I know I know, but there has been a lot going on and I haven’t had the time, but that has to stop. So to start off the posts again here’s the teaser pics of the new putter I have in the works from Chris and LaMont over at Sunset Beach Golf Company.
Enjoy! I know I will be 
I broke 100 and I’ve posted in general, but I’m back with a new career score and much to talk about. For right now though we are going to just stick to the latest round and leave the rest for future blog posts.
So this last Sunday I was treated to a free round of Birthday golf by my brother-in-law at Boone Creek and it was a fantastic time. The weather wasn’t to warm especially with the slight breeze and for the first time in what seemed like forever I remembered how to hit my irons.
It’s amazing what a simple tip can do sometimes to bring your game around. Typically I have been dreading having to hit anything other than Driver or 9 iron, but yesterday I was shooting with precision with everything from the 4 up. It was a tremendous feeling to be able to go pin hunting!
Unfortunately though the driver was misbehaving and I couldn’t hit a fairway to save my life. All 4 of my penalty strokes were off the tee and more than once did I have to pitch out to the fairway. I think that had the driver been with me I could have easily shot in the 80s.
The MVP award of the day went to the newest club in the bag which was purchased/assembled the day prior; the Nike SQ Sumo #2 Hybrid. More about why I purchased it another post, but this club is absolute gold!
So while the MVP goes to the Hybrid, the Highlight real goes to the putter. Last hole of the day, 45′ to the pin. About 1 foot of break right to left and two mounds to deal with. Perfect line, does it have the speed? ::heart pounding:: :watching:: … it rolls in to give me a new career game. At that moment in time I felt like Tiger Woods and I had the furious fist pump to match it!
Well it finally happened folks, on June 28th at Boone Creek in McHenry, IL I shot a 96. That round marked my 5th round of the year and 11th round ever so, needless to say, I’m happy to break 100 so soon!
The round itself started off kind of crappy though with being paired up with a couple of assholes and with my first drive winding up in a bunker. Things got better soon though with my iron play saving the day. I seriously have never hit my irons so straight and long… wether it was a hot and long 5 iron (around 195) or a high and soft 9 I was on fire. It’s unfortunate though that I really couldn’t get the driver or the putter working though and it’s really time that I spend a lot of energy working on my lag putting.
So aside from the actual golfing it was still a pretty interesting day. The course is perhaps the nicest I have seen in it’s price range ($38 - 18 holes w/cart) and I would almost pay double that… the course was that nice.
The most interesting thing though had to be right after hole 8. In between 8 and 9 is a storm shelter and as we’re coming off the green we see about 15 people huddled in there so we decide to join them. At this point our paired up guys say they are going to play on and we bid them, thankfully!, farewell. So off they go and sure enough 10 minutes later mother nature graces us with nickel size hail. The poor weather then continued for about 30-40 minutes before leaving for the day and from that point on the weather was fantastic!
So thats my story of breaking 100. Hopefully next time the irons will be just as hot and I can get the putter working and maybe, just maybe I can grab a 89 by the horns!!!
Hello golf fans, what a US Open we had!
I haven’t been posting much lately due to frustration with my golf game and lack of time. I’m still enjoying the game as much as ever if not more, but it seems like the last few times out I’m taking steps backwards rather than forwards.
I think a lot of my problems stem from over eagerness which causes me to rush. I lose a ton of strokes out on the course each time due to getting to quick and making poor shots. I’m also having a hard time committing to my shots if it’s not one I’m comfortable with. For example this last weekend I must have had 5 lies that were either severely above or below my feet. Past experience has shown me that I do not hit that shot very well and bam thats all I can think about so of course I mess the shot up. I also seemed to be playing the game of second shot first. This happened all throughout the round, but the worst was on one of the par 3’s. I push my ball way left and it’s probably lost so I hit a provisional. Sure enough that shot lands about 4 feet from the cup. Tap in for a bogey 
So keys for me to work on… work on my tempo, commit to the shot and change my outlook, and go through my pre-shot routine.
I should have made this post last Friday, but due to a lack of a camera it had to be postponed. I’m still as happy as I was then though so lets get down to details.
