I'm baaaaack....

Reports of my Blog's death have been greatly exaggerated. Unfortunately, I have let myself get behind on my blogging to the point where it looks as if has gone as dormant as Bermuda grass in the winter. I am now back, and I feel, re-focused on bringing The Muni Golfer back to where it was from its beginning in 2007 through 2009. Over the next week, watch for new posts and updates as I begin to kick off The Muni Golfer's 2011 season.

Book Review: The Scorecard Always Lies

I recently finished reading The Scorecard Always Lies, A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour. Written by Chris Lewis, who covers golf for Sports Illustrated, the book follows the players and events that shaped the 2006 PGA Tour season. From Phil Mickelson's triumph at The Masters to his collapse at the U.S. Open, the death of Tiger Wood's father Earl, Tiger's victories at the British Open and PGA Championship, John Daly's ongoing troubles both on and off the course, the emergence of long-hitting J.B. Holmes, and the European's crushing defeat of the U.S. at the Ryder Cup in Ireland, the year is vividly captured the compelling behind-the-scenes access of someone who regularly covers the tournaments and the people who play play them. The book is good read, entertaining read, although you will occasionally notice a few factual errors. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a golf fan.

Now on Twitter

The Muni Golfer is now also on Twitter. I'm not sure how much I'll use it, but we'll see. It should provide another way to let people know about this blog. You can find me at twitter.com/themunigolfer.

Golf Digest Editor Recalls Juniata Days

Golf Digest Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde, who grew up in the Juniata section of Northeast Philadelphia, recalls in the the days of his youth learning to play golf on the hard scrabble fairways and greens of Juniata Golf Club in the magazine's August issue.

"Par was 63 with nine 3s, nine 4s and nine bunkers -- no rakes or flagsticks. Dried sunflower stalks with empty beer cans stuck on top were placed in the holes, and there was an art to leaning the 'flagstick' on chip shots. The tees had rubber mats except for the ones that didn't, and those were hard-baked dirt that required some of us to carry an ice pick to pierce the ground so a wooden tee could stand up. The price was right: 50 cents for golf all day. I didn't go home till dark every night, and sometimes we even pulled the car lights to the putting green for another round of quarter skins," writes Tarde in his monthly Editor's Letter.

The August issue salutes municipal -- or muni -- golf, and Tarde has not forgotten his public golf course roots. He praises the renaissance that Juniata has enjoyed in recent years under the care of Bob Wheeler, who Tarde selects as #1 on his "Top 5 Heroes of Modern Public Golf."

Bob Wheeler

Tarde concludes his letter: "Thanks go to Bob Wheeler, a retired cop from the neighborhood, who put together a nonprofit foundation to run the course when a succession of management companies and the city had given up hope. Wheeler got the local unions -- carpenters, bricklayers, steamfitters and heavy-equipment operators -- to work on the course pro bono (or at least for the 10 cases of beer they go through a week). 'Great guys, heavy drinkers,' says Bob. He also talked himself into a $200,000 grant from the state. Every cent has gone into course improvements, he says. And now Juniata is among the cheapest, best golf in Philly. Golf fees for seniors, firefighters and police officers are $20; regular play is $32 weekdays and $37 weekends -- all including carts. High schools play for free. I remember those days."

Read Tarde's entire letter here.

Happy 2nd Birthday to The Muni Golfer!

Today marks two years since I began The Muni Golfer Blog. When I started this blog, it was just for something to do around my passion for golf. But it has become a part of me and my golf game. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who stops by to read The Muni Golfer, and to give a special "shout out" to those who leave me messages and words of encouragement. Thank you, and please keep checking back as I continue document my personal journey through this passion we all know and love--golf!

