Sunday, July 27, 2008
If at first you don’t succeed
This Sunday was shaping up to be an interesting day. With all three of my regular companions again bagging golf in favor of other pursuits, I was faced with the choice of going it alone or forgetting it altogether. Fortunately I was able to get someone to join me. After asking last year and this year over and over again, our friend Stuart finally accepted the invitation. This was certainly going to be an interesting round of golf, because Stu has remarked on more than one occasion how his golf game was going great and how he was shooting in mid 80’s regularly, and didn’t want to invest the time to try to bring it down further. I have noticed that many a golfer who shoots in the mid 80’s finds that Saxon Woods is not the easy and generally can slip to the 90’s. Examples are, Bob from last week, Barry’s brother and my brother. All three probably had their worst round at Saxon Woods. Maybe the truth is that the course is actually harder than most. Since we play on it all the time, perhaps we don’t notice how difficult it is. I was curious, and I’m sure Bernie and Barry were too, to see how Stu fared against the mighty Saxon Woods. Alas, it wasn’t mean to be. To quote Bob Seger, “I woke up the sound of thunder.” At 5 am it was thunder and lightning and rain. Even though the radar looked like the storms might end in the next hour, since Stu was coming from Rockland county, we decided to cancel golf for this day. Of course if it were me and Bernie, we would have gone anyway, but Stu was a different story. Maybe he will join us another time. Of course, at 7 o’clock the rain stopped and the sun started to come out, so I ventured over to Saxon Woods to see if I could get a round in. Bernie will be happy to know that not only does the Starter know us by face, but he called me by name. He said he was going to try to get me out, because my regular time had passed. Sure enough at about 8:30 I got out with a threesome. These guys were regulars at that time but 1 of their friends didn’t show. They were a strange bunch.. They introduced themselves, but I quickly forgot their names. They rode in carts and hit from the blue tees. They all probably shot in the high 90’s so they weren’t great golfers, and that made my mistakes less noticeable. My usual style is to talk to the guys I play with, but these guys hardly talked to each other. So I just played my round, which was actually quite forgettable. As soon as I hit the ball these guys raced off in their carts to their balls, they never helped me look for any of my shots. Sometimes they didn’t even know where I was and parked their carts right in my way. These guys would hardly acknowledge when anyone hit a good shot. I found myself the only one who would say “good shot.” I even cracked myself up by saying it to myself when I hit a good shot. They smoked and cursed a lot and one guy got yelled at by the ranger for a new infraction. On the 16th hole, he didn’t even bother to leave his cart on the path and drove it right up to the tee box. This is a no-no in normal times, but after a big rain it is especially bad. After getting yelled at on 16th ranger came after him again on 17 where he was parked on the left side off the fairway and the ranger thought he should have been on the right side. This guy went ballistic and argued for a while with the ranger. After he left, this guy couldn’t stop ragging on what an idiot the ranger was and how he should go bother his wife instead of golfers. To make matters worse, it thundered and rained for about 15 minutes while we were playing. The only unusual thing about the round was that we finished in 4 hours and 40 minutes, with the rain delay. I guess having carts makes a big difference. It didn’t help my game, because I always felt like I was rushing to keep up, but it certainly led to faster play. I am looking forward to next week when Dan and Bernie will return. Bernie can also take back the reins of the blog.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Similarities
Today marked the return of one our original foursome to the fold. Barry returned to the Saxon Woods course after honing his game in the tropical island of St. Kitts. Barry brought along his friend Bob who usually plays at a country club in Rye. Bob brought along his hi-tech gizmo called the Sky Caddie which allowed him to tell us the exact distance we were from the green. This was an often illuminating experience, but didn’t seem to change anybody’s club selection. It was good for the intellect, but after the batteries went dead along the way, we went back to our old way of figuring distance. The approach is to look for the posts on the side of the fairway that are put in every 50 yards and estimate how much in-between the posts you are. We were joined by a walk-on by the name of Oliver who told us of his surprise when called the reservation system yesterday and this early time was available. Speaking of time, today was the day that our tee time moved from 6:52 A.M. to 7:12 A.M. This change evokes mixed feelings. On the one hand it is nice to sleep another 20 minutes, but it is also an indication that the mornings and evenings are getting darker and it is a signal that the summer (which seems like it just started,) is slipping away.
