A Perfect Practice Place

Bethlehem Golf Club Executive Course
Bethlehem, Pa.
Yards: 2325/2581 - 4906
Par: 34/34 - 68
Rating: 63.3, Slope: 109
Score: 46/44 = 90
Date: August 4, 2018

While visiting family in the Easton, Pa., on Saturday, I had a chance to play 18 holes at Bethlehem Golf Club's Executive Course. The nine-hole Executive Course, along with the 18-hole Monocacy Course and Driving Range, comprises the City of Bethlehem's wonderful public golfing complex along Illicks Mill Road.

Bethlehem Golf Club Executive Course Scorecard

I have played the challenging 18-hole Monocacy Course, which used to play 6,679 yards from the white tees in the past, but on this occasion I opted for the nine-hole course instead. I like the shorter course because it offers a great opportunity to work on your game while getting in a round at the same time. For only $19--the non-resident rate--I could play as many holes as I would have liked and I have played 27 at the EC in the past. Also, there are no carts on the Executive Course, which meant I walked a round for the second time this season.

First Hole from the Tee Box

Due to severe rain storms late last week, the course was very soft, making it play a bit longer, and puddles could be found around the course, although none affected play. On this Saturday, they only had one set of tee markers, so the nine holes played the same both times around. The one thing I didn't like was there are no yardage markers in the fairway, so approach shot distances are strictly by feel. I often under-clubbed during my round, but this also gave me the opportunity to practice my short game on almost every hole. I also used my 4-wood and hybrids off of most of the tees on the Par 4s.

The iconic Bethlehem Steel Building looms a short distance away

I was a bit disappointed with my play on the front nine. I had some good holes and a couple of very bad holes. I did make two pars, but I wasn't happy with my 46. The back nine was better, but my score was almost identical with a 44. I was happy in the fact that as I approached my closing three holes--16 (Par 4), 17 (Par 3) and 18 (Par 4)--I pretended I needed to shoot no worse than two-over-par to score a 90. I parred 17 and bogeyed 16 and 18 to shoot 90!

More photos of the Bethlehem Golf Club's Executive Course:

The downhill Par 4 4th Hole

The Par 3 8th Hole, which plays uphill

Photos by The Muni Golfer

A Break From Play, But Not From Practice

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 E. Street Road
Southampton, Pa.
215/357-1622

After playing eight rounds of golf over seven consecutive weeks, I took off past two weeks due to other planned events and inclement weather. But today, I did work in a practice session at the Mad Golfer Golf Club. After warming up by hitting 15 balls with my sand wedge, 6-iron and 3-wood, I employed a method called "random practice," in which you vary what you are attempting to do from shot-to-shot.

The Mad Golfer Practice Range

In today's random practice session, I hit golf balls as if I were playing Fairways Golf Club. For example, I hit a ball with my Driver, just as I would on the First Hole at the Fairways. I then judged what I likely would have remaining for my approach and hit the appropriate club to a target that distance. Today, that was a 7-iron. If I judged myself to have missed the green with my approach shot, I then hit a chip or pitch to a marker the distance I felt I would have been from the cup. The only part missing was putting.

After using the random practice to play the 18 holes at Fairways Golf Club, I finished off my practice by working on my long irons and fairway woods. I hit 12 4-irons, 15 5-woods--both off the tee and off the mat, and 14 3-woods.

This practice has hopefully set me up for another stretch of golf, which I hope will carry me through the week of Labor Day in early September.

Mid-Year Review

At the beginning of the year, I posted a list of five golf resolutions or goals that I aimed to achieve this year. Since we are halfway through the year, I thought it would be good to review and recap how I am doing in terms of successfully meeting those resolutions:

* Play a minimum of 20 rounds in 2018. As of June 30th, I nearly halfway to achieving the this goal. To date, I have played eight rounds and have another scheduled for July 8th. The raining weather through most of spring delayed the start of the season, so I am playing a bit of catch-up, but I feel I can meet this goal.

* Have a minimum of 10 practice sessions during the 2018 season. Because of the rainy spring, I practiced more than normal because I wasn't able to play on a course. So far, I have had five practices at the range and putting green, leaving me halfway to fulfilling my goal.

The Mad Golfer Practice Range

* Play at least two now courses in 2018. While my eight rounds so far this season have been played over five different courses, I have yet to play a new course this year. That should change this weekend when I play my inaugural round at Mulligan's Pointe in Georgetown, Delaware.

