gave and early indication of how the round might unfold on the First Hole. I crushed my drive up the right side, leaving me just an 8-iron over the pond into the green. Although I three-putted (missing an easy tap-in for par), I felt really good about the opening hole. I pushed my tee shot right at the Second Hole, but found the green and made the first par of the day. I followed that up with a two-putt par at the Third Hole. I then hit the only real bad patch of the day. I over-cooked my tee shot left of the green at the Par 3 Fourth Hole and failed to get up and down for a double bogey. At the Fifth Hole, I REALY, REALLY messed up. I topped my drive, then pushed my lay-up 6-iron right and off a tree. I tried to punch a 4-iron under the tree and over the creek at the end of the fairway, but shanked it into another tree. Another attempt at a punch shot ended up in the narrow creek, but on a small strip of grass. Pulling a Jean Van de Velde, I tried to hit it out of the creek, but to no avail. After taking a drop behind the creek and hitting over the green, I chipped on and two-putted for a 10! But I bounced right back at the Sixth Hole, with a 4-iron lay-up off the tee and a pitching wedge onto the green, where I made my putt for birdie. I bogeyed the Seventh, Eight and Ninth Holes for a 44 on the front nine. I was extremely happy with my score, especially after the 10 at number Five. But how would I hold up on the back? I had shot a 43 on the front my last round at The Fairways, but recent history has not proved fruitful.

 The Sixth Hole

I opened the back nine with a good 4-wood off the tee that left me in the middle of the fairway, less than 50 yards from the green. But my half wedge came up short on the front of the green and I tree-putted from there. Was this the beginning of the usual? It didn't get any better at the Eleventh, when from the middle of the fairway (a place I rarely find myself on this hole), I chunked an 8-iron that went right and out-of-bounds! I swear there is a ball magnet over there because I always wind up hitting it out-of-bounds right. I took my drop, then hit a poor pitch with my fourth shot, but then chipped to tap-in range for double bogey. But instead of continuing my slide to the back nine abyss, I found my righted myself. I made a two-putt par at the 139-yard Twelfth Hole and a bogey after hooking my 4-wood left at the Thirteenth. My tee shot found the sand at the 134-yard Fourteenth Hole, but a good out and a two-putt left me with bogey. I found the green at the 123-yard Fifteenth Hole and sank the 10-foot downhill putt for my second birdie of the round! I pushed my tee shot right at the 323-yard Sixteenth Hole, but I hit a branch and my ball ricocheted into the fairway, 170 yards from the green. My 5-iron found the bunker right of the green, but I escaped and two-putted for bogey. Another crushed drive at the Seventeenth Hole left me 155-yards to the green, but I toed my approach shot and came up just short. I putted from the front fringe with my hybrid and made another bogey. My drive at the Eighteenth split the fairway and left me a wedge into the green, where I finished off my round with a solid par. That gave me a 39 on the back nine and an 83 for the round. It's the first time I've managed to break 90 this season. My two birdies and four pars helped offset the horrible 10 I posted early in my round.

 The Fifteenth Hole

Despite the 10, I felt I played the best round of the year so far. I drove the ball the best I have this season. My approach shots were solid and I gave myself chances to score. I will take a lot of confidence from this round moving forward. I also think my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver performed the best it has this year because it was jealous of being out the bag. I hope it demonstrates that it wants to remain there the rest of the season.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

A Long Afternoon at FDR

Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2865/2855 - 5720
Par: 35/34 - 69
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 105
Score: 49/54 = 103
Date: June 16, 2012


Saturday I continued by tour of Philadelphia's muni golf courses by playing a round at Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club in South Philadelphia. Located across the street from Philadelphia's sports complex, FDR was  built as WPA project during the Great Depression, the course opened in 1940 and is affectionately know as "The Lakes" to many native South Philadelphians. The course is managed by Billy Casper Golf for the Fairmount Park Commission. While the course shows improve from the last few times I played there, I think charging $29 to walk at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon is a little high. The course does ofter a unique layout and is a challenge to play, but the tee boxes were well chewed up to the point that finding a good spot can be a challenge. The greens are in very good condition and the rough is thick if you miss a fairway or green.

 FDR Scorecard

As for my round, it was a step back from last Monday's round a John F. Byrne Golf Club. Getting off the tee continues to be a problem, particularly with the driver. I repeatedly put myself into trouble off the tee, which makes scoring difficult. And even when I did hit a good tee shot, I was unable to take advantage of it. The only hole I played well was the 403-yard Par 4 Ninth Hole, where I crushed my driver off the tee and actually found a fairway. I then hit a 5-iron from 165 yards that hopped onto the green, where I made a 25-foot putt for birdie. But I only managed two other pars the rest of the round. I shot 54 on the back nine, which included three triple bogeys and a quadruple bogey. It was a long and disappointing round.

