Archive for May, 2007

National Road Golf Course

{ May 29, 2007 @ 5:40 pm } · { Golf, Golf Course reviews, National Road }
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Hello again.  As I said at the beginning, I would review golf courses in my blog.  Here is a new one — National Road Golf Course.  National Road is located in West Jefferson, Ohio and is a par 71 5087 yard course from the white tees.  This course features wide open fairways and very little in the way of water.  The only real obstacle on the course is the areas of heather which separate the fairways. The fron nine is par 35 with 6 par 4’s 2 par 3’s and a single par 5.  The longest par 4 is 379 yards and dog legs left.  2 is a par 3 of 133 yards.  Hole 3 is a short 295 yard par 4 dog leg left  folled by another par 3 of 137 yards.  The 5th hole is a dog leg right 328 yeard par 4 which is followed by the only par 5 on the front nine.  The 7th hole is a 305 yard slight dog leg left follwed by the dog leg right 262 yard par 4 8th hole.  The inward hole is a 332 yard dog leg left.  This is the side I played and shot a 52 which is my best round of the year on a regulation course.The back nine is a par 36 side featuring 2 par 5’s, 2 par 3’s and 5 par 4’s with only one of them being over 300 yards.  However, water does come into play on 2 holes on this side.  Hole 10 is parallel to hole 1 and is also a dog leg left par 4.  The longest par 4 on the back nine at 366 yards from the white tees, it is followed by the longest par three on the course at 141 yards.  Hole 12 is a drivable par 4 of 237 yards followed by the shortest par 3 of 110 yards.  13 and 14 are both drivable par 4’s of 230 and 253 yards.  While 16, at 248 yards, is drivable it requires you to carry a lake on the initial part of the drive.  Hole 17, which for some reason is only the 3rd hardest hole on the course requires you to drive to a small outcropping of land on the left hand side of the lake and to carry the lake on your second shot on this 410 yard par 5.  The homeward hole here is a 465 yard par five.

I do want to go back to this course and play the back nine. 

Golf League — Week 5 Results and Week 6 Schedule

{ May 18, 2007 @ 5:54 pm } · { Golf, Golf League, ThornApple Country Club, handicap }
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6-27-05-st-judes-354.jpg Hello again!  Week 5 of the golf league is in the books.  The weather was cold and windy and most folks did not shoot good scores.  For example, I had my worst week of the year with a 65.    However, we must find a way to go on.     

Here are the team standings after week 5.

1.  Team 2  Kristin and Tom.

2.  Team 5  Brad and Ron.

3.  Team 7  Bruce and Chuck.

4.  Team 1  Cindy and Jamal.

5.  Team 8  Sebbe and Kim.

6.  Team 4  Shawn and Neva.

7.  Team 3  Bill and Geno.

8.  Team 6.  Alan and John.

The race has started to tight up and team 5 is now only 7 points out of first. On the individual front these are the standings.  

1.  Tom

2.  Bruce

3.  Brad

3.  Ron

5.  Kristin

5.  Geno

7.  Neva

8.  Sebbe

9.  Jamal

10.  Cindy

11.  Bill

12.  Shawn

12.  Alan

14.  John

15.  Chuck

16.  Kim

The race here is really tight here where 5 points is the difference between 3rd and 9th. Bruce had both the low scratch and net round this week.  Way to go Bruce!

The schedule for week 6 is

Team 4 vs Team 8

Team 6 vs. Team 1

Team 3 vs Team 2

Team 5 vs Team 7.  

The back 9 at Thorn Apple will be the site for week 6’s action.  

See ya on the back 9!

Golf League– Week 4 Results and Week 5 Schedule

{ May 16, 2007 @ 12:04 pm } · { Golf, Golf League, ThornApple Country Club }
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6-27-05-st-judes-354.jpg
Week 4’s results are in.  Personally, I shot a personal best for Thorn Apple — a 58.   I had a resl good match with Geno and won 11 of 18 match points plus 4 bonus points for shooting 4 shots below my handicap round.  I also dropped my handicap from 26 to 25. Here are the team standings after last week. 1.  Team 2  Krsitin and Tom

2.  Team 5  Brad and Ron

3.  Team 1  Cindy and Jamal

4.  Team 7  Bruce and Chuck

5.  Team 8  Sebbe and Kim

6.  Team 3  Bill and Geno

7.  Team 4 Shawn and Neva

8.  Team 6 Alan and John

 The individual standings are as follows:

1.  Tom

2.  Kristin

3.  Ron

4.  Jamal

5.  Cindy

6.  Bruce

7.  Neva

8.  Sebbe

9.  Brad

10.  Bill

11.  Geno

12.  Chuck

13.  Alan

14.  Shawn

15.  John

16.  Kim

 Low net this week goes to Sebbe who shot a 48 raw score but had a net of 29 aftr his handicap.  Way to go Sebbe!

The schedule for week 5 is

Team 8 vs Team 2

Team 7 vs Team 3

Team 5 vs Team 1

Team 6 vs Team 4.

