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

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.

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!

A Fairways Fade

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 43/57 = 100
Date: September 25, 2015

Hoping to put my wretched play at the The Rookery South two weeks prior behind me, I teed it up at The Fairways Golf Club, looking to get my game back to track. But a giant fade off the first tee was the opening sign that things weren't about to get much better. If that wasn't enough of an ominous sign, my 7-iron approach to the green hit something--I suspect a rake in the right side bunker--and bounced back into the water fronting the green. That meant an opening 7. I did manage to regroup and make a par at the Second Hole, but a triple-bogey 6 at the short par 3 Third Hole confirmed this round wasn't going to be a good one.

The Fairways Scorecard

Although I managed to shoot a 43 on the opening nine holes, the same I shot my last round at The Fairways when I shot an 81, this score had a weird feel to it. I triple-bogeyed two of the four par 3s on the outward nine, as well as the opening hole. I did manage a birdie at the 327-yard Par 4 Fifth Hole when I hit 4-wood off the tee, then hung my approach shot out to right and into the greenside bunker. From the sand I splashed my ball onto the green, where dead into the cup! It is the first birdie I ever made on a hole-out from the sand!

A triple-bogey at the Third Hole

I took the 43 to the back nine, still wondering if I was going to be able to post a good score despite my erratic play. That was answered with a topped tee shot at the Tenth, where it took three shots to get out of a bunker. An opening 8 on the outward nine. In all, my shots found bunkers on 8 of the 18 holes during my round. Another 8 at the Thirteenth. Another triple-bogey at the Fifteenth where it took three shots to escape a bunker. And a 10 at the Eighteenth brought me home in 57, for a total of 100.

A holed shot from the right bunker for birdie!

My short game was very poor and cost me many, many shots. And getting off the tee was a problem. Several weeks ago, because I was hooking a lot of my tee shots, I put ome lead tape on the toe of my driver. That seemed to help for awhile, but the last two rounds it has caused me to hit a bad fade of slice. That fade off the tee led to my fade on the back nine. I can remove the tape and hopefully, I can remove the errors that have plagued me for the last two rounds.

It's Better at Bensalem

Bensalem Township Country Club
Bensalem, Pa
Yards: 2759/3049 - 5808
Par: 35/35 - 70
Rating: 68.1, Slope: 121
Score: 46/49 = 95
Date: September 2, 2012

On the final "official" weekend of summer, I teed it up with a co-worker at Bensalem Township Country Club, located just across the city line. Labor Day weekend is a time I normally playing a round at the Delaware Shore with my cousins, but that outing came back in July this year. I haven't played Bensalem in three years, and coming off my 82 at The Fairways the previous week, I felt pretty good about my game.

 As we waited on the First tee, the starter, Gene, told me Bensalem was in very good shape and that he would put it up against any course in the area. I usually take the starter's course critique with a grain of salt; what do you expect them to tell you, the course is lousy? But in this instance, Gene was pretty accurate in his assessment. Except for a few bumps were the greens are still recovering from aeration, Bensalem was in as good a condition the best courses I've played this season.

 Front 9 at Bensalem

I played well on the front nine, opening with a bogey on the short Par 4 First Hole when my approach with a gap wedge came up a bit short, but I rebounded to par the Second Hole. I made another bogey at the Par 5 Third Hole when I again came up short with a wedge on my third shot. Another par at the Par 3 Fourth Hole had me feeling good, but I ran into some trouble at the Fifth. I hung my tee shot out to the right and under a tree, but then punched an 8-iron left of the green and pitched over. This led to a triple bogey 7. I hung my tee shot out to the right on the next two holes also and made double bogey at each. I hit 4-wood off the tee at the 316-yard Par 4 Eighth Hole and found the fairway, then hit the green with my approach and two-putted for par. But I tried to baby a driver at Ninth, hitting it off the heel and short left, which led to another double bogey and a 46 on the first nine.

 Back 9 at Bensalem

I believe the reason I am hitting the ball right off the tee is on some swing I am dropping my right shoulder just enough to leave the clubface slightly open through the swing. If I can correct that, I feel I will again be able to square the clubface at impact and start hitting the ball straight or with my customary draw on a more consistent basis.

 Par 3 Fourth Hole

It began to rain as we teed off on the back nine. I made a bogey at the Tenth after finding the right side of the fairway, but again pushed my tee shot well right at the Par 3 Eleventh Hole. Hitting from a grove of trees, I punched it into the bunker, then blasted out and two-putted for a double bogey. I hit my tee shot at the Twelfth in a fairway bunker, but my approach from the bunker with a 7-iron was pulled well left and out-of-bounds. I did make a long putt to only make bogey, but at the Thirteenth, a tee shot pushed right led to an 8 after I took a drop, punched back into the fairway, then slipped as I hit a 4-iron right of the green. The 205-yard Par Fourteenth plays over a ravine and I again hit my tee shot right, which led to a bogey. On the last four holes, I hit perfect tee shots, but couldn't capitalize on any of them, going bogey, bogey, double bogey and bogey to semi-limp home with a 49 and a total of 95 for my round.