Par 4 Ninth Hole

The only part of my game that has been consistent so far has been my putting. I put a Winn jumbo-sized pistol grip on my Snake Eyes putter at the beginning of the season and it has helped my feel and speed. During Saturday's round I had one-putts on at least seven of the greens. I also added an Adams Golf Speedline Fast 12 3-wood to my bag before the round. I bought the club on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods using a gift card I received for my birthday. The club is long off the tee and I think I need to start using more off the tee in place of my driver until I can get things figured out.

Adams Speedline Fast 12 3-wood

Bringing it Back at Byrne

John F. Byrne Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2273/2658 - 4931
Par: 33/34 - 67
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 116
Score: 44/50= 94
Date: June 11, 2012

Feeling some consistency developing in my swing during my last round at Juniata Golf Club, I teed it up Monday for a round at John F. Byrne Golf Club. Formerly Holmesburg Country Club, the course was designed by Alex Findlay, and sits in a valley formed by the Torresdale Creek. The creek comes into play on no less than eight holes as it meanders through the course. The course is one of the three golf courses owned by the City of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park Commission, but managed by Billy Casper Golf. I played my round with three students from Father Judge High School, including Steve, a member of the school's golf team who played all 18 holes with me.

My round got off to a rather typical start with my tee shot being blocked out to the right of the first fairway. This led to a double bogey 6 after I hit my third shot from one bunker across the green into another. At the Second Hole, I again blocked my tee shot way right, but managed to escape with a bogey. I hit a 5-wood off the third tee and two-putted for a par at the short 254-yard Par 4. Then came my nightmare hole, the 293-yard Par 4 Fourth Hole in which you must hit your tee shot over the creek through a narrow opening in the tree line. I accomplished this and lipped out a 20-foot birdie putt, but made my second par. I was feeling really good about my swing, even though I wasn't hitting the best off the tee. However, my short game and putting were working. I two-putted for bogey after missing the green left at the Fifth Hole, but then hit my tee shot long and left at the 142-yard Par 3 Sixth Hole. This led to a double bogey. I made another par at the short Par 4 Seventh Hole and a bogey at the 162-yard Par 3 Eighth Hole, which plays longer since it plays uphill. Another pushed tee shot at the Ninth Hole caused me problems and led to an 8 at the uphill 376-yard Par 4. Even with the 8 I scored a very good 44 on the front nine, with three pars.

 The Fourth Hole

The back started with another missed fairway left, but I managed to scramble for a bogey. I hit my tee shot at the uphill Par 3 Eleventh Hole to about 20 feet, but lipped out my second birdie attempt of the round. I again went left at the Par 5 Twelfth Hole and made another bogey, before my third birdie putt of the round lipped out at the short Par 3 Thirteenth. I double bogeyed the next two holes--both Par 3--after poor tee shots. I thing at this point, fatigue was beginning to set in because I wasn't staying down and through the ball on my shots. I made a 10 at the 495-yard Par 5 Sixteenth as I repeatedly topped the ball while trying to lay up after missing yet another fairway. I then hit my tee shot at the Seventeenth Hole off the heel of my 4-wood and hacked my way up the fairway for a 7. I hit my best drive of the day at the 338-yard Par 4 Eighteenth, which played over the creek then straight uphill. But I pulled my second shot wide of the green and made a double bogey. My back nine was a 50 after taking 23 strokes on the last three holes.

 The Eighteenth Green

My round of 94 was only one stroke higher than the 93 I posted at Byrne nearly a year ago. This isn't too bad since the course has been lengthened by nearly 50 yards since then. While I'm still not hitting it off the tee as consistently as I'd like, I was hitting my irons and wedges much better this round. So I feel the game is coming along. I did make a slight change in my equipment for the round, exchanged my Callway Warbird 3- and 5-woods for an Adams Redline RPM 4-wood and Fast 10 5-wood. As for John F. Byrne, I payed $29 to walk on a Monday. The course is in decent, playable shape shape. There are spots , particularly in the rough, where you will get lies that will penalize you. But overall, Byrne is worth a visit.

Muni Golfer's Darrell Survey

At every PGA, LPGA, Champions, Nationwide and Japanese PGA Tour event, I representative of the Darrell Survey stands on the 1st and 10th tees during the tournaments first round and records the equipment being used by each golfer in the field. This information is then compiled into a weekly and yearly report that is sent to subscribing golf equipment companies. The companies use this information to monitor that their staff players are adhering to their contracts, as well as using the information in print and broadcast advertising. So when TaylorMade claims it is the #1 Driver on the PGA Tour or Titleist says it is the #1 one ball in golf, it is thanks to the data collected by the Darrell Survey.

