Play the Trash

A fun way to always mix up a golf game with friends is to "play the trash".  What we do is play skins + trash.  What is the trash?  Well trash is anything you encounter in the hole, you add it to your teams winnings (details on trash items below).

So for example, we are playing $2 skins and pick up one piece of trash, our team wins $3.  Of course you can value trash how you want, but we make it a dollar extra.  If both players have trash, they both count.  Oh...and your trash only counts if your team wins the hole....sorry.

Trash:

Barky - Your ball hits any part of a tree at anytime during the hole (double and triple barky's count)
Carty - Your ball hits a cart path during the hole
Pole-y - You make a putt longer than the length of the flag stick (You can use strategy here when chipping, sometimes too close may cost you a pole-y if you know your partner already has the hole won)
Sandy - Your ball touches a bunker at any point in the hole (yes, rolling thru a bunker and out counts)
Hogan - Only eligible for Par 4's: You land on the fairway off the tee, hit the green in regulation and two putt (fringe on the green DOES NOT count)
Greeny - Only eligible for Par 3's: You land on the green off the tee and two putt for par (fringe does not count)
Birdie Pop - On any hole if your team has a birdie and wins the hole, the skin doubles

Now go out at there and collect on your barky-poley-Hogan-birdie pop.

Houstonian (Black Horse) Golf Club

I've played Houstonian a bunch of times, and is one of my favorite courses in town.  The course is actually going to be changing its name to "Black Horse" in the near future now that it is under new management.  It is affiliated with Redstone (Now Golf Club of Houston), Shadowhawk and Blackhawk.  So membership to one is membership to all.

The Houstonian can be quite challenging due to its water hazards and wind.  A fairly open course, if the wind gets blowing it can definitely change the course up.  And at least 11 holes have one type of hazard on it, so tee-shots can make or break a hole (take a look at the card below and the hole maps).

This past weekend it was extremely windy, but the greens were rolling pure.  The course in general is in great shape from tee to green.  The rough is cut down, so not much penalty for missing a fairway.

The hardest hole on the course in my opinion is the par 3 #17.  Its long, uphill, protected by water and sand.  It comes late in the round when you are either tired, or trying not to blow a good round.

I was 1 over on the back nine going into #16 and then finished double, double, bogey.  Was a rough last three holes, but with the par 5 #16 and par 3 #17, its not an easy finish at all.

Clubhouse/Locker room are well done....biggest con on the place is its way out of town, and can be difficult to find for the first timer heading out there.  I mean, this place is in the boonies.  However, i rarely turn down an invitation to play....

An American Caddie in Scotland

An American Caddie in Scotland is an entertaining book for any golf lover.  The true story is based on a high school graduate who has a year to kill before his admission to Harvard, so he decides to head to St. Andrews and caddie the old course.  Its entertaining to see how he is "welcomed" by the locals and also the inner working of how the caddie pyramid works.  It definitely has some funny moments and he gives some behind the scenes insight on what caddies really think about their golfers and how they behave and of course, tip.

Its an easy read and for every golfer who one days wants to play St. Andrews....its a great book to read before you head over so you arent just considered another Hawaii Five-O.

Club Review: Cleveland 588 Gliderail Hybrid

I recently played a round witht he Cleveland 588 Gliderail Hybrid.  I played a 20.5 Degree as im trying to find a club to fill the gap between my 3iron and 3wood.

I play with a stiff shaft, but for some reason even with a stiff on this club I continuously had them drawing hard.  I hear hybrids naturally work right to left (for right handers), but this one felt a bit overdone.  

In terms of look, it is quite simple and not too bulky when laid against the ball.  This is a look I prefer as I dont want to feel I am hitting a wood, but also want the confidence I have more behind this than a long iron.

It was priced in the $100-130 range, but I wasnt too impressed and will continue my search for a good hybrid.

