St John's Golf and Country Club

I played St John's Golf and Country Club near St Augustine. I had my long-suffering wife with me, armed with her camera and a new ball retriever we bought on the way to the course at a thrift store for two bucks to assist in her ball-hawking efforts.  We were paired up with Paul and Dave who had just flown in to Jacksonville from Boston.  

We had booked a 2:01 tee time, but were bumped to 2:19 to accommodate a foursome of members--two men and two women--who were seemingly content to keep us waiting over every shot for the entire day.  Despite being encouraged to speed up by the marshall, they took their sweet time, obviously unconcerned that they were holding up some green-fee players.

The course was an interesting and reasonably challenging layout at 6801 yards from the blues where we three seasoned and slightly crippled veterans teed it up.  The course was firm and fast, and the greens were excellent.  The staff were quite friendly and welcoming, even if some of the members weren't, and I wouldn't hesitate to play the course again when I'm back in the area.

Both Dave and Paul acquitted themselves pretty well despite it being Paul's first outing after having had a hip replacement and Dave suffering from rotor cuff pain.  With me taking morphine and Dave swallowing Motrin, we remained undaunted and, as bravely as we could, took as many strokes as required to complete the round.  Dave putted really well and hit some excellent iron shots, but wasn't particularly thrilled with his driving.  Paul was adjusting to a new set of Hogan irons and was tinkering a bit in an effort to find his swing after his hip surgery, so there were a few wayward shots, but plenty of good ones, including some laser-like drives.

The best thing about my play was that I somehow managed to resist any temptation to tinker all day.  I stuck to the left-hand-low putting stroke and had another pretty good day on the greens.  Old Man Par was never really threatened, but I managed to keep it a couple of strokes under 80 on a course I'd never seen before, so I figured I did okay for an old crippled guy after a winter layoff.  If I can give up the tinkering, there just might be some hope for me.

As for Kathryn; she used her new ball retriever to find me lots of previously-enjoyed ammo, including close to a dozen Pro V's.  She also got some pretty nice pictures.  

The boys have come down to Jacksonville to play with a group of friends who meet annually for a friendly tournament that will be played over several days on different area courses, finishing on the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass.  I'm sure they'll have a blast.  They didn't seem the least bit perturbed to be paired up with my wife and I and, despite our five hour round, I think it's safe to say we had a great time of it.  They were really good company and made it a memorable day on the links.

Eighteen holes at St John's Country Club--a good deal at thirty-one dollars--to play it with Dave and Paul--priceless!

Sam Snead and the "Force-Type Swing"

While all I have seen are videos of Sam Snead--and him hitting the opening tee shot at the Masters into his nineties--I think I am safe in saying he was the best swinger of the club we've ever seen.  Johnny Miller played with Sam and recently stated that he has still never seen anyone, including McIlroy, Day, and Woods, hit it any better than Sam did.  Say what you like about Johnny, but he knows golf and the golf swing.

I just read an article by Sam Adams in which he talks about the danger, especially to the back, of the "modern" swing.  Sam Snead called this " modern swing" a "force-type swing."  He did not recommend it for handicap players and called it a young man's swing.  In essence, the modern swing includes a big shoulder turn, a restricted hip turn, a shorter backswing, and a great deal of body rotation and torque.  It is a powerful move.  But it is definitely a young man's swing.  Most of those who employ it, Harvey Penick asserted, won't be playing on the Champions Tour unless they learn to make some adjustments.

Look at some of the classic swingers, like Tom Watson, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomery, Freddie Couples, Phil Mickelson and Ernie.  Those guys have stayed competitive, kept their length, and have had success well into their forties and fifties.  Their swings are all long, loose, and rhythmic.  Sam referred to keeping his swing "oily."  These guys swing the club.  They hit the ball with the clubhead.  They don't try to apply force to the ball with the shaft of the club.