So – now to the similarities mentioned in the blog title. What do these folks have in common? Oliver and Ian from last week’s blog? Barry’s friend Bob and Ken Barish? Barry Gold and the professional Golfer John Daly? Oliver and Ian both are natives of the United Kingdom area who came to America for a bit of a visit and decided to stay. Oliver is not quite from the United Kingdom, because I don’t think that the folks from Ireland would want to be lumped in with those guys. But both Ian and Oliver work in the securities Industry, met their wives in America, got their green cards and decided to stay in this country. Oliver actually won a lottery in Ireland to get his original visa. Just in case any of us forget what we have going for us in this country, these guys are a reminder.
What do Bob and Ken Barish have in common? Well I guess I would have to say style of play. Both players have what I would call a methodical style of play. In an earlier blog, Bernie recalled Ken’s earlier tendencies to take an excessive number of practice swings that had been cut down to a reasonable number. Well Bob does something that I haven’t seen many players do, before almost every shot (including putting) he lays down his club at his feet and uses it to line himself up. After he is comfortable that his feet are lined properly, he picks up the club and takes some practice swings. He has a very very slow backswing, so after a couple of practice swings we are ready to go. Like Ken, nobody is complaining, Bob is fun guy to play with and things move along at their own pace.
That leaves the last similarity, Barry Gold and John Daly. They both Shot in the high 80’s in the last couple of days. For John Daly, Shooting an 89 on the second day of the British Open was probably not the high point of his career. In an otherwise difficult tournament, that score was the highest. But as Paul Simon wrote, “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.” An 88 for Barry, or any of the fab four is a round for the ages. It is one to savor and remember. It might make Barry re-think his bike trip next week, so he can repeat this performance on his home course. To put an 88 in perspective, par for this course is 71. If you shoot one over par on every hole, you would shoot an 89. To the non-golfers, this may not seem like much, but trust me, most times people are happy to break 100. Barry was hitting his drives straight down the fairway. They were kept low, so as not to be impacted by the wind, but they rolled forever. These shots were complimented by a number of beautiful approach shots that landed softly on the green. Well done Barry. Bernie would have loved to witness it, but he is resting up for his triumphant return on August 3rd.
I’m not sure if there will be a golf blog next week, because again the other members of the foursome will be doing other things, so I will be by myself. I might choose to go to the beach with my lovely wife. We will see what happens.
So – now to the similarities mentioned in the blog title. What do these folks have in common? Oliver and Ian from last week’s blog? Barry’s friend Bob and Ken Barish? Barry Gold and the professional Golfer John Daly? Oliver and Ian both are natives of the United Kingdom area who came to America for a bit of a visit and decided to stay. Oliver is not quite from the United Kingdom, because I don’t think that the folks from Ireland would want to be lumped in with those guys. But both Ian and Oliver work in the securities Industry, met their wives in America, got their green cards and decided to stay in this country. Oliver actually won a lottery in Ireland to get his original visa. Just in case any of us forget what we have going for us in this country, these guys are a reminder.
What do Bob and Ken Barish have in common? Well I guess I would have to say style of play. Both players have what I would call a methodical style of play. In an earlier blog, Bernie recalled Ken’s earlier tendencies to take an excessive number of practice swings that had been cut down to a reasonable number. Well Bob does something that I haven’t seen many players do, before almost every shot (including putting) he lays down his club at his feet and uses it to line himself up. After he is comfortable that his feet are lined properly, he picks up the club and takes some practice swings. He has a very very slow backswing, so after a couple of practice swings we are ready to go. Like Ken, nobody is complaining, Bob is fun guy to play with and things move along at their own pace.
That leaves the last similarity, Barry Gold and John Daly. They both Shot in the high 80’s in the last couple of days. For John Daly, Shooting an 89 on the second day of the British Open was probably not the high point of his career. In an otherwise difficult tournament, that score was the highest. But as Paul Simon wrote, “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.” An 88 for Barry, or any of the fab four is a round for the ages. It is one to savor and remember. It might make Barry re-think his bike trip next week, so he can repeat this performance on his home course. To put an 88 in perspective, par for this course is 71. If you shoot one over par on every hole, you would shoot an 89. To the non-golfers, this may not seem like much, but trust me, most times people are happy to break 100. Barry was hitting his drives straight down the fairway. They were kept low, so as not to be impacted by the wind, but they rolled forever. These shots were complimented by a number of beautiful approach shots that landed softly on the green. Well done Barry. Bernie would have loved to witness it, but he is resting up for his triumphant return on August 3rd.
