Blowin' in the Wind

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 44/46 = 90
Date: October 21, 2018

Indian summer has finally given way to more traditional autumn-like weather. Temperatures barely reached 50 degrees when I teed off with my cousin on Sunday morning at Fairways Golf Club. But steady winds gusting at 35-40 miles-per-hour across the course made it feel much colder. It also made playing a challenge as club selection became a guessing game, while trying to play with or against the strong gales.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

I enjoy the challenge of playing golf in adverse conditions, whether is be windy or rain. On a day like this, my strategy is to play conservatively and accept bogey as a good score. A bogey is becomes a par and a par is often becomes the equivalent of a birdie. Thus, the par 65 for the course is thought of as a par 83.

The strong winds had the pins bent like this one
at Juniata a few years ago

On the front nine, my strategy worked through the first five holes, with one par at the 109-yard par 3 Third Hole and four bogeys. On the Next four holes, I again made a par at the 168-yard Par 3 Seventh and just lipped out a par putt at the 133-yard par 3 Ninth. But the 284-yard par 4 Sixth and 365-yard Eighth holes both caused me problems. I made a 7 at the Sixth when I failed to get out of a bunker and made a triple-bogey and an 8 at the Eighth when I hit a tree with my second shot. This left me with a 44 for the opening nine holes.

Wilson Staff Di11 Iron

On the back nine, I started with a par at the short 248-yard Tenth Hole, then bogeyed the next two holes. A double bogey at the Thirteenth Hole--I fatted a chip on my third shot--was followed by three more bogeys. Bad drives and poor putting the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Holes saw me finish out my round with a quadruple bogey and a double bogey for a 46 on the back nine and a total of 90 for the 18 holes.

Except for the 7 and two 8s that I posted, I was happy with the way I played in the windy conditions. I also had two new irons in bag: Wilson Staff Di11 5- and 6-irons, which replaced the Ci&s I had been carrying. These irons are designed for more distance and they delivered when I hit them during my round.

Making Up For A Lost Weekend

Practice Range
Bensalem Township Country Club
200 Brown Ave.
Bensalem, PA
215/639-5556

Due to reasons both seen and unforeseen, last weekend was a total loss for playing golf. My golf on Saturday and Sunday was limited to watching the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour and the European Tour from my recliner. Knowing that this coming Labor Day weekend will also be busy and exclude any chance of making onto the links, I decided to hit the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club tonight to try as best I can to keep my swing in a groove.

The practice range at Bensalem

Armed with a small bucket of balls, I warmed up with my Orange Whip, then hit 10 wedges to loosen up. Then, as I did in my last practice session, I used a method called random practice where you try to simulate playing actual golf bu not hitting the same club twice in a row and hitting at different targets across the range. In hitting the 34 balls that were left after the 10 warm-up wedges, I hit A Driver, 4-Wood, Fybrid or iron off the tee, then a fairway wood, hybrid or iron off the mat. I would also practice chipping and pitching to certain targets.

A four-legged gallery watched practice in the twilight

My swing wasn't too bad tonight, and overall, I was pretty pleased with how I did. I am hoping to get back on the course shortly after Labor Day as I prepare to take my game into the fall.

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.

Missing Links

It's been three weeks since I last made to the golf course for a round. A lingering cold, along with some bad weather, has managed to keep me from teeing it up. I was hoping to play at least nine holes this past Thursday during a mid-week getaway to the Poconos, but the course where we stayed has already been shut down for the season. I thought today might have been a possibility, but my cold has returned and the weather was too damp and misty to risk making my cold worse. Maybe Sunday will bring better weather. I think we'll still have enough good weather to play a few more rounds before winter really hits the East Coast, so I need to take advantage of the opportunities while I still can.