 This week will be played in the front nine at Thorn Apple.

Golf League — Week 3: Results, Standings, and Schedule

{ May 8, 2007 @ 2:04 pm } · { Golf, Golf League, ThornApple Country Club, handicap }
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Week 3 is officially in the books.  It looks like there is going to be a team competition as well as an individual competition.  After week three here are the team and individual standings.In first place with a total of 49 points is Team 2 — Kristin and Tom.In second place is Team 1 with 40 points.In third place is Team 5 with 38 points.  That is Brad and I.

In fourth place is Team 7 with 33 points.

In fifth place is Team 6 with 23 points.

In sixth place is Team 3 with 21 points.

In seventh place is Team 4 with 16 points.

And, bringing up the rear is Team 8 with 9 points.

Handicap is a great equalizer thus far.  Take for example Team 4 — Shawn and Neva:  Shawn has the lowest handicap in the league.  However, that means he has to give everyone else strokes.  Out of the 18 points in his match this past week, Shawn, who shot 3 over his average score, only won 5 and is currently next to last in the individual standings.  On the other hand, 3 of the top 4 in the individual standings are from group B.

Here are the individual standings:

1.  Tom      18 points

1.  Jamal    18 points

3.  Kristin  16 points

3.  Ron       16 points

5.  Bill         12 points

5.  Brad      12 points

5.  John      12 points

8.  Alan      11 points

8.  Neva     11 points

8.  Chuck   11 points

11.  Geno    9 points

12.  Cindy   7 points

12.  Bruce   7 points

12.  Sebbe  7 points

15.  Shawn 5 points

16.  Kim     2 points

Well, I have to give some props to the low net round of week 3.  There are 2 things you need to have low net round of the week.

1.  You have to play some good golf.

2.  You need to have a handicap.

Mostly however, you need to play some good golf.  Jamal had low net round this week.  Jamal, who started with a handicap of 30 shot a 58 raw score.  This is 8 strokes better than his average of 66.  This means Jamal picked up 8 of his 18 points by beating his average score.  When you subtract his handicap from his raw score you get a net round of 28 which is 8 under par.  Like I said, you need to play some good golf.  Way to go Jamal.  By shooting such a good round Jamal lowered his handicap from 30 to 27.

I also have to mention Tom because he shot a round of 57 which was 1 stroke better than Jamal’s round.  After taking Tom’s handicap off his score he had a net of 29.  His handicap also dropped from 28 to 25 giving him the lowest handicap in Group B.

Now to the schedule for week 4.  

Team 4 takes on Team 1.

Team 6 takes on Team 2.

Team 8 takes on team 7.  

Team 5 takes on Team 3.

Week 4 is on the back 9 at Thorn Apple See ya on the back nine!

Golf League — Week Three: Format and Teams

{ May 4, 2007 @ 1:15 pm } · { Golf, Golf League, ThornApple Country Club }
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6-27-05-st-judes-354.jpg  Week 3 of the golf league went off without a hitch.  For those of you who are new to this blog, let me give you a quick recap.  The company I work for hosts a golf league that plays each Wednesday for 18 weeks.  This year 16 golfers of various abilities signed up to play.  Weeks 1 and 2 were handicap establishing rounds.  The golfers were then ranked 1 though 16 based upon their handicaps.  Player 1 to 8 were in group A and 9 to 16 were in group B.  The players were then sorted into 2 player teams with A1 being paired with B16, A2 with B15 and so on.  I am B9 which means I got paired with A8.  2 teams make up a 4some and the A players from each team play each other while the B players from each team play each other.  The higer handicap golfer in each match gets strokes based on the difference between their handicaps.  These strokes are assigned based on the difficulty rating assigned to each hole on the course.  Each hole is worth 2 points and a tie results in each player getting one point.  At the end of the round the player from each group with the most points wins the match.  A player can earn additional points if their score is lower than their handicapped round.  An example may help here.  I have a 26 handicap and par on each 9 is 36.  If I shoot my normal round I should shoot 62 for that nine.  Should I shoot 58, I earn one point for each of the 4 strokes under 62 I shot on that round.  The points get added up and standings are figured for each group on an individual basis.   This is also a team competition.  Each player’s individual points are given to the team.  Each team adds their individual scores together and their individual handicaps together and subtract the handicaps from the total score to get the net score.  The team with the lowest net score wins 10 points.  If the net score is less than 72 then an additional 5 points is awarded. After the 2 week handicap rounds the teams were named.  Here are the teams: Team 1 is Cindy and Jamal. Team 2 is Kristin and Tom. Team 3 is Bill and Geno Team 4 is Shawn and Neva Team 5 is Brad and Ron. Team 6 is Alan and John.  Team 7 is Bruce and Chuck.  Team 8 is Sebbe and Kim.  In week 3 the matches were team 1 vs team 3, team 2 vs team 4, team 6 vs team 7, and team 5 vs team 8.

