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.

In the Zone at the Fairways

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 39/36 = 75
Date: June 1, 2018

It was one of days that you typically get in the summer: overcast, very humid, possible periods of sun, threat of pop-up heavy storms. Watching the meteorologists on the morning news, I was unsure if I should try to play nine holes, go to the practice range and just hit a bucket of balls, or find something else to do. Ultimately decided to try to play nine holes--thankfully--and it turned out to be a record-setting round for me!

As I set off to the Fairways Golf Club, my intention was to walk and play nine holes before the afternoon storms. But when I arrived at the course, I quickly changed my mind and decided to get a cart and play all 18 holes if possible. It turned out to be the right decision as the sun came out after a few holes and the storms never materialized. Not only did I play 18 holes, I made 10 pars during my round and shot my lowest score ever on a course with a par under 70: 75.

My scorecard from the record-setting round

The course was fairly empty when I teed off, no doubt a result of the uncertain weather forecast. But standing on the first tee, I had no clue as to the round that I would produce over the next couple of the hours. Here is a hole-by hole breakdown of my record-setting round (all yardage is what is indicated on the scorecard and not the actual yardage from the tee):

First Hole: 341 Yards, Par 4 -- My drive found the left side of the fairway in the first cut of rough. My approach with a 6-iron found the green and I lagged my first putt up for a sure opening par. But when I lipped out the par putt, I thought, "Uh-oh, I could be in for one of those days." Score: 5 (+1).

Second Hole: 322 Yards, Par 4 -- My drive found the fairway and my 8-iron approach trickled out of the left fringe and onto the green. I two-putted for par. Score: 4, Total: 9 (+1).

Third Hole: 109 Yards, Par 3 -- I hit my tee shot a tad fat and came up short left of the green. I chipped past the hole and two-putted for a bogey. Score: 4, Total: 13 (+2).

The Third Hole

Fourth Hole: 161 Yards, Par 3 -- My worst hole of the round. I overplayed my 5-iron off the tee into a bunker on the left of the green. Because of water in the bunker, I got relief, but had an awkward downhill stance and left my second shot in the bunker.  Another awkward stance, but I managed to just blast the ball out of the bunker and into the rough. A chip and two putts for a triple bogey. Score: 6, Total: 19 (+5).

Fifth Hole: 317 Yards, Par 4 -- My 3-wood off the tee found the left center of the fairway, but I hung my 8-iron approach to the right of the green in the collar. I chipped on and one-putted for par. Score: 4, Total 23 (+5).

Sixth Hole: 284 Yards, Par 4 -- I hit a 4-hybrid off the tee to the left side of the fairway, but again hung my approach out to the right rough with my Pitching Wedge. I chipped just below the hole and made the putt for back-to-back pars. Score: 4, Total: 27 (+5).

The Sixth Hole

Seventh Hole: 168 Yards, Par 3 -- My 6-iron off the tee landed in the right bunker. I splashed out onto the green and two-putted for a bogey. Score: 4, Total: 31 (+6).

Eighth Hole: 365 Yards, Par 4 -- My drive found the center of the fairway, but I thinned my 7-iron to the right rough, short of the green. I hit a so-so pitch which hopped onto the front of the green. Two putts for a bogey. Score: 5, Total: 36 (+7).

Ninth Hole:133 Yards, Par 3 -- My 8-iron off the tee found the right side of the green, where I two-putted to close out the front nine with my fourth par of the round and one of my best front nines ever at the Fairways. Score: 3, Total: 39 (+7).

A brief stop in the clubhouse to use the facilities and then I headed to the back nine hoping to continue the momentum from the opening nine holes. Several times on the back nine I had to give myself a pep talk to stay in the present and not think about a final score.

Tenth Hole: 248 Yards, Par 4 -- I hit a 3-hybrid off the tee, which found the first cut of rough on the left side of the fairway. My Gap Wedge from 88 yards found the right side of the green and I two-putted for another par. Score: 4, Total: 43 (+7).