* Start my golf season no later than April. While I didn't play my first round of the season until May 1st, I did have two practice sessions in April to prepare, so I consider this goal achieved. Cold and rainy weather into late spring also played a role in delaying my first round until May.

* Maintain a focus on course management and playing all of my rounds under 100 throughout the season. I did well with goal through the first six rounds of the season, but I severely lost my focus, as well as my emotions, during the seventh round and shot 100 at the Fairways Golf Club on June 22nd. I have since revised this goal to be only shooting 100 or worst once this season.

My personal best round at Fairways on June 1st

So there is a brief recap of my season at the midway point. I have played some really good golf, shooting a personal best 75 at Fairways GC on June 1st; some consistent golf, with a  four rounds in the low 90s; and one really bad round of golf, the aforementioned 100 at Fairways GC. Overall, I would grade myself a B- for the season so far, with an aim to get that to B+ or better by the end.

Home, Not So Sweet, Home

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa.
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 64.2, Slope: 106
Score: 50/44 = 94
Date: May 30, 2018

On Wednesday, the Muni Golfer returned to his roots for a round at Juniata Golf Club, the Philadelphia-owned course along the banks of the Tacony Creek, where I learned to play golf. Although the course is officially owned by the city, it is successfully operated by the non-profit Juniata Golf Foundation.

Juniata Scorecard

Under gray skies, humid temperatures and the threat of showers, I teed it up at Juniata for the first time in nearly two years, and only the second time since 2012. The foundation has done a lot of landscaping and other improvements over the last decade or so, and they are noticeable as you play the course. However, and I will attribute some of the this to the very wet spring we have experienced, the grass was thick from the tee boxes to the greens. In fact, Juniata's greens were some of the slowest I have ever played on. On one green, I hit my putt so hard that on any other course it would have rolled past the hole and six feet off the green, but in this case, I cam up six feet short of the hole. When I missed a fairway, which was too frequently, my optic yellow golf ball was often difficult to find.

Conditions aside, I did not play very well. I was using this round as an opportunity to try a new Wilson Staff F5 Driver and Ping G20 4-Wood. Although the Driver has a regular flex shaft, it felt a bit stiff and I left numerous tee shots out to the right and short. This left me with long second shots from the gnarly rough, which meant long pitch shots to the green for my third shot. Coupled with the very slow greens and it added up to multiple double- and triple-bogeys.

After the Sixth Hole, where I pulled my tee shot just into the left rough and couldn't find the ball, I was very frustrated. But I gave my self a lecture about grinding out the round. I recovered a bit and made my first birdie of the season at the short, but challenging Seventh Hole. I shot a very uncharacteristic 50 on the front nine. I played slightly better on the back nine, making pars at the Thirteenth and Fourteenth holes, but still shot 44 on the easier of the Juniata's two nines. This gave me a disappointing score of 94 for the round.

For now, I will go back to my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver while I work with the F5 at the practice range to see if it has a place in my bag. My search for a reliable fairway wood that I get hit consistently off the tee also continues. Up next is an old Golfsmith XPC Plus 3-wood, which has 16 degrees of loft. I am hoping that it pairs well with my WS D200 7-Wood.

Because of the threat of afternoon thunderstorms, Friday is going to be a practice day at the range as opposed to a playing day on the course.

A Nearly Washed Out Weekend

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 E. Street Road
Southampton, Pa.
215/357-1622

This past Friday was set for the first individual round of the year. A 10:30 tee time awaited my cousin and I at The Fairways Golf Club. But the meteorologists were all calling for heavy downpours throughout that day. Even the course called Thursday with a warning to call and make sure they would be open before traveling there. So I did the natural thing and canceled Thursday while we spoke on the phone. My instincts were confirmed Thursday night when my cousin called to say he didn't want to play Friday due to the predicted weather. So what happened Friday? Nothing! Some light sprinkles in the morning, but the main showers stayed to our south. The day was mostly overcast but dry.

Frustrated that an opportunity to play golf had slipped away, I decided I would attempt to play at least nine holes at The Fairways on Sunday afternoon. The skies appeared clear enough, so I readied my carry bag and headed off to the course. And naturally, I drove about a quarter-mile when the heavens opened up! I had to pull off the road for about 10 minutes waiting for the rain to ease up. As I again began driving to the course, the gray skies gave intermittent showers, so I decided to head for the Mad Golfer for some practice. At least there I would be undercover and able to hit some golf balls.