Cypreswood Golf Course - The Tradition Course, Spring, TX

The Tradition Course part of the Cypreswood Golf Course facility is a a very good value.  For $79 you get 18 holes and a cart, and the quality of the Tradition course is always in good shape.  What I like about this course are the greens are always in good shape.  The layout of the course gives you enough challenges.  Par 5s which can be reachable in two with a great drive and the guts to go for it, and Par 3s that test you from 9irons to hybrids.

For some reason this is also the less played course at Cypresswood which means the wait time on tee-boxes are usually kept at a minimum, which is nice for a public course.  There isnt much to brag about in the clubhouse, but it does serve breakfast burritos in the morning and burger for a lunch.  The driving range is all grass which is also nice and the putting green is average.

Beers arent outrageous on the drink cart either.  This course is definitely kept in regular rotation within my golfing circle.  Its only drawback (for someone closer to downtown Houston) is the location is out by Bush Intercontinental, so a good 30min drive.  For those on the north side of town, I highly recommend it.

Pre-Round Practice Routine

I've been taking lessons at Golftec the past few months, though the verdict is still out on my results, the tips/drills they send via email are worth a read.  Recently, they sent out the below article How to Make the Most of Your Pre-Round Practice Routine by Chris Neylan.

What I liked about the article was it worked from the hole backwards.  I (like many) start right on the driving range and maybe have 2min to bang a few putts before tee-ing off.  This routine gives you a more "game like" mentallity with only using one ball on the putting green and getting you more used to pressure situations as you will face on the course.

Give it a try and see if it works for you:


Routines in sports are as common as the rising and setting of the sun.  Some routines are normal and simple while others border on the obessive.  From football and baseball players to cyclists and race car drivers, these athletes have developed very specific routines that must be completed prior to any athletic endeavor.  Golfers should be no different.  A specific routines helps get the golfer in the right mindset in preparation for the day's play.  Here are a few bits of wisdom from a coach that has seen a fair amount of poor pre-round practice routines:

1)    Start your pre-round “warm-up” on the putting green.  Use one ball (instead of multiple balls), and putt until the one ball is holed out (no “gimmes”). This makes you focus on the practice green like you need to focus on the golf course. Start with a very short putt (to gain confidence), and end with long putts where the primary focus is distance control.  Again, putt until your ball is holed out before hitting the next long-distance putt. If you want bonus points, try to finish your practice with some 3, 6, and 10 foot “I-need-this-for-my-best-round” putts.  Do your best Keegan Bradley (or Christina Kim) impression when you hole them, if you wish.

2)   After you have gained confidence in your putting, head over to the chipping and pitching area of the practice range.  Hit a handful of “bump and run” chip shots with a lower-lofted club (7 iron), then hit a few pitches with a high-lofted club (like a sand wedge). Once you have a “feel” for each shot, alternate shots - hitting one chip, then one pitch, etc.  Focus on the different landing points needed for each shot, and make it your goal to have a putt after every chip or pitch.  Simply put, just get the chip or pitch anywhere on the putting surface, and you will be pretty well prepared for the course.

3)   Now it’s time to hit the range.  Start hitting balls with your highest-lofted club, and work your way through your set (skipping clubs if necessary) until you get to the “big dog” (the 1 wood, the driver, etc…).  Three or four balls with each club should be sufficient.  Try not to wear yourself out on the range, as there should be plenty of time after the round to practice your “deficiencies”. Always finish your range session with the club you will tee off with on the 1st hole, and hit a few extra shots (5 to 10) with that particular club.  Try to use the same pre-shot routine on the range that you will use on the 1st tee!!!  If your first hole requires a hybrid or long iron, make that the club you end your range session with. 

The above “warm up session” should take 30 to 40 minutes (maximum).  Be sure to hydrate while you are journeying around the practice facility (and on the course as well).

