# The 2013 Golf thread



## drjeff (Apr 30, 2013)

Someone had to start it 

Got round 1 of the year in yesterday at my home course. This may have been the golf off season where I did the LEAST amount of golf related stuff ever.  I literally picked up a club just once between when my last round was in Mid October last year until yesterday, and that was for Mount Snow's Snow Golf Tournament about a month ago, and if you've ever tried to hit a golf ball while wearing skis, you know that it is almost nothing like playing on grass! :lol:

I went into yesterday with zero expectations, and just wanted to enjoy a nice morning on the course.  And I can't complain in the end.

I slapped it around a bit on the front nine, trying to figure out the power fade I had off the tee vs. the nice controlled draw I had been hitting all last year. Hit some decent iron shots and finished the front 9 with a +5 41. Then I started to play a little golf on the back nine. Picked up birdie #1 of the year on the 16th hole (considering that this is the #1 handicap hole on my course, i'm not sure if this is a good or bad omen for the season :lol: ) Finished the back nine with a -1 35 and a 76 overall.  No complaints at all


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## Warp Daddy (Apr 30, 2013)

Awesome opening round Doc !! Look like pyou got it going on the backside . nice to start off with something that begins with a SEVEN !!
Itching to get out there but the Queen and I have been sick for 2 weeks with some never ending , nasty germ that will not quit .

Sooooon i hope !!


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## mriceyman (Apr 30, 2013)

thats a sick opening round. i got out yesterday also.. it was overcast and rainy in the morning but dried up in the afternoon and i had the course to my self. shot an 87 with about 10 extra strokes either on or around the green. i did finish with 5 pars(2 of which i had 4 foot birdie putts). i love playing golf,.


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## xwhaler (Apr 30, 2013)

My golf game is a shell of where it was 5 yrs ago when I had much more time at work and no child. That said, I still like to get out a few times/month from April-October if I can. I played a quick 9 holes a couple wknds ago and was terrible as I expected.
I'm heading up to the Sugarloaf Maine area over Memorial Day for a friends/family wknd at my friends lake house.
Will most likely get a round in up there which even if I play awful is still a guarantee to be an enjoyable round. I played it last Labor Day for the 1st time and what an amazing experience.


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## Warp Daddy (May 1, 2013)

New golf terms


Some new golf terms to use when you're ;out on the course... ;




A 'Rock Hudson' - a putt that looked straight, but wasn't.


A 'Saddam Hussein' - from one bunker into another.


A 'Yasser Arafat' - butt ugly and in the sand.


A 'John Kennedy Jr.' - didn't quite make it over the water.


A 'Rodney King' - over-clubbed.


An 'O.J.'- got away with one.


A 'Princess Grace' - should have used a driver.


A 'Princess Di' - shouldn't have used the driver.


A 'Condom' - safe, but didn't feel very good.


A 'Brazilian' - shaved the hole.


A 'Rush Limbaugh' - a little to the right.


A 'Nancy Pelosi' - Way to the left and out of bounds.


A 'James Joyce' - a putt that's impossible to read.


A 'Ted Kennedy' - goes in the water and jumps out.


A 'Pee Wee Herman' - too much wrist.


A 'Sonny Bono' - straight into the trees.


A 'Paris Hilton' - a very expensive hole. ;


-- ;


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## Nick (May 1, 2013)

I'll be in Myrtle Beach area in July. Hope to get a couple holes in. I suck though. Lucky to break 120.


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## ScottySkis (May 1, 2013)

I love the movie Caddy Shack, but not a golfer at all.


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## jrmagic (May 1, 2013)

Awesome start Doc! I'm struggling so far this year. While my ribs healed up good enough to get back on skis before the season ended, they don't seem too happy to be swinging a club properly. The only bright light is that my chipping and putting are coming along nicely.


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## Warp Daddy (May 6, 2013)

Finally got out this am after 3 weeks in sick bay . Opening round was MEH ! 44/43/87. Hit the big stick and approaches pretty well but man that damn little stick killed me today . hit most greens in regulation but also suffered the dreaded triple and a double and a bunch o bogeys . It wil come but right now the cups are the size of a dime :smash:.    Just felt great to finally get out there !