Goodbye Joe

Some sad news for Delaware Valley golfers; Philadelphia Inquirer golfer writer Joe Logan has taken a buyout and left the paper. Logan, who has served as the Inquirer's golf writer for the past 13 years, kept local golfers well informed about the pro tours, as well as the local golfing scene. One of my particular favorite features was Logan's golf course reviews, which I have linked on this site. Logan also had a golf blog, golf.inq, where he announced his farewell on Thursday. The Muni Golfer wants to wish Logan well and hopes "the plot" he claims to be hatching on his final blog post refers to some way in which he will continue to keep us local golfers well informed.

Big John, Big Jooooooooohn, Big Bad John

John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough is attempt by the two-time major champion to give his fans and the golfing public "the truth behind all that bull**** you think you know about me." After reading the short, 203-page book, it became clear to me that John Daly is golf's version of the Jerry Springer Show. While he is noted for the distances he hits a golfs ball and winning the 1991 PGA Championship after getting into the tournament at the last minute as the ninth alternate, he is just as well know for his drinking, his gambling, his (many) failed marriages, walking off the course and not signing his scorecard when he shoots a high number and his sometimes out-of-control anger.

"A lot of stuff has come down on my head in the last five years. My father pulled a gun on me, my mother died, my best friend since first grade walked out on me, and my wife was convicted of a felony and sent to prison. All that in five years. Sometimes I feel like a character in a bad soap opera that's stuck in replay mode. Sometimes I feel like getting in my bus and just driving away from it all. And sometimes I feel like kicking my own fat butt for feeling sorry for myself. Everybody goes through tough times. Everybody has troubles. Everybody has personal problems, family problems, relationship problems."

~ Chapter Twelve~

Daly has had enough problems for several people. And while he always tries in the book to take responsibility for his actions, he always seems to have an excuse. Like the many times he went to rehab, Daly repeatedly insists it was because other people wanted him to go, never because he realized he had a problem and needed help. Or, when he went off the wagon and drank several beers from the mini-bar in his hotel room during a tournament in Sweden. Daly called his agent to his room and told him and rationalized it by saying he was honest and not trying to hide. But he didn't ask his agent to get rid of the remaining beers and get him help.

Please don't get me wrong. I like John Daly. And Daly has a heart bigger than himself, if that's even possible. An example is the scholarship fund he established with part of his winnings from the '91 PGA Championship for the two young daughters of a man who was killed when he was truck by lightning on the first day of the tournament. Or the time he came out of a casino after losing a large sum of money and handed a homeless man $1,000. Or the numerous charity events he has established and plays in throughout the year.

Throughout the book, Daly refers to himself as a "redneck." Sometimes, I think he is trying harder to live up to that than being a professional golfer and two-time major champion. He has undeniable talent, but has squandered that and more money than most of the Third World nations combined. He reminds of a line Kevin Costner's character in Bull Durham, Crash Davis, says to Tim Robbins' charatcer Eppy Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh: "C'mon Rook--show me that million dollar arm 'cause I'm gettin a good idea about that five cent head of yours." John Daly has a million swing. Too bad it's guided by a five cent head.

Who's Your Caddy

Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly gives a unique look into what it takes to serve as a pack mule, psychologist, confident, coach, and even travel agent -- inotherwords, a caddy -- to the best golfers in the world in his book, Who's Your Caddy? Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Retrobates of Golf. Reilly convinced such golfers as Tommy Aaron, Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Tom Lehman, David Duval, Casey Martin, and Jill McGill, as well as business tycoon Donald Trump, spiritualist Deepak Chopra, gambler Dewey Tomko, comedian Bob Newhart and blind golfer Bob Andrews to let him loop for them in every thing from The Masters to a PGA event to a course opening to a high-stakes betting match to a casual round. In his own entertaining style, Reilly finds out what it is like to lug a staff bag around 18 holes while trying to meet the wishes, needs and requirements of his golfer, while trying to take notes and ask questions at the same time. There are some very funny moments in the book. Like when Jack Nicklaus advised, while Reilly was caddying for him at the opening of the Nicklaus-designed The Summit at Cordillera in Vail, Colorado, "Don't quit your regular job." Imagine Reilly's surprise when he shows up at Jill McGill's motel room and her caddy answers the door while McGill comes out of the shower wrapped in a towel. Or when John Daly revealed to Reilly why he is known as "Long John" not only for how far he hits a golf ball. And learn why high-stakes golf gamblers carry as many clubs as they want and put gobs of Vasoline on the their clubfaces. This book is a very entertaining, light short read that I highly recommend for all golf fans.

