GolfNerd17 - Driver Work

Good Day Everyone!

As I mentioned towards the end of my last article I finally managed to make it out to the driving range and work out which of the two drivers I have I would rather play with. Up until this point, I have not hit a driver in over four years, and have not hit the drivers I was trying out. Since I was a bit shorter (a foot actually) the last time I hit a driver, I was finally going to whack appropriate adult clubs. The two I am using in this article are my dads. He doesn't play much anymore, and luckily after the day was over the one I liked better was the one my dad preferred NOT to use, so he got his driver back for whenever he does play.

The two drivers were decent clubs. The first one was a Mizuno Forged Titanium T-Zoid Blue Rage 350 driver with 9 degrees of loft. This is my dad's preferred driver, and in fact he admits that it's the only driver he was ever able to hit well consistently. The other club was the Callaway C4 Big Bertha Composite Head driver with 10 degrees of loft and a larger club face.

The differences I've noticed between the two clubs, aside form the obvious loft differences and the fact one is titanium and the other is composite are rather subtle. The Mizuno has a stiffer shaft than the Callaway, however you can pick and choose what stiffness you want for the Callaway. The C4 I am using is the "Regular" shaft stiffness which is the middle of the 5 tension choices, so you could get it with a stiffer shaft. Also, something I liked about the Mizuno was that the titanium head made that nice "PiiiNG!" sound when you hit the ball. The composite C4 made more of a knock-whallop noise, but that's just because of the differences in materials used.

In the end, the Callaway Composite head was easier for me to hit consistently. By the time I was done with my bucket of balls (I got the biggest one they have which holds about 110 balls) I was hitting them straight down the middle and they were either hitting the back fence or going over it. I was pleased with the result.

--Tom K.

GolfNerd17 - Bogey Golf at Twin Brooks

Good Day Everyone!

So today (probably yesterday by the time I finish this) Alonso and I went to Twin Brooks to play 18. Twin Brooks is a fun 18 hole par 54 (18 par 3s) executive course with more trees and sticks than you can shake a stick at (sorry-not sorry). Regardless of the terrain we managed to have a pretty good game and a good time today. For the first time since the re-ignition of the spark of my interest (okay Tom, calm down, less poetry please) in golf, we've finally played a course that has 18 different holes! Also, after the round I took a step back and went to the range on site and worked out my driver play (finally).

So anyway at around 10:30 this morning we went ahead and teed off. The first hole is 84 yards from the back of the tee, probably 75 from where the tee markers were (and sequentially, where we teed off) and like an idiot I used a pitching wedge and overshot the green. After messing up a chip shot, I got on the green in three and two putted for five. Alonso made the fairway... but of the adjacent 10th hole, and managed a six on the first hole.

The second hole was better for both of us. We both were on the green after our tee shots, and I even made a ten foot putt for birdie! Woohoo! Alonso two putted for par, and we were very pleased going into the third hole.

Yes, I did goof and say "third hole" but it was the second, indeed.

The third hole I'd rather not talk about for two reasons. One: I don't really remember what happened. Two: The score card says I got a five and Alonso got an eight so we're gonna skip that one. The fourth hole I did worse on, and Alonso actually did better than me scoring a five to my six. This hole is interesting as you cross a river/creek thing on a rickety bridge to the tee. Then you hit over the river/creek thing to the green 80 yards away. I overshot the green and ended up having to take a drop because I ended up in a hibiscus bush or something. Alonso, however, hit a nice shot onto the right fringe and four putted banging it past the hole three times.

I got a bogey on he fifth hole and Alonso got a five. The sixth hole had a bit more of a skew between our scores as I managed par and Alonso managed... eight. I remember Alonso chipping completely over the green a few times, once hitting it 30 yards in the wrong direction!

Speaking of wrong directions, the band One Direction sucks. But you know what else sucks? When you combine two holes on a golf course. Yeah. The Seventh tee is placed in an area where when you finish the sixth hole, if you keep walking in that direction you're on the seventh tee and in the same direction is a green. However that green is to the eighth hole! Alonso and I didn't realize this until after we hit our tee shots, turned around and realized the arrow on the yardage board pointing in the opposite direction to another green. So we walked over, picked up our balls, went back to the teeing area and hit our balls in the correct direction. This pissed me off. Not because we goofed up, but because my tee shot to the incorrect green was better than my tee shot to the correct green! It was all I could do to save FIVE for that hole... oye.

