What a Difference in a Decade

One of the more popular trends as the 20-teens ended on December 31, was to compare pictures of yourself from the start of the decade in 2010 to those at the end in 2019. Although I didn't do it, I suspect I kook a little older and little more gray. I decided that instead on comparing pictures of myself, I would compare what was in my golf bag at the start of the decade with what was in it at the end. Here is the comparison.

Driver: 2010 was split between a TaylorMade Tour Burner and a Wilson Staff Smooth. The Smooth Driver remained almost a constant in my bag throughout the decade until it was replaced last year with a Ping G400 Max.


Fairway Woods: In 2010, I started the season with a TaylorMade Tour Burner 3- and 5-wood and finished with an Adams Redline RPM 4-wood. In 2019, I used a TaylorMade M2 4- and 7-wood, before moving to a Ping G 4-wood for most of the season.

Hybrids: I used numerous hybrids in 2010, including Nickent, Elevon Tour and TaylorMade. My 2019 bag was home to a Wilson Staff FG Tour 3-hybrid and Wilson Staff V4 utility iron.

Irons: TaylorMade Tour Burners ruled my bag in 2010, while I mostly used Wilson Staff Ci7s in 2019.

Wedges: Solus 53- and 56-degree wedges were a constant in the 2010 golf bag. 2019 saw a combo of Cleveland (48-degree) and Wilson Staff (52- and 56-degree) wedges in the bag throughout the season.

Putter: The putter is the one area that stayed basically the same. I alternated frequently between an Odyssey or Snake Eyes putter throughout most of the season.

Golf Ball: In 2010 I used a Wilson Staff golf ball through most of the season. 2019 saw Titleist as the only golf ball in my bag.

So there you have it. While I began the decade as a loyal TaylorMade equipment user, I ended the decade with a number of brands in my bag: Ping, TaylorMade, Wilson Staff, Cleveland, and Titleist.

Blowin' in the Wind

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 44/46 = 90
Date: October 21, 2018

Indian summer has finally given way to more traditional autumn-like weather. Temperatures barely reached 50 degrees when I teed off with my cousin on Sunday morning at Fairways Golf Club. But steady winds gusting at 35-40 miles-per-hour across the course made it feel much colder. It also made playing a challenge as club selection became a guessing game, while trying to play with or against the strong gales.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

I enjoy the challenge of playing golf in adverse conditions, whether is be windy or rain. On a day like this, my strategy is to play conservatively and accept bogey as a good score. A bogey is becomes a par and a par is often becomes the equivalent of a birdie. Thus, the par 65 for the course is thought of as a par 83.

The strong winds had the pins bent like this one
at Juniata a few years ago

On the front nine, my strategy worked through the first five holes, with one par at the 109-yard par 3 Third Hole and four bogeys. On the Next four holes, I again made a par at the 168-yard Par 3 Seventh and just lipped out a par putt at the 133-yard par 3 Ninth. But the 284-yard par 4 Sixth and 365-yard Eighth holes both caused me problems. I made a 7 at the Sixth when I failed to get out of a bunker and made a triple-bogey and an 8 at the Eighth when I hit a tree with my second shot. This left me with a 44 for the opening nine holes.

Wilson Staff Di11 Iron

On the back nine, I started with a par at the short 248-yard Tenth Hole, then bogeyed the next two holes. A double bogey at the Thirteenth Hole--I fatted a chip on my third shot--was followed by three more bogeys. Bad drives and poor putting the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Holes saw me finish out my round with a quadruple bogey and a double bogey for a 46 on the back nine and a total of 90 for the 18 holes.

Except for the 7 and two 8s that I posted, I was happy with the way I played in the windy conditions. I also had two new irons in bag: Wilson Staff Di11 5- and 6-irons, which replaced the Ci&s I had been carrying. These irons are designed for more distance and they delivered when I hit them during my round.

