I'll be playing Bethpage State Park when the Masters kicks off.

Nice!

We have tickets for the Wednesday practice round/Par 3 Contest, then are driving to Pursell Farms in Alabama to get a few rounds in on Thursday/Friday.

Meh, watched him at Southern Hills in '01 and again at the Ryder Cup in '12.

He's not worth dealing with the mobs that obsess over him. If you really like golf, you can use this to your advantage because you can follow almost any other golfer very closely.

All this means is that Phil will have a huge following now, since 75% of the people that attend golf tournaments only want to watch Tiger, since he is their only understanding of golf. It's pathetic, since the common fan doesn't know jack shit about golf, other than what Tiger shot? Or how did Tiger play? With Tiger out, that 75% will just cling to the next most popular guy, ie, Phil

Edit - saw that you are only going to the Par 3/practice stuff, so I can see why it would have been cool to see Tiger in a more relaxed setting. I was thinking you weren't really missing anything out with Tiger being gone if you were going Thurs-Sun. Either way, you will have a damn good time on Wednesday.

I'm pretty terrible at golf (but I love it nonetheless) so I think we are just going to play the green course. I'd love to play the black just to say I have, but I don't want to blow $150.

The Dinah Shore Classic the LPGAs first major of the year. Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson tied at -10 going into the 4th round. Pretty compelling stuff.

Never really used a Laser Rangefinder before but I bought one today. A Callaway XHot made by Nikon. I don't know if it's a good one or not but it was on sale at Academy Sports. I probably still over paid at $200.00.

No idea if it was a deal either but sounds cheap enough for a laser rangefinder. Having one makes a hell of a difference when playing playing a course where the yardage is not marked well which is most public courses.

The Black course is considered in the top 10 public courses in the US. Golf Digest ranked it between Pinehurst #2 and TPC Sawgrass which means its pretty ****ing legit.

Seriously play the Black course even if you think your game unworthy and $150 is not that bad for an elite course.

Here is the latest Golf Digest ranking (which includes private courses) and review of the Black course. I don't see how someone could pass at the opportunity to play this.


42. (36) BETHPAGE STATE PARK (Black)
Farmingdale, N.Y. / Joseph H. Burbeck & A.W. Tillinghast (1936)
7,366 yards, Par 71 | Points: 63.1606
The Black was once a scruffy state park haunt that Golf Digest reluctantly ranked at No. 100 only because it was considered a very unpolished diamond in a very dismal rough. But following an extensive remodeling by Rees Jones, the Black has become a must-play cult classic as well as the site of two recent U.S. Opens and a Barclays event on the PGA Tour. Back during its original construction, A.W. Tillinghast wrote that it was Joe Burbeck's idea to make the Black Course, "the public Pine Valley," and Jones's renovations have recaptured that philosophy by re-establishing deep pits and large expanses of sand. Surprisingly, Jones didn't touch the greens, which (with the exception of the putting surface on the 15th) are some of the roundest and flattest in championship golf. Of course, that makes them perfect for today's swift green speeds.

Drive Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta. Those kids gotta be stoked.

I purchased a SkyCaddie last year for $219.00 and it has been worth every penny.

I was trying to use the thing yesterday and I wasn't confident in the yardages. As I looked through it I couldn't hold it still. I'm going to have to practice with it I guess.

That's where the SkyCaddie has its advantages. No holding steady required. Just walk up to your ball and it shows you the distance to the hole and the hazards around you.

Played The Oaks at Tan-Tara yesterday. It's an ok course.

Okay, I went back to the golf grip and continued my quest to hit down on the ball. The results were better. I hit my irons very well. This grip trends to force the club face on the driver open at contact, so I sliced several drives. The result was an 86 including four triple bogeys. Three were on the front nine. I played really well on the back nine finishing 13/18 with: par, birdie, par, par, grrr triple. Had I not blown 18 all to hell I would have finished the back in 39. Never been under 40 on nine. Ever.

So, I'm encourage, but could use some advice on how to cure the slice off the tee.

Also, my 8th grade son is ready to play again. I can find cheap clubs but need to get him fitted. Any suggestions in or around the KC area would be great.