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## mriceyman (May 6, 2013)

It takes me about 8-10 rounds to be able to putt at all.. Last time out i shot an 87 with 6 pars.. Which means i shot +17 over 12 holes including a bunch of 3 putts.. But i tell myself i cant get mad early season about putting


Sent from my iPhone


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## mlctvt (May 6, 2013)

And from the title I thought someone bought a new car


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## Warp Daddy (May 8, 2013)

A little better second round today , 44/41 /85 but blew up with another damn triple bogey  ugh !!


Life ain't a dress rehearsal: Spread enthusiasm , avoid negative nuts.


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## Warp Daddy (May 19, 2013)

I had a big weekend Turned 70 ( free skiing at Titus now !!) AND shot a pretty decent round of 18 , 4 birds, 6 pars , a pair of 39's for a 78 . Only my 3rd round of the season , been nursing a little water on the knee issue but it is much improved and i got it braced for golf .




 happy about the 78 , only my 3rd sub 80 , all since i was 69. Yrs old. Hahahaha


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## xwhaler (May 23, 2013)

xwhaler said:


> I'm heading up to the Sugarloaf Maine area over Memorial Day for a friends/family wknd at my friends lake house.
> Will most likely get a round in up there which even if I play awful is still a guarantee to be an enjoyable round. I played it last Labor Day for the 1st time and what an amazing experience.



Tee time set for this coming Sunday at 8:10 at Sugarloaf! Can't wait 
Forecast has a 60% chance of rain with  wind and overcast skies with highs only reaching 47


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## jrmagic (May 24, 2013)

Still struggling this season with the full swing. The ribs are healed but my stroke got very wristy as a result of trying to generate more power when the ribs were restricting my turn and I haven't had much practice time. My best of the year stands at 85 thanks to 3 birdies and no doubles on the front for a 39-46. Things should slow down a bit for me after the next two weeks and give me time to rediscover my stroke before my handicap starts skyrocketing.


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## jrmagic (May 24, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> I had a big weekend Turned 70 ( free skiing at Titus now !!) AND shot a pretty decent round of 18 , 4 birds, 6 pars , a pair of 39's for a 78 . Only my 3rd round of the season , been nursing a little water on the knee issue but it is much improved and i got it braced for golf .
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Happy belated Warp and good shooting! So when are we going to see you post that you shot your age?


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## Warp Daddy (May 25, 2013)

jrmagic said:


> Still struggling this season with the full swing. The ribs are healed but my stroke got very wristy as a result of trying to generate more power when the ribs were restricting my turn and I haven't had much practice time. My best of the year stands at 85 thanks to 3 birdies and no doubles on the front for a 39-46. Things should slow down a bit for me after the next two weeks and give me time to rediscover my stroke before my handicap starts skyrocketing.




NICE round JR for one of the walking wounded !! I'm sure that if u are scoring THAT well with sore ribs, once they heal up lower scores are in the future . Thanks for the kind words , man IF and it is a HUGE if , i EVER score my age withinn a reasonable time  you hear me all the way over to VT , my man !  .

Keep it on the short grass my man !


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## Warp Daddy (May 28, 2013)

Played yesterday and today  yesterday a pair of 42's for an 84  cou rse was wet in places and after a week of solid rain u got no roll at all . Played again today 43/40/83 , 9 pars , BUT. 4 fn doubles :angry:, bUT my putter saved my AZZ. Had only 34 putts for 18


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## drjeff (Jun 16, 2013)

Got out for a little father's day round this morning for my 1st time on the private (South) course at Foxwoods with the father of one of my daughter's school friends. This also doubled as a practice round for when I play in the 3 day member-guest there in a few weeks 

Classic Rees Jones course - multiple big, square, usually elevated tee boxes on every hole leading to a fairway that is often raised, but has a bunch of contour in it that makes it play narrower than its usually wide appearance from the tee. Plenty of fairway and green side bunkers and greens that are usually anything but round in shape, often oblong and going away from you and with moderate contours on them. Since Foxwoods has a bit of cash, the course is kept in immaculate shape, and frankly you'd never of guessed that about 10" of rain had fallen on the course in the last 10 days!