Sam Snead said he swung the club straight back with his left hand, gripping the club firmly in the last two fingers of his left hand to avoid over-swinging, or losing control at the top of the backswing.  His left arm, shoulder, hip, knee, and foot just naturally followed along.  He began the downswing with his left hand and arm pulling the club through impact and down the target line.  Once again, the rest of the body followed right along naturally.  In his swing there was no effort to restrict anything.  It was a loose, oily, rhythmic action that placed minimal stress on his body.  He was the ultimate swinger of the club.  His action was as simple and free of idiosyncrasies as it was fluid and rhythmic.  I think I'm going to watch as much video of the Slammer as I can.  

No one has managed to figure out a way to swing the club any better than Sam.  Just ask Johnny.  If you haven't checked out Sam Snead's swing, I suggest you look on YouTube.  If you prefer, you might want to check out Tom Watson if you want a more modern example.  While his rhythm is quicker, Tom's swing has to be as good as we've ever seen.  Hell, he was almost sixty when he lost the Open in a playoff.  There's a swing to emulate and try to copy.  No idiosyncrasies there either.

In fact, I don't think Tom Watson gets as much credit as he should.  Not many guys went toe to toe with Jack in his prime and won.  Tom is one of the all-time greats.  He was helped to refine his game by none other than Byron Nelson.  Now, you want to talk about great players, Lord Byron...

Oberholser's Magic Wedge

I've been watching the commercials and suddenly realized, after giving up on my 54 degree wedge the other day, I've been using the wrong equipment.  Mr. Oberholser tells me I should be playing the XE1 wedge.  Apparently it's foolproof.  

No matter what the lie, all I have to do is square it up and swing and the ball will pop right up there next to the hole.  Why, then, have I not seen one tour player using one?  Why do they want to make things difficult for themselves when there's a foolproof answer?

I really wonder how these guys like Oberholser, shilling for the latest magic club or ball to come along, look themselves in the mirror.  Oberholser tells us, "without so much as a single lesson or practice session," we can use this wedge to "eradicate" fat chips and pitches, even with our less-than-perfect swing.  We'll get it out of the bunker every time. We can now clip the ball cleanly off tight lies and stop it next to the pin.  We'll be filled with confidence no matter what the lie or greenside condition. We'll even wipe the grins off our buddies' faces as they see us execute a Phil Mickelson flop shot.

And, we'll be able to do these things "immediately, the very first time" we pick up this amazing wedge.  Oberholser even has the nerve to talk about us "cursing" the $150 wedge and "all those famous pros who endorse it."  This guy has got brass ones.  I mean, seriously, some guys will say anything if the price is right.

Nevertheless, the way my 54 degree wedge has been working, maybe I should order this magic wedge.  I'm sure it must come with a money-back guarantee.

Cream Rising

Cream rises to the top.  We see it at all the top courses and biggest events.  We are definitely seeing it at Arnie's event this week, with Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott in the hunt after two days.

Occasionally one relatively low-ranked fellow catches fire and wins one of these events.  But, generally-speaking, we see the best players vying for the most prestigious titles.  That is, of course, as it should be.  But the big events and the Majors identify the champions; and the champions have more than just the ability to hit great golf shots.  They have "it," whatever it is that makes them able to manage themselves and win the big ones.

It's going to be an interesting and exciting weekend at Arnie's event.  And it appears Jason Day is back with a vengeance.  

English Turn in New Orleans

I played English Turn in New Orleans today.  It's a terrific course.  But, after taking four shots to get on the first green, a reasonably straight forward par four, I one-putted for bogey, and thought, "here we go, it's going to be one of those days."

After then making two solid pars, I figured I was settling down.  On number four, I drove it about 275 yards into an unrepaired divot, leaving me about sixty yards over water to a front pin.  I hit it to about 10 feet and, believe it or not, rolled it in for birdie.  I took pictures of the ball in the old divot and the approach required, and finally the ball on the green.  I must admit, when I took the picture of the ball in the divot, I was anticipating a possible disaster story after, what was for me, a perfect drive.  