When you head to the first tee, be sure to have the following things in your pocket:  A few tees, a divot tool, and a ball marker are must-have golfing utensils. Please don’t be the golfer that has to beg for a tee on the first tee box, or asks for a penny on the first green.  A wet towel will allow you to keep the grooves on your clubs clean during the round, and will help you keep the ball shiny, white and rolling true on the putting surfaces. To really show the group that you are ready to play, mark your ball (keep it simple) with a sharpie marker and be sure to indentify your ball on the first tee.  This will help give everyone a better chance of playing their own golf ball during the round, and avoid unnecessary penalty strokes (or derision from the group, which is even worse in my opinion).  Also, if having your ball nicely marked doesn’t impress your golfing crew, then I’m pretty sure nothing will…

 Have a great rest of your golf season, and play well.

The other Masters debut

The 2014 Masters wasnt just about Jordan Spieth making his debut onto the world stage of his PGA tour career.  Only 18months ago he was an amature, and Under Armour was nowhere to be seen on a golf course on national television.

Under Armour was well displayed this weekend with Spieth's final round going toe to toe with Bubba Watson.  Even though Spieth didnt bring home the green jacket, Under Armour should be very happy with their endorsement and visibility it received.

People have heard of Under Armour, but they continue to break into new sports.  Recently, they have made a huge push into the hunting industry which is huge, and now they are working their way into the golfing world.  Not a bad move, both sports are mainly made up of well to do participants who have extra money to spend or willing to buy that new item which could help its performance.  If Under Armour delivers quality products, it has the ability to really take off and take market share from Nike, Addidas, etc.  My guess is we start to see Under Armour a lot more on the golf course...Spieth is just the beginning.

Sienna Plantation, Missouri City

Played here last week and it is in HORRIBLE shape.  The greens are non-existent.  Every put you just pray your ball will bounce in the right direction...dont even bother reading your putts, just hit it and hope.

The tee-boxes barely have grass on them.  Not sure exactly what happened to this course, but I heard back in the day it used to be nice???

The green fees were around $40 which included the cart.  At first, thought this was a great deal, but afterwards realized it was over priced.

The good thing about the course is the layout.  Each hole has some shape to it, and you can definitely go thru each club in your bag for various shots.  The potential is/was there, but there needs to be a change in management or something!

Takes about a good 35-45min drive from Houston...definitely not worth going back.

Happy Masters Thursday!

Back from the dead.....

Its been a long time, but looking to bring this back to life.  Visit back soon for more reviews, comments and general golf chit chat.

Update to Memorial Review

I want to update my initial review on Memorial Golf Course. I guess the first time I went there I didnt realize they had two putting greens for practice. One is a joke (the one i was referring to in the original post) and then they have another one next to the 1st tee-box. Well I missed this green last time because the first time I ever played the course we tee'd off the back 9 first...so when making the turn I wasnt looking around so I didnt see the green over there.

Also...they have a short game practice area as well (next to the better putting green). This is a great place to practice your chipping/pitching and also sand shots. They keep a lot of range balls lying around so its quite easy to get a short game practice in.

In fact, I would even recommend just heading over there for a short game session if you didnt feel like hitting balls (off matts). It would also cost you nothing, and you would be practicing the most important part of the game!

Only A Golfer Would Understand...

It was a sunny morning, a little before 8:00 AM, on the first hole of a busy course, and I was beginning my pre-shot routine, visualizing my upcoming shot when a piercing voice came over the clubhouse loudspeaker:

"Would the gentleman on the women's tee please back up to the men's tee, please?"

I could feel every eye on the course looking at me. I was still deep in my routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption.

Again the announcement: "Would the man on the women's tee please back up to the men's tee, please!"

I simply ignored the guy and kept concentrating, when once more the man yelled, "Would the man on the women's tee please back up to the men's tee, please!"

I finally stopped, turned, cupped my hands and shouted back....

"Would the ass hole with the microphone kindly keep quiet and let me play my second shot?!"

Joke of the Day

A guy out on the golf course takes a high speed ball right
in the crotch. Writhing in agony, he falls to the ground.

When he finally gets himself to the doctor, he says "How
bad is it doc? I'm going on my honeymoon next week and my
fiancee is still a virgin in every way."

The doc said, "I'll have to put your penis in a splint to
let it heal and keep it straight. It should be okay next
week."

