So we get to the 1st green and one of the group putts with only his right hand. His left hand is in his pocket. He putted that way the whole round. Actually scored fine. Mid Eighties. I asked him wtf ? No viable answer. I've seen a training vid or two involving one handed strokes but never seen anyone play a round like that. Whatever blows your skirt up

  The weather has been perfect. 80 degrees, clear skies, low humidity. All the courses are in great shape. The baseball spring training fans are loving it large. Won't be long before the " heat is on"....the pricey courses will become affordable. I love grabbing the extremely early tee times during the summer. Soon as the sun peaks over the ridge......let it rip ! The temps are still bearable and I'm headed in to the A/C by 9:30 am or so. Of course it's a #@!$ getting up at 4:30 or 5:00 if you happen to sample some nightlife.

  Starting a search for some different irons. I expect this to be a long process. I have several sets in mind as possibles. Let the trails begin. Price is an object. I'll step up if it absolutely warrants it but..........I'll also check out some "preowned"sets and have them adjusted if the price makes me think it's an offer I can't refuse....or can't understand..lol

  Hit 'em straight

        My Sunday group has been playing at a great pace. Two weeks ago we were a threesome and finished a par 71 course in 2 1/2 hours. We were first off. No one in front of us. It was only about 6300 yards. Everyone was playing pretty well. Damn that was great. Last Sunday we played a little longer course with all four present. 3 1/2 hours works for me as well.

      My Saturday group is slower. I enjoy these guys as well, but it's different game all together.They use mulligans (Sunday group doesn't) They are pretty liberal with the rules in general.  I tried to "enlighten " them a few times  without coming across too stodgy  but no luck. I guess I'll just enjoy the day and not rock the boat. I look at it as a practice round. They say "there's waiting in golf". I'm not impatient and bide my time while waiting for my shot however the faster pace is preferable

       Finally broke down and bought a new putter. Visited the local shops for days. Tried every putter I could lay my hands on. The Odyssey White Hot XG two ball is what came home with me. Now it's time to put it to work. Time to practice, practice, practice.

      It seems to be easier to find more affordable tee times now that the Super Bowl and FBR open are over.Brings a big old smile to my mug. Might even bring a tear or two. It won't be long before the baseball spring training crowd comes to town. We'll see if that affects the prices. Nothing against the courses. They're a business. Anyone know what a course costs to maintain? I don't have a clue. Can't be cheap.

      I have tee times for both Saturday and Sunday. Looks to be low seventies and sunny. The weekend can't get here fast enough. 

  Hit 'em Straight

      Played a few times over the weekend.  Frost delays seems to be the order of the day. I really don't mind. I'm happy I have the opportunity to play year round.  It won't be long before the heat returns. Makes me glad I'm an early riser... usually.

 I was paired up with a few guys over the weekend that played a little slower than I would normally prefer. They each took at least three practice swings before every shot....sometimes more. Putts included. They also took several "practice shots" if their initial ball wasn't what they wanted. Am I just whining here or is there justification for my current state of big mouth. Anyways...I'm just saying

Bought a new 3 wood yesterday. Took it to the range last night to break it in...... Well it's almost new. It was a  Taylor Made  R7 st graphite  demo club recently placed on the rack.  Spotless....100 bones cover included. Always puts a smile on my old sourpus

   Wow, the first full week of work after the holidays........Can't wait to get to the course tomorrow morning. A little warm up on the range, some chipping, a few putts and away we go !!!! The new guy at our office is an avid golfer. We have already made some plans to play next week. Sounds like he's a pretty good player. Hopefully I can pick up some things to help my game.

    Starting to see some new clubs coming out. Some others should be on sale as well. Time to evaluate a few of my current clubs. Actually no evaluation is necessary....at least two clubs need to be upgraded.

  Most of the courses in my area are rather expensive right now. Many visitors at this time of the year. Throw the FBR open and the Super Bowl  visitors on top of the usual snowbirds and everything gets crowded. Restaurants, clubs, courses are busier than a one-legged buttkicker. Even the internet booking websites aren't offering any large savings. Guess that's why I have a job. LOL

Pay no attention to that water on the right,......... Hit'em straight

      Yea , the weekend is here again. One of the saturday group was a no show this morning. Not even a phone call. I won't say more until I hear why. Sometimes stuff happens. It's raining now and there is a 50 % chance it will be raining tomorrow morning. The Sunday group is a little nuts. The game is on unless there is lightning. Gotta love it. A little rain gear helps alot.

       Tickets for the FBR open are popping up all over town for $20.00. It's worth that much just to watch the crowd. It's entertaining at the least, usually funny, occasionally scary LOL. There was that one year when the guy was found with a gun. Hell, this Phoenix, we're allowed to carry guns....and we'll shoot your  sorry butt if  we need to.  I don't think Tiger has been back since.  Time to tackle the next project...Hit'em straight !!!!

     Hope everyone had a great New Year's celebration. Short delay getting into the golf course this morning. A medical evac helicopter was using the course parking lot. Pick up truck rolled several times into a canal. Emergency personnel cut him out of the truck. One of the course attendants was the first one on the scene. He called 911. He also said the guy reeked of alcohol. Hopefully this dumbass will learn something from this if he survives. I know it was New Years Eve but damn dude, quit drinking sometime during the night. This was 8:30 am.

       Played ok today. Hit a large bucket after the game to try and work some things out.

       Back to work tomorrow. Looks like it will be weekends only for a while. Maybe all the way to Memorial day. Sheez. Hit'em straight

    It's been a great week of golf. I needed to use a few days of vacation time before the new year.One of those use it or lose it things.As a result of the extra time, I was able to get in six rounds.   Yea baby!!  Life is good !! Living in the southwest allows year round playability. I try to take advantage as much as possible.

  We had some very early morning tee times and faced frost delays on most days. Of course a little breakfest in the cafe helps kill the wait time. I won't bore you with scores . I'm an improving high handicapper with extreme passion for the game. No reason to be bragging about anything. LOL. I'll let you know when I feel froggy. LOL

   We try to find reasonably priced courses whenever possible. It's the most costly part of the season in our area right now. With over two hundred courses in the valley, we can still find reasonably priced courses in great condition. During the hot summer months, most of the high end courses lower their prices to the $50  or $60 dollar range. We book early tee times and jump on those deals. We play at  a different course every week.  I recently tried one of the internet booking websites. Seemed to work out fine. I'll be checking that for better deals. Enough for now. Hit'em straight