Kind of slashed it around on the front 9, if anything more from playing too conservative as I was getting used to the feel of the course and the significant tee/ fairway to green elevation changes and the speed of the greens - made my 3rd Ugly double of the side on #9 and ended up with a 44 on the front.  Then, I started playing some golf on the back (whether or not its a coincidence that this coincided with my playing partner starting to order me a beer and himself a Vodka - Cranberry from the beverage cart girl is highly debatable!  ) I was 2 over on the back until I had a brain fart on #18 and made my 4th double of the day after having only 70 yards to the flag, from the middle of the fairway, after my drive - chunked my wedge into a deep front bunker, caught my sand shot a bit thin and ended up with a slick, downhill, twisting 40 footer for par which I then proceeded to leave 10 feet short and then left my bogey putt on the lip   Ended up with an 84. Took plenty of notes so I'll change up how I attack a few holes during the 4 rounds I'll play on the course during the member guest.

 All in all, its a NICE course - a couple of very scenic downhill par 3's on the back 9 that play to greens out on a peninsula, but really aside from a hole on the front 9 where you get a view of both of the hotel towers at Foxwoods nothing that really stuck out as a "signature hole" which given the rumored 50 million dollar price tag that the Mashentucket Pequots spent to build the entire 36 hole Lake of Isles complex kind of surprised me, especially since they gave Rees Jones one impressive piece of property to work with. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AlpineZone mobile app


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 1, 2013)

been playing prety well this season. Shot 79 today 40 /39 , no doubles , 6 pars and a birdie but big thrill today was a 305 yd drive , hit 16 fairwaysand had 32 putts . putting has been strong all season . been averaging under 34 putts a round so far . have dropped my average so far to 83 for the yr after 14 rounds. At 70 im happy with this .  . Still trying to sharpen the accuracy of the final approach


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## drjeff (Jul 2, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> been playing prety well this season. Shot 79 today 40 /39 , no doubles , 6 pars and a birdie but big thrill today was a 305 yd drive , hit 16 fairwaysand had 32 putts . putting has been strong all season . been averaging under 34 putts a round so far . have dropped my average so far to 83 for the yr after 14 rounds. At 70 im happy with this .  . Still trying to sharpen the accuracy of the final approach



Nice shooting their Warp!  I hear you with working on those approach shots!  Far too often I find that when I hit a "bad" approach shot it has more to do with the fact that my prior shot put me into a less than favorable location to hit the approach from than the actual approach shot itself.  I really try before I hit my tee ball on a hole to mentally play the hole backwards and figure out based on what my rough ball flight typically is where I want to try and put the ball to give myself the best chance at making a decent score on the hole with the least amount of chance that i'll need to hit a "heroic shot" as opposed to a "realistic shot" to pull it off.

Sometimes my business partner, who's about a 25 handicapper looks at me funny when I'm teeing the ball up on the far right side of the tee box one hole and then say the far left side on the next hole, etc while he just keeps putting the peg in the ground in the center of the tee box on every hole.  It's all about trying to use extra the angles that moving a ball side to side in the tee box can create to essentially "widen" my desired landing area.  I won't even get into what he thinks when I DON'T hit driver on every hole and actually lay a ball back every now and then off the tee to a distance where I have a "comfortable" shot into the green 

This game is tough enough on its own, any little thing I can do to keep the shots I'm looking at as "comfortable" for my game as possible, i'm going to do!


