*raises hand* I'll be sure to write many bad golf thoughts about it, too.

Going out tomorrow morning (weather permitting) with my Dad to Coyote Run in Flosmoor. Hoping for bogey golf with maybe a couple of pars mixed in.

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Saw some of this yesterday, I don't know what happened to the greens down there, but they were horrible looking.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

they were trying to say on the commentary that they weren't as bad as they looked on tv, but I don't believe it. They looked like shit, on one of them it looked like a truck drove over part of it dragging a plow.

I liked how the commentator said it was no big deal, the pros were used to putting on bad greens. I was like, Bullshit, those fuckers never putt on anything less than perfect conditions. Its not like they are dropping by their local muni during the week the greens are punched.

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Hoping for a good showing tomorrow morning at my first scramble tournament of the season. Conditions
appear to be low to mid 50s and maybe a little rain. We have a solid team and with 4 shots from each
position there really isn't any reason we shouldn't be having a decent shot at birdie on most holes. Very
hilly course with tough greens and usually windy conditions. Probably playing about 6500 yds but will
feel longer being wet out there. Not sure what it will take to win but we shot -5 with 3 guys a few weeks
ago and got off to a really slow start so I am thinking -9 or better will be in the mix. it is a reasonably
priced links course worth your while to check out called Shepherds Crook.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

You know what's weird. I have a Shepard's Crook golf ball in my collection, but I have no recollection of playing it. Yet, I vividly remember a course up north I used to play 7-8 years ago that was really nice and links style so I'm guessing that was it. Is there a hole early on where there is a downhill approach to a green next to a big red barn on the rigth? I seem to remember that.

I have to head back out there just to see if that is the place, plus I hear its a very nice course.

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Was hoping to get in some range time today after work, but the weather is awful.

Went to the park a couple days ago with my gap wedge and range balls and spent a good hour just hitting shots at different lengths, 20 yards, 30 yards and then 40 yards. I really like the gap wedge, think I'm going to stop trying to use my 60 degree or sand wedge around the green and go with the gap.

Don't care how bad it is tomorrow, I'm hitting the range or course. Want to work on sand shots, chipping around the green with my gap wedge or maybe a lower lofted club like an 8 or 9, and then really want to work on my drives and putting the ball towards the middle of my stance instead of way off my front foot like I do now, hoping that will counter act my slice.

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Played last Sunday. Shot a 98. Hit the ball OK but I don't think I hit one single GIR, including par 3's.

Memo to all: STRETCH BEFORE PLAYING !!! Took a few warm ups, put the tee in the ground and let er rip. My back hurt for 3 days.

I watch every PGA event. Not every minute, but I tune in.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Just for a $42 tee time on Golfnow for tomorrow at 11:40 at Ruffled Feathers. Never been there, looking forward to checking it out. But, I think the range is closed which sucks. Any ever been? how is the place?

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It'll definitely ruffle your feathers. Tough track.

According to the website the range is closed. Do you know if they have a practice green where you can work on short chipping as well as putting? Trying to decide how early before my tee time I want to get out there.

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Probably a smart move. What problem are you having w/ the SW/LW? Hitting them fat? Hitting them thin?

Just my two cents - and w/out seeing your swing - but the biggest problem people have with these touch type shots is using too much hands/arms, trying to flip the ball in the air and, most importantly, not accelerating through the shot. People tend to deccelerate at impact. Get comfortable with the GW then the SW and finally the LW.

Also, the bounce of your wedges is really important and optimal bounce depends on individual angle of attack and course conditions. I use a SW with 12* and a LW with 4* because I play all types of courses with soft and hard bunkers. What wedge I choose is way more dependent on my lie than distance from hole. Tight lie/hard sand gets the low-bounce wedge and fluffy lie/sand get the higher-bounce wedge.