Playing Like a Fox at Juniata

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 43/43 = 86
Date: October 25, 2009

A break from the rain last Sunday allowed me to get in a round at Juniata Golf Club. It was a beautiful fall day, with sunny skies and temps in the low 60s. For so late in the season the course is in terrific shape. I made one change to my bag since my last round at Island Green two weeks earlier, replacing my Tommy Armour 845 Stripe Driver with a TaylorMade 360XD. Because of a small outing I had to begin my round on the back nine. At the 10th Tee, I paired up with Sam, an older Asian gentleman whom I have played with in the past at Juniata. Sam is a friendly sort and I have enjoyed my past experiences playing with him, so I felt good about my pairing.

Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

I played steady on my first nine. Nothing spectacular, but I was going along nicely. I was the ball solidly, except for my driver. I was playing mostly bogey golf through the first seven holes, but I lost my driver on my eight hole (the Par 4 Seventeenth) and was forced to take a drop on the other side of the Tookany/Frankford Creek. This led to a triple-bogey seven and after three-putting the Eighteenth Green (my ninth hole) after getting out of the wet sand in the bunker to the left of the green, I had a 43 on the easier of the two nines.

The Fourth Hole, a 390-yard Par 4

I went to the First Hole to play my back nine and felt if I could continue to play steady, I could post a decent score. I parred the First Hole (my tenth) and continued playing bogey golf through the next four holes. I still wasn't hitting the driver the way I would have liked and that finally caught up with me at the Sixth Hole (my fifteenth). After hitting a low short duck hook that forced me to chip out, I chunked my third shot, but still managed to get on the green with my fourht shot. A three-putt left me with a seven. I went to the next tee detremined NOT to let that hole carry over to the next few holes and spoil my round. This was accomplished when I striped my hybrid down the middle of the Seventh Fairway. Although I bogeyed the hole, I made a nice par at the Eighth (my seventeenth). I decided to hit three wood off the tee at my last hole and made a bogey five for another 43 and a total of 86 for my round.

The Fifth Hole, a 370-yard Par 4

Although I didn't hit my driver particularly well--I'm probably going back to my TaylorMade Tour Burner--I was pretty happy in the way I played overall. I had par putts on 12 of the 18 holes during my round, and even though I only made three pars, you can't ask for much more than that. As I had hoped after playing some really bad golf in Delaware during Labor Day, I have found some consistency during the fall. There is still plenty of golf to be played before the season is over and I hope to continue to build upon this steadiness and carry it forward into 2010.

Juniata's resident red fox

One little side note on my round Sunday. On the Eleventh Fairway, a red fox that has taken residence on the course made an appearance before running back into the woods. This is the second time this year, on two different courses in two different locations, that I have spotted a red fox while playing. The other time was July 3rd at Green Pond in Bethlehem, Pa.

The fox makes his escape into the woods

Photos by The Muni Golfer

At Least It Isn't Snow

The past two weeks have seen the Delaware Valley bombarded with rain showers which has made golfing difficult. Last weekend it was a nor'easter that brought rain and very cold temperatures bother Saturday and Sunday. Today, I was scheduled to play a round at Horsham Valley Golf Club in Ambler, Pa. The temperature was more like last summer, reaching a high of 72 degrees, but off-and-on rain since Friday night caused a cancellation of today's round. The weather forecast calls for clear skies tomorrow and I'm hoping to hit the links at either Juniata Golf Club or John F. Byrne Golf Club.

Fall on the Island

Island Green Country Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 3200/3055 - 6255
Par: 36/36 - 72
Rating: 69.5, Slope: 120
Score: 47/49 = 96
Date: October 11, 2009

Last Sunday I decided to skip watching the Philadelphia Eagles and take advantage of the beautiful fall weather with a round at Island Green Country Club. Built on the site of the old Budd Company plant off red Lion Road in Northeast Philly, Island Green opened in 2001 as Philadelphia's newest public golf course. The course is fairly wide open, and has always been in very good condition when I've played there in the past. This visit marked the first time I had teed it up on the course in about four years. The conditions were very good, although I thought it was a bit pricey--$60 to walk at 1 p.m. on a Sunday in October. The sun was shining and temps were in the low 60s when I teed off and there was steady breeze blowing from the west. I was surprised, considering the Eagles were playing after a bye week, how many people were on the course.