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 2, 2013)

drjeff said:


> Nice shooting their Warp!  I hear you with working on those approach shots!  Far too often I find that when I hit a "bad" approach shot it has more to do with the fact that my prior shot put me into a less than favorable location to hit the approach from than the actual approach shot itself.  I really try before I hit my tee ball on a hole to mentally play the hole backwards and figure out based on what my rough ball flight typically is where I want to try and put the ball to give myself the best chance at making a decent score on the hole with the least amount of chance that i'll need to hit a "heroic shot" as opposed to a "realistic shot" to pull it off.
> 
> Sometimes my business partner, who's about a 25 handicapper looks at me funny when I'm teeing the ball up on the far right side of the tee box one hole and then say the far left side on the next hole, etc while he just keeps putting the peg in the ground in the center of the tee box on every hole.  It's all about trying to use extra the angles that moving a ball side to side in the tee box can create to essentially "widen" my desired landing area.  I won't even get into what he thinks when I DON'T hit driver on every hole and actually lay a ball back every now and then off the tee to a distance where I have a "comfortable" shot into the green
> 
> This game is tough enough on its own, any little thing I can do to keep the shots I'm looking at as "comfortable" for my game as possible, i'm going to do!





LMAO Doc , i do some of the SAME things ,my tee plant is a variable as is my tee height depending on conditions      ,  and layng up is now part of my game and that has helped quite a bit especially on doglegs where the damn woods at the elbow is too broad to carry with a tee shot . Used to try to BOMB the angle on those and often got in trouble . i still cut the angle whenever the woods is narrow enough but laying up really is smart and leaves an easy mid iron in .


And lets not even talk about READING the green , i spend a few moments getting that right and it has been a tremendous help. Just wish i could roll em up a couple of feet from the pin when i approach thatis MY issue . i think i,m not putting enough weight on the front foot ????


You and your game and analytics have been a great inspiration to me to keep on learning this difficult game , THANKS Doc !


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## drjeff (Jul 2, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> LMAO Doc , i do some of the SAME things ,my tee plant is a variable as is my tee height depending on conditions      ,  and layng up is now part of my game and that has helped quite a bit especially on doglegs where the damn woods at the elbow is too broad to carry with a tee shot . Used to try to BOMB the angle on those and often got in trouble . i still cut the angle whenever the woods is narrow enough but laying up really is smart and leaves an easy mid iron in .
> 
> 
> And lets not even talk about READING the green , i spend a few moments getting that right and it has been a tremendous help. Just wish i could roll em up a couple of feet from the pin when i approach thatis MY issue . i think i,m not putting enough weight on the front foot ????
> ...



Glad to help Warp!  Putting question for you? Do you take a sharpie marker and draw an alignment stripe on your golf ball?  Personally I found that made a BIG difference, especially in my lag putting. All I do now after I've read the putt, is as i'm placing my ball down on my marker, I make sure that the alignment strip is pointed on the line that I want and then all I need to do at address is make sure the alignment stripe on my putter lines up with the alignment strip on my golf ball and I know that I'll have the ball on the path that I want it to be on.  This way, as i'm putting, all I'm thinking about is the speed and not speed and alignment.  I've learned that the LESS variables I'm thinking about as i'm getting ready to hit any shot, the better the chance that it will be a "good" shot!

I know that most folks try and use the logo on the ball as an alignment aide,  but I found that the $3 plastic alignment devices that you can slip a golf ball into, and then take a sharpie to make a stripe that is both straight (not so easy to free hand draw a straight line on a dimpled round ball  ) and long enough to go about 1/2 around the circumference of the ball makes a big difference.  Plus, this way, I can also see based on how that line looks as the ball is rolling if I hit the putt square (it will look like one narrow, continuous line as the ball rolls) or if I "slid" the putter across the impact point with the ball (the line will look wobbly and wide). Since solid shots tend to get better results.  

An added plus of the line that I draw on my golf balls is that with my irons and woods, especially on a tee ball where I try and have the alignment stripe that I drew be on the club face at impact, I can often see via a little ink from the line that rubs off on the club face exactly where I'm striking the ball and then if needed make a minor adjustment to either how far/close i'm standing to the ball at address or move the tee height up or down to increase my chances of hitting the sweet spot on the club face more often!

This great game is difficult enough as it is, and any little thing that I can do to make it "less difficult" (I purposely didn't say easy!  ) i'm going to do! 