 Green at the Eighth Hole

Overall, I was pleased with my round at Bensalem. Even though I did hit some tee shots to the right, I am getting off the tee much better now than earlier in the season. What I really need to work on is my short game: chipping, pitching and putting. My putting is satisfactory, but can always improve. It is an area I plan to concentrate on through the fall and early spring in hopes it will be a strength next season.

 Par 4 Thirteenth Hole

As for my going struggle with tendinitis in my left elbow, the Aleve I take before I play and the brace I wear is helping me get through my round. I am icing my elbow occasionally, but I think I need to do it more between rounds. Also, Mrs. Muni Golfer and I just bought a new treadmill, which I will be using to get myself in better shape, not just for golf, but overall. And being in better shape can only help my golf game as I hopefully will build up better stamina for walking the course.

Back 9 Breakdown at Kimberton

Kimberton Golf Club
Phoenixville, Pa
Yards: 2910/3106 - 6016
Par: 34/36 - 70
Rating: 68.3, Slope: 118
Score: 45/50 = 95
Date: July 29, 2012

Sunday I teed it up at Kimberton Golf Club, which was designed in the early 1960s by George Fazio. In 1991 and 1995, the course hosted the Pennsylvania Publinks State Amateur Championship. There is nothing tricky about the course. There are some holes that feature water, but everything is pretty much in front of you when you stand on the tee. However, there seems to be few easy holes. The five Par 3s play at 182, 164, 120, 199 and 136 yards. Three Par 4s measure longer than 400 yards and the shortest of the three Pars 5s plays at 489 yards. The fairways are generous and the greens are in pretty good shape, except for the Eighth Hole, which looks like it was hit by some sort of turf disease. But it looks accommodating to golfers of all skill levels and was an enjoyable course to play.

 Kimberton Scorecard

Buoyed by my last round at The Fairways, I took a great deal of confidence into my round at Kimberton. I pulled my opening tee shot a bit, hitting a tree on the left, but still found the fairway and was able to hit a hybrid on for an opening par. However, I topped my tee shot at the 403-yard Second Hole, missed the green left with my tee shot and made a 7. I made another par at the 374-yard Third Hole, which has water fronting the green. But I missed the green right at the Par 3 Fourth and made a double bogey five, a problem that plagued my round. I double bogeyed every Par 3 except the 120-yard Ninth Hole, where I made a par. I was driving the ball pretty well on the front nine, and when I did miss off the tee, it was usually because of poor alignment on my part. The par at the Ninth Hole left me with a 45 for the front nine and still feeling pretty good as I headed to the back nine.

 Approach to the Third Green

The back nine started just like the front, with a pulled tee shot that hit a tree but found the fairway. A 6-iron from 155 yards found the green and I two-putted for a par. I made a nice bogey at the 445-yard Par 4 Eleventh Hole when I missed the fairway left, but I hit another tree on the left at the Twelfth Hole and made double bogey. After another bogey at the Thirteenth Hole, I started a three-hole stretch that basically doomed my back nine. At the 199-yard Par Fourteenth Hole, I missed the green long and right, then failed to chip on from a double bogey. At the Par Fifteenth Hole, I hit my worst tee shot of the day--a high slice. After needing three shots to get the ball to the front of the green, I chunked a chip and three-putted for a 9. I missed the 136-yard Par 3 Sixteenth green in the bunker right, failed to get my bunker shot on the green and made another double bogey at a Par 3. At the Par 5 Sixteenth, I again pushed my tee shot right, leading to a bogey. At the Eighteenth Hole, I hit my 4-wood off the tee to find the fairway, but left my approach shot right of the green and made a bogey 5 to finish off the back nine in 50. Another back nine meltdown that left me with a round of 95 that could have been in the low 90s or even the high 80s.

 The Eighteenth Hole from the Tee

In analyzing my round at Kimberton, two things stand out: my failure to take advantage of the Par 3s and my poor chipping/pitching. I think the latter is the main reason for the former. I really need to get to the practice range and just spend a session or two working on just chips and pitches. My failure to get the ball onto the putting surface from around the greens is costing me strokes and the only way to remedy that is by practicing. I also need to evaluate my course management. I feel I have become enamored with the driver, when I should be hitting my 4-woods and hybrids off the tee. A middle iron into the green is often much better than hitting a punch shot around trouble.

More Kimberton Photos:

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Weathering My First Full Round of the Season

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 95
Date: May 9, 2010

On an usually cool and very windy Sunday in early May, I ventured out for my first full round of the 2010 season.  Since I have not been able to get to the Driving Range and have done virtually no practicing since early April, I wasn't sure what to expect out of my game.  I had played well in spurts over my first nine holes of the season the previous week, but I wasn't sure if that was just early season luck or what.  I tried to downplay my expectations, but at the same time, I was hoping to build on the five good holes from the previous outing.  I was fortunate to run into a colleague from work on the second hole and we played together through nine holes, which made the front side more enjoyable to play.

