I'm Back...But in a Limited Way

Mrs. Muni Golfer and I have completed our move to our new clubhouse and we are still getting settled in. Some renovations are being done and this has caused me to have limited Internet access.  But a few things have taken place during the time I've been off-line.  I'll report on them more in detail in later postings once my computer and scanner are up and fully operational. In the meantime, I wanted to give a brief snapshot of what has been going on.

First, the URL of this blog has changed. It is now just www.themunigolfer.com. Blog has been officially dropped from the URL. I hope this hasn't caused you any problems.

Secondly, I attended the 3rd round of the AT&T National when it was held at Aronimink over July 4th weekend. It was a blast! I spent a great deal of my time at the practice range just watching. I'll post my observations in a later post.


Thirdly, I finally managed to get back on the golf course, playing my first round in nearly two months at The Fairways in Warrington, Pa., on July 18. Despite some rust and some hot, muggy weather, I shot a very respectable 89.

Fourthly, I finished reading John Feinstein's biography of Rocco Mediate, "Are You Kidding Me?" I have now started to read his latest golf book, "Moment of Glory: The Year Underdogs Ruled Golf." I'll post reviews later.

And lastly, I just received a used R9 Driver, which I order online at TaylorMade Pre-owned.com. Although it is used, it has hardly a mark on it and looks basically new. This is the driver that has the adjustable face settings, as well as movable weights.And I bought it at less than half the price of a new one! I can't wait to take it to the practice range and the course.

Well, that's about all for now. Look for more detailed posts about these and other developments in what I hope is the not too distant future.

On the Move: A Few Tidbits

In less than a week, Mrs. Muni Golfer and I will be moving to a new clubhouse, so much of my time over the past few months have been devoted to readying our current clubhouse for sale and packing boxes as opposed to hitting fairways and greens.  For more than a couple of weeks my golf equipment--including clubs, balls, accessories and apparel--have been packed up and are awaiting the moving men. I will be so glad when we complete the move to our new clubhouse and I can unpack my clubs and my weekends will go from scouting open houses to staring down putts.

 The golf equipment is packed

In the meantime, the Muni Golfer celebrated his 51st birthday and received a wonderful gift from the missus of a ticket to Saturday's third round of the AT&T National at Aronimink Golf Club on July 23. The ticket was in a copy of John Feinstein's latest golf book, Moment of Glory.  The book looks at the underdogs who won golf's four majors in 2003: Mike Weir (Masters), Jim Furyk (US Open), Ben Curtis (British Open) and Shaun Micheel (PGA Championship). If it lives up to the excellence of Feinstein's previous golf books, it will help me pass the time on my soon-to-be longer commute to work.

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.

Behind the Scenes at Bethpage Black

I just finished reading Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black, John Feinstein's chronicling of the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in New York. The Open at Bethpage Black marked the first time the U.S. Open was held at a truly public course. If you might not be familiar with Bethpage Black, it is one of five courses that comprise Bethpage State Park on Long Island. The Black Course was designed by the famous golf architect A.W. Tillinghast. The course is so famous and desirable to play, even though it is suggested for only low handicapped golfers, that people literally sleep in their cars overnight for the opportunity to gain one of the coveted daily tee times.

In his book, Feinstein takes us from David Fay first developing the idea in 1995 to play the Open at Bethpage, the logistics and difficulties behind making that idea a reality--including the fallout from 9/11, the actual tournament that was won by Tiger Woods, to the USGA's agreement with the State of New York to have The Black again host the Open in 2009. In this book, Feinstein gives us an in-depth look at people who run the United States Golf Association, as well what it takes to stage one of the largest and most prestigious golf championships in the world. It is both fascinating and entertaining, and I highly recommend it for any true golfer's reading list.

By reading Open, I have now completed the John Feinstein "Grand Slam" of golf books, which also includes A Good Walk Spoiled, The Majors, and Tales from Q School. Tonight at Borders I picked up my next read: One Magical Sunday: (But Winning Isn't Everything). Co-authored by Phil Mickelson, it is his firsthand account of his life leading up to his winning his first major, The Masters, in 2004.