Eleventh Hole: 291 Yards, Par 4 -- A dogleg right where you can only hit an iron off the tee, this hole has given me nightmares over the years. I hit a 7-iron off the tee and through the dogleg into the rough. My approach shot came up short and left. I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey. Score: 5, Total: 48 (+8).

Twelfth Hole: 139 Yards, Par 3 -- My 8-iron off the tee ended up hole-high, but in the right rough. I chipped just below the hole, then made my par putt. Score: 3, Total 51 (+8).

The Par 3 Twelfth Hole

Thirteenth Hole: 292 Yards, Par 4 -- A 3-wood off the tee found the right side of the fairway. My Gap Wedge approach from 88 yards was a touch heavy and trickled onto the front of the green, but a long way from the back hole location. After coming up a good short with my first putt, I three-putted for a bogey. Score: 5, Total: 56 (+9).

Fourteenth Hole: 134 Yards, Par 3 -- I hit my tee shot about 15 feet left of the hole, but left my birdie putt too high and made par. Score: 3, Total 59 (+9).

Fifteenth Hole: 113 Yards, Par 3 -- Playing 122 yards this round, I hit a Pitching Wedge about 20 feet right of the hole, but came up short on my birdie putt. Another par. Score: 3, Total 62 (+9).

Sixteenth Hole: 323 Yards, Par 4 -- I pulled my Driver left into the rough and had a long approach. I hit a 6-iron which again found rough left and short of the green. I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey. Score: 5, Total: 67 (+10).

Seventeenth Hole: 374 Yards, Par 4 -- Another Driver than went left, but this time it was in the first cut of rough. My 5-iron approach from about 165 yards rolled up onto the green about 12 10 feet to the left of the hole. My uphill putt just missed and I tapped in for my ninth par of the round. Score: 4, Total: 71 (+10).

The tee shot at the Eighteenth Hole

Eighteenth Hole: 334 Yards, Par 4 -- Another dogleg right, my tee shot found the left side of the fairway, but my approach was again a touch heavy. From short and left of the green I chipped past the hole, but made the downhill eight footer for my tenth par of the round. Score: 4, Total 75 (+10).

The score of 75 beat the 77 I shot at Juniata Golf Club in October 2001. I was +5 on the Par 3s and +5 on the Par 4s. The 10 pars also eclipsed the 8 I made during a round at the old Horsham Valley Golf Club in August 2010.

I also went back to the bag setup I had for my first round this year, except I swapped out a 3-hybrid for the 7-wood and an old 16-degree Golfsmith 3-wood for my 4-wood.

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 Fair Start at The Fairways

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 43/43 = 86
Date: May 25, 2018

Three weeks after winning the Steve Young Invitational Outing, I was able to tee it up for the first time this season for an individual round of golf. The cloudless sky let the sun shine and there was not a hint of rain. I played alongside one of my family members at The Fairways Golf Club.

The Fairways Scorecard

My round started out well, with a par at the First Hole, but after missing the green right on the Second Hole, I three-putted for a double bogey. I made bogeys at the Par 3 Third and Fourth Holes after missing the green on both my tee shots.

The Sixth Hole

I made my first big mistake of the season by hitting my 4-wood dead left at the shortened Par 4 Fifth Hole. After a drop and lay up down the fairway, I missed the green left with my fourth shot and made a triple bogey 7. A scrambling par at the Sixth Hole was followed by another double-bogey at the long Par 3 Seventh Hole when I again missed the green left, then failed on my pitch to reach the putting surface. I closed out the front nine with two more bogeys for a score of 43.

I lipped out a birdie putt at the 12th Hole

The back nine started off with another tee shot that ended in the left rough on the Tenth Hole. I thinned my approach shot over the back of the green, then again three-putted for a 6. I made bogeys at the next four holes, just lipping out a birdie putt at the Par 3 Twelfth Hole. I made back-to-back pars at the Par 3 Fourteenth and Fifteenth Holes. I finished out my round by sandwiching double bogeys around a bogey at the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Holes. That gave me another 43 on the back nine and score of 86 for my round.

