So I’m poking around on the ‘Net and reading some Bill Murray golf stories, and I found THIS. Whoever put this up is a wonderful human being, and will achieve total consciousness upon his death.
Also, I now know what I’m getting Croucher for Christmas.
– BC
So,
I have had these new MB1020 irons for a few weeks now and have been hitting them at the range, at the dome, and oh yeah, a few rounds on the course. Have to say, big fan thus far.
Played Hawk Ridge this past weekend, and one correction before I go on, the course was the longer of the two, and from where we played it from was around 68-7,000 yards. Very nice, and very challenging. More on the course later as I digress from the topic of this post.
As I have stated earlier, these irons are blades with little or no offset. They aren’t forged but cast, yet, they play like a set of forged tour blades. They are so soft, yet they give you incredible grip on the ball. In fact, I went through 4 balls this round because the clubs were actually shredding the outer layer. Amazing!!
I have changed my setup a little bringing my feet a little tighter and my stance a little closer to the ball. This is allowing me to hit these irons like they should be hit. Long, straight and soft. I recall one Par 3, number 17 I think, that was playing 174 slightly downhill, and I hit my 6-iron to about 10 feet on the short side of the pin. My ball wasn’t more than 2 inches away from the divot. What can I tell you? I love these sticks and will recommend them to anyone who wants to elevate their game to the next level.
Croucher and I played Hawk Ridge in Orillia yesterday [click the 'Ontario Golf Course Ratings' tag on the right to see a review], where he successfully defended the Valleywoods Cup. There’s been some personal modifications to the Cup recently, and as you can see here, the Pink Purse is being suitably represented now. So to are the Transformers, as the Decepticons are now obviously in firm control of the Cup.
This was really the first ‘road trip’ golf we’ve had all year, and unfortunately we waited until the end of the season to do it. Dennis couldn’t make it this weekend, and Amir thought it was too cold, so it was just the two of us and Bob, my mother’s significant other and a member at the club. Kev thoroughly thrashed Bob and I, and was successful in his defence on a back nine ‘closest to the hole on approach shot’ challenge by a score of 5-4 over yours truly. Of course, he gets there in two and it’ll take me three or four, but hey, who’s counting? We had a great time and plan to do it as much as possible next year.
Road trip golf is a blast, kids, and my advice to you is to get a little further than your home course next season. The price is right outside the GTA, too [thanks for paying, Kev!].
My clubs are great and all’s well on the driving range, but I haven’t successfully transferred my triumphs there onto the golf course. I’m hoping that changes while there’s still time. On the bright side, at least I don’t look like this when I swing anymore.
- BC
*****
So,
I played this course, the shorter of the two yesterday with Tim and Bob. I knew it was going to be a good round when, standing in the left rough on #4 I believe, mulling over an interesting shot involving a tree, Bob says to me from the far side of the fairway and I quote ” Hit the fucking ball Kevin”.
I loved this course and can’t wait to get back and play it again an also the longer of the offerings. We played from the ‘whites’ this round and I quote that word as the staff had removed the blue and black markers and put the whites back. A lot of courses do this around this time of year just to save the upper tees from more damage during the wet and cold conditions.
As we might have mentioned before, Seaton and Parkview are the courses that we play, but this track offers a whole other level of golf for everyone. From Par 3’s that are over water and should be played like Par 4’s to Par 4’s that you can’t go at the green if you hit it short because of water or valley, to the Par 5’s that have small greens protected by, you guessed it, water.
I truly had a very nice day on this course and once I get some thoughts together, I will post my ideas of how to get around without too much heartache.
Till then,
Keep it in the short grass,
Croucher
[From Tin Cup, after Dave Simms refuses to attempt a 250 yard shot over a water hazard:]
Roy ‘Tin Cup’ McAvoy: “Fifteen years on the tour an’ you’re still a fuckin’ pussy.”
Dave Simms: “Thirteen years on the driving range and you still think this game is about your testosterone count.”