The rain disappeared as practice began

I purchased a jumbo bucket and took up a spot on the range, laying out my alignment stick and warming up by stretching and hitting 12 balls with my lob wedge. And what happened? That's right; the clouds disappeared, sun came out, and it was a beautiful afternoon. Oh well. At least I was hitting golf balls.

The practice gave me the opportunity to test out the Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver I had put back in my bag. I had adjusted the loft to 11.5-degrees and wanted to see how it played. After hitting 24 balls, I adjusted the loft back to its original 10.5-degrees and hit 24 more shots. I hit some good shots straight down the range, but I also hit an alarming number with a giant fade to the right. The session convinced me to put my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver back in the bag.

The 1st blister of the season

Next, I hit my FG Tour F5 4-wood, both off the tee and off the turf. I picked up this club last season, but was unable to really use it due to the heart surgery. Today demonstrated to me that I need some more practice with the club, but I think it will be a good addition to the bag.

I followed the 4-wood with my FG Tour F5 3-hybrid, another club I have not had much of a chance to work with yet. I picked up this club to replace my 7-wood on shorted courses, giving me some flexibility in my arsenal. Again, I need to work with more, more I again, think this will be a good addition. I finished my practice with my V4 Utility 4 iron, hitting six shots off the tee and six off the mat.

While the weather didn't entirely keep me from hitting golf balls this weekend, it did cause me alter plans, and in both cases, unnecessarily. My practice with my long game was beneficial and hopefully, the weather will allow for more play and less practice in the coming weeks.

Beating the Weather

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 E. Street Road
Southampton, Pa.
215/357-1622

Yesterday's forecast called for severe weather to begin rolling through the region in the late afternoon. Because of commitments, Mrs. Muni Golfer had the car until the late afternoon. As the clouds were turning the skies gray and the temperature was beginning to drop, I knew I would not have enough time to get in even nine holes. But I did feel optimistic that I could at least get in a bit of practice, so I headed out to the Mad Golfer to use the practice range.

The skies were gray

Based on my play in last week's golf outing, I felt I needed some work on my fairway woods and long irons/hybrids, so I made that area the focus of my practice. I purchased a large bucket of range balls and found an empty stall at what was a surprisingly crowded range.

Swing Sock

After putting down my alignment stick, I used my weighted Swing Sock on my 7 iron to loosen up, then hit 10 lob wedges, followed by 10 8 irons to warm up. I am still trying to decide between carrying a 4 hybrid and a 4 utility iron. So I hit 10 balls with my Wilson Staff V4 Utility 4 iron and my Callaway Heavenwood 4 hybrid. I hit balls much better with the 4 utility than I did the hybrid. The result is the V4 will be going in my bag for the next round.

Wilson Staff V4 Utility Iron

Next up, I hit 10 balls with my Callaway X Hot 7 wood, then 5 balls with my Wilson Staff FG Tour F5 4 wood. I made solid contact with the 4 wood, and okay contact with the 7 wood. I still need to practice with both, but they will remain in my bag for now.

Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815

I finished off my practice by hitting 15 balls with my Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver. I purchased this driver nearly two years ago when Sports Authority was going out of business and played about seven rounds with it during the 2016 season. For some reason, I went back to my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver, but I am putting the Callaway back in the bag. At the range yesterday, I hit the ball solidly and with a good trajectory. An adjustable driver, I had it set at 10.5-degrees loft and a neutral setting. Last night I increased the loft to 11.5 degrees, still in the neutral setting, so I will need another session at the range this week to see how that works, but I expect to play my next round with this driver in the bag.

The rain came, but practice was not a washout

As the skies continued to darken during my practice, I knew I was in a bit of a race against the weather. As I was hitting my last three balls with the driver, the rain began. Fortunately, I was undercover and during a brief letup, I was able to get myself and my clubs in the car. Practice was complete and the weather was beaten.

Practice Pays Off!

Steve Young Invitational Outing
Paxon Hollow Golf Course
850 Paxon Hollow Road, Media, Pa.
Yards (Blue Tees): 2733/2976 - 5709
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating (Blue): 67.7, Slope: 122
Score: 31/30=61, Place: 1st
Date: May 4, 2018

What a way to start a golf season! As you know, my first round of the year was in a charity golf outing that raises money for scholarships at Temple University. To prepare, I made three trips to the practice range in hopes of finding some type of game before we teed it up yesterday. Well the practice paid off as my foursome won!