I made par at the 14th Hole

Overall, I managed to get around the course and post a decent score, but I was too often in trouble off the tee and pulled alot of shots left. My putting also not what it was at the outing three weeks ago. I think I started playing too much break on my putts. But these are things that I think will correct themselves with more playing.

The view from the 18th Tee

I made a couple of changes to my bag from the season opening scramble: substituting a Wilson Staff FG Tour F5 3-Hybrid for my 7-Wood and a WS V4 Utility 4-Iron for the 4-Hybrid I carried previously.

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.

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.

Rain on My Redemption

The Fairways Golf & Country Club
Warrington, Pa
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 46/44 = 90
Date: September 30, 2012

After shooting a back nine 55 the previous Sunday at The Fairway Golf and Country Club, I was last Sunday looking for a little redemption. I had opened with a front nine 38, but watched as my game abandoned me completely over the second nine. It was a meltdown of epic proportions and I was determined to redeem myself.

 Front Nine Scorecard at The Fairways

I was a bit surprised that the started allowed me to go off as a single with two people waiting on the first tee. Rounds can sometimes be slow on weekend afternoons at The Fairways and this round was no exception. Even through the threesome in front of me was on the first green when I teed off, I had to wait on the green and in the fairway through the first eleven holes. That made it hard to get into any kind of rhythm with my game. I wasn't hitting the ball badly, I was just having a hard time establishing a good pace of play, which it difficult to focus, which made it difficult to score. Still, after an opening double bogey when I hit my approach into the bunker to the right of the green, I was happy with the way I was hitting the ball. But then, while walking off the fourth green, it began to rain. Since the sun had been shining when I teed off, I didn't have an umbrella or a pullover with me. The rain intensified as I waited under a small tree to tee off at the Fifth Hole and remained steady through the next three holes, which took about 45 minutes to play between the weather and the already slow pace of play. Amazingly, I made my only par during the stretch at the 284-yard Par 4 Sixth Hole. I finished the front nine with a 46, but wasn't too unhappy considering the conditions.

 Back Nine Scorecard at The Fairways

The back nine started off with a wild hook and a triple bogey 7, followed by a double bogey at the Eleventh. For some reason, it seemed like the greens got faster from the rain instead slower as one would expect. I was running putts 7-8 feet past the hole, then missing the comeback. But I managed to play bogey golf through the last six holes and shot a back nine 44. Finally, a back nine lower than the front. It left me with a 90 for the round. Not much redemption over my previous 93, but considering the elements and how unprepared I was for them, I was not too disappointed.

 Despite the rain, I parred the Sixth Hole

Having played the past three weeks, I will probably take this weekend off to give my body, and my elbow specifically, a chance to rest and recooperate. The 18 rounds I've played so far this season is the most I've played in a year since 2009. There is still about a month-and-a-half of good golfing weather left minimum, so I should be able to reach my goal of 20 rounds for the year.

Blown Away at Juniata

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 50/44 = 94
Date: October 16, 2010

On Saturday I took my friend and occasional golfing partner MS to Juniata Golf Club for a real taste on muni golf. We have previously teed up this year at The Fairways and Horsham Valley, so he was experiencing a true "public" golf course. The rains from a few days prior had softened up parts of the course, but the greens were running fast and the wind was howling.  This made club selection extremely difficult and keeping the ball below the wind on many holes paramount.

 Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

After a decent start, with a bogey and a par at the first two holes, I struggled in teh blustery conditions through the rest of the front nine and shot a respectable, though somewhat disappointing 50.  The Third Hole was a prime example of my misery. Hitting a new Wilson Staff Smooth Driver, I crushed teh ball off the tee, only to be left with over 200 yards for my second shot. A 5-Wood into the wind only emphasized my draw and left me well left and still about 15 yards short of the green. A short pitch, a chip and two putts meant a double bogey 6.

 Windy conditions like this made scoring difficult

The back nine was just as treacherous, although I was able to take advantage of some of the Par 3s to shoot a much better 44. Bogeys and double bogeys were the scores of the day, although I did mange to par the Eighteenth Hole after a nice up-and-down from the right bunker. This left me with a 94, not bad considering the very windy conditions.