Now onto the eighth hole. I managed to bogey that hole after overshooting the green. Alonso didn't have much luck as his tee shot went caty-whompus and shot way right, over the fence, bouncing on the Pinellas Bike Trail bridge, and over that railing into the river/creek thing. His second tee shot also went right, but this time stayed low, only went 30 or 40 yards, and stopped after hitting the chain link fence bordering the river/creek thing. His next shot, was... well, see for yourself:

But back to the ninth hole. By now we're pretty exhausted. It's been over an hour since we started, the wet dew and residual rain left over from whenever it rained last (it's Florida so probably like 10 minutes before we started) is now evaporating straight up into our faces and our water bottles are empty and we're about 3 strokes away from a stroke (heh heh). The ninth is pretty straight forward, and after teeing off with a nine iron on the 134 yard hole and plunking it just short and right of the green, Alonso teed off and went no where far or quickly. His second shot I believe sent him past the green and down a hill that turned out to be not as steep as we anticipated (which was good) and my second shot put me on the green setting me up for the bogey I would later receive. Let me stress, we're about to die:

After that hole we retreated to the club house and bought drinks and candy bars out of the fridge. I turn into Rodney Dangerfield from Caddy Shack when I'm hungry so I had a Snickers. We then tallied up the scores while watching the Junior PGA Tour on the tiny television in the corner of the clubhouse and realized I shot a 38 (which was no where near as terrible as I though) and Alonso shot a 53 which wasn't that bad all things considered. I was surprised at my score but then realized the reason why it wasn't in the forties was a birdie and a par and more bogies than anything else. Alas, I was pleased. But being my own worst critic was still mad at the six I received on the fourth hole and the fives I received on one, three, and seven.

The Back Nine

So we moved on to the tenth. I got a bogey and Alonso got a five. With that we moved on to the eleventh hole. The eleventh hole shares a huge teeing ground with the third hole. The third hole hitting west, and the eleventh heading east. There is a water hazard running for most of the right side of the fairway widening as it turns out to the right to head smack through the twelve fairway. To the left of the hazard is a nice fairway where you can plop your ball before chipping up onto the elevated green if you were too worried you would overshoot and end up rolling down into the road. Of course, I went for it and to my surprise, didn't suck!

Yeah yeah, I couldn't see the flag in the screen and looked like a doofus as I played Cinematographer LIVE trying to point at the damn thing (only to realize upon later review I had it right in the first place). As you can see Alonso ended up in the weeds after ending up in the weeds (yupp, losing two balls). He received a nine on that hole as I parred it. I was pleased.

We then crossed the road. Why? To get to the other side, much as I assume the Chicken did. And on the other side was the twelfth hole. This is a short hole, 89 yards, over a river/creek/drainage thing and onto a nicely sized green. I parred this hole as well. Unfortunately.. Alonso didn't. Let's just say some marsh, and bridge, and a hedge got in his way.

I don't know quite what happened on thirteen, but we must have been suffering heat stroke or something because I finished with a six, and Alonso finished ten more than that. Needless to say it was NOT our best hole. We then sought shelter in the shade and luckily a water cooler was there too for us to fill our bottles with. After chilling out and letting ourselves recoup themselves we set off on the fourteenth. I managed to par that hole as well. Alonso did much better than a sixteen and only received a five.

Alonso then got a bogey on the next THREE holes in a row. I received a bogey on the next two holes, and a five on the seventeenth. The eighteenth was a dog as my tee shot went slightly long and left, and then I botched my chip sending it two feet in front of me. After getting on in three I two putted for a five. Alonso found the rough and managed a six after three putting.

After tallying up the scores I learned, contrary to how I felt, I did better on the back nine than I did on the front thanks to my numerous pars and bogeys. I scored a 38 on the front nine and a 37 on the back resulting in a 75 total for the day on a par 54. This adds up to 21 over par, or just over bogey golf (which is my short term goal). Alonso, due to his three high scoring holes as a result of heat exhaustion, did ten strokes worse on the back nine than the front, receiving a 63 on the back. Totaled with his 53 on the front, he still managed to improve four strokes from when we played at Cypress Links a few weeks ago.

All in all, I was happy with the round, and I think Alonso was too. After the round I went and bought the biggest bucket of range balls they had and worked on my driver play on the range. The main thing I wanted to do was decide which driver I wanted to keep in my bag. Currently I'm playing with hammy down clubs from my dad, and I was trying to decide between his Mizuno driver (which he prefers) or the Carbon Fiber Composite head Callaway Big Bertha driver. After hitting some, I realized I preferred the Callaway. The Mizuno I couldn't seem to find a sweet spot with, but the Big Bertha I was able to send it straight as an arrow and over the back fence 200 yards away. I also managed to draw the ball on command, and fade it accidentally. Either way, I was quite happy. I also learned my 3 wood I can hit roughly 175 yards. So now I know, which is all I really wanted to figure out.

So whatever. I hope to get out again soon. Depending on how my money situation is, I still want to buy a new box of balls and go play Mainlands in Pinellas Park. We'll see! Check back soon!

--Tom K.

Treasure Bay - It's a BIRDIE!

Good Day Everyone!