Playing at Paxon Hollow Golf Course, a very well maintained municipal course in Marple Township, Pa., me and three partners made 10 birdies--with nearly half being from putt of 20-plus feet--and most importantly, NO bogies, to shoot a 61. And I was quite pleased to contribute five of those birdie putts. None was more gratifying that at the 9th Hole, who I made a 30-foot putt that broke at least four feet from right-to-left.

Our round began at the very tricky 17th Hole, a par 3 that is only 115 yards, but plays straight downhill. Temple Men's Basketball Coach Fran Dunphy, a very accomplished golfer, greeted us on the tee. He would tee off first and then groups were challenged to beat the Coach. I am proud to say I not only the sole member of our foursome to put their tee shot on the green, I put it closer to the hole that Dunphy!

After starting with a par at the 17th, our foursome faced the very challenging, 535-yard par 5 18th Hole. Your tee shot is to a narrow sloping fairway with a creek on the left. From there, the hole uphill towards the green. We made a 15 footer for a our first birdie of the round. I made another 15 footer for birdie at the 1st Hole and made birdie putts the 7th and 9th holes as well. We finished the front nine with a four-under 31.

Our winning scorecard

The birdie at the 9th propelled our foursome onto a run which saw us birdie six holes in row (9-14). I began the birdie streak with my putt at the 9th and ended it with another long one at the 14th. At the 15th, a 175-yard par three, we all missed the green and was scrambling to make par when our chips left us a good 30-plus feet from the hole. But my teammate stepped up an nailed it to keep us from dropping a vital shot!

The 17th Hole

That par save may have been the difference as our score tied another foursome's, but we took first place on a match of score cards. Of course, it didn't hurt that we birdied the first four handicapped holes.

The 9th Green

The outing, and the victory, provided my with a bounty of swag. Just for being in the tournament, I received a reversible fold umbrella, water bottle and $100 to spend on Under Armour merchandise (which I used to purchase a polo, a pullover and a backpack), a book about legendary Philadelphia Daily News basketball writer and Temple alum Phil Jasner (personally autographed by his son the author), and a Temple windbreaker. For winning the event, I received a $75 gift certificate to the Pro Shop, which I used on a Paxon Hollow-logo'd Under Armour polo and two pairs of FootJoy ankle socks.

The 18th Hole from the fairway

All-in-all, everyone in the foursome contributed to our winning effort: George hit some timely approach shots, Mike boomed his drives which often left us with short approach shots, Bob made several key putts, and I added some key putts and tee shots. My game felt very good for the first round of the season. The only glaring weakness to my game yesterday was hitting my fairway woods and hybrid off the turf. It is definitely something I need to practice and improve upon.

Get Ready...Get Set...

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

Last night, as the last glimmers of sunlight faded across the driving range at Bensalem Township Country Club, I completed my last practice session before I tee it up for the first time this Friday in a golf outing. Although I was somewhat rushing against the onset of darkness, I did manage to hit a large bucket balls.

Practically alone on the range.

As I have through my previous two practice sessions this season, I worked on just finding my swing and experimenting with a few clubs which may or may not end up in my bag. I started as I usually do

TaylorMade Raylor

with a warm-up using my Orange Whip. From there I hit my 52-degree Wedge, Pitching Wedge, 9-iron, 7-iron, two 3-Hybrids, and ended things off hitting my Driver for the first time this season.

Overall, I feel is in decent enough shape to carry me through the outing. I don't feel I will be completely rusty and embarrass myself; I should contribute some shots to our foursome. I have also decided to keep my Wilson Staff D200 7-Wood in the bag, along with added a 22-degree TaylorMade Raylor Hybrid in place of my 4-iron.

Tomorrow night, I will inventory my golf bag, make sure my equipment is ready, check my golf shoes and lay out my golf clothes for Friday. The weather is predicted to be very warm and I can hardly wait for that first tee shot of the season!

Pre-Season Prep Continues

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

What a difference a day makes. From Saturday's sunny, warm day to today's cloudy, windy and cold conditions. But I need the practice, so I headed to the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club late this afternoon. I ordered a small bucket, which had 45 balls, and took a spot on the sparsely populated range.