I’m not sure if there will be a golf blog next week, because again the other members of the foursome will be doing other things, so I will be by myself. I might choose to go to the beach with my lovely wife. We will see what happens.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Hold Down the Fort
A strange experience indeed is to show up at the appointed time of 6:52 and see all the same characters, the Starter, the guy who takes the money, the people in front of us, but alas the fab four was not there. I was a solo act, the only one that was entitled to play at that hour, the only one who understood that you had to sleep out in the parking lot to get this coveted slot. I was joined by 3 walk-ons. They called the course and were surprised to hear that there was time available before 7 in the morning. We were random golfers thrown together for 18 holes on Sunday morning. My compadres all had valid reasons for not making it. Since the Blog is called “BK golf and more” let’s start with Bernard Kimberg. As Bernie indicated on his post from last week, he is taking a rather unorthodox approach to curing his slice. Thankfully all went well and we expect to see Bernie and his new clubs sooner rather than later. Barry was sampling a golf course in the Caribbean learning to use the trade winds to cure his slice once and for all. Dan is getting good use out of his summer house on the lake with friends from Washington staying over. So it was me and Ian and John and Phil that made up the foursome. The first point of order is to find out what color tees people like to hit from. The Blue tees are for the more advanced players, they are set back as far away from the holes as possible. Since you get the same number of strokes for par, these tees usually demand that you hit the ball pretty far. Then there are the white tees which are for average golfers. These are the tees that the fab four play from. So the votes were in, Ian and Phil would hit from the blues and John and I would hit from the whites. The opening hole has a lot of pressure attached to it, because everyone is watching. I was glad when Phil led off with a hard shank to the right landing about 40 yards away. I knew I couldn’t do worse than that so I was safe from embarrassing myself with my new “friends.” Now I will get to the “golf and more” part of the blog. Let’s start with Ian. Ian as the song from “Hair” says is from “Manchester England England across the Atlantic Sea.” He was a pretty big guy, but he didn’t look particularly athletic. It turns out that Ian can hit a golf ball further than anybody we have played with this year. To put it in perspective for those that know the course, on the 3rd hole he hit it on the left side of the fairway and it landed next to the hill. On the 8th hole he was about 40 yards short of the 150 yard marker and hit his 2nd shot into the bunker next to the green. Finally, on the 13th hole he had the misfortune to have the ball roll into the stream which is pretty far away. Ian works for Reuters and he and Equatorian wife have become so smitten with the U.S. that they have both gotten their green cards and their son born earlier this year is an American citizen. Ian did say that he would still be rooting for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup.
John had a solid golf game. He is a Clinical Psychologist who has spent his entire career working for one employer – Uncle Sam. He works at the VA hospital near Indian Point. He works on the chronic care ward with mostly Viet Nam veterans. On more than one occasion, when John missed a short putt, one of us would remark that it was good thing he was a psychologist, because otherwise he would need one.
Which leaves us with Phil. Phil works in the investor relations department of AllianceBernstein . Phil had no business playing from the Blue tees. During the course of the 18 holes, he took about 5 Mulligans and sprayed the ball all over the place hitting about 4 fairways. He could have used “Dr, Phil” because he was quite upset at the way he was playing and indicated that it was unusual for him. He wasn’t that bad, but I don’t think we will be asking him to join us in the future.
There you have it. 3 guys, none of whom could take the place of the regular members of the foursome. We finished in 4 hours and 40 minutes, hit up on the guys in front of us and didn’t get scolded by the Ranger. Weather was perfect, course was in great shape and I played the same game I have been playing every week. Hopefully next week I will be joined by a familiar face or two.
John had a solid golf game. He is a Clinical Psychologist who has spent his entire career working for one employer – Uncle Sam. He works at the VA hospital near Indian Point. He works on the chronic care ward with mostly Viet Nam veterans. On more than one occasion, when John missed a short putt, one of us would remark that it was good thing he was a psychologist, because otherwise he would need one.