Yeah. Tin Cup’s a great sports movie, baby. Somewhat topically, this little exchange took place on the golf course today:
Croucher: “Are you wearing the hat that you wear, or the hat that you wear after you’re done wearing it?”
Me: “Well, I’m wearing it, aren’t I?”
It’s not Cup, but it’s funny. Kevin was referring to the fact that I have two matching hats: one that I wear on the course, and an identical one I wear after I’m done playing the round. My hats tend to get pretty sweat-covered out there, and I like a clean, sweat-free hat after the round to cover my head.
But it got me thinking about personalized golf lingo, which is the point of this post. My foursome has a number of “inside joke” sayings that I’ll share with you here now.
“You gonna Kevin Costner this, or Don Johnson it?” Kevin Costner’s character in the aforementioned flick – Roy ‘Tin Cup’ McAvoy- always goes long whenever he can, and never lays up in front of the water or a gap. Don Johnson’s character, Dave, always plays it safe by laying up. Our turn of phrase, therefore, is asking which one the other guy’s going to try and pull off.
“You or me, Dave?” Also from Tin Cup. This is something that Amir and I started doing a few years ago. At one point in the film, both Roy and Dave are pretty much equal distance from the hole, and Roy’s asking which one of them is further [and therefore going first]. The correct response to this is to point at oneself; it’s really more of an invite for the other guy to hit first when your balls are close in distance more than it is an actual question. Kevin likes to reply to this with the classic response of “Dave’s not here man”, which I allow only because Cheech Marin is involved in both bits.
“Marshal? Can you please move these people back? Because I’m coming right through here.” Costner’s in a woooded area, and is going to bank a shot off a Port-A-Potty to get back on the fairway. We generally use this phrase when making a difficult shot from the woods.
“Skinner? You’re an odd fellow, but you steam a good ham.” That’s a Simpson’s reference, and pops out when someone has said or done something odd. Superintendent Chalmers quips it to Principal Skinner.
“Gunga galunga… gunga, gunga-galunga.” Caddyshack, baby. I don’t know what the hell it means, but it’s funny.
“You have to hit it, Susan.” Leaving a putt short will often elicit this phrase from another. Alternate favourites are “Next time, try hitting it with your purse” and “Great putt. Does your husband play golf?” My favourite variation comes from Dennis, though, who will just yell “SUSAAAANNN!” at himself sometimes when he doesn’t putt hard enough.
***
PARTING SHOT: Kevin and I hit Seaton today, and I had a horrid 103. It was, however, the best 103 I’ve ever had. The clubs were singin’, and if it wasn’t for one or two terrible holes I’d have been alright. Kevin didn’t have a great day either, but the weather was nice and we had a blast. Go to Seaton, will you? It’s fun.
- BC
Carl Spackler, Caddyshack: “So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I’m a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald… striking. So, I’m on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one – big hitter, the Lama – long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? ‘Gunga galunga… gunga, gunga-galunga’. So we finish the eighteenth and he’s gonna stiff me. And I say, ‘Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.’ And he says, ‘Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.’ So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.”
Great session at the Markham Golf Dome today, as I worked through the new PureFit set with some really helpful words from Kevin (thanks, pally!). I’m finishing well with my hands in front of me and not turning them over too early, which has been causing me to pull left. Also the weight distribution on my drives much better, so I’ve stopped this popping-it-straight-up crap I recently started. I had maybe five really bad shots today, and considering I probably whapped maybe a hundred and twenty balls I’m very happy with the result of the clubs (kids, get your golf clubs fitted to you. It’s night and day from my off-the-shelf Spaldings). I’m hoping to transfer today’s success on the range to the course Sunday when we hit Seaton.