Also, try playing your chips closer to your back foot if your are hitting them fat.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

thanks Furious. I thing I figured out the problem after watching a school of golf episode on chipping/pitching. I wasn't putting all my weight on my front foot and I was too stiff with my arms causing all my errors to be magnified. Played today with my 60 degree around the green and chipped it great. Not a single miss hit. stuck with my gap wedge for all shots 25-30 yards out and beyond and did well with those, hit them all well, just need to work on distance control.

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42-46 for a solid 88 at Ruffled Feathers. Played great, but putted terribly with 5 3putts. Also, made a few bad decisions on some blind shots and paid for them with OBs. Take those errors out and I struck the ball well enough to score low 80s on a really challenging track. Started out +5 after 3 and then took out the one hitter, played the next 6 holes +1 including my first birdie of the season. Real fun course, but not a fan of having to play 2 par 3s over 215 yards! Stuck one 220 yard par 3 with a 3wood, leaked the other one with the same club and was pin high, but 5 yards off the green.


I figured out the key to my game. When I go out to the course by myself and either play alone or get paired up with someone good I play so much better than when I go out with my friends. Today I was paired up with 2 guys in their 20s who both played college golf. Really forced me to concentrate and step up my game. Contrast that to earlier in the week when I played with my buddy who shoots 115 and I hacked out a 102.


Really liked the course. Perfect weather, didn't run into a single other group all day, finished in 4 hours. And to get it for $38 on Golfnow is pretty amazing, definitely felt like a $80-$100 course.

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Jumped around with my Dad this morning because the course was WIDE open and ended up doing 27 holes. Shot 49-41-42. Really, really played some good golf on the back 9. At one point had par 4 out of 5 holes which is REALLY good for me. The bogey was the result of a 5iron off the tee that somehow, someway ended up going over 200 yards into the drink. I took the damn 5 so I would stay short of the water! HIt the crap out of my driver, chipped/pitched extremely well, putted OK and had enough decent iron shots to keep the scores reasonable. By far the best I've played all season. Really felt good to string together several good holes.

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Well my scramble team managed to put together a -14 score and still lost by two shots. We ended up taking 3rd.
None of us could chip very well and if we could have I am confident we could have won. Weather was great and
we won enough in prizes to justify the $65 cost of entering. $30 gift card to the pro shop, a coupon for a half price
round and a certificate for a free twosome with a cart. I am hitting my driver really well this year and the putter
is coming around. I drained a 40 ft snake on a tough par 3 for a much needed birdie. My chipping is ridiculous.
I am fine when I am practicing but when it comes to the real shot I completely freeze up and either skull them or
chili dip it. I wanted to break my club. Normally I am an above average chipper.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Went golfing at Pheasant Run in St. Charles yesterday. Somebody put a fucking fish in the ball washer.

I think that's a warning that your PROV1 sleeps with the fish. I would club up on the next forced carry if I were you.

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Played yesterday at Indian Lakes resort in Bloomingdale. Not a terrible place to play as long as you get a deal on golfnow. I hear it goes for $90 midseason normal rate which is a rip off, but at $40-$50 its not a bad track.

Shot a 90 after starting out the day great, but then all of the sudden on #7 my shank reappeared . Shanked 3-4 straight 9 irons and a few gap wedges and pw's. Wanted to just leave and go home, but gutted it out and turned it around and played the last 5 holes of the day at +1.

Got paired up with a guy who actually has a worse back than me! Never thought that would happen. He had some sort of genetic problem that was destroying his back and he hadn't played golf in 3 years. He was on pain killers and muscle relaxants while playing the round and oh yea, he shot a 77! He works as a master club fitter for golfsmith and he gave me some great tips on my swing and fighting my slice and working a draw. By the end of the round I snapped off a perfect draw off the tee at #18, the first time in my life I've ever drawn the ball.

Going to head to the range today after work and work on all those irons I shanked (8, 9, PW, GW) and also work on drawing the driver.

One more thing, my putting is fucking awful, got the new Oddysey versus white and black thick blade and it feels way too light, so far I don't like it at all. But, the greens have all been sanded so I'll hold off final judgement until I go to Florida next week.