Split Decision at Bensalem

Bensalem Township Country Club
Bensalem, Pa.
Yards: 2759/3014 - 5773
Par: 35/35 - 70
Rating: 68.7, Slope: 127
Score: 44 (Front Nine)
Date: October 14, 2018

Because of other weekend obligations, I wasn't able to tee it up until late Sunday afternoon. Afraid I might be in a race against a mid-autumn sundown, I opted to go to Bensalem Township Country Club only play nine holes. I teamed up with Sean, who was also playing solo, on the First tee.

Bensalem Twp. Country Club Scorecard

With virtually no warm-up, I chunked and chipped my way to a bogey at the First. At the Second, my tee shot found the right side of the fairway and my approach clattered through the tree that guards the right side. After pitching on, I sank a long uphill putt for par. This began I run of three consecutive pars, including the 487-yards Par 5 Third, where I just missed a birdie.

My par run was halted at the Fifth after I short-sided myself with my approach shot on the 309-yard hole and made double-bogey. That left me three over par through five holes. I began another short par by two-putting from long range at the par 3 Sixth and then missing a short birdie putt at the 317-yard, dogleg left Seventh Hole.

The Par 3 Fourth Hole

Even though I made bogey at the Eighth, I was pleased with the way I recovered after blocking my tee shot right into the creek that runs parallel, then across the fairway. I hit my second tee shot (third stroke) to the left-center of the fairway, then dropped an 8-iron from 140 yards to 10 feet. I made the putt to walk away with a mere 5, when it could have been much worse. That left me four over par through eight holes.

But I came crashing back to reality at the 356-yard par 4 Ninth. After pulling my left driver into the bushes on the blind tee shot, I hit my second tee shot up the left side and into the rough. From just

TaylorMade 200 Iron

inside 150 yards, I hit my approach shot well right of the green. Having to pitch over a bunker to a back left pin, I went long and into the spotty rough. Instead of putting, I tried to chip and when well past the hole. Putting for a 7, I burned the edge, then lipped out my short tap-in, which left me with a 9 for the hole. My score for the front nine was a 44, with five pars, but it could have been much better if not for the blow-up at the Ninth.

I made one drastic change for this round, splitting my iron set. I kept the Wilson Staff V4 Utility 4-iron and the Wilson Staff Ci 7 5- and 6-irons. But I replaced the Ci7 7-iron through Pitching wedge with TaylorMade 200s. These irons, while still cavity backs, are thinner and look and play more like blade irons, which seems to give me better feel and control of the shorter scoring clubs.

The rest of my irons--all Wilson Staff--remain the same: Ci 48-degree Gap Wedge, PMP 52-degree Wedge and 56-degree Sand Wedge. I want to try out this configuration through the rest season and see if it is something I want to keep for next year. I am also looking to replace the 5- and 6-irons with models that are more forgiving and have added distance. With the new iron figuration, I now have seven Wilson Staff clubs in my bag, six TaylorMade and one Odyssey (putter).

Fairways Test Drive

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 43/39 = 82
Date: October 7, 2018

Through most of this season, I have been switching drivers and fairway woods in and out of bag. So far, I have used four different drivers and 12 different fairway wood during the 17 rounds I have played. This round at the Fairway Golf Club was another opportunity to course-test a driver, a Wilson Staff FG Tour F5, and a Ping G25 3-wood.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

I had acquired the Wilson F5 driver earlier this season and had used it once, shooting a 94 at Juniata Golf Course at the beginning of June. During that round, I hit most of my shots with the driver either to the right and short or a duck-hook left. It quickly came out of the bag and has been patiently waiting for another round. It got the opportunity on Sunday.

I used the F5 driver on six tee shots during my round: holes one, two, eight, sixteen, seventeen and

Wilson Staff F5 Driver

eighteen. The first two times I teed off with it, my drives were anything but impressive: a low hook at the first and screaming worm burned at the second. Although I recovered to make a bogey and a par on those holes, I seriously considered whether I would hit the driver again during the round.

