For The Record...

Since 1996, I have kept a yearly spreadsheet of my rounds played, tracking such statistics as score, total strokes, scoring average, birdies, eagles and holes of par or better. Recently, I decided to create a list of my all time achievements on the golf course. So below is the Muni Golfer's own personal record book. These records are through the 2017 season.

Most Rounds in a Season: 33.5 – 2001

Lowest Round (Par 69 or Lower): 77

   * Juniata, 10/28/01

Lowest Round (Par 70 or Higher): 87

   * Neshaminy Valley, 8/13/11

   * The Rookery South, 7/20/14

The 6th Hole at Neshaminy Valley

Career Birdies: 127

Most Birdies in a Season: 14 – 2001

Most Birdies in a Round: 2

   * 1998 – Juniata (6/7, 8/23), Walnut Lane (7/19), Pocono Palace (11/12)

   * 2001 – The Rookery South (9/4), Old Landing (9/7), Juniata (10/28)

   * 2002 – Cedar Ridge (10/5)

   * 2004 – FDR (5/15)

   * 2005 – The Rookery South (9/7)

   * 2007 – Baywood Greens (8/31)

   * 2011 – Fox Hollow (5/22)

   * 2012 – The Fairways (7/22)

   * 2016 – The Fairways (8/28), American Classic (9/9)

Most Consecutive Holes with a Birdie: 2

   * 2007 – Baywood Greens (#16-17, 8/31)

   * 2016 – The Fairways (#1-2, 8/28), American Classic (#7-8, 9/9)

The 16th Hole at Baywood Greens

Career Eagles: 3

Most Eagles in a Season: 1

   * 2000 – Marsh Island (7/28, #18)

   * 2006 – Juniata (7/30, #14)

   * 2007 – FDR (10/14, #18)

Most Pars in a Season: 93 – 2001

Most Pars in a Round: 8

   * 2010 – Horsham Valley (8/29)

The Par 3 4th Hole at Horsham Valley

2013 Season in Review

My golfing season for 2013 had its share of ups and downs. It began in mid-May with a round at The Fairways and ended in early November with a round at Bensalem Country Club. Overall, I played 18.5 regular and practice rounds and managed to make it to the practice range only twice.

12th Hole at The Fairways

My 18.5 rounds were played on 10 different golfs courses: The Fairways, Mountain View Golf Course, White Manor Country Club, Philadelphia Quartette Club, Middletown Country Club, Twining Valley Golf Club (now called Upper Dublin Golf Club), Tumblebrook Golf Club, The Rookery, Old Landing Golf Club and Bensalem Country Club. Three of these courses I played for the first time: Mountain View, White Manor and Tumblebrook. I was able to play White Manor as a result of being invited to participate in the Owl Club's Cherry and White Golf Outing.

White Manor Country Club Scorecard

My best score of the year was an 82, shot at The Fairways on August 25. I also shot a 92 at The Rookery on Sept. 21, which is pretty remarkable since I was using clubs borrowed from my cousin and didn't even have golf shoes to wear during the round. The best score I have ever recorded at The Rookery with my own clubs is a 91. I also shot two rounds of 86 at The Fairways, and a 96 three times: at Tumblebrook, Old Landing and Bensalem.

Tumblebrook Scorecard

My worst score of the year was a 115 at Mountain View on June 21. This was pretty disappointing since I shot a 109 at Mountain View on May 24 playing in what seemed like non-stop rain. I also failed to break 100 at Twining Valley (100), The Rookery (102), and Middletown (103).

4th Hole at The Rookery

Overall, I took 1438 strokes playing 332 holes during my 16 regulation rounds for an average score of 95.8. I shot par or better on 56 of those holes. I made five birdies and had no eagles.

8th Green at Bensalem

It was the fourth straight year I failed to golf a minimum of 20 rounds, something I plan to remedy in 2014.

A Break in the Action

After playing four consecutive Sundays, my body told me that last weekend was a good time to take a weekend off and get some rest. It didn't hurt that the PGA Championship was on TV most of the weekend. While I missed physically being on the course, I still got my golf fix watching the best players in the world in the last major of the season.

One of the things my body was telling me was my left elbow was starting to hurt. Not so much when I was playing, because I always take an Aleve or Advil before my round, but after playing. I particularly noticed it when I would attempt to lift something with my left arm or would just pull out a club and waggle it. I already had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I mentioned it to him during my office visit. After explaining what I was feeling and an examination of my elbow, the doctor diagnosed the problem as mild tendinitis. He prescribed wearing a elbow brace when I play and icing the elbow after a round or whenever it is bothering me. He also suggested taking an anti-inflammatory if needed. I already have an elbow brace, so I will be wearing during all future rounds until the end of the season or the pain goes away.

This weekend off also provided my with an opportunity to compare this season to last. Ironically, at this point in both seasons I had played the same number of rounds: 12. During the those 12 rounds I took three strokes more this year than last, 1124-1127. My scoring round is also .3 strokes higher this year, 93.9 compared to 93.6 last season. Out of the 216 holes I have played, however, I have had two more holes at par or better than last season, 52-50. And I have made six birdies through 12 rounds this season, one more than I had through 12 rounds in 2011. My goal is to play at least 10 more rounds before the end of 2012, lower my scoring average, while making more birdies and pars.

2010: The Year in Review

This past golf year can best be summed up as the year that almost wasn't. Because Mrs. Muni Golfer and I moved to a new clubhouse in June, my time of the course was severely limited during the season. I didn't play my first round of the year until May 2 and didn't play my third round until July 18. In all, I managed to play my lowest number of rounds since I began playing 18 years ago. I didn't play any practice rounds in the early part of the season, which hurt when I actually was able to play on a more steady basis later in the summer.