This comes on the heels of a really terrible round last Monday, but also directly after the range last week when I felt I was coming along nicely with the new set. My entire stance has changed, and I’ve had to adjust my swing into one that’s got me more upright and swinging easier. When I’m reaching back to “shake hands with the guy behind me”, my wrists are no longer already cocked, and I’m saving a lot of energy for more power and distance now that I’m bringing them up when I’m supposed to.
Kevin hits the ball a fucking mile, and has a really confident, smooth swing. Check out the video to see it. He’s floating between 79 and 85 at Parkview these days, and playing with a Saturday group that seems to be helping his game. Of course, playing with people NOT in our foursome is just one of his many failings as a golfer.
In what might be the last round we’ll see Amir this year (he always drops out early when there’s still golf left, citing it being too cold for his wilting frame), we’re heading on a road tripe to Hawk Ridge in Orillia for maybe the last round of the Valleywoods Cup this season. It’s an hour and a half from us, but we’ll hit the casino afterwards, so it ought to be a lot of fun. Here’s hoping Dennis captures his first Cup this year.
Lastly, the new Tiger Woods game is out is out, and I hear it’s good it’s good. Tiger 2006 absolutely sucked, but ‘05 was a blast, and I hear they’re returning to the old-school, straight-up-golf direction.But anyways, Penny Arcade – one of the online comics I read – wondered what it would be like if other software companies made Tiger Woods games rather than EA Sports, and I found this amusing. You might, too [but no promises].
- BC
I played my first round with my new set of PureFit clubs today, and while I had the worst round I’ve had in two years, I loved the clubs. There’s a lot of feedback off them, as Kevin’s pointed out, and the ball really springs off the club. I had some fantastic shots off them, and it’s just that my entire stance has changed now that I’ve got clubs that have been fitted to my height [I'm 6'5"].
So the TriCavity is a thing of beauty for me, and after playing this round with them I’d reccomend them to any high-handicapped duffer like me that wants a set of clubs that’s going to improve his game without raping his wallet. My score today doesn’t reflect my potential with them – now that my clubs are fitted for me, I’ve got to redesign my whole stance, and I’m aware that I have to go through hell before I get to heaven now – but for a third of the price of a set of Nike Slingshots or half the price of a set of NDS, you’re going to get some quality sticks, my friend.
I’ll do a “What’s In The Bag?” update soon for my clubs, but I want to touch on Hawk Ridge for now, and give you a rating on one of their courses.
***
HAWK RIDGE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
1151 Hurlwood Lane, Orillia, ON L3V 6K8
Phone: (705) 327-1610
Fax: (705) 329-2205
Email: hrgweb@hawkridgegolf.com
http://www.hawkridgegolf.com
CATEGORY / RATING [out of 5]
Beauty – 4
Strategy – 4
Challenge – 4
Design – 4.5
Par 3 Holes – 4
Par 4 Holes – 4
Par 5 Holes – 4
Conditioning – 5
Fun – 5
Course Service – 4
Pace of Play – 5
Value for Money- 5
Food Quality – N/A
Walkability – Excellent
Over All Rating – 4.5
For Scoregolf’s Course Rating, click HERE
NOTES: Hawk Ridge’s Meadow Nest course is absolutely beautiful, and easily walkable [it's relatively flat, and I walked it today with a 70+ man who had no trouble at all]. The pace of play is kept up by marshals who remain present all day long, so that’s really nice to see, and you’ll see the cart girl at least two or three times on your round. There’s bathrooms and water fountains along the way, too, and the place is incredibly well maintained and manicured. It’s hard not to be impressed with Hawk Ridge, and if you’re in the Orillia area, this semi-private place is worth your time.
It’s worth your money, too, because there’s a really reasonable $52 green fee. If Hawk Ridge was in Toronto, you’d be paying $75 for the round. There really isn’t a downside to this course; you’ll get bunched up at the Par 3’s, but that happens everywhere. But is it worth the drive to Orillia? Well, if you like driving, then definitely go. If you’ don’t, wait until you happen to be up there and pop in. But either way, don’t miss it.