Welcome back to Golf Nerd 17, and today I will be writing about my afternoon outing with Alonso yesterday at the local course "Treasure Bay" golf course. I know, I know. I said next time we play it'll be at Mainlands. BUT, I'm still saving up money to buy new balls and money for the round so I can do it correctly. I also still need to go to the range and figure out my driver and woods because yesterday I took out my driver on one of the bay side tees and whacked two balls into the water pulling one over a hundred yards to the right and putting so much spin on the next one it flew 30 yards then abruptly pulled twenty yards left and shot straight down into the water. Saying I drew the ball is a major understatement.

But anyway, Alonso was getting antsy and wanted to play yesterday and I had $10 to spare so I figured "Why not?" and we had a good time. On the first nine I scored a 41 while Alonso scored a 63. On the back nine we both improved. I managed a 38 that should have been a 34 but I lost a ball out of bounds on my tee shot on the ninth as I pulled it left praying it didn't hit the apartment buildings (it didn't.. but close!) and had to tee off again for my fourth shot finishing with an 8 for that hole.. I wasn't happy with that finish. Alonso improved his 63 all the way down to a 49. After examining his scores on the first nine I let him know if he turned all his scores that were over a 6 into 6's, he could shave 15 strokes off his score, and he just about did that.

Also, I remembered to take out my iPhone and do some filming and managed to make some short videos so I could have a YouTube channel dedicated to this blog as well. Since iMove was being a b!tch last night I just uploaded the short clips right from my phone to youtube, but I plan on making a feature film lasting a couple minutes in length every time we go out instead of uploading many smaller clips. UNLESS, that is I get feedback from my readers saying they'd prefer to watch many smaller (less than one minute) clips rather than a video around 5 minutes or less in length. If you have an opinion, send you opinion to my primary blog email toms3dhuckfest@yahoo.com and let me know what you prefer. I cater to you, my readers, so it would make no sense for me to choose a format you don't like.

So, onto the game. On the second hole Alonso had a great hole. His tee shot left him pin high and on the right fringe of the green. A lucky chip shot left him with the ball IN THE HOLE for his first ever birdie! Congratulations Alonso. As we went on, it showed that unfortunately Alonso's birdie was a fluke. But he did eventually improve and I'll get to that later. The front nine was decent for me. I received a bogey for the first five holes, parred the sixth, bogey on the seventh, and then whacked a ball in the water on the 8th and finished with a seven. Then after making the green on the ninth I received a six. Now I know what you're saying, "How the hell did he manage to make the green and still receive a 6?" Well, the video below explains how:

As you can see, I did make a green... just not the green. My first shot pulled right and landed on the green for the seventh hole, and since you can't chip from the putting surface and I didn't feel like taking a drop, I figured I'd be creative and putt off the green and chip through the gap in the bushes onto the green. I managed to chip onto the fringe, chip on, and two putt for my six.

The Back Nine

The back nine was better for both Alonso and myself. After getting a bogey on the first two holes and Alonso receiving a 6 on the first two holes, we moved onto the third hole (aka, the 12th). My tee shot was a bit long and rolled off the back of the green, and Alonso's tee shot was rubbish as he sculled it to the right into the mud again. I figured now, after this being the third or fourth time Alonso had played, that Alonso has played enough that he could take some swing advice and put it to good use. I explained to him some things my dad taught me about the golf swing including making sure you have a good grip. I also went into detail about the different elements of the swing including what makes a good take away and back swing, and accentuating to be smooth and to realize that all of your power comes from the last part of your swing right before impact, and how to keep your wrists and the club in "the slot" as you come down to the ball. I then had him drop another ball and give it a shot, and he landed right next to the green, caught some hang time with the ball instead of sculling it, and made good impact with the ball. Also, he commented that the swing didn't hurt his arms anymore.

Since we still played our original balls, he received a six and I scored a four. However using that same technique I showed him on the third tee, his scores improved as he no longer sent tee shorts thirty feet into the mud, but rather a hundred yards down range, and pretty straight. His scored dipped down to fives instead of sixes and sevens, and even parred the sixth hole, as did I.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to the fourth (aka, the 13th) hole. This was a good hole for me. My tee shot landed me a few feet from the pin, on the green, and pin high, and I one putted for birdie. I was very pleased!

As you can tell, Alonso miscounted when he announced in that video he scored a ten on that hole. In reality, after recounting his strokes, only scored a six.

Moving on to the sixth hole. Now this hole is interesting. Downhill, about 110 yards, slight dogleg left with water left and some weird trees right with a green side bunker to the right. We both hit decent tee shots. I ended up on the fringe and Alonso in the fairway just short of the green. We both chipped on and one putted for par. We were both excited going into the seventh.

On the seventh, I hit a tee shot similar to the last time I played that hole and was short of the green due to underestimating the distance of the hole and not giving a full swing. I don't know why but that hole looks shorter than it is. Alonso, overwhelmed with the hype of scoring well on the sixth hole hit his tee shot thirty yards and into the mud. It wasn't good. I told him to calm down and hit another shot and to concentrate. We were still to play our original balls as always, but this was just to show what calming down and taking a step back to think about your shot could do. It was a poor example as he just hit it farther but still pulled it right and onto the tee for the first hole... but whatever.