The Ramblings of Gary McCord

I recently completed reading Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists, On and Off the Tour with Gary McCord. First published 10 years ago, the book was the second written by Gary McCord, the CBS golf commentator and part-time Champions Tour player. His first, Golf for Dummies, was co-authored with former Golf Digest Senior Editor John Huggan.

At just over 200 words, the book is more a collection of short essays, with each chapter written in much the same way McCord commentates during CBS golf broadcasts. Some give an insightful, witty look into McCord's playing days, his early tour sponsorship by Lawrence Welk, his start in broadcasting, being banned from The Masters telecast, working with Kevin Costner on the movie Tin Cup, the difference between the U.S. and British Opens, and the golf games of celebrities such as Alice Cooper, Hootie & the Blowfish, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Van Halen and Charles Barkley. He also delves into his life off the tour; playing at San Luis Rey Downs Golf and Country Club with his compadres Fairway Louie, Willie "Brain Damage" Rains, Unemployed Lloyd, Mad Max and Lock & Load; playing in their nine-hole worst-ball scramble with their ex-spouses, affectionately known as "The Ex-Wives Conflict."

But McCord also waxes poetic about climbing inside a golf ball as it flies down the faiway, the idiosyncrasies of the golf swing, getting a lesson at night in the dark, filming a FootJoy commercial underwater, a tournament ending written as a Shakespeare play and other stuff that just makes you scratch your head and hope the next chapter will be better.

If you love listening to McCord on the weekends, you'll love this book. I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of the other golf books I have read over the past few years. But if, like Tom Watson, you believe McCord is over-the-top and disrespectful to the traditions of the game, then I recommend you read something else.

A Mighty Wind

Juniata Golf Club wasn't the only place where wind was a factor on Sunday. THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass was also being battered by high winds, wreaking havoc on the nest golfers in the world. As Briny Baird stated after shooting a final round 72, "I don't care who wins the tournament, the wind won. It kicked everybody's butts." It certainly kicked my butt yesterday at Juniata.

To play effectively in the wind, you want to keep the ball down by hitting lower or what is referred to as "knockdown" shots. As I stated in my earlier post, I tried to play "knockdown" shots on several occasions yesterday without much success. One of the best at playing this shot is Phil Mickelson, who won the 2007 Players Championship. Mike Bender, one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers, explains that to play this shot, you want to play the ball back in your stance; take a one or two extra clubs; slightly open your stance; put your hands slightly ahead of the ball and your weight more on your left side; and take an normal swing, but abbreviate your follow through to keep the ball flight flow. Try to land the ball just short or just on the green to allow for the extra roll because of the lower ball flight.

Watch here as Bender demonstrates how to properly hit a "knockdown" shot into the wind.

Time to Get in Golf Shape

The weather and my schedule hasn't been cooperating quite enough to get out and start hitting balls, but it is time to start getting in golf shape for the coming season. This weekend I dug out two of my golf training aids: the Speed Stik and the Momentus Swing Trainer.

While I've heard a lot of pros and cons about the Speed Stik, let me first say that I purchased mine with part of a $500 Golfsmith gift card I won from Golf Digest a couple of years ago, so it was more like a gift. And while I can't vouch for the speed gauge and whether I'm swinging faster of not, I will tell you that I find the Speed Stik to be excellent for warming up and stretching before a round of golf. It also make an excellent alignment aid when hitting golf balls at the practice range. Whenever you look at the pictures of the PGA tour pros' golf bags on the various golf sites, you always see a Speed Stik is several of the bags. Of course, it is endorsed and used by Tour Pro Vijay Singh, who uses the Speed Stik and a variety of other 'home-made' training devices during his hours of relentlessly hitting balls on the practice range.