While no one from the Darrell Survey has ever looked in my bag before I started a round of golf, I do keep a record of the equipment I use during every round I play each year. So here then is my version of what the Darrell Survey's year end report would have contained for the Muni Golfer for the 2011 season. In the 13 rounds I played last year, I used one driver, seven fairway woods, 3 hybrids, one 4-iron, two sets of irons (5-GW), three wedges, four putters, seven golf balls and three golf gloves.

Here's a breakdown:

Drivers:
Wilson Staff Smooth

 Fairway Woods:
Adams Redline RPM 4-wood, Sonartec SS-07 4-wood, TaylorMade Burner 3-wood, TaylorMade Burner 5-wood, Adams Fast 10 3-wood, Adams Fast 10 5-wood, Golfsmith XPC Plus 4-wood

Hybrids:
Tommy Armour 845, TaylorMade Raylor

4-iron:
TaylorMade r7 CGB

Irons (5-GW):
TaylorMade Burner, Wilson Staff Ci-7s

Wedges:
Solus 53-degree, Solus 56-degree, Solus 59-degree

Putters:
Odyssey White Hot XG #9, Odyssey White Hot Tour #9, Odyssey White Hot Rossie, Snake Eyes MCS-2

Golf Balls:
Maxfli Revolution, Maxfli Fire, Wilson Staff Zip, Titleist Prototype #1, Titleist Prototype #2, Titleist NXT, Titleist DT SoLo

Golf Gloves:
adidas Exert, FootJoy Sta-Soft, FootJoy SciFlex

Back in The Fairways Again

The Fairways Golf & Country Club
Warrington, Pa
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 45/44 = 89
Date: August 7, 2011

My intention on Sunday was to test my game at Bensalem Township Country Club, but a change in plans with Mrs Muni Golfer had me teeing it up again at The Fairways Golf & Country Club. It was hot and very muggy when we teed off and it wasn't long before sweat was dripping from the bill of my golf cap. Since it had been three weeks since I last played, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was hoping to at lease duplicate my last round, which also happened to be at The Fairways.

 The Fairways Scorecard

The two new Adams Fast 10 fairway woods were in the bag and I was anxious to see how they did on the course. I struggled at first with the 3-Wood off the tee, but the 5-Wood did just fine. On the front nine, I had a tendency to top the ball which caused me some problems, but I made pars at the Second and Ninth holes for a 45.

 The Fifth Hole

The back nine started off really well, with a 5-Wood off the tee which found the bunker on the right side of the Tenth Hole, about 25 yards from the green. I wedged out to eight feet and made the putt for my fourth birdie of the year. But I quickly crashed back to earth by hitting two tree and four-putting for an 8 at the Eleventh. I recovered with a par at the Par 3 Twelfth, but at the Par 3 Fourteenth I found the bunker on the right of the green, took two shots to get out, chipped on and two-putted for a triple bogey. I made par at the next two holes, but made double bogeys at the Seventeenth and Eighteenth holes after hitting two of my best drives of the day.

 The Eighteenth Hole from the tee

Given the three week layoff, my game wasn't as bad as I feared in might be. Generally I hit good shot, except for the occasional topped of heavy shot. I was a bit tentative with my chipping and pitching, but my putting continues to improve.

No Beating the Heat

With the East Coast in the grips of a killer heat wave, I decided to rest my game this weekend. The thoughts of last weekend's final few holes at The Fairways and how I felt afterwards from the 90+ temperatures were enough to confirm that skipping golf this weekend wasn't such a bad thing. I did, however, pick up two new pieces for my arsenal--an Adams Golf Speedline Fast 10 3- and 5-Wood. They will replace the TaylorMade Burners that I had been previously carrying. I picked them up on sale at a Dicks Sporting Goods near Easton, Pa., while visiting family this weekend.

 The 3-Wood has an 15-degrees of loft and an Aldila Wasabi graphite shaft, while the 5-Wood is 18-degrees with a Grafalloy High Launch graphite shaft. As you may know, Adams Golf first made its name with its Tight Lies Fairway woods in the 1990s, which revolutionized fairways woods through its low center of gravity and upside-down head design. Adams has gone on to become a leader in hybrids and is very popular among players on the Champions Tour, including Tom Watson. I've ready really good reviews of the Speedline Fast 10 and I can't wait to get them on the practice range to get better acquainted