He went to his ball and I went to refill my water bottle at the fountain placed on the seventh. I saw where his second shot ended up... it was behind the tees for the first hole about twenty yards beyond where his provisional shot landed. I walked over and, after hitting my ball onto the green, hit his provisional ball for fun since we weren't playing it. It landed on the green (woot!) and Alonso went to set up for his third shot. This, by the way, is the third time we were on this green today. The first time on the seventh hole, the second time on the ninth hole, and now:

I managed to score a bogey on that hole after two putting, and Alonso managed a five after two putting. All in all it wasn't a bad hole. On the eighth I redeemed myself and scored a bogey there after hitting a ball into the water last time. Alonso also improved this time shooting a five instead of a seven.

I don't know why, but the ninth hole just has some bad juju. I don't know if it's nerves, weird wind coming off the buildings, or if we always just rush because it's the ninth and we're exciting with that "if I score well here I'll score a 34!" or whatever. But we always end up botching something on this hole. One time we played Alonso sent three into the lake. I remember Nick sent two into the lake one time. I've lost balls in the lake, in the bushes, in the maintenance shack, and in the apartments. Last time I ended up on the seventh green as I stated above, and this time I lost a ball in the apartments again. Luckily it didn't hit the buildings. After taking the OOB penalty I teed off again (my fourth shot) and landed in the center of the fairway. I made a crap chip shot leaving me short of the green, and I finished with an eight. Alonso pulled right on his first or second shot and had a similar shot that I did the last time after I putted of the seventh green. I finished with an eight after my stroke and distance penalty, and Alonso finished with a seven.

All in all it was a fun day of golf. After tallying up the scores I finished with a 79 and Alonso finished with a 112. Hopefully we'll get out there again soon. It's a fun little pitch and putt course and should not be overlooked.

--Tom K.

Cypress Links at Mangrove Bay - A Monday Game

Good Day Everyone!

Earlier today my friends Alonso, Nick and I played 18 at Cypress Links once again. For the first time since we've started playing again just a few weeks ago we were all able to go together, so today was interesting. We planned to arrive at the course an hour and a half before our 9:30 tee time and hit the range. Alonso wants to warm up because he's new to the game and wants to work out all his bad shots on the range before getting anywhere near weeds, lakes, or trees. I personally want to work on my long irons, woods, and driver. I seem to have a problem pulling my long irons (4 and 5 iron) to the right, and I have no clue how far I can hit my woods and/or driver because I haven't played in so long, nor have used those particular clubs before.

Unfortunately, due to Florida's weather being a scutch, the driving range was too wet for the ball retriever to retrieve the balls without tearing up the grass and therefore was closed. After twenty minutes on the chipping and putting greens, however, we figured we'd head up to the road to Cypress and see about getting onto the course an hour before our tee time. Since it was not busy this morning there was no problem teeing off earlier than scheduled.

This is the first hole as viewed from the black tees. A bit muddy as you can see.

The first hole made me feel good. I hit the ball straight, unlike last time when I pulled it right and ended up in the lake. However, I did plunk it in the greenside sand trap. Not to worry, because I managed to whack it out of the sand and one putt for par. I was happy. Nick, with his new born giraffe swing, managed a 7 as he whacked his way up the fairway. Alonso managed to find all kids of trouble, such as the weeds making for a lost ball penalty, and received an 8 for the first hole. I was feeling good, but I couldn't say the same for my fellow golfers.

The second hole promised improvement. I also pared this hole after whacking it past the green, back on, and one putting. Alonso improved his score by 3 resulting in a 5 for the second hole, and managed to gain a lead ahead of Nick who scored a 5 on the second. Nick did what I did the last time we played, and pulled his tee shot way right onto the fifth tee or the fourth fairway... I'm not sure. However, unlike me, he managed to find his ball. I miss that ball I lost last week so if anybody finds a Callaway Warbird stuck in the grass over there let me know! It is missed dearly! At this point, I was happy. I was at par, which had me feeling good, and I was also happy Alonso, who I've taken under my wing since we started playing, was doing relatively well.

This is the second hole at Cypress Links. Short hole, water left, bunker right, and hills past the green.

The third hole at Cypress.. I'm not a fan of. It's a long-ish hole with a rectangular green with water on both sides. The green is also crowned rolling downhill on both the front and back of the green which is only about 5 or 10 yards deep. I managed to steer clear of the water, but my tee shot with my 5 iron left me slightly short and right of the green. Alonso, after unsuccessfully attempting to hit my 3 wood managed to drive the ball all the way six feet in front of him and down the hill to the water's edge right near the teeing area. He then hit a shot, again only several yards forward and ended up on the right side of the teeing ground. Nick, between Alonso's ill-fated shots, drove his ball all the way to the front tees and was even with Alonso's second shot. After a while and a humbling three putt by myself, we did not score as well. I scored a 5 resulting from my abysmal three putt. Alonso shot a 10, and Nick managed his third 7 in a row.