 The Fourth Hole/John F. Byrne

Overall, I played 13 rounds on 8 different courses. One round was canceled after four holes because of severe weather. For the first time in a long time, I didn't play any new courses this past season. I played at Juniata, Bethlehem Executive Course, The Fairways, Old Landing, Horsham Valley, John F. Byrne, Walnut Lane and Cobbs Creek.

 The Second Hole/Horsham Valley

Overall, I played 238 holes this past season, took 1,215 strokes and averaged 93.4 for the 13 rounds I played. I made par of better on nearly one-quarter of the holes I played; 57 out of 238. I also recorded 4 birdies this year: the 8th and 16th at Juniata, the 11th at Old Landing and the 13th at John Byrne.

 Eighteenth Hole/Old Landing

My lowest round of the year was an 85 at Horsham Valley on Aug. 29, while my highest round was a 110 shot in the rain at Cobbs Creek on Oct. 5. I only failed to break 100 twice this past year: 104 on Aug. 14 at Old Landing and the 110 at Cobbs Creek.

 Driving Range/Bensalem Country Club

I did manage to get to the driving range 7 times this season, although it didn't seem to help much since I played so infrequently. I hope I can combine more trips to the range with more rounds of golf in the 2011 season.

My 2009 Season in Review

As we count down the final hours of the first decade of the new millennium, it's time for me to look back at my 2009 golfing season. This past year, I played nearly 25 rounds, which included 5.67 practice rounds and one round that was washed out after three holes. I played on 17 different courses, including three for the first time: Mainland, Green Pond and Heritage Creek, although the Heritage was only three holes because of a huge downpour.

The Ninth Hole at Mainland

I played 447 total holes for the year. My stroke average was 95.4 per 18 holes, excluding the practice and incomplete rounds. I managed to make par or better on 64 of the 351 regulation holes for which I posted a score. That is just under 20 percent. The main reason for the low percentage I believe was because of my poor putting throughout the year. The most pars I recorded in a single round was six, which I did twice: June 19 at Mainland and Oct. 4 at Juniata. I did have four birdies this year: the Eighth Hole at Juniata on May 24, the Eighth Hole at Twining Valley on July 12, the Third Hole at Franklin D. Roosevelt on Aug. 15 and the Fourteenth Hole at Juniata on Oct. 4.

The Third Hole at Green Pond

My low round of the year was an 86 on Oct. 25 at Juniata, which also happened to be my last round of the year. I also shot an 87 (Oct. 4), and 88 (July 24) at Juniata, an 89 (Aug. 15) at FDR and a 90 (June 19) at Mainland. My high round of the year was a 104, which I shot three times: June 3 at Paxon Hollow, July 3 at Green Pond and Sept. 6 at The Rookery. Overall, I only failed to break 100 four times in the 19.5 rounds I posted. Last year, I only failed to break 100 once.

The Tenth Hole at Jeffersonville

I also managed to hit the Driving Range seven times this season, mostly in the early part of the Spring. I'm not sure how much that helped, although I do feel that is where I might have first developed my elbow soreness that hindered me through most of the season. But hopefully, I another eight weeks or so, I'll be back out on the practice tee getting ready for the 2010 season.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

My Year in Review

As the final hours count down on 2008, it is time to look back at my golf year. This past year, I played 23.5 rounds, which included one-and-a-half practice rounds and one incomplete round. I played on 14 difference courses, including four for the first time: Rock Manor, Center Square, Jonathan's Landing and Talamore. I played 422 holes and averaged 93.1 strokes per 18 holes, excluding the practice rounds and incomplete round. I had a score of par or better on 85 of those holes, or 22 percent of the holes I played. I had at least two holes of par or better in every round this year. The most holes of par or better I had in one round was 6 at FDR on July 19 and Oct. 12 at John F. Byrne. I also made six birdies, all on Par 4s: #1 at Rock Manor, #1 at Horsham Valley, #12 at Jonathan's Landing, #14 at Juniata and two at Juniata's 5th Hole. My lowest round of the year was an 87 at Juniata on September 21 and my highest round was a 101 at Talamore on Oct. 17. I also had an 88 at Horsham Valley (Aug. 16) and at Juniata (Sept. 14), as well as a 90 at Center Square on June 26.

The 1st Hole at Rock Manor
where I made my first birdie of the year

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Putting a Wrap on 2007

Well, we have reached the final day of the year, so it is time to put wrap on the 2007 golf season. Overall, The Muni Golfer played 18 regulation rounds and nearly 5 practice rounds (one practice round at Walnut Lane Golf Club was abruptly halted after 14 holes because of lightning), or 410 total holes on 13 different courses in 2007. The Muni Golfer played 4 courses for the first time in 2007: Wyncote Golf Club, Jeffersonville Golf Club, Sawmill Golf Course and Baywood Greens. I took 1703 total strokes during my 18 regulation rounds and my final stroke average was 94.6. My lowest score was an 88 at Juniata Golf Club on August 19 and my highest score was 103 at Baywood Greens on August 31. I recorded a score of Par or better on 56 of the 324 holes I played in regulation, or 17 percent. The most holes of Par or better I had in one round was 5, which I accomplished during three rounds: July 14, Aug. 19 and Oct. 14. I made 8 birdies, including 2 during my round at Baywood Greens, and 1 Eagle (a 2 on the 283-yard Par 4 18th Hole at FDR Golf Club). That is the third highest number of birdies I've had in a single season; I had 14 in 2001 and 11 in 1998. Here's hoping that 2008 provides more golf, better scores, and just as much fun.