On the next hole, a longish par four, after that terrific birdie, I proceeded to hit a weak push off the tee, leaving myself about 200 yards to a back pin off a tough lie in the rough with the ball well above my feet.  I played what I thought to be the smart shot, short and left of the green in a bunker.  I then made the mistake of using my 54 degree wedge, a club that has given me nothing but grief, and promptly thinned it over the green into the bushes.  After dropping in the bunker I had to play out of a fried-egg lie to about 30 feet short of the pin.  Three putts later, I had a triple.  That's golf.  One minute you look like a golfer, the next, you're a bum.

It was pretty much all downhill from there.  I finished tired, aching, and rather discouraged.  However, I can't wait to tee it up next.  My wife tells me they have another tee time at English Turn tomorrow through GolfNow at 0810 for forty bucks.  In that case I'm sure my back will feel better, and I have banished the 54 degree wedge, never to be used again. I have also decided to put the Hogan blades back in the bag.  And did I mention that I putted left hand low for the second day in a row and putted really well--if I forget the three-putt on five.  

Good courses like English Turn really let you know the state of your game.  You can't fake it on championship courses.  Mine is definitely not so good, but it was, after all, only the second round I've played in four months.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  I now have a used Callaway forged 54 degree wedge for sale.  Dirt cheap.

Ben Hogan on Golf

I was just reading the conclusion of Ben Hogan's book, Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.  For many, it has become like the Bible for golf.  I think, all the interesting mechanical information and advice aside, the most compelling thing was what Mr. Hogan had to say about the game.  He wrote:

   "I have always thought of golf as the best of all games--the most interesting, the most demanding, the most rewarding.  I cannot begin to express the gratification I have always felt in being part of a game with sucha wonderful flavor and spirit, a game which has produced such superb champions and attractive personalities as Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, Bob Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Tommy Armour, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret--to name only a few of the great players.  I have found the game to be, in all factualness, a universal language wherever I travelled at home or abroad.  I have really enjoyed every minute I have spent in golf--above all the many wonderful friends I have made.  I have loved playing the game and practicing it.  Whether my schedule for the following day called for a tournament round or merely a trip to the practice tee, the prospect that there was going to be golf in it made me feel privileged and extremely happy, and I couldn't wait for the sun to come up the next morning so that I could get out on the course again."

Can I get an "Amen?"

Charl Schwarzel Looks Good for Augusta

With two wins on the European Tour, and now an impressive win on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook, Charl Schwarzel looks to be another favourite heading into Augusta this year.  It seems, particularly at the Masters, that nothing succeeds like success with the number of multiple winners there over the years.  Charl joins Bubba and Adam Scott as two other Masters champions who seem to be in top form right now.

Form is something that comes and goes in this game, so one never really knows whether these three can carry that form into Augusta, or will someone else peak at the just the right time?  Louis Oosthuizen, with a recent win, just might get the job done after his near win there a few years ago.  What is clear is that there is a definite knack to playing Augusta National.  As Arnie has said, it's all about angles--angles and leaving yourself below the hole.

It was a rather poor final round again by Jordan Spieth at Valspar.  He really looked uncomfortable out there and quickly started heading in the wrong direction, missing a very makeable birdie putt on the first hole that seemed to set the tone for the day.  No, as a few critics like to say, he's not Tiger Woods; but I'm still not ready to count him out of the running in the Majors this year.  Champions, like Spieth, seem to find a way to get in the hunt at the big ones, and with a win and a second place finish in the last two years, he definitely understands what is required to get the job done when he drives down Magnolia Lane.  Very few twenty two year olds have been multiple Major champions.  This kid is the real thing, and I thought it was nice to see Rory come to Jordan's defence on social media the other day.  

Once again, it is becoming clear that a few older guys are proving that they aren't necessarily ready to sit back and let the young guns have it all their way.  This week, it's Arnie's place.  It will certainly be interesting to see who prevails at Bay Hill.  In the meantime, my doctor is preparing for his first trip to the Masters where he will have the chance, among other things, to dine with Gary Player.  He's a lucky dog.  He asked me if I wanted him to bring me something back from Augusta.  I told him just to bring me his memories.