 The Wilson Staff Smooth Driver

As I mentioned earlier, I put a new Wilson Staff Smooth Driver into play for the first time during this round. I have been having trouble with several TaylorMade Drivers, most notably the R7, with was causing me to hit short duck hooks off the tee. I had not such problems with the Smooth. The ball flight was high, straight and long considering the windy conditions. I hit five out of eight fairways with the Driver, which felt solid and very controlable, despite its 45.5-in length. I'm hoping this might be the solution to some of my problems off the tee this year, which has generally been hit-or-miss. If I can hit the Driver consistantly, this will take pressure off the other parts of my game, as well as some much needed strokes off my score.

Delaware Debacle

A nor'easter, poor play--especially putting--and even gunshots highlighted, or lowlighted, my annual Labor Day golfing vacation to the Delaware Shore. Cold, cloudy and windy weather, along with some heavy rains, cut my projected four rounds down to two, while gunshots interrupted a practice round after seven holes. Here then, is Fore at the Delaware Shore '09:

Crash Landing at Old Landing
Old Landing Golf Course
Rehoboth Beach, Del
Yards: 2858/2872 – 5830
Par: 35/36 = 71
Rating: 67.6, Slope: 111
Score: 47/55 = 102
Date: September 4, 2009
My Delaware golf vacation began with a round at Old Landing Golf Course in Rehoboth Beach. Since the annual Labor Day family golf outing had been scheduled for Sunday, I felt this was a good opportunity to work with my new TaylorMade Tour Burner irons. I played with my cousin’s husband Steve, and Mike and Bud, who we met on the first tee. I felt good about playing at Old Landing since it was a course I have played many, many times. In recent years, the course had fallen into pretty bad shape, with both fairways and greens often having more dirt than grass. But they discovered that salt water for the adjacent bay had been getting into the irrigation system causing the problems. With that matter corrected, Old Landing had rebounded into a decent course once again. I played there twice last year, shooting in the low 90s.

Old Landing Scorecard

My round got off to a mediocre start, with a 7 and 6 at the first two holes, the second being a long 416-yard par four. But I then settled down and played bogey-golf over the next four holes. I wasn’t hitting the ball great, but I was scrambling well. I was still feeling my way with the new irons. At the Seventh Hole, a 472-yard par five that doglegs right, I made the type of mental mistakes that I have allowed to plague my game all year. After hitting a duck-hook just into the rough on the left, I had a slightly downhill lie. Instead of taking a 7-iron and hitting it up the fairway, I tried to muscle a 4-hybrid. I hit a worm-burner across the fairway into the right rough. Thinking I had a better lie than I did, I pulled out my 3-wood, which I promptly topped. Finally, I pulled out my 7-iron and hit a hard draw onto the left edge of the green. From there I managed to two-putt for a six. The Eighth Hole is a straight-away, 292-yard par four. After hitting a low 2-hybrid, I had less than 100 yards to a small green that slopes severely from back-to-front, with bunkers on both sides. I tried to play a chip-and-run with a pitching wedge, but the ball ran through the green into the back rough. A very weak chip and three putts left me with a disappointing six. The front nine finishes off with a short, 122-yard par three. I hit pitching wedge to 10-ft above the hole and two-putted for my first par and a front nine 47. Not real good but not real bad either. I felt as if I was starting to get into a bit of a groove as I headed to the back nine.