The fourth hole with water right, bunker right and back of the green, tress left, and Nick setting up for a practice swing.

The fourth hole was a love-hate hole for me. I hit an excellent tee shot with my pitching wedge and drove the green. I was very happy. Alonso and Nick managed to cover both flanks by hitting it right and short and left and far of the green. I fixed my ball mark and prepared for a long birdie putt, or a decent two putt for par. After analyzing the putt while my friends whacked their way onto the green, I went for it, and missed. The second putt for par was an easy one... and I missed that one too. I was not happy with my bogey with a three putt at all. I was so proud of my tee shot that I guess I rushed my putting stroke. Alas, I scored a 4 on that hole, Nick scored 6 and Alonso scored 5.

This is my ball and the mark it made when I drove the fourth green. Right after taking this picture I fixed the mark, and then proceeded to three putt my way to bogie -.-

Hole 5 at Cypress Links. Nice hole, straight. water to the back right of the green. No bunkers. It's harder than it looks with hills to the left and unfavorable lies to the right.

The fifth hole was interesting. I managed a bogey while Alonso somehow managed to whack his ball 10 times (I think he five putted), and Nick surprised us all by managing par after a decent tee shot just short of the green, a close chip shot, and a one putt. The sixth hole I was okay with. I hit a tee shot straight down the middle and landed just feet short of the green. I was contemplating my club selection. Based on the yardage I was planning on hitting an 8 iron, but after I figured the headwind I decided to go with a seven. However that still was not enough to get me up onto the green. Alonso hit his initial shot to the right, ended up in the bunker on his second shot before punching out to the green and putting twice for a 5 on the sixth. Nick also managed a 5 whacking his ball little by little up the fairway. I managed bogey after a decent chip and a two putt. I was annoyed because I missed an easy putt. I probably should have spent more time on the putting green before we started.

This is the seventh hole at Cypress Links. You can see Alonso the orange shirt and apparent case of "swamp ass" diagnosed by his awkward stance.

 The seventh was not too fun for me. I was disappointed in my tee shot that went right and only about half way up the fairway. After getting it on the green and three putting I managed a 6. Alonso and Nick both managed 8s on the seventh after whacking their tee shots and subsequent shots not too far. The eight hole I was okay with. I bogied the eighth after hitting it right of the green. Alonso scored a 7 and Nick hit 5. I hate the ninth hole. It seems that the ninth hole on the courses I've played is just difficult for no apparent reason, or it could be just that I'm either beat or just letting my mind get ahead of me wanting to end on a good note. Whatever the reason, I pulled my 4 iron way right and ended up in the water. I managed to save 6 on the hole, but I was not happy. Nick managed an 8 after making several back and forth putts around the hole, and Alonso racked up the strokes to 11.

Now I'm not going to bore you with the back nine for a few reasons. One, it was pretty uneventful unless you count me cursing inanimate objects like my ball or the ground for my poor shots as I got fatigued in the sun (I wore a black shirt.... dumbass move). Also, I did worse on the back nine than on the front and I really don't want to write about it because it makes me sad. Also, I'm fried and I don't recall many of the holes. I do remember that because there was a junior program we started on the third hole and then played one and two on the way back. And since Alonso did 16 strokes better, I think he'd want me to mention something about him. Instead of hitting 10s and 11s he kept this average score down around a 6. His highest score was one score of 8, and he had a couple nice bogies. Kudos Alonso. Nick also improved by four shots on the back nine keeping his average score also around a 6 (Alonso and Nick tied on the back nine with 52).

Here is the eighth hole. Really short, bunkers short and long of the green. Both the front and back nine I ended up right of the green, but the back nine I ended up in the weeds beyond the back bunker. There's also water back there...

To tally up everything, on the front nine Alonso scored 68, and on the back nine he scored a 52. Nick scored a 56 on the front nine and a 52 on the back, and yours truly scored a 39 on the front and a 47 on the back. It seemed I just got tired while my friends got practice.

In all it was a fun day out. We're thinking of playing at Mainlands Golf Course next time we play, which is a par 67 instead of a 54 and includes a couple par fives, and many par fours and par threes. However, before we play there I need to do some more work so I can afford $30 for a new case of Callaway Hot Hex golf balls, as well as another $24 four the round of golf. However since I'm a college student, I'm pretty sure I get a discount and can ride for the walking price of only $18 at Mainlands. Also before I go play at a bigger course, I want to go to the range and figure out my woods and driver so I'm not hitting them for the first time on the first tee.

 Until next time, I'm Tom from Golf Nerd 17. Keep Swingin'!

 --Tom K.

A Future Outing

Good Day Everyone!