At the eighth, I decided to tee the ball a little lower and position it a little further back in my stance, just off my left heel, than I do with my other drivers. I proceeded to hit a low draw up the right side of the fairway, one of my best drives of the round so far. I teed the ball the same at the last three holes, and except for pulling my tee shot left at the sixteenth, I hit very good tee shots. In fact, I made par and birdie on the last two holes, where I hit the driver. So it will stay in bag for now as I give it some more testing.

A good tee shot at the 18th led to birdie

I hit the Ping G25 twice off the tee during my round, at the fifth and thirteenth holes, and I didn't like either tee shot. I will be going back to the TaylorMade Burner 2008 3-wood that I used for four rounds in August and September.

Bouncing Back?

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 49/42 = 91
Date: June 29, 2018

Hoping to bounce back from the mental meltdown I experienced the previous week at the Fairways Golf Club, I teed it up at the course again this past week. In hoping to change my score, I made several changes to my bag for this round: I replaced my Wilson Staff Driver and Golfsmith 5-Wood for a Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver and X Hot 7-Wood, respectively, as well as subbing a 56-degree Solus sand wedge for the Wilson Staff 58-degree wedge I had been carrying. I also went back to a Titleist NXT ball from the Pro V1 I had struggled with the prior round.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

These changes seemed to have little impact on the front nine, as I made an 8, 3 7s and a 6 in shooting a 49--one stroke worse than the front nine the week before. I did, however, manage to make par at two of the four Par 3s on the front nine. I also discovered that my swing was getting more around my body instead to more up-and-down.

Standing on the Tenth tee, I kept one swing thought: swing more up-and-down. I also was determined to have a better mental focus than I had the previous. It resulted in a back nine 42, which is certainly better than the previous round, but still not good enough. I did make two pars and had par putts on five of the other seven holes. If my putting had been a little better, I could have easily shot in the 80s, instead of the 91 I posted.

Overall, I played better than the previous round, but I am still searching for the consistency I had earlier. I think the discovery about my swing plane could help, as will the change in equipment. But I need to get back the short game and putting that helped me open the season so well.

Moving forward, the Callaway clubs will stay in the bag and I will also replace the Golfsmith XPC Plus 3-Wood with a Callaway X Hot2 4-Wood. The Solus sand wedge will be replaced by a new Wilson Staff 56-degree FG Tour PMP 56-degree wedge. And my Odyssey #9 will be removed in favor of another Odyssey putter, an original Rossie II. These changes will be tested this coming Sunday when I tee it up at a new course in Delaware: Mulligan's Pointe in Georgetown.

Another Hybrid Audition

Since the longest iron I carry is a 5-iron, I have long searched for a club to fill the gap between my fairway woods and my irons. This club has ranged from a 4-hybrid to a 4 utility iron.

This season alone, in the five rounds I have played thus far, I have carried a TaylorMade hybrid three

times and a Wilson Staff utility iron twice. Now, a new club is auditioning for the opportunity to fill that critical spot in my golf arsenal.

On Sunday, I picked up a Top-Flite Gamer Tour 4-hybrid at Dick's Sporting Goods. Top-Flite, which used to be owned by the Spalding Company and had a major presence on the PGA Tour, is now a brand that is exclusive to Dick's and Golf Galaxy. During the first 10 years or so of my golfing career, I used Top-Flite golf balls exclusively, so I feel some good karma having this brand return to my bag.

The new hybrid, which I purchased on sale for $40, has 22 degrees of loft a heavy head which features a low center of gravity to aid in getting the ball in the air. It also features an Aldila NV 75 shaft, which retails for more than I paid for the club.

The new hybrid will get its first audition in the bag when I play my next round this weekend. I look forward to seeing if it will earn a permanent place among my golfing arsenal.

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.

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.

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!

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.