The 18th Green at Old Landing

The back nine got off to a better start with a five at the 399-yard Tenth Hole. The Eleventh Hole is a 196-yard par three that plays very long, even though it plays from an elevated tee. I managed to hit just short left, chipped on, then two-putted for a four. I was feeling much more confident as play moved along. At the Twelfth Hole, a 505-yard par five, the mental mistakes crept back in. I hooked my drive into the left rough, as did Mike and Bud. As I approached, Mike indicated our two balls were right next to each other. What I was not aware of was that Mike has switched to the same model of Titleist ball I was playing. I looked down and saw the DT So/Lo marking on the side of the ball and played it. I never looked for the three black dots I put on my ball. After discovering the ball had no dots and Mike was now playing the same model of ball, my bogey six became a triple-bogey eight. The back nine momentum was suddenly gone as I began hitting the ball all over the place. And although I did make a par at the 339-yard par four Sixteenth Hole, I countered that with a triple-bogey six at the very short 106-yard par three Fifteenth Hole and a ten at the closing par five Eighteenth Hole. It all added up to a back nine 55 and a round of 102. Not the way I wanted to start the week. I was disappointed most in the amount of mental mistakes I made. I hit the irons okay for the first time and vowed that I would play better the next round.

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The Rookery: A Tale of Two Nines
The Rookery
Milton, Del
Yards: 2886/3253 – 6139
Par: 35/36 = 71
Rating: 68.8, Slope: 116
Score: 46/58 = 104
Date: September 6, 2009
With apologies to Charles Dickens, it was the best of nines, it was the worst of nines. So went my round at our annual family Labor Day golf outing. This year, my two cousins and my cousins’ husband, played at The Rookery, just off Route 1 in Milton, Del. The Rookery was co-conceived and is co-owned by Pete Oakley, the 2003 Senior British Open Champion. While the course is fairly wide open, it does have some tricky holes and wind can often be a factor as it was for us. We played in a very strong wind that made club selection extremely difficult and caused havoc with many shots. Hoping to put my first round at Old Landing in the rearview mirror, I made a couple of changes to my bag: a 5-wood replaced the 2-hybrid and a 53-degree wedge replaced the 4-hybrid. I also stressed to myself that I would play smart golf, unlike at Old Landing, and not take unnecessary risks. I planned to use the 3- and 5-woods off of most of the par fours, except for the par fives.

The Rookery Scorecard

My round couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. I found the fairway at the First, and after putting a 5-iron into the greenside bunker, got up-and-down for a par. At the Second Hole, a 168-yard par three, I hit a 4-iron into the wind which found the front right of the green. Two putts and a second par. The Third Hole is a short, 300-yard par four with out-of-bounds on the left and a pond on the right. I hit the 5-wood to about 100 yards, but came up just short on my approach. I chipped on and one-putted for a third consecutive par! The Fourth Hole at The Rookery is one of the quirkiest you will find anywhere. Although it is only 290 yards, a large pond dissects the fairway less than 150 yards from the tee. It takes a drive of about 260 to clear the water. The tees were all the way back, so I hit a 7-iron, which ran through the fairway into the rough short of the water. I then chunked my second shot into the water, hit my fourth over, chipped on and two-putted for an eight. The Fifth Hole is a dogleg left that requires a good tee shot to the very edge of the dogleg because the green is protected on the left by a row of three pine trees more than 100 yards out. I hit the very right of the last tree with my approach and then came up short with my third shot. I chipped long and three-putted for a seven. From there I settled back down and played steadier golf, finishing off my front nine 46 with a to-putt par at the 115-yard Nine Hole.