Golf League — Format Set

{ May 2, 2007 @ 5:18 pm } · { Golf, Golf League, ThornApple Country Club }
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Well, the cat is out of the bag — unofficially.  The format for this years golf league has been set.  It is similar to last year but with a couple of twists.  Like last year, the golfers are being divided into two groups — A and B.  Group A are the “better” golfers while group B are trying to get better.  Like last year a group A golfer will be paired with a group B golfer and take on another pair.  However, unlike last year, the pairings will be permanent.  Like last year the player from group A will take on his or her counterpart while the group B’s play each other.  Like last year, there will be a ”skins” format.  However, this year each skin will be worth 2 points.  Also different is the treatment of a tie.  If there is a tie, there will be no carry over like a traditional skins game.  Each player will receive 1 point.  Like last year, each golfer will compete with themselves and receive a point per stroke under their handicap.  Another change is there will not be points earned for par or better.  Like last year this is a handicap league where the “better” golfer in each match will give the other stokes based on the difference in  the golfer’s handicap and the course handicap.   

The final change is the team points.  Each golfer adds his individual points to the team and there are also 10 points up for grab.  Those 10 points go to the team with the lowest net score.  If the net score of the team is below par then there is an additional 5 point bonus. 

Golf League — Week 3

{ May 2, 2007 @ 1:15 pm } · { Foot Joy, Game Tracker, Golf, Golf Course reviews, Golf League, Golf equipment, Mentel Memorial, The Golf Channel, ThornApple Country Club, Todd Nemenz, Weather, Wilson Road Golf Course }
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We are scheduled to play the front 9 at Thorn Apple today in the golf league.  The weather is supposed to be nice with a high of 72 and partly sunny.  This is supposed to be the first “for real” week and at the time of this writing I do not know the format for the competition.  I will be the time we tee off and will be writing that in an update unless I get it sooner.

I thought it might be interesting to tell you a little about how I get ready to play in the league each week.  As you know we play on Wednesday each week so the next week in the golf league starts on Thursday for me.  On Thursday, I analyze yesteredays round and enter it in the Game Tracker at the Golf Channel.  Armed with that information, I have a lesson with Todd.  If he does a voice over, I look at the lesson on the computer.  Friday is an off day.  Saturday usually finds me on the driving range working on the stuff we went over in the lesson.  Sunday, being the Lord’s day, is an off day.  Monday is another day on the range.  Tuesday is stretching and maybe some putting.  I clean up the clubs on Tuesday night.  That brings us full circle to Wednesday.

Tee time is around 3:45 pm so I leave work around 2:15 and drive to Thorn Apple.  When I get there I change my shoes and put on the golf shoes.  My shoes are black Foot Joys with soft spikes.   I go into the club house and pay for my pull cart and pick up a score card.  I take the pull cart back to my car and get out my clubs.  Before I put my bag on the pull cart, I make the club selections needed for that round.  As I mentioned in an ealier post, my bag has 15 clubs and I can use only 14 in a competitive round so I have to remove one club from the bag.  I will write more on that later.  After doing that, I go down to the practice green.  I do about 10 minutes of stretching just to loosen up.  I putt for about 15 minutes, chip for about 15 minutes.  Then I move to the staging area for the 9 we are playing and do some full swing drills without a ball starting with a short club such as a wedge and moving to a longer club ever 5 swings.  I end with the driver as that is the first club I will be hitting.  I select a ball and wash it.  I then get ready to tee off.

Before I close this post, I wanted to spend a couple of lines or so on club selection for competitive rounds.  That depends on what course I am playing.   If I am playing the front 9 on Thorn Apple, I remove the 3 wood.  While I am working on getting the 3 and 5 woods back into my bag, I don’t hit them out of the fairway as well as I hit my 3 iron.  The par 5’s on the front 9 are 472 and 520 yards long respectively and the shortest of the par 5’s at Thorn Apple.  I will hit driver off the tee on each hole.  My club selection on the 472 yard 2nd hole will depend on how good the drive was since there is water on this hole.  The front nine has 2 175 yard par 3’s on it and I will either hit a 3 iron or a 5 wood off the tee there.

On the other hand, if I am playing the back 9, Ipull the 5 wood and carry the 3 wood because the shortest par 3 on the back 9 is 193.  Currently, that is beyond a 5 wood off the tee by nearly 20 yards.   

The front 9 at Mentel Memorial presents a similar situation to Thorn Apple as I remember it.  There are back to back par 5’s both being over 520 yards.  The par 3’s are both close to 200 yards.  So, I would carry a 3 wood here.  I have not played the back 9 there yet.

Wilson Road is a par 3 course with 3 par 4’s.  Would carry the 3 wood because the shortest par 4 is over a creek and has trees on both sides of the creek and requires a precise shot.  However, I must let it be known that I usually still hit driver on that hole.  If I had a gap wedge, I would probably not carry either 3 or 5 wood and carry the gap wedge.

See ya on the back 9!