Island Green Scorecard

Hoping to carry over my good play from the previous week at Juniata, I started out well at Island Green, parring the first three holes, including the 485-yard Par 5 Second Hole. I ran into some trouble at the 585-yard Par 5 Fourth Hole, which plays slightly downhill as the fairway narrows to a thin strip of green. I sliced my tee shot into the heavy rough on the right and finally had to take a drop. I reached the green in five, then three-putted for an eight. I ran into trouble again at the Seventh Hole, which was playing into the wind and has a pond on the right side. I overhooked my drive left, then trying to play a punch shot up the fairway, I hit one of the few trees on the left of the fairway, which left me with a longer third shot. I took a seven on the hole and finished the front nine in a respectable 47. I was not too disappointed with my play--except for the Fourth and Seventh Holes--and took satisfaction in the fact that I had par putts on six of the nine holes.

The opening tee shot at Island Green

The back nine at Island Green begins with a 495-yard Par 5 that doglegs right about 100 yards from the green and was playing with the wind. I hit a good drive and layed up, but hit a terrible wedge shot from 100 yards to just short of the green. I chipped on and made par. The Eleventh Hole is where the course dervives its name. A short, 305-yard Par 4, the green is an actual island. The hole plays downhill from the tee, s you want to hit your tee shot about 190-200 yards off the tee and you will have a short pitch shot to the green. I had about 120 yards to the green, but thinned my approach from a slightly downhill lie and hit it in the water and made a six. I played steady on the back, although the wind was more of a factor, and I played just enough loose shots to shoot a 49 for a total of 96. I only had three par putts on the back which was disappointing, but I finished off my round with a good bogey six at the 490-yard Par 5 Eighteenth Hole, which was playing dead into the wind.

The long Par 5 Fourth Hole

Overall, I broke 100, which is something I have achieved only one other time at Island Green. I was happy with my score and the way I played. I generally kept the ball in play off the tee and hit my irons well. My short game was consistent and, while I missed a few short putts, I putted well enough to score. This round helped me build on the confidence of my last round and I look forward to it continuing through the fall.

The Eleventh Hole is the signature hole

As for Island Green, it is a course I would highly recommend, although I would suggest waiting for the twilight rate to kick in. The course is well maintained, but play was a bit slow. They could stand to have a few marshals on the course to make sure play keeps moving. Although the course is fairly wide open, it does have its share of challenging holes. Many holes have bunkers and water can come into play if you are not careful. Island Green also has a wonderful restaurant and bar. My wife and I ate dinner there last May and you can read about it here. Try Island Green, I 'm sure you will enjoy it.

Some Additional Photos of Island Green:

The downill Par 3 Eighth Hole

The approach to the Fourteenth Green

The Seventeenth Hole

The Island Green Driving Range

Photos by The Muni Golfer

The Fall Begins at Juniata Golf Club

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 49/38 = 87
Date: October 4, 2009

With the calendar now reading October, it is time for fall golf, when the the temps are cooler and the leaves begin to litter the fairways and greens. I am hoping to use the fall to find the consistency that my game has lacked through most of the summer. Yesterday, I went looking to begin that consistency on familiar ground: Juniata Golf Club. With the weather sunny and warmer, and the Eagles on their NFL bye week, the course was a little more crowded than I expected. I had to wait nearly 20 minutes to get off the first tee, but the wait was definitely worth it when I hit my opening tee shot onto the front fight of the green. Although I three-putted the First Hole, I walked off feeling good about my start. That feeling only got better when my 7-wood split the fairway at the Second Hole, chipped on and two-putted for par. Another par at the Fourth Hole and I could feel my confidence building. Through six holes I was playing a little better than bogey golf. At the Seventh Hole, I hit my only bad stretch of the day. After hitting two balls out-of-bounds, then three-putting for a nine, I made a double bogey at the Eighth Hole and made a seven at the Ninth. Not the way I wanted to finish the front nine, but I knew the 49 on my scorecard could have--should have--been better.

Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

I started the back nine pretty much the way finished the front. I hit a solid tee shot at the Tenth Hole right of the green and chipped on, but a three-putt led to another double bogey five. I made a good five at the Eleventh Hole after a short tee shot, but made another double bogey five at the Par 3 Twelfth Hole. Staying positive and focused, my fortunes began to change at the Par 3 Thirteenth. I hit an iron onto the front right of the green and two-putted for a par. At the Fourteenth Hole, with the tees forward, I teed it up on the right side of the tee box and smashed a nice draw with my new TaylorMade Raylor 4-Hybrid that finished just in front of the green, where I chipped to two feet and made my fourth birdie of the season. At the Fifthteenth Hole, I drove a 7-iron right of the green, chipped on and two-putted for a bogey four. A wayward tee shot at the Sixteenth led to a double bogey six, but I found the fairway at the Seventeenth Hole and made a 15-foot par putt. My 5-iron at the closing hole to eight feet left of the pin and a two-putt par left me with a back nine 38 and an 87 for my round.

The Seventeenth Hole, an uphill Par 4

I walked off feeling very good about the way I played; keeping the ball in play off the tee, getting the ball around the green and making just enough putts to post a decent score. I hope to carry this momentum forward during future round this fall. Then I can build on this foundation in 2010.

Fall-ing Back to Golf at John F. Byrne

John F. Byrne Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2273/2610 - 4883
Par: 33/34 - 67
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 105
Score: 45/46 = 91
Date: October 12, 2008

After taking a few weeks off, mainly to watch the Phillies playoff drive, the Philadelphia Eagles and give my body a chance to refresh, I decided to start my fall season with a round at John F. Byrne Golf Club. Formerly Holmesburg Country Club, Byrne Golf Club was acquired by the City of Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Set in a valley that sees the Torresdale Creek wind its way through the course, the Alex Findley layout is now being managed for the City by Billy Casper Golf. The weather felt more like summer than fall, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s. I also wanted to knock some of the rust off my game as I am scheduled to play a round at Talamore Country Club, a private course in Ambler Pa., this coming Friday. This was the second round I played with my new Sun Mountain Swift golf bag and at a hilly course like Byrne, this bag really earns its reputation. After 18 holes, it still felt extremely light on my shoulders and back, even though I am carrying almost as much as I was in my Sun Mountain 3.5L bag. This bag has been a welcomed relief and if you walk the course like I do, I highly recommend this bag.

John F. Bryne Scorecard

I wasn't sure what to expect out of my swing after the layoff, and it wasn't too bad, but I was really happy with my course management. I posted three pars on both the front and back nines -- at Holes #5, 7, 8, 11, 13 and 15--two Par 4s and four Par 3s. In addition, I managed to play Byrne's two Par 5s, Holes 12 and 16, in a respectable two over par. My putting was also a bright spot, although the greens were exceptionally slow. My only real problems came at the Par 4 4th Hole, a very tight driving hole where I took a 9, and the uphill Par 4 18th Hole, where a tee shot that found the creek led to an 8.

The tight Par 4 4th Hole, which requires a precise tee
shot through a narrow opening over the creek

Overall, Byrne was in pretty good shape for this time of year. The tee boxes were a little chewed up, but respectable. The fairways were in good shape, with few bad lies, and the greens were slow, but in decent shape. Because I teed off only a few hours before the Eagles kicked off in San Francisco, the course was fairly empty. I played most of the front nine with Chris, a freshman at St. Joseph's Prep High School, who told me he had tried out for the golf team this fall, but failed to make the cut. He had a pretty good swing, but I encouraged him to work on his short game and his course management, and wished him luck when trying again next fall.

Photo by The Muni Golfer