So the doc takes four tongue depressors and formed a neat
little 4-sided bandage, and wired it all together; an
impressive work of art.

The guy mentions none of this to his girl, marries, and
on his honeymoon night in the motel room, she rips open
her blouse to reveal a gorgeous set of breasts.

This was the first time he saw them.

She says, "You'll be the first, no one has ever touched
these breasts."

He whips down his pants and says, "Look at this, it's
still in the CRATE!"

Vail Golf Club, Vail, CO

Vail Golf Club is located in Vail, CO right along side of Interstate 70. Which brings me to my problem.

This course is squeezed between the mountains and the interstate. It plays 9-holes out...then you turn around and play 9-holes back to the club house. Its almost like one big lap. And for a mountain course, it is pretty flat (again, because its squeezed against the interstate and the foot of the mountains).

Now dont get me wrong, the course itself is fine. But honestly, whoever built this had very little room to work with and just managed to get the course in there. This definitely doesnt play like a muontain course you would expect with rolling hills, big elevation changes, etc. Also, it plays pretty short from the tips. Which is pretty normal considering it is in the mountains and real estate is at a minimal to make a course.

All in all...if you are in vail and looking to play golf, I would say go for it. Just dont expect to think you played an awesome course (Park City's was much better. This is generic at best.

Joke of the Day

There's a fellow who is a golf fanatic.

Every Saturday morning he has an early tee time.

He gets up early and eager, golfs all day long, 36 holes sometimes.

Well, one Saturday morning he gets up early, dresses quietly, gets his clubs out of the closet and goes to his car to drive to the course.

Coming out of his garage rain is pouring down; it is like a torrential downpour. There is snow mixed in with the rain, and the wind is blowing 50 mph.

He returns to the garage.

He comes back into the house and turns the TV to the weather channel. He finds it's going to be bad weather all day long, so he puts his clubs back into the closet, quietly undresses and slips back into bed.

There he cuddles up to his wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispers, "The weather out there is terrible."

To which she sleepily replies, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out golfing in that shit?"

Bear Dance Golf, Larkspur, CO

Bear Dance is one of my favorite golf courses in colorado. It is about a 25-30 minute drive from Denver, but definitely worth the drive.

The course is in the same country as Castle Pines, which is probably one of Colorado's best golf courses and most exclusive club in the state (and former home of The International, PGA event). When playing at Bear Dance, you will definitely enjoy awesome views of the rocky mountains. This is a place I tell anyone to play when they are looking for a good spot, especially those from out of town visiting Colorado.

Every single hole is cut into the tree's and you dont see anyone else or any other hole. Number 16 is my favorite hole. The tee box is probably elevated easily 100 feet, and you face the rocky mountains and just let it rip. Definitely a fun hole to have a long drive contest because the ball stays in the air forever. The first time I played the hole, I hit my drive and when i looked up I forgot to look for my ball and was just staring at the view of the rocky mountains in front of me. And not to mention when we walked up to the tee-box a huge Moose was just hanging out at the back of the tee box at the edge of the woods watching people tee-off.

The course is in great shape, especially for a public course. I STRONGLY recommend playing Bear Dance when visiting Denver, or looking for a nice place to play to change up the scene.

Valley Country Club, Aurora, CO

Valley Country Club is located on the South East side of the Denver Metro Area right on the edge of Englewood and Aurora. One of the highlights of the course was its much needed newly renovated club house.

From the Tips the course is a respectable 7043 yards. Hitting a straight shot is rewarded here as only 7 of the holes on the course do not have water come into play, but of those 7, five have OB on them. Also, when the rough is grown out, it can definitely add a club or two to your shot, and thats if you dont find yourself behind a tree or in a fairway bunker.

The course in general is in excellent conditions. The greens always run true, and the members respect the course from tee box to cup.

The practice facility at Valley is also great. The range is equiped with titleist NXT golf balls, and have greens and pins for target practice. At the end of the practice range you can find a bunker to either practice fairway bunker shots, or fire at the pitching green beside it. On the other end of the practice facility you will find three, par-3 practice holes along with a long distance pitching green. A great place to practice 50-70yd shots (and a great way to lower your score).