The 4th Hole requires a short tee shot

The back nine at The Rookery begins with a 575-yard par five—one of three on the back nine—that was playing straight into the wind. The make the hole even more difficult, a row of bunkers stretches across the fairway about 180 yards from the green. I hit a duck hook off the tee and two-putted for a very satisfying seven given the extremely windy conditions. But at the Eleventh Hole, it all began to come apart. We played from the back tees, 447 yards straight into the wind. I hit a hard draw into the left rough and had well over 200 yards to the green. Instead of just playing the hole like a par 5 and hitting a 6- or 7-iron lay-up, I pulled the 5-wood. I topped it, then topped it again into a fairway bunker. After hitting a 7-iron out, I came up short with a wedge, chipped on and two-putted for an eight. Although I managed a bogey at the Twelfth Hole, I took a nine at the 466-yard, par five Thirteenth Hole when I pulled my 3-wood left and out-of-bounds off the tee. At the Fourteenth, a long 200-yard par three, with the wind coming from the right hard, I managed to get on in two, but four-putted from long range for a triple-bogey six. I now felt as if my putting stroke, which has been a problem all season, had completely abandoned me. The Fifteenth Hole, a 140-yard par three with water almost all the way around the green was playing dead into the wind and about 2-3 clubs longer. I kept it under the wind and hit it short into the rough fronting the green, but a poor chip and three more putts left me with a five. I hit a great drive with my 3-wood at the Sixteenth Hole, a 375-yard par four that was finally playing downwind. But I dumped my approach shot short into a bunker on the right, then thinned my bunker shot over the green. Two chips to get on and another three-putt—it getting even painful for me to watch me putt—and another eight. The Seventeenth, a 155-yard par 3, was also playing downwind and I hit my tee shot onto the green about 25 feet past the hole. With no confidence whatsoever in my putting at this point I three-putted yet again. The closing hole is a 566-yard par five. After a very short, dipping tee shot that didn’t reach the fairway, I somehow managed to get the ball on the green in four and actually took only TWO putts for a six and closing 58 on the back nine. That left me with a 104 for the round.

The row of fairway bunkers on the 10th Hole

This round at The Rookery marked the second time in three days that I opened with a respectable front nine, but completely collapsed on the back nine. My putting has been some of the worst it has been this year. The only thing I took away was that I was getting a better feel for my new TaylorMade Tour Burner irons. Hopefully, that will continue and I will be able to turn my game around in the very near future.

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Shooting More than Birdies at The Heritage

The Heritage Inn and Golf Course
Midway, Del
Yards: 1946/Nine Holes
Par: 32/Nine Holes
Rating: N/A, Slope: N/A
Score: Practice Round
Date: September 8, 2009
If you ever go to play at The Heritage MAKE SURE YOU WEAR FLOURESCENT ORANGE! I have never, never, EVER experienced what happened while I was playing at The Heritage. The Heritage used to be a nice, nine-hole, par 35 golf course located just off Delaware Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. It is owned by The Heritage Inn, a hotel located just across the street. In recent years, they have begun building homes on the back part of the course, shorting up several of the holes to par threes. Today, it costs $10 to play all day. The conditions aren’t that great, but it is inexpensive golf. Because the weather had turned very overcast and windy, and with the threat of heavy afternoon showers, I figured I would go to The Heritage to play some practice holes. You pay at the hotel front desk, which I did, then proceed over to the course. I played the first seven holes—there was one other golfer out on the course—and had discovered that I was not moving into the ball with the top part of my body. I was starting to hit much more solid, crisper shots. Then it happened. I teed off on the Eighth Hole, a short par three, hitting to about 12 feet in front of the hole. As I walked towards the green I heard BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! As I hunched down and looked around I saw a man with a shotgun walking towards the back part of the course. Geese that had been on the course were taking flight and he raised his shotgun and fired—BANG! BANG! BANG! I watched in horror as a goose fell out of the sky and hit the fairway! Another, obviously wounded, tried to run away across the course! I stood frozen, watching what was going on, but also praying the gunman was not coming in my direction. He finally saw me and raised his hand, then went and pulled several dead geese out of a pond. He walked over and grabbed the one that had tried to flee. He yelled over to me that he was sorry, he hadn’t seen me! A woman in the homes behind me came running out to me. She told me she had called the Delaware State Police, but they had told her that it was hunting season! As she stood talking with me, the man collected the 6-8 dead geese and piled them next to the Ninth fairway. The woman then went off to confront the shooter. I numbly putted out on the Eighth, then tried to play the Ninth Hole, but I was too shaken to continue. The man came over to apologize, saying he hadn’t seen me and that he had talked to the owner of The Heritage who had told him NO ONE was on the course! I was pretty upset. I packed up my clubs and headed back to the hotel front desk to ask for my money back. They told me I was far enough away from the shooting and that they didn’t like my attitude! They said it was a pest control thing. I have been on many golf courses that have had problems with geese, but I’ve never seen then send someone onto the course to shoot the geese while golfers were playing! Our confrontation escalated until they eventually physically escorted me out! So if you’re ever in the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach area, and you’re thinking about playing a bargain round at The Heritage, just make such you have your bullet-proof golf vest on!