I also like to use the Momentus Swinger Trainer to get my golfing muscles in shape before the season and to keep them stretched out during the summer. The Swing trainer is endorsed and used by PGA Tour Pro Fred Funk. I have replaced the training grip on mine with a traditional grip which I like better. I'll probably do about 3 sets of 10 swings every other day to get the feeling of swinging a golf club again, stretch out and condition my shoulders and arms, and hopefully groove a swing before the season starts. I am also looking at purchasing one of the new Momentus PowerHitter Drivers that I can take to the practice range. You can actually hit balls with this weighted driver in order to add distance as well as accuracy to your tee shots.

And now that daylight savings time has begun, I plan to start walking several evenings a week with my wife to get my legs in shape for the golf swing, as well as walking the golf course.

Duffy Comes Through at Q School

Today was the final round of the PGA Tour's 2007 Qualifying Tournament, or "Q School," a six round marathon played over two courses, with nearly 200 golfers vying for playing privileges in 2008. Only the top 25 golfers and ties earn their "tour card," meaning they are fully exempt to play on tour next year. My favorite golfer, Duffy Waldorf, who lost his tour card two years ago and has been playing on sponsors' exemptions in the "Past Champions" category on Tour, was one of those in the field. Duffy, who was -3 after the first four rounds, shot 65-66 to finish in a tie for 14th at -16, earning back his card. In one of the most intense pressure cookers in golf, Duffy played the final 45 holes without a bogey. Congrats Duffy! If you want to get a better idea of Q School, I suggest reading John Feinstein's book, Tales from Q School, which I reviewed in an earlier post.

One Magical Read: Mickelson's First Major

I recently finished One Magical Sunday (But Winning Isn't Everything), Phil Mickelson's account of his first Major Championship, The 2004 Masters. The book was very interesting in that each chapter was a different hole in Sunday's final round. Phil starts each chapter by describing the hole, his strategy and a shot-by-shot recounting of how he actually played it. It then leads into a narrative of Phil's life, from his introduction to golf, his childhood, his focus on becoming a PGA Tour Pro, meeting and marrying Amy, the birth of his children, his philosophies on parenthood, and his life on tour. One unique feature is that as Phil tells his stories, recollections from his family, Amy, her family, his daughters, his caddy Jim "Bones" Mackay, his former college coach and current agent Steve Loy, and his coaches Dave Pelz and Rick Smith, are interspersed. A short read (only 200 pages), it is a unique and fun look at one of the most popular players in golf.

Tales from Q School...

I have just finished reading John Feinstein's latest golf book, Tales from Q School. It was a very entertaining read, especially for someone like me who hates to read books. The book follows the 2005 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, affectionately know as Q School. The book offers a very indepth and behind-the-scenes look at what these players go through trying to get, or in some instances retain, playing privileges on the PGA Tour. There are stories about players ranging from past Major winners to for PGA Tour winners to college players to club pros. After reading their stories, I've realized that at Q School, even the most accomplished PGA Tour veteran can feel like I do standing on the first tee of a weekend round with some friends or playing the back nine with a twosome the starter paired you up with on the first tee. It has also been a lot of fun the past few weeks while I've reading this book to watch the Nationwide Tour and see several of the players profiled in Feinstein's book.

I had previously read Feinstein's first golf book, A Good Walk Spoiled, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wondered if this latest entry would be as good and let me tell you, Tales from Q School didn't disappoint. Several years ago, I purchased the paperback edition of Feinstein's second golf book, The Majors, which chronicles the 1998 Masters, U.S. and British Opens, and PGA Championship. Unfortunately, I never really made an effort to read it. After finishing Tales from Q School tonight, I have dug out The Majors and eagerly look forward to reading it.

If you are a golf fan like me, I highly recommend reading any of John Feinstein's golf books.