It seems today is the first day in a few where I can see the sun through clear skies. Hopefully this is a sign for things to come as Nick (Giraffe Swing Dude), Alonso (my friend from Indiana, and yes that's his name.. my parents still don't believe me) and I are planning on playing Cypress Links together as a threesome on Monday morning. Fingers crossed for good weather! I'll have a run down on that outing afterwards just like Wednesday's outing. Stay tuned!

--Tom K.

Short Game Tip - To Putt or Not to Putt?

Greetings once again!

Today my friend Nick and I played Cypress Links. If you want that story, please scroll down to Cypress Links at Mangrove Bay - A Wednesday Game and give it a quick read. But anyway, the last whole I managed to par without taking my putter out of my bag. How is that? Well I chipped it in. Now, I'm not saying this to brag (okay, maybe a little), but my short game is fairly decent. Most times when I'm near the green I can chip on from the ruff, fairway, bunker, whatever, and end up within a few feet of the hole. Most of the time I end up close enough to one putt. Sometimes I even manage to sink it without even putting.

Now, after I chipped it in on the last hole, I did some thinking about that shot. I probably did the thinking because I was proud of it, but nonetheless I realized something. I've known this for a while, and have heard it told to me a few times, but that was a long time ago. Today, after some thinking, I was able to bring it forward to the conscious part of my brain and stick it into words, and I think if I can get to the main point of this article by the third paragraph, it would be a good tip to all who read this.

A lot of times chipping from a distance such as this can be easier than attempting to putt through the rough grass, and all the way to the hole.

So without further a due, I present to you the big question: when should you putt and when should you chip? A rather simple question you may think. However, I see this with a lot of people I play with as well as other people I observe on other greens while I'm waiting to tee off. I see people putting from the ruff/fairway right off the green. Now I understand putting from the fringe as you don't want to chip there and mess up the closer cut grass, but putting from the ruff or the fairway! Why? In my thinking today I realized that it's a more efficient and reliable technique to chip from off the green than to putt.

But why? Why would you use an extra club and attempt to hit the ball again just to get it to move three feet onto the green? Well, when you're in the ruff or the fairway, it's difficult to judge the speed of the ball, the break, and many other factors that come into play when the ball is rolling along the ground. If you're in the ruff, you don't know what's down there. There could be a hidden sprinkler head you missed, or a rock that's hiding, or the grass may be just especially thick, or it may be thin and the ball could run way past the hole. If you're regularly putting from three or four feet off the green, you can't tell me you haven't came up dramatically short or sent the ball steaming past the hole.

I try to chip and get the ball in the air as much as I can. For me, chipping is easy. I've worked at it more than any other part of my game mainly because it's the only thing I can do at my house because I have a small back yard, and no carpeting in the house to practice putting on. So I chip. If you concentrate on that aspect of your game like I did and get to the point where you can put ten or twelve balls down on the side of the chipping green at the driving range and get them all within one putt distance from the hole, then you just shaved some strokes off your game not having to putt from the fairway and two putt to finish. Think about how many times you putt from the fairway or ruff in a game. What is that? Two? Three? Seven times? Whatever that number is, imagine being able to shave that many strokes off your game because you chipped it within three feet and one putted instead of putting it within eight and two putted.

How can this be easier? Before you chip the ball, get behind it and read it like a putt. Thing about how far you want it to fly and where you want it to land. Also, don't forget to read the green! Remember, when you chip the ball isn't going to have a ton of backspin and just stop; the ball is going to roll, and therefore will slope left or right or uphill or downhill just like it would if you putt the ball. So remember to think about the shot just like you would a putt. Think, "Okay, I want it to land two feet onto the green and roll eight feet to the hole. Hmm, well it's downhill, so I should put the ball a little further forward in my stance so I can get more backspin. Oh and wow, look at that left break. So I should aim right. Okay. Practice swing one. Practice swing two. Let's do this." Or maybe you don't think out loud to yourself as much as I do...

Basically, the moral of this story is, for me, it's easier to get the ball close to the whole when I chip the ball from just off the green instead of attempting to determine how hard and at what break I should whack a ball through the fairway or ruff just off the green. So take a few balls into your backyard or the chipping green at your favorite driving range and pick a target and go for it. You might find it much easier to just pop the ball over the thick stuff than to trudge through it. Let me know how it works out.

--Tom K.

Cypress Links at Mangrove Bay - A Wednesday Game

Good Day Everyone!

So my friend Nick and I played golf today at Cypress Links at Mangrove Bay this morning. If you read my last article Golf Nerd - The Legend I referred to Nick as "Giraffe Swing Dude" but since then he has reviewed my blog and granted me permission to name him. But anyway, this morning Nick and I played 18 holes at a small, par 27 executive course in northern St. Petersburg. This course is beautiful, with a median skill level for what a par 3 course could be, and is surrounded by the championship course Mangrove Bay. Unfortunately, Cypress Links was closed for several days prior to our game because the area had received over ten inches of rain! So, it was a bit soggy. Welcome to summer in Florida...