Due to the conditions and the lateness, I only brought two clubs and a putter with me. I started my session with some light stretching, then placed an alignment stick on the mat. I hit 20 lob wedges and 20 9-woods, before finishing off that part of my practice with five more wedges. I hit the ball okay, but not as well as I did yesterday. I experimented with the 9-wood to see if it is something I want to put in my bag this season. The jury is still out on that decision.

From the range I walked down to the practice putting green, where I spent about 45 minutes hitting putts using The Big Putt (see video below), which is an oversized ball that has the same weight as a regular golf ball. The theory is after putting with the larger ball, the hole will seem much bigger when putting with a regulation golf ball. I wasn't as worried about making my putts as I was about just getting a feel for putting a golf ball.

I am hoping to get at least one more practice session in this week. If I can do that, I feel at least I will ready to play in the golf outing on Friday.

First Swing of Spring

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 E. Street Road
Southampton, PA
215/357-1622

With my first round of golf less than a week away, it was time to get some serious prep underway. Under glorious sunshine, and with temps in the 70s, I got my first practice session in at the Mad Golfer Golf Club in Southampton, Pa. The Mad Golfer's practice range is where I conditioned myself last September to return to the links after my heart surgery in March 2017.

Since today was the first practice session, it was more important to focus on the muscle memory of my swing than it was to work on any specific swing mechanics. With this in mind, I hit a large bucket of 63 balls. I felt a small would not be enough and a jumbo could possibly be pushing it so early.

After warming up with several stretches and swing with my Orange Whip, I hit 10 shots a piece with my Wilson Staff PMP wedges, Ci Gap Wedge, and Ci7 Pitching Wedge and 9-iron. I finished up with eight balls struck with my Alpha Rx 6-Hybrid and five with my Golfsmith Big Gun 7-Wood. Again, my focus was not where I hit the ball, it was getting a feel for swinging the golf club with a fluid rhythm and making solid contact. I did use an alignment stick to help with my setup.

Overall, I was pleased my first practice session. Despite only playing three times late last season, my swing did not feel awkward; not in mid-season form, but better than I expected. My next practice session will concentrate on putting, along with some more work on swing. While I realize I still have plenty of work to do, I think I should ready to play on May 4th.

The Season is in Sight!

Punxsutawney Phil's prediction of six more weeks of winter turned out to be nearly double as the calendar approaches May. The calendar says it is late April and spring-like weather is finally here, which means golf is finally an option in the Northeastern part of the U.S.

Punxsutawney Phil

So far, my golf has been limited to watching the professional tours on TV. But that all changed this afternoon when I was invited to play in a golf outing May 4th at Paxon Hollow Golf Club. My golf season now has an official starting date. It also means that I have to get in some practice in the next eight days. Practice range here I come!

The Par 5 18th Hole at Paxon Hollow

Because I face a short time to prepare, I will draw up a practice plan in which I will focus on hitting wedges and short irons, as well as putting, since the short game constitutes nearly two-thirds of all strokes during a round. I will hit a few drivers and fairway woods, of course, to stretch out my swing, but mostly I want to establish a swing rhythm.

The practice range

So May 4th is circled on the calendar. The start of the season is finally here. I can hardly wait to put that first tee into the ground!

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!

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.

Give It A Rest

After teeing it up for seven consecutive weekends, I decided to give my

body a rest. Despite consecutive good rounds the previous two weeks, the forecasts called for soaring temperatures and humidity, so I figured it was a good time for a physical and mental break.

Although I didn't play any golf this past weekend, I did add a new Wilson Staff Fybrid RS to my bag. The Fybrid--which is 41-in. in length, has a loft of 19.5 degrees and comes with a UST Mamiya VTS Proforce shaft--is meant to be a bridge between fairway woods and hybrids that replace longer irons, replacing the 2-hybrid, 2-iron and 7-wood in the bag. In my

Wilson Staff Fybrid

case, it will be the bridge between my Callaway X2 Hot 4-wood and my Wilson Staff Ci7 4-iron. Wilson claims that their studies have indicated that the Fybrids' loft and length are optimal for hitting long shots from the fairway.

