I Hereby Resolve...

With the calendar switching from December to January, a new year is upon us. This means a time for reflection, taking stock of ourselves, and setting forth our goals for the new year. Or, as we like to say this time of year, making our New Year's Resolutions.

While many of us make resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more and give up certain vices, these are not an option for me after last year's open heart surgery. So I will be sticking to my healthier diet and going to the gym (I joined Planet Fitness at the end of December) as a result of the bypass surgery. But I have also made up a short list of golf resolutions for 2018 that I want to share with you now.

Golf Resolutions for 2018:

* Play a minimum of 20 rounds in 2018. Twenty years ago, I would play 30-plus rounds during a golf season, but that number has slowly decreased over the past two decades to where I have barely make the low teens in a given season. The last year I reached 20 rounds was in 2008. Last year,

because the surgery and rehab, I managed only three rounds. In 2018, I am aiming to once again play 20-plus rounds of golf.

* Have a minimum of 10 practice sessions during the 2018 season. These practice sessions will be focused on preparing for the season and improving during the season. I am will structure these practices for maximum benefit. Included in these practice sessions will be working on my short game and putting.

* Play at least two new courses in 2018. Last October, I played a new course, The Bucks Club, for the first time since 2015. This year, I aim to play two courses that I have never before played.

* Start my golf season no later than April. The past several years, my lack of rounds can be attributed to the fact that I don't start playing until mid to late May. This year, I aim to be prepared and on the course before the end of April.

* Maintain a focus on course management and playing all of my rounds under 100 throughout the season. By concentrating on course management, I aim to avoid the one or two holes per round that inflate scores and keep my scoring below 100 for all rounds played in 2018.

Here's to keeping my golf resolutions and having a very enjoyable 2018 on the links!

A Mountain High at Sawmill Golf Course

Sawmill Golf Course
Easton, Pa.
Yards: 2869/2411 - 5280
Par: 35/35 = 70
Rating: 64.2, Slope: 105
Score: 45/46 = 91
Date: September 26, 2009

While visiting family in the Lehigh Valley this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to again play a round of golf at Sawmill Golf Course in Easton. I had previously played Sawmill in 2007 and enjoyed the experience. Sawmill was built on an old farm over 35 years by Dick Field, who still owns the course today. Sawmill does not take tee times and although it has carts for golfers who want to use them, walking is welcomed and encouraged. The course is a medium length track that plays just over 5,000 yards; but what Sawmill lacks in length it makes up for in its unique layout. Most of the holes are straight away, with not a sand trap to be found. But since Sawmill is located in the Lehigh Valley, many of the holes play either severely uphill or downhill. Some holes do feature blind tee shots with fairways that slope left to right.

Sawmill Golf Course Scorecard

The front nine at Sawmill looks pretty tame, and it is, except for maybe the Par 3 7th Hole, which plays out of a chute of trees, slightly downhill to a large green that slopes hard from left to right. If you miss to the right, it runs down into the 8th fairway and there are a few small trees to contend with on your pitch shot.

The First Hole (above), The tight tee shot at the Seventh (below)

I played well on the first nine, shooting 45 with two pars. I was hitting the ball well off the tee and was giving myself opportunities. Witness the fact that I had par putts on five of the first nine holes. Even better, my putting was more consistent than it has been recently.

Sawmill's panoramic view (above), the Ninth Hole (below)

The back nine at Sawmill is where the golf gets really interesting. After straightway, short Par 4s at 10 and 11, the 12th Hole is a 112-yard Par 3 that drops about 150 feet from the tee to the green, which has a road running in front and a creek behind. Then comes the the unusual 13th, a 372-yard Par 5. Yes, a Par 5! A short tee shot is required to an elevated, narrow fairway framed by two overheard powerline towers on the left and telephone poles and an out-of-bounds creek on the right. You'll have about 185- to 200+ yards for a second shot, with a small spring running across the front of the green, so a lay-up short is advised. Hole 14 is a 236-yard Par 4, that plays straight uphill the last 100 yards or so. Driving this green would be almost impossible since the green sits at least 50 yards above the fairway! Hole 15 in a 321-yard Par 4 that continues the journey onward and upward, playing straight uphill to a two-tiered green. But, as they say, whatever goes up, must come down and Holes 16 and 17 both play sharply downhill, with the 16th playing out of a chute off the tee and the fairway being well-guarded by trees all the way down the left side. The round finishes at Hole 18 with with a short, flat, 135-yard Par 3, whose only difficulty is its undulating green.

The Twelfth Hole is 112 yards downhill

My back nine score of 46 wasn't bad considering I made 7s at the 13th and 15th holes when I hit my approach shot and my tee shot out-of-bounds on the two holes respectively. Other than those two holes, I kept the ball in play off the tee and was generally around the green with my approach shots. My chipping was subpar this day, but my putting again bailed me out on the back nine. I had par putts on four of the nine holes.

The tee shot at the Thirteenth Hole, a 372-yard Par 5!

The best part of Sawmill Golf Course was its price. $25 to walk on the weekends and includes as much golf as you can play, whether its 18, 27 or 36 holes. The staff was friendly and they had a nice snack bar where you can relax and relive your round. If you're ever in the Lehigh Valley and looking for an inexpensive, but fun round of golf, I highly recommend Sawmill Golf Course.

More photos of Sawmill:

The Fourteenth Hole is 236 yards, but plays uphill

The narrow, demanding tee shot at the Sixteenth Hole

Photos by The Muni Golfer

The Only Golf This Weekend Was On TV

Because I needed to get some things done around the house and to give my elbow--which has been sore most of the season--a little rest, I took the weekend off from the links. I did, however, watch the second, third and final rounds of The Open Championship; both online and on TV. I love to watch links-style golf and I was rooting hard for 59-year-old Tom Watson to win his sixth Claret Jug. This would have been one of the all-time greatest stories in the history of sports. But unfortunately, Watson bogeyed the 72nd hole at Turnberry, then lost in a four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink. What made it even cooler was on that Saturday, I had read some of Cink's "Tweets" on his Twitter page about preparing for The Open in Ireland last week. This week, I hope to go back to the practice green and work a bit more on putting as I prepare to return to the golf course next weekend.