True story. This past weekend I was playing in a 3 day member guest at a friend's club. He's a 22 handicapper that in the couple of weeks leading up the the member guest had been playing well.  I played a couple of practice rounds with him and he asked me what swing thoughts I have.  Frankly I told him that I try and think about as little as possible as I'm hitting the ball, since if i'm thinking about say grip pressure, shoulder turn, weight shift, wind angle, etc, etc, etc it's TOUGH to remember to juts hit the damn ball!  He took that approach for during the practice rounds as was playing more like a 15 than a 22! (I liked our chances as my 5 handicap was the lowest in our flight and i'd be giving everyone in the flight strokes all weekend long so I wasn't expecting too many outright hole wins on my ball).  My partner started feeling the pressure a bit and started playing more like a 32 and we lost our 1st 3 matches.  I asked him what he was thinking about, and his reply "I'm thinking about NOT thinking and it's messing me up!"  :lol:


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 2, 2013)

Again ROFLMAO about your buddy , 

when i first started playing golf i played with my next door neighbor Jaime a scratch golfer originally from Latin America .His advice from Day ONE was: "Joost heet de ball Warpy , doooon think, thinking is verrrrrry baaaaad "

Never used that alignment tool Doc , thought about it , but after your ideas i probably will now. 

keep it on the short grass friend !

W


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 13, 2013)

best round ever for me today a 75 ! 37/38 11 pars , 2 birds , and only 31 putts with my new Taylormade Ghost Manta putter the Queen bought for me yesterday !! Im a happy camper


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## ScottySkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> best round ever for me today a 75 ! 37/38 11 pars , 2 birds , and only 31 putts with my new Taylormade Ghost Manta putter the Queen bought for me yesterday !! Im a happy camper


Nice going I don't know golf talk but sounds awesome and I'm happy for your great day.


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 13, 2013)

Thank you Scotty , its very nice of you :grin:


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## Nick (Jul 15, 2013)

I'm down in South Carolina for 2 weeks near Myrtle Beach at my in-laws condo. Played 18 at Blackmoor in Murrell's Inlet, and scored 117 for the round which is awesome for me (anything under 120 is a win, lol)


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 15, 2013)

Nick said:


> I'm down in South Carolina for 2 weeks near Myrtle Beach at my in-laws condo. Played 18 at Blackmoor in Murrell's Inlet, and scored 117 for the round which is awesome for me (anything under 120 is a win, lol)




hey Nick good round for a guy who very seldom plays . Its all about having fun and competing with yourself


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## drjeff (Jul 15, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> best round ever for me today a 75 ! 37/38 11 pars , 2 birds , and only 31 putts with my new Taylormade Ghost Manta putter the Queen bought for me yesterday !! Im a happy camper



AWESOME job hitting the small ball Warp! So you thinking about shooting your age THIS SEASON now?? 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AlpineZone mobile app


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 15, 2013)

drjeff said:


> AWESOME job hitting the small ball Warp! So you thinking about shooting your age THIS SEASON now??
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using AlpineZone mobile app


 

Yo Doc u inspired me last yr when i finally broke 80 for the first time after several yrs of getting close ,, YOU SAID.  " i see a 75 in your future soon Warp . Well my friend now i did that one so hey WHY not try to get close to 70. Played today in 95 degree heat shot a meh 82 had 4 balls in the water darnit or it would have been another sub 80  GOT 3 so far this season 

Finally learning course mft and using layups to start scoring on some really nasty ponded holes , we have 11 ponds on this course and a river runs thru it too:evil:.

U getting out much this season ?? Im sure u r posting some great scores ,with your skills.


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## drjeff (Jul 16, 2013)

Warp Daddy said:


> Yo Doc u inspired me last yr when i finally broke 80 for the first time after several yrs of getting close ,, YOU SAID.  " i see a 75 in your future soon Warp . Well my friend now i did that one so hey WHY not try to get close to 70. Played today in 95 degree heat shot a meh 82 had 4 balls in the water darnit or it would have been another sub 80  GOT 3 so far this season
> 
> Finally learning course mft and using layups to start scoring on some really nasty ponded holes , we have 11 ponds on this course and a river runs thru it too:evil:.
> 
> U getting out much this season ?? Im sure u r posting some great scores ,with your skills.