The course can be quite challenging and definitely worth a round if you have the opportunity. It can be difficult for all types of players and there are definitely no gimmie holes.

If you are going to play at Valley, I would recommend practicing your putting. Like many colorado courses, the greens can have decent breaks, and you will find yourself wanting to just leg up and put yourself within tap in range.

The score cards give you a very good idea where the pin is exactly, so for those of you who like to fire for the pin, you will have a good idea on your yardage and can really go after it. But be careful as a majority of the greens are slightly elevated, so a missed shot can kick hard away from the pin.

Hole by hole previews can be found here

Joke of the Day

Four men went golfing one day.

Three of them headed to the first tee and the fourth went into the clubhouse to take care of the bill.

The three men started talking, bragging about their sons.

The first man told the others, "my son is a homebuilder and he is so successful that he gave a friend a new home for free."

The second man said, "My son was a car salesman and now he owns a multi-line dealership. He's so successful that he gave a friend a new Mercedes, fully loaded."

The third man, not wanting to be outdone, bragged, "My son is a stockbroker and he's doing so well that he gave his friend an entire stock portfolio."

The fourth man joined them on the tee after a few minutes of taking care of business.

The first man mentioned, "We were just talking about our sons. How is yours doing?"

The fourth man replied, "Well, my son is gay, and dances in a gay bar. I'm not totally thrilled about this, but he must be doing well. His last three boyfriends gave him a house, a brand new Mercedes and a stock portfolio."

Golf in 2016 Olympics?

It turns out that there may be a slight possibility that Golf could become an olympic sport by the 2016 summer games. Personally, I think this would be great for the game of golf, and for the athletes that play the game. Golf is easily considered a world wide game. Imagine that instead of a few million watching the masters, a billion people will be watching two players come down the 72nd hole tied for the lead competing to get a gold medal for their country.

It would also be great for the players. These top players have millions of dollars, private jets and houses all over the world. But to be able to represent your country and compete on a world stage that even Tiger Woods is hoping one day he can do.

Right now they are saying that the proposed format is 72-hole stroke play for men and women with 60 players in each field. The top-15 in the world rankings qualify automatically. Im not sure how the other 45 will qualify.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be meeting in october. Along with ruling on Golf being allowed as an Olympic game, they will also decide if that games will be held in Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid or Rio de Janeiro.

Last time golf was considered for the olympics was back in 1900 and 1904. I say its about time to make this an olympic sport. It is already a sport that the whole world plays and enjoys. Its now time for it to be a sport where countries can compete on the world stage.

Park City Golf Club, Park City, Utah

Last week I was able to play Park City Golf Club in Park City, Utah. Two main things jump out at me about this course: Short and Affordable.

From the tips this course only plays 6622 yds. For anyone who can hit their drive a decent distance, be prepared to play driver-wedge on a lot of the holes. Most of the par 5's can be reached with driver and a 3-iron or maybe a fairway wood. And the fact that it is in the thin rocky mountain air, your ball is going to be going a lot farther than you are used to. The longest hole on the course is 527 yrd par 5 number 16. If you crush your drive, you have a decent chance of rolling up a fairway wood to the front of the green.

This course is extremely affordable for being in a resort mountain town. I think non-locals pay $40 something plus $15 for a cart. Not bad at all.

The course is in fairly good shape. I would give it an 8 out of 10. The fairway grass is a bit shaggy, but nothing too bad. My guess is they probably cant grow the short bent grass due to the harsh winters and mounds of snow crushing the course during the ski season. Of course, playing in the mountains is always fun. You are always going to have elevation changes on your shots (can be really fun on some tee-shots) and the greens will break hard on every hole. Secret to scoring low on this course is putting the ball in the right place on the green. I had 5 three-putts. If you find yourself above the hole it may be tough to keep it close. Even some side hill putts can challenge you.

All in all I liked this course a lot and if im ever back in Park City during golf season I would definitely play it again.