I purchased the Fybrid new online from BudgetGolf.com for $9.97. At that price, I couldn't afford not to take a flyer on the club. It cost nearly as much for shipping as it did for the club. I already have a Wilson Staff Fybrid RS 4-hybrid, which was in my bag the two previous seasons. Depending on how well the 19.5-degree Fybrid performs, I may replace my 4-iron with the 4-hybrid. I hope to test the club out at the practice range later this week before taking it to the course next weekend.

Playing The Fairways GC at Bensalem CC

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

With my golf in dire help of help, I went to the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club last night to work on my game. I experimented with a new method of practice as I hit a small buckets of balls of the range.

Typically, there are two practice methods when you go to the range: blocked and random. Blocked practice is when you take your bucket of balls and hit virtually the same shot, with the same club, at the same target, over and over and over. Although this method is extremely useful if you are changing a certain part of swing, it is, unfortunately, how most people practice at the range.

The practice range became the front nine at The Fairways

In random practice, you attempt to simulate what you doing on the golf course by not hitting the same club or same shot twice in a row. I used this method last night by playing the front nine at The Fairways Golf Club on the practice range at Bensalem. For example, the First Hole at The Fairways is 341-yard par 4. So I hit driver, which I duck hooked to the left. I estimated that would have left me about 160 yards to the green, so I hit 6-iron for my next shot. And I aimed at a flag that was to the right of my hitting bay. That shot would have come up short, so I chipped with my 53-degree wedge to one the nets in front of the hitting mats. I did this for each of The Fairways nine holes. I hit all the shots on each hole until I feel I would have been on the green.

Twilight descended on the range

I started my practice by some stretching and swinging my 8-iron with a weighted Swing Sock on it. I then hit six sand wedges and six 9-irons to warm up. I then went into random practice, playing the nine holes. After I finished palying the nine, I hit 13 drivers, alternating between my TaylorMade Aero Burner and an old Maxfli Blue Max Driver. I hit them both a bit better than I have been hitting my driver on the course. I finished up hitting seven shots off the tee and mat with my TaylorMade JetSpeed 3-hybrid.

Maxfli Blue Max Driver

Overall, I hit the ball a little better than I have been hitting it on the course. I hit a few good shots and a few bad shots. I was lacking distance and power in more than a few of my iron shots. I will take a positive feeling away from this practice session. I think using random practice will help me moving forward.

A Pause for Practice

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

On Sunday, I had planned to play a round at The Fairways Golf Club. But based on my results from Friday's round at Limelikn Golf Club, I decided some practice would be better. So I packed my clubs into the SUV and headed over to the practice ranged at Bensalem Township Country Club.

The Practice Range at Bensalem

I grabbed a small bucket of balls and found an open spot on the range. After some stretching, I warmed up by hitting 10 balls with my 56-degree sand wedge. I put a yardstick down to help with my alignment as I proceed to hit 30 balls with my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver. At first, I hit some fades; my draw still eluding me with this new driver. While I did hit some long drives with a slight draw, I continued to hit a lot more duck hooks than I would like. I believe the problem may be that the driver, which is 45.75-in., is just a bit too long for me to control properly. I don't think I am able to properly square the club face at this length, which is causing me to hit the fade or slice, and to hook it as I try to force the ball the draw.

On the Practice Green

I have begun to research cutting it down to 45-in. So far, my research indicated that cutting three-quarters of an inch off the butt end and re-gripping it will not seriously effect the the shaft's flex or the overall distance of my drives. The shorter length should allow me to better control my drives and hit more fairways. I will try to pick up a Winn Dri-Tac grip--the same grip presently on the driver--so I can cut it down later this week.

The Big Putt Practice Ball

After hitting balls with my driver, I headed over to the practice green to work on my putting. I have been missing far too many short putts, which is turning 3s, 4s and 5s into 5s, 6s and 7s on my scorecard. I spent about 20 minutes practicing short putts with The Big Putt, an over-sized ball that weighs the same as a regulation golf ball. The Big Putt is 1.95-in in diameter, whereas a golf is 1.68-in. The theory is that after putting with the larger ball, the hole will look bigger with a regular golf, instilling more confidence over short putts. Hopefully, the additional practice on the greens will pay off in my next round.

There's a New Big Dog

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 Street Road
Southampton, PA
215/357-1622

Following up on last Friday's opening round of the season, I decided it was time for a new Driver. My Wilson Staff Smooth Driver, which came out at the end of 2008, has served me well over the past four-and-a-half years. But it was time for an upgrade. So before I headed to the practice range this afternoon, I went shopping for a new Driver.