Course management makes a BIG difference for sure!  That's actually one of the things that I really pay attention too when I watch the pro's on TV, especially on shorter par 4's and par 5's where the majority of the field can't get home in 2. Those guys are almost always leaving themselves their favorite length approach shot, from an angle to the flag that takes the majority of greenside trouble out of play. It doesn't make the game easy, but it sure can make it less difficult for sure, and that more often than not shows on the scorecard.

I've been hitting the ball decent this year. I've been trying to play a few holes at my home course that traditionally have given me a "mental block" totally differently to see if I can get over that mental block with mixed results so far.... time will tell if this was a good or a bad experiment! 

The biggest issue i've been having lately is that I've played a bunch of different courses that have had a HUGE difference in their green speed!  Trying to get my putting, especially my lag putting dialed in when I've played greens that have ranged from literally the speed and firmness of a marble floor all the way up to something resembling a shag carpet over the last few weeks have brought a few per round of the dreaded 3 putt monster back into my game   But that will all work itself out!  Tee to green has been solid at least, so I can handle the speed on the greens issue!


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## Warp Daddy (Jul 17, 2013)

On a roll. Just back shot a 79 , 38/41 blew the last hole with dreaded triple , but had 2 birdies , 7 pars , 33 putts . 4 th round this season in the 70s  . It was 89 degrees here at 8 am , so it was pretty humid out there 

Doc i hear u about playing fast greens one day and slower ones later on , getting that dialed in is complicated , but with your ability to. Focus it will be solved  . its pretty dry here now so the greens are rolling fast but consistant . I tried that ball marker system for putting it helps . My biggest improvement this year has been putting AND course management . My  driving has always been consistant since i got the Longer big stick . I hit 15 /16 fairways a round . 

Well as of Saturday we h ve 11 house guests ( my kids , grandkids and BIL) coming up here for 9 days of thE annual Seaway Festival , so i huess i will be helping the Queen get ready for this annual onslaught the rest of the week. Well play a couple of rounds with my BIL. Sons and grandboys ....that is ALWAYS an adventure :beer:


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## Warp Daddy (Aug 6, 2013)

Golf is a stange game , i waited till i was 69 last yr to Finally break 80 barrier , yet today shot a decent for me 37/40/77. It is my fifth sub 80 of THIS season . today 10 pars a bird and 32 putts .... Lovin that Ghost Manta putter i just got a couple weeks ago been under 34 putts consistantly . 


 Finally learning the discipline to lay up and avoid trouble  rather than just bombing the big stick all the time has seriously helped lower my scores


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## Warp Daddy (Apr 21, 2014)

So anybody been out yet ?


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## xwhaler (Apr 21, 2014)

Played 9 locally this afternoon for 1st time out.  Hit em ok.  Amazing that 8 days ago I was at the top of Cannon in a wet snow blizzard with heavy winds and this afternoon enjoyed mid 70s in a polo on the NH Seacoast swinging the sticks.....I love the fact that I can transition so easily from my winter passion to my spring/summer activities in this region


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## Warp Daddy (Apr 21, 2014)

Nice,  x man !! Yeah its good you too have many interests , keeps you from getting stale


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## dlague (Apr 23, 2014)

My wife and I just picked up new clubs - nothing spectacular just an upgrade from where I was at before.  Technically a hack golfer but it is still fun to get out. This summer my wife and I plan on improving our game - so we shall see.  We also picked up 11 2 fers for some of our local courses.  Trying to attempt the same deal approach to golf as I do towards skiing!

Our wetsuits, surf boards and half boards are ready to go too!  Now looking into kayaks!  The problem with summer - it seems short and I have activity ADHD!  At least winter has a single focus!

Golf will be at the top of our list!


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