 My Scorecard

The strong winds made club selection, as well as shot selection a bit difficult, especially with only nine previous holes played under my belt.  I tried to play for the hard hooks I was hitting last time out with my irons, but that wasn't as much of a problem this time and I probably over-compensated for that swing flaw causing me to hit a few shots dead right.

 The wind had flagsticks bending on the greens

I hit the ball a little better off the tee and with my approach shots, even if they were often affected by the wind.  Where my game, and my scoring, really let me down this week was in the area you would probably most expect it this time of year--the short game.  The lack of touch or feel on my chips and pitches caused me to waste shots, often adding at least a stroke or two to most of the holes I played.  And my putting, while not bad, didn't feel as confident as it had the previous week.  I did make two pars, but I let too many opportuntites go to waste.  This will only be corrected by more playing and practicing, something I feel won't be happening on a consistent basis until the middle of the summer.

The new tee box at the Twelfth Hole

Construction of the new Sixteenth Tee

I am happy with the continuing improvement of Juniata Golf Club.  More cart paths have been added and barriers have been put up along the cart paths around the tee boxes.  The new tee box at the 12th Hole is open and construction looks like it is continuing on the new elevated tee box for the 16th Hole.  And a new, fitting memorial to those who have served in our Armed Forces (below) has been erected outside the ever improving clubhouse.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Practice Makes Mediocre

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2735/2070 - 4680
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: Practice Round
Date: April 19, 2009

Trying to shake the winter's rust off my game and get ready for some serious golf this summer, I played my first 18 hole practice round this afternoon at Juniata Golf Club. Temperatures were definitely cooler--the high was 64--in the partly cloudy, windy conditions. Walking 18 holes for the first time was not a problem since I have been walking two nights a week--sometimes three--with my wife. I felt physically fine as I navigated the course. My swing and my game were a different story. Off the tee my game was OK, as I hit 7 out of 11 fairways. But I only 2 out of 18 greens and none of them were on the Par 3s. Where I had my real problems was around the green--hitting chips and pitches. I was awful. Of course, after a five month layoff, you can expect your touch to be a bit off. It just highlights my need to get to the Driving Range on a steady basis to hone my swing and to work on my short game. My best hole of the day came at the 380-Yard, Par 4 9th Hole, which plays over the Tookany Creek and uphill. I didn't hit my best tee shot; it went dead right, but hit some trees and bounced back into the fairway, leaving me 175 yards uphill to the green. I hit my 7-wood onto the green, just 10 feet above the hole. I had a tricky downhill left-to-right slider for my birdie, but two-putted for par.

The course was again in fairly good shape for so early in the season, but last week's rain made for some soft conditions and I found mud on my ball several times on approach shots and chips or pitches. Juniata also continues to undergo a transformation. The side of the hill as you go down from the 7th tee to the fairway has been bulldozed. The new tee at the downhill 12th Hole--which is becoming a 165 to 175-yard Par 3 instead of a 300-yard Par 4--has been graded and seeded. A sign warns those on consider sneaking their tee shot from the new tee: "Do not even think about it." And the around to the left of the 7tee and behind the 16th tee has been bulldozed for what looks like the installation of a new back tee for the 16th. Several new cart paths have also been added around the course.

The cartpath leading down from the 7th tee

The new tee at the shorten Par 3 12th Hole

A warning to those who want to try the new tee

The view of the downhill 12th Hole from the new tee

The 12th Hole from the 'temporary' tee box

The new waste bunker guards the left of the 12th green

A new back tee for the 16th hole?

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Getting Ready for the 2009 Golf Season

As the calendar page gets ready to turn to March, it means starting to plan for the upcoming golf season. As you have read previously in my golf new year's resolutions, three of my stated goals are:

1) Get myself physically ready to play golf before the season starts -- My wife and I have scheduled to begin walking two nights per week--Tuesdays and Thursdays--beginning this Tuesday. If the weather is bad, we plan to walk indoors at a mall. As weather permits, we plan to walk outdoors. This should help get my legs in shape to walk at least 9 holes in the beginning, and hopefully, 18 holes by the time April arrives.

2) Visit the driving range at least once a week from March through May -- I'll probably hit the driving range for the first time next Saturday. After that, my plan is to visit the driving range on Wednesday nights to hit, at the minimum, a small bucket of balls to get my swing back into shape. I may also stop by the putting green at Juniata Golf Club on either a Saturday or Sunday each week to work on my short game for at least an hour.

3) Begin playing as soon as weather permits, but no later than the first week of April -- If all goes as planned, and the weather cooperates, I'm hoping to play my first 9 hole practice round of the season the weekend of March 14 or 21. I'm planning on my first full 18 hole practice round March 28. That should set me up well to begin playing for real when April arrives.