Alas, the course was open today and we manage to play a decent 18 holes. Although the driving range was not open due to it being too soggy for them to run the tractor to retrieve the balls preventing me from warming up and getting used to the distances I can achieve with my clubs other than my pitching wedge, we went ahead and teed off at Cypress.

The first hole is pretty straight forward: straight, about 140 yards, water and weeds to the right, bunker just short and left of the green, with simple breaks in the green. Get ready, here come the excuses. The first nine was far from my best round of golf. Normally I'm somewhere around or just over bogey golf, between bogey and double bogey. The day started off with a ball in the water to the right, and a seven (four over par) for the hole. Yikes..

But my "luck" didn't stop there. On the second hole, I also lost a ball, but since it wasn't in the water, an extra penalty shot was added to my score (I actually attempt to score correctly). I saw the ball go right and over some hills, heard it hit a cart path, and I couldn't find it. Playing strict rules, and adding in some crappy pitch shots trying to get the ball on the green, I ended up with a 9 on the second hole. Keep in mind this entire course is par 3.

However, Nick was having better luck despite his newborn-giraffe-esque swing. After the first two holes, my score totaled 16, while his totaled only 9 with a double on 1 and a bogey on 2. On the third hole I managed to get my head back in the game, and if it weren't for poor club choice I could have had an easy par. But, since I picked an 8 iron for a 163 yard hole instead of the 6 or 5 iron I should have hit, I came up short of the hole. Tack on a two putt after a pitch over the green and a chip onto, I finished with a double for that hole. Lucky for me, Nick managed to whack two balls off the tee right into the lake to the right before he managed a decent shot, and scored an 8 on that hole.

We both felt like a couple of idiots, playing on a sopping wet course in overcast conditions scoring 5 and 6 over par, but alas we kept chugging along despite Murphy's Law guiding us around the course. After my comeback on the third hole, and gaining 3 strokes on Nick, I was still 4 behind. Since trying for par this round at this point was pretty much out of the question, my goal at this point was to come back and beat Nick.

On the fourth hole, after whacking it past the green, chipping on, and two putting for bogey, I gained another two as Nick managed a triple bogey (6) on the fourth, and I don't remember if Nick found water on this hole or not contributing to his triple. By the fifth hole we both managed to pull our head out of our asses, and I managed par with a green side tee shot, close chip, and one putt. Nick managed bogey after basically the same, but a two putt. Nick was still leading by 1 stroke at 27 and myself at 28. Keep in mind we're now going to the sixth hole at par and 1 over for the course! Ugh, this wasn't a good day.

The ninth hole from the back of the green towards the tee.

The sixth was interesting. I hit a decent tee shot, except for where it landed... Well to be completely honest I thought it was a lot worse. When I hit it I thought it was in the bunker short and right of the green. That wouldn't normally be too bad, except due to the rain, there was roughly eight inches of water in the trap. Luckily, it was not in the bunker, but perched precariously on the front edge. Overcome with happiness that I didn't need to wade in for my ball, I hit a lousy chip shot... into the trap. I guess the good news was it was only in an inch or so of water on the close side of the trap. Now, on any other occassion I would have taken an unplayable, gone back to the far side of the bunker as to not improve my lie, and taken my shot from there. Nick had other plans for me.

I suppose Nick doesn't believe in the unplayable rule, or just decided to pull a "no winter rules" on me for his own enjoyment. Either way, I wasn't getting off with moving my ball out of the water. SPLASH! At least I hit a decent shot within 4 feet of the hole and two putted for a double bogey. Also, I suppose it was good that I was wearing a brand new polo shirt so the water seemed to bead up nicely... but I couldn't say the same for the sewer-y smell... Oh well... I wasn't the one that had to sit in a cart for another 12 holes with a smelly guy. As a male teenager, I'm pretty good at tuning out my own odors...

The seventh was a good hole for me. Short tee shot, but only juuust short. A chip close to the pin and a one putt for par made me happy going into the eighth hole.

The eight hole is the shortest hole on the course: 103 yards with a huge green, but also with huge rectangular sand traps on the front and back of the green, water 20 yards beyond the hole, hills and out of bounds to the left, and trees, cart paths, ducks, and mud to the right. My tee shot ended up with a very smooth lie in some nice grass.... thirty yards ahead of me on the forward tees. My second shot landed me in the short trap, and my third landed me a couple feet ahead of me in the same trap. This was my fault for thinking I could just do a regular shot because the ball was nice and high on the sand/mud. Alas that was not the case, and my wedge dug deep. My second bunker shot was a traditional flop that I should have made in the first place. A two putt for 6 finalized the short eighth hole for me.

The ninth hole is the longest on the course at 187 yards from the black (rear) tees (which is where we've been playing from all day). I chose my 5 iron, still managed botch the shot  leading to a roughly 50 yard pitch shot to the green, which I also botched. And two putts put me at 5 for the hole.