Studio B is indeed a wonderful place. From the selection of putters, the service, and the fitting experience there was nothing at all I could complain about except maybe having waited so long to go! For what it’s worth though this actually is my very first putter that wasn’t a gift (previously I was using a TM Daytona Rossa). I figure though if you’re going to do something you should do it right.
So without further ado lets take a look at my new girl…
Isn’t she gorgeous? And wow does she perform. This last weekend I went out and, on tougher greens, shaved 14 putts of my previous week’s round!
So a huge thanks to Ben Bradbury @ Studio B. His patience and guidance, I tend to be indecisive, was invaluable. And a big hats off to Mr. Bettinardi for making such fantastic putters.
So if you’re in the Chicago area and want to experience the best in service and game one of the nicest flatsticks around then head to Studio B!
This weekend was not the one I had envisioned. Ideally I had hoped to play two rounds of golf and possibly even a third, but sadly only one round happened. The reason though was a good one; my playing partner managed to hurt his back pretty bad and we were forced to skip playing Friday & Saturday.
Monday though was another story. After much rest (and many prescribed drugs) Garon and myself were able to meet up with his aunt & uncle for a round at Foxford Hills. So with the wind gusting and the weather warm we embarked down a beautiful course.
The round started off okay with me just missing par and happily taking a bogey, but it quickly went south. Hole #2 found me in trouble with the driver and it’s a tune that would be sung repeatedly throughout the day.
Overall my iron & wedge work was pretty decent and spectacular at times, but it couldn’t overcome the horrible approaches I was leaving myself with off the tee. If there is a silver lining though it’s I figured out the Nike SQ Sumo2 5900 is not the driver for me. I really wanted to like this club because I love their Hybrids, but it just wasn’t meant to be. The driver that is for me though and will most likely be purchasing this week is the TaylorMade Tour Burner, but that’s all for another post.
The highlight of the round though was my putting. Although not perfect, I still had a few 3 putts and even a 4 putt, I did have 14 less putts than my last round and that makes me a happy camper. Mad props to Garon though… he had 5 putts through the first 4.
So all in all not a bad day. I honestly think that if I can manage to get my putting on track at the same time as my driving I could be shooting mid 90s easily. If I can manage to do that and keep my OB and pop up flys (I must have lost 6 stokes to moving the ball 5 feet) to a minimum I should be in the mid 80s!
Tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on Studio B and pics of the new flatstick.
Thats right tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I will be heading down to the putter studio of the legendary Bob Bettinardi. It’s funny how much boys like their toys because I feel like a kid during the days before Christmas. Last night dreams of putters danced through my head and every minute seems like an eternity.
For those you may be unfamiliar with the name Bettinardi I offer my sincerest apologies because the beauty of his creations rivals if not exceeds that of the other great craftsmen. In fact here is a bit of trivia… Did you know that between 1993 and 1998 everything that came out with Scotty Cameron’s name was actually made in Bettinardi’s shop?
So back to the important topic though… the trip to Studio B. I’m lucky enough to visit this flagstick-wonderland because the studio is actually located outside of Chicago. Once there it basically works like this (or so I’m told)
And welcome to my personal Golf Blog/Journal “Inside the Leather”. Before we talk about why I’m here though lets cover some vocabulary.
Definition: “Inside the Leather” is the measurement used to determine if a putt is a “gimmie.” Of course, gimmies are against the rules. But if you are playing a casual round and only casually observing the rules, you might encounter an “inside the leather” measurement.By near acclamation, when gimmies are being used in a casual round, a ball that is “inside the leather” is a gimmie. “Inside the leather” refers to the grip on the golfer’s putter (grips were once made of leather).
To measure, place the putter clubhead inside the cup on the green. Lay the putter flat on the putting surface, extending back toward the ball. If the ball is between the cup and the bottom of the grip (i.e., if the ball lies next to the shaft part of the putter), the putt is said to be “inside the leather” and, therefore, within the gimmie distance.
Now unfortunately I don’t leave too many shots “Inside the Leather”, but hopefully thats going to change as the season moves on. I’m taking a lot of lessons this, my first year, and it’s my goal to consistently shoot in the low 90s before the year’s end.
So tag along with me for the journey. I’m hoping to keep everyone updated with my scorecards as well as my instruction progress and my general thoughts and happenings in the world of golf. It’s a great and wonderful game and I’m glad to have fallen in love with it!