The Season Opener: A Round at Byrne G.C.

John F. Byrne Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2273/2610 - 4883
Par: 33/34 - 67
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 105
Score: 45/48 = 93
Date: May 17, 2009

Feeling good with my swing following last Wednesday practice session at Fishers Glen Driving Range, I decided to really test the state of game with the first official round of the season at John F. Byrne Golf Club in Northeast Philadelphia. Byrne was designed by Alex Findley and formerly known as Holmesburg Country Club until it was bought by the City of Philadelphia in the 1960s. It is now managed for the City of Philadelphia by Billy Casper Golf. The course sits in a valley, with the Torresdale creek wandering through that comes into play on no less than eight holes. Many holes also feature severe elevation changes, rolling terrain and some tight fairways. With all of the rain we have endured this spring, the rough was as thick in many spots as you might experience at a U.S. Open. I payed $27 to walk 18 holes, and was able to use my Golf Philly Rewards Card.

The 4th Hole requires a precise tee shot

My round got off to an ominous start when I pushed my opening tee shot dead right and couldn't find the ball. After a drop in the rough and a poor third shot, I chipped my way to the fairway, then the green, before three-putting for an 8. Not the way I was hoping to start the season. But I came back with a good bogey at the 2nd Hole and made par at the 3rd, a short Par 4. The gray skies, very windy conditions and temperatures in the low 50s made it feel more like March than May, and shot selection was sometimes difficult; hit it too high and watch the wind knock your ball down or take it way left or right. The wind caused my tee shot to go left into the creek fronting the green at the downhill 6th Hole, and then I skulled the ball over the green on my third shot, but got up and down for a double bogey. I then made back-to-back pars at the 7th and 8th Holes, a Par 4 and Par 3 respectively. A chunked chip and then a three-putt led to a disappointing double-bogey at the uphill Par 4 9th Hole, and a score of 45 on the front nine. I was hitting the ball well in these tough conditions and my short game frequently saved me. I took that confidence to the 10th tee for the back nine.

John F. Byrne Scorecard

The first shot of the back nine was a bit better than the front nine, and I found myself with an approach shot from 101 yards in the middle of the fairway. Of course, I hit my second shot thin and over the green, then could do little as my flop shot rolled all the way to the front of green. I again three-putted for a 6, then took another 6 at the 11th, an uphill Par 3, when my 8-iron got knocked down by the wind short of the green. Despite the back-to-back 6's, I still was feeling pretty good as I stepped onto the tee at the 12th, a 516-yard Par 5. My Driver found the thick rough on the left side, just two paces off the fairway. I gouged a low running 6-iron down the fairway, where I was left with a 189-yard third shot. I then hit a wonderful 4-iron to 20 feet left of the hole and two-putted for another par. I again three-putted at the very short Par 3 13th Hole, then made back-to-back double-bogey 5's at the Par 3 14th and 15th Holes. My tee shot at the 16th, a 465-yard Par 5, went right but caught a three and would up in the middle of the fairway. I opted to give it a go for the green with my 3-wood, but topped it and was left with a 6-iron for my third shot. Unfortunately, I came over the top on the shot and hooked it waaaay left into the creek and took another double-bogey, this time a 7. The 17th Hole at Byrne always gives me fits. It's a 371-yard Par 4, with the creek running down the right side and narrowing the fairway as it angles in from the right. The tee shots calls for a fade, but my shot is a draw. Today, I hit it over the trees on the left into the 16th fairway. With about 170 yards to the green, I launched a 6-iron over the trees into the rough fronting the green. My chip wound up in the bunker on the left, but a popped it out and caught a slope in the green and my ball trickled to about a foot, which I tapped in for a 5. I closed with a 5 on the uphill, 338-yard Par 4 18th Hole, for a 48 on the back nine and a round of 93.