We were both very disappointed with our performance that round, and as much as we wanted to blame the course for being wet, the course was not an issue whatsoever. Every crappy shot I hit was my own stupid fault, and of course I'm going to take full credit for all my good shots. We decided to play another 9 to attempt and redeem our poor performance on the first 9 holes.

After the first 9, I finished with a 47 and Nick finished with a 51. I managed to achieve my "goal" of coming back from my poor start and overtake Nick, however, my overall performance was not up to par with my own expectations... not that it ever would be.

So, if you're still with us after reading that novel of how not to play golf, thank you and congratulations on having nothing better to do. You must have life figured out, and I am so proud to have such well-to-do readers. If you're still figuring out life, i.e. procrastinating something you should be doing or trying to look important while you drink your coffee at Starbucks, also thank you to you. I appreciate everyone who manages to read through the stuff I write. So thank you to you all. But please don't stop here. There's some goodies to come on the second nine!

If you're local and are looking for an affordable course to play that's short and easy, Cypress Links probably fits the bill. Here are the current rates. The dates are included so be sure to check back if you're reading this in the future.

On to the back nine (which is the front nine... again). I started much better, and Nick started much worse. I parred the first hole (woot!), and Nick managed to whack his tee shot all the way to the forward tees. Whack after 40 yard whack he made it to the green and finished with a 6 on the first hole. On the second hole I managed a 5 after several poor shots and a decent putt. Nick, however, after finding water managed an 8 on the second.

The third hole I wasn't very happy with. I scored a 6 and as I write this don't quite remember what I did wrong except for a three putt and whacking it past the green.. oh wait, that's it! But, I was happier than Nick who scored nine after 5 putting...

The fourth hole I also wasn't happy with after scoring 7. Nick managed better with 6. I just couldn't catch a break after whacking a ball into the lake, and then whacking my second tee shot past the green and down a hill. then going back up the hill short of the green, chipping on, and two putting.  Luckily the fifth was easier as I hit a nice tee shot, chipped very close to the hole and one putted for par. I don't remember what Nick did, but the scorecard says he made 7.

On the sixth, I manged better than last time. I steered clear of the sand trap/lake, and managed a bogey after two putting missing an easy three footer. Nick, with his baby giraffe like swing decided to try his new driver for the first time on this 135 yard hole. I wasn't concerned as his 5 iron goes about eighty yards. Astonishingly, Nick drove that ball all the way to the front tees!...

Skipping ahead because I can hear you all nodding off, the ninth hole was quite exciting for me. After coming up short with my 5 iron on the 187 yard hole the last time around, I decided to try my 4 iron. Now, I've never hit a 4 iron before... ever. But after spending a few days on youtube listening to PGA golf instructors talk about how to hit your long irons, I teed up with the ball forward in my stance, and after a practice swing or two I went for it. Of course, I managed to do something I never do and that's slide my hips, dunk my right shoulder, open the club face, and it sent the ball into the first hole's fairway. Luckily, it was pin high, so I know I got the distance close. Using my sand wedge I put it over the hills and onto the green, where it ran off the other side. It was only just off the fringe, but I decided to chip. As I'm setting up I recall Nick questioning my choice to chip instead of putting the few inches out of the ruff, two feet over the fringe, and 8 feet to the hole. But as he said that I took my stroke, and sunk the chip for par.

Here's a photo I took today with my iPhone from the back tee. to the right there's water nice and short. Beyond that are some menacing trees, father on there are the sand traps to the right of the green, and finally the green is barely visible. You can click to enlarge this picture as it's pretty decent quality. I managed to whack my tee shot mentioned above pin high, but way to the right beyond the aforementioned lakeside trees.

In honor of that shot, and the many successful chip shots I've had in my past experience, I'm going to soon write another article with regards to short game decisions. It seems my short game is better than the rest of my game, so I guess I'm at least semi qualified to comment. But let's not groan on anymore. This article has run its course. Heh, get it? Course? Because golf? Eh? Whatever.

So yeah, I scored better on the second nine with a 41 as apposed to my previous 47, and Nick did the opposite scoring a 62 instead of his 51 on the first 9. These scores brought my total to 88 and Nick's to 113. So I suppose I achieved my overall goal to not let myself get beat by Nick, however my performance still was nowhere near where I wanted it to be. I suppose I'll go back there soon and hone my skills more, get a better feel for my irons and their distances, and use the driving range the next time it's not too soggy to get a feel for my woods and driver.

Hopefully before school starts we'll manage to get confident enough to play at Mainlands in Pinellas Park which is an in-between-y course with an 18 hole par of 67 rather than 72. We might even play Mangrove Bay. I've played at Mainlands before, but I want to get a feel for my woods before I go to a longer course.

Oh! And Nick, being obsessed with things with wheels started a blog about golf carts today. The link is below.

http://pinellasgolf.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading! Keep checking back for more!

--Tom K.