Practice Range at The Mad Golfer

I have narrowed my brand choices down to Callaway and TaylorMade, so I went to Golfsmith in Willow Grove, Pa., to see what they had. I found a TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver among the pre-owned clubs. It was in excellence condition and was priced over $100 less than they were selling for brand new. I made my purchase and headed to the practice range.

TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver

I chose the practice range at The Mad Golfer in Southampton, Pa., to work with my new Driver. The facility sits behind a Dairy Queen. It has an upper and lower level full of hitting bays, as well as a grass area and a practice bunker. The practice balls, which are Srixon, were in very good condition. It cost $9.90 for a large bucket which had approximately 70 balls. I picked a spot on the far right of the lower level.

After stretching and taking a few swings with my Orange Whip Swing Trainer, I warmed up by hitting 15 sand wedges. I then uncovered the new Aero Burner and proceeded to hit 25 drives. When I made solid contact, I was hitting far down the range, either straight or with a draw. Several times I hit the netting at the back of the range on a couple of bounces. I then hit 10 balls with a Callaway X-Hot N-14 Driver, but I wasn't getting the same distance as with the Aero Burner. I hit 10 more drives with the TaylorMade club, before finishing off my practice by hitting six balls with my Pitching Wedge. With the Aero Burner, I did hit a few low line drives or quick duck hooks, but I think it will upgrade my game off the tee.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Opening at Mountain View

Mountain View Golf Club
West Trenton, NJ
Yards: 3120/2997 - 6117
Par: 37/35 - 72
Rating: 69.8, Slope: 122
Score: 52/52 = 104
Date: May, 22, 2015

My first official round of the 2015 season took place today at Mountain View Golf Club, a Par 72 municipal layout just off I-95 in West Trenton, N.J. It is the second time in three years that I have opened my season with my first official round at this course. One of three courses owned and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, Mountain View is a testing layout that is always in great condition. We booked our round through Golf Now and paid $44 with cart, but have paid as low as $31 in the past.

Mountain View starts off with back-to-back Par 5s, and has three one the opening nine. My swing was plagued today with a layer of rust, which I had a hard time shaking off. I seemed to be dropping my right shoulder on a lot of my swings, causing me to hit behind the ball. This is something I hope the rectify at the practice range and as I play more rounds on the course. My chipping and putting was also disappointing, but that is to be expected this early.

I opened with two 8s and had three "Snowmen" on my card for the round. While I did have two pars, at the 330-yard Par 6th Hole and 124-yard Par 3 16th Hole, I failed to make par on at least three other holes because I missed short putts. It got some bad that I actually started putting cross-handed on short putts during the back nine and my success improved.

Although I failed to break 100, overall, I was pretty happy with how I played. While it was cool most of the day, strong winds swept across the course severely impacting club selection and shots. For a stretch, it seemed like we were teeing off into the wind on almost every hole. I know my swing will only get better the  more I practice and play and this opening round gave me clues as to what I need to work on going forward.

Let the Big Dog Eat!

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

Once again, the long shadows crept across the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club as I did a quick practice session in preparation for my first official round of the season. Like last week, I went with a specific goal in mind: to hit my Driver. My prior practice session focused on wedges and short irons to shake off the winter's rust. Last night, it was to hit my Driver before I unleashed the "Big Dog" while standing on a real tee box.

I warmed up with some stretching and swinging my Orange Whip, then hitting 15 sand wedges to loosen my swing. I hit the ball okay, but not as consistently as last week. Then, I hit 10 6-irons; again with moderate success. After a few more swings with the Orange Whip, I pulled the my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver from the bag. I teed a range ball, took my stance, made a slow rhythmic swing and sent the little white orbit on a beautiful trajectory towards the middle of the range. I hit 21 total tee shots with the Driver and the results were mixed: some wonderful shots, some pushed shots and more than a few duck hooks.

Overall, I hit 46 balls during my brief practice session. I think I rushed myself too much; certainly more than I did last week. And although it wasn't the nest practice session, I feel like it helped to shake even more of the rust that accumulated on my swing over the winter.

Tonight, I thoroughly cleaned my clubs in preparation for my first official round of the season at Mountain View Golf Club in Ewing, N.J. I will report to you on how it goes over the weekend.