The 9th Green

I was really pleased with how I played today. Although I did hit a sporadic fade, my normal draw was very much in evidence. I was disappointed in my overall performance on the Par 3s; I need to hit more greens. My short game was good, but could still use some work. One area that needs improvement is my putting. I think instead of hitting the Driving Range this week, I will go to Juniata Golf Club and work on my putting. Overall, today was a solid round that will give me confidence to build on as the season moves forward.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Calendar Said May, Weather Said March

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 4805, Par: 66
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 49/44 = 93
Date: May 11, 2008

Better late than never. I finally played my first official full round of 18 holes this season at Juniata Golf Club. The weather was more like March than May, very cool and very windy, making club selection and shots extremely difficult. I tried to play some knock down shots that I'm just not accustomed to yet, but will come as I play more often. My tee shots were somewhat disappointing; several tee shots with my driver went straight right, while several tee shots with my 3-Wood were pull hooks. And the wind was a big factor, often knocking shots down or off line. I was able to make some adjustments on the back nine. I also lost three balls today; two on shots that should have been easy to find. I did make two pars -- at the Par 4 3rd and the Par 4 14th -- and had a few more par putts that wouldn't drop. My ball striking wasn't the best, but that's because I haven't been playing much. My putting was pretty solid; several times I had the right line, just not the right speed to get the ball all the way to the hole.

I also played in a foursome for the second time this season. I met up with Wes and Trevor on the first tee and they invited me to join them , and we invited Ron -- who was teeing off alone on Hole #3 -- to join us as we played Hole #4. We got along great and had a really good time.

I played the first nine holes with the new Bridgestone e6+ golf ball that I am testing as part of the PGA Tour Partners Club. I will be sending them my review this week and I will also be posting a review here, so stay tuned.

I also feel the need to comment on Juniata Golf Club. It is evident that they are working hard to improve the course. As I mentioned last time, one of the bridges over the Frankford/Tookany Creek had been repainted and an astroturf walkway had been laid in the middle for golfers who walk, while a new cart path had been added at the end of the bridge. Yesterday, I noticed there were new signs and new benches (with advertising) at just about every hole. Small changes that are adding up to a nice new makeover for the course. My compliments to Bob Wheeler and the staff at Juniata.

When It Rains, It Scores: A Round at Juniata

Juniata Golf Course
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 4805, Par: 66
Score: 48/40 = 88
Date: August 19, 2007

I played a round at Juniata Golf Course today in a steady, sometimes driving rain, and posted my best score of the season. It was drizzling when I started on Hole #1, and I was surprised at the number of people who were on the course playing. By the 4th Hole I pulled out a rain shirt I had tucked into my bag before I left home and was putting up my TaylorMade Staff umbrella, which I had fetched out of the trunk of my car in the parking lot.

I played a fair front nine, with pars at Holes #2 and 6. It seemed like the more it rained, the steadier my game became. Of course, when conditions are like this, you can be more aggressive with ships and putts. When I reached the clubhouse at the turn--in 48 strokes, not bad for these conditions--a few people thought I was done for the day. But one fellow who I've golfed with when I belonged to the Juniata Golf Association paid me the ultimate compliment when he told them, "Preston is a mudder, he'll be going back out." And go back out I did.

On the back nine--which I had all to myself--the rain stayed constant and it became harder to keep the grips of my clubs and my golf glove dry. I started to take the back nine as a quest and I found myself really focused and not trying to overhit the ball. I made pars at Holes #13, 17 and 18 to come home in 40, easily my best 9 Holes of the year.

Most golfers don't like playing in the rain, but I kind of like it. If you go to play in Scotland or Ireland, rain is almost assured to be of your round. As long as you have the right gear and right attitude, I find it easy to play in bad weather. Besides, this was my last chance to get in a round before heading off to Delaware in two weeks. I did make one change to my bag today. I replaced the Nickent hybrid with a old Golfsmith XPC3 Rough Rider 5 Wood. I was pleased with the way it performed and it will remain in the bag in Delaware, although I will be taking the Nickent hybrid with me.