Also, thinking of getting a new driver. I have the R11, but I think its too much club for me. The guy I played with said its more for really low handicappers as it really enhances any action you put on the ball. So if you have a tendency to slice, it exagerrates the slice even more. Anyone recommend a driver? I like the look of the new titleist.

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Played a quick 9 at Tam O' Shanter in Niles. Par 33 that used to be an 18 hole course that hosted some big tour events back in the day. Got paired up w/ 2 retired CPDers that once worked security for Ditka. Had some funny booze/broad stories about the Orange One. I really have great luck about 90% of the time when getting paired up w/ strangers.

Greens were punched and in pretty lousy shape. Felt like I was playing in the Wells Fargo Championship...

They have a special from 11-1 Mon-Thurs for $12. Shot par and played in 90 minutes. Hit a few nice shots but, surprisingly, never hit a bad one. Really happy since I didn't warm up and this was the first round of the year. I'm sure I'll stink the next time out.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

Again, just my 2 cents - have someone look at your stroke. Could be that a blade/offset putter doesn't suit your stroke and a higher MOI/mallet type works best. I HATED the look of mallets until I realized the higher MOI helps me putt better CONSISTENTLY. If my timing was on with the blade I was lights out, but the mallet allows me to just rock the shoulders and use more of a straight-back/straight through stroke. Also, I'm left-eye dominant so a no-offset or center shafted putter works best for me.

One basic mistake that a TON of people make - they don't have their eyes over the ball. Take a mirror/old CD/DVD and place it on the ground to get your eyes over the ball.



Yeah, the R11 is more of a "player's club" type driver as compared to something like the RBZ and it will magnify your mishits. Have you experimented with the weights/loft/face angle? FYI - not sure which Titleist you're looking at, but they tend to be player-type clubs as well.

Could also be the shaft. Might not be the right fit for how you load it during your swing and most of the newer drivers have shafts that 46-46.5" inches long. Way too long for most people.

I'm the opposite in that I almost always hit a draw and used to close my stance for fear of going left. That just made it go more left. So if you are opening your stance out of fear of going right, you will magnify that slice.

Maybe hit up a demo day outdoors where you can hit all the new offerings and see your ball flight.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

May your next swing be a masculine one.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

So I popped into golfsmith today with the intention of having them adjust the settings on my R11 since I don't have a wrench and ended up trading it in for a brand new Titleist 913D3. The GM at golfsmith gave me $150 in trade in since he knows me so well since I stop in there at least once a week to buy stuff and chat. Considering the R11 was given to me by a buddy I'm pretty happy walking away with a $400 driver for $250.

Had a nice 1.5 hour session at the range after work. The shank was gone, as usual it was all caused by a rushed tempo and overswinging. Hit the driver well, getting used to the smaller head size. Tried working on drawing the ball, but all I can really accomplish with it is a snap hook. Spent the last half hour working on chipping and putting.

9 days till Orlando golf trip and still lots of work to do.

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Looking at reviews I think I should've gone with the D2 instead of the D3. More forgiving. I'm gonna pop into Golfsmith tomorrow and see about exchanging.

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Hit both clubs. Ask Golfsmith for a week demo. Play a round with both. Then make your decision.

For those interested....

I am now co-host of a golf podcast available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/kg/podcast/dimplehead-podcast/id591250491

This week we talked about Wells Fargo, The Players, Vijay Singh and television viewer call-ins.

New episode every Monday.

I had been thinking of getting new clubs, but I figure I need to be hitting the ball better and work on my swing before I shell out hundreds for new equipment.

As luck would have it, my buddy (who regularly shoots low 70's) gave my his 2 year old set of Cleveland irons. When I do put a good swing on them, I hit them really well.

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Hey F-Bone:

Which Clevelands are you playing? My last 2 sets were Clevelands and they treated me well.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

I don't know. I'll look at them and see what I can find on the club. I just know that I'm hitting them further and a lot more solid when I don't go too far over parallel. When I do, it worm burners and chunks.

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