- BC
So, with Tim almost set up with a new set of Irons from Purefit, I will update you all on my outing today playing the Tour Blade offering from the same. As you can see, these are a pure muscle back iron that has a very clean look to them. The blurb from the website reads as follows…. http://www.purefitgolf.com/piron.htm
The MB1020 has several design features incorporated into a classic blade design including an optimized sweet spot and sole camber. The location and flow of the sweet spot provides ideal workability and trajectory control. The MB10202 design has minimal offset consistent throughout the set. Other enhancements include a slightly larger hitting area and added mass behind the hitting area for more solid feel.
These clubs are very soft and will let you work the ball whichever way you choose. I hit them at the range on Saturday, and for some very odd reason, was pulling all my shots to the left, and not getting any real distance out of them. I hoped that this was not a portent of things to come. So, I gamely went out to Remington Parkview – the Upper Course today with a buddy and set out to see if I could actually play them as they should be played…well.
To give you some background on my golfing style if style can be used to describe; I think that I am a feel player, and even though I hit the ball longer than some, I hit what I have to and don’t fret too much about it.
These irons give you great feedback on the shots that you don’t hit well, and even better on the ones that you do. By that I mean, you can feel it all the way up your arms when you mis-hit, and you don’t feel a thing when you hit the ball pure. I like that in an iron. I have had a few sets of clubs (one of my many failings as a golfer) and have to say that for now, these rank right up there with irons that cost 3 or 4 times as much.
If you are a golfer who is a little better than most and want to take your game to the next level, I highly recommend trying these irons out.
I failed to mention the wedge in the above. I can’t supply a picture of it yet, but man, this club, for a price that is half to a third as much as the best tour wedges, really delivers. I had a 55 Degree club made up for me that was bent to a 56. Soft, lots of spin, and a nice head heavy feel. More on the wedge as data comes available.
If you want to try these clubs, or any that you see on the website, leave a comment and we will see what can be worked out.
Till we blog again,
Keep it in the short grass.
Croucher
Yesterday, Dennis brought over two Purefit 6-irons that Kevin had his buddy make up for me to try out. Purefit is a small Malaysian outfit that makes some really nice clubs for a fraction of the price of the big-named outfits, and I’m interested in a new set. I took ‘em to the range and knocked around a hundred balls to decide which set I liked better.
The Purefit 308SI are a set of game-improvement irons that have really big blades and really deep cavities. This 6-iron had a TrueTemper steel shaft and some really nice Acculfex grips that felt great. I hit it alright, but I’m just a duffer, and the ball seemed to drop off for me in power really quickly near the end of it’s flight. Pretty quality club, though.
The ID Tri Cavity was exceptionally forgiving. I’ve not played with graphite shafts before, and the Accuflex shaft was a little stiff for me, but the ball really sprung off the club face. Every bad shot I made seemed to be because of something I did, and some of them seemed genuinely corrected by the club itself. I really enjoyed this club, and it’s the one I chose. It’s pretty, too.
So I’ve ordered up a set through Croucher, and I’ll take ‘em to the range Saturday and Seaton on Sunday. The Purefit id RAW driver looks incredible, by the way, and Kevin showed me a Purefit wedge he played with that he absolutely loved. Clicke Purefit’s link, and take a look: I’m betting that next week I’ll be able to report that they were totally worth the minor investment.
***
With his win at the American Express Championship today, Tiger’s now the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least eight times in three seasons. He crushed the field by eight strokes, and I’m starting to wonder if God sometimes picks up a nine-iron and pretends to be Tiger Woods when no one’s looking. [That's a joke, by the way. I don't believe Tiger Woods actually exists.]
So while that wins me a muffin, I think I’m still down a pumpkin-spiced latte from the Ryder Cup. I think the Chrysler Classic’s up next, and Tiger’s taking a break after playing something like seven of the last nine weeks, so predictions ought to be a bit more difficult this week coming up.
- BC