Which leaves us with Phil. Phil works in the investor relations department of AllianceBernstein . Phil had no business playing from the Blue tees. During the course of the 18 holes, he took about 5 Mulligans and sprayed the ball all over the place hitting about 4 fairways. He could have used “Dr, Phil” because he was quite upset at the way he was playing and indicated that it was unusual for him. He wasn’t that bad, but I don’t think we will be asking him to join us in the future.
There you have it. 3 guys, none of whom could take the place of the regular members of the foursome. We finished in 4 hours and 40 minutes, hit up on the guys in front of us and didn’t get scolded by the Ranger. Weather was perfect, course was in great shape and I played the same game I have been playing every week. Hopefully next week I will be joined by a familiar face or two.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The Dr. is in
Barry and Dan were off this week and we were joined by the eminent Psychologist and soon to be published author ... Dr. Ken. Our fourth was another Barry -- very nice guy - shot an 86 ... but didn't have a bagel to share on the 10th hole.
and let's talk GOLF ... On Saturday - Barry (the original) and I went to the Golf store in Stamford, Conn. to 'redeem' my birthday gift certificates -- generously given to me by my buddies and Judi. In less than an hour - I was fitted with new clubs (hybrid irons, a driver & 7 wood). This was nothing short of a miracle -- ask any of us who have gone with Barry shoe shopping .... this truly was like playing a round in under 4 hours. Although I have some doubts about the veracity of the computer that measured my swing and distance --- if I played the course like I hit in the store - I may think twice about my day job .... it was a most successful experience. And since our readership will be dramatically increased thanks to the APA (American Psychological Association) interest in how Dr. Ken played ... let it be said that counter to my 'Bronx/depression mentality', I was able to buy the clubs that I wanted. Since I will be on a medical leave (more on that later) for a number of weeks ... I'm saying 3 ... I paid a bit extra to take the clubs with me so I could play with them on Sunday.
Biggest concern was whether the weather (Jill - note the proper spelling and grammar) would allow us to play. The Golf G-d cooperated and we played under cloudy conditions. So much for the Ambien I took -- still couldn't sleep -- attribute that to my realization that by staying awake, I was able to will away the rain.
I will keep you in suspense no longer --- the first tee -- my first shot with my new clubs -- a 7 wood ... went over the trees and landed on the fairway. That essentially was the story of the day. The CLUBS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. So thank you to all who made this happen.
Truth be told - inviting Dr. Ken to join was not a 'no-brainer.' It's not that Dr. K isn't a great guy - he is - and a friend for 24 + years (our daughters and wives met at a mommy and me program at the Mid-Westchester Y -- free plug there) and it's not that Dr. K isn't a good player -- he's a very good player -- it's just that he is - to put it politely - very slow. Playing with him last year was like watching "paint dry.' Coupled with the fact that the foursome behind us are always waiting -- hands on their hips -- occasionally hitting up on us - to the point that I'm considering wearing a batting helmet -- Dr Ken's deliberate style of play was a source of concern. If memory serves me -- Dr. K would take between 9-11 warm up swings -- step back, behind his ball, and start the routine over again. The only advantage to playing with him last year - was that I took cat naps between his preparation and his shot.
During the pre-invitation screening, I was assured by Dr. K that he had been admonished by his son -- and he was a much quicker player. So after consultation with Rich -- our foursome's 'super ego' (Dr. K is an analyst by training and that reference is for him and the other 'Freudians') who makes sure that we are following all the rules and doing our best not to be admonished by the golf police, we extended the invitation.
Daniel B. -- we and golfers throughout Westchester and wherever else your dad plays -- owe you a debt of gratitude. I'd call Dr. K. deliberate -- but certainly within 'norm' of golfers on the continuum. It took us approximately 15 minutes longer to play -- but we didn't get scolded' by the Ranger and it was a pleasure to be joined by our favorite shrink.
About my Medical Leave --- not to worry -- Rich has demonstrated that he is an outstanding blogmeister and I'm looking forward to his postings. I'm having a non-functional kidney removed - which I'm counting on helping me with my slice -- since it's the left kidney and I slice to the right. The support I've received from family, friends from home and work, and now you my loyal readership will inspire me to get back to the course in short order.
today's lesson - having the proper tools is essential in golf - and probably in life.
and let's talk GOLF ... On Saturday - Barry (the original) and I went to the Golf store in Stamford, Conn. to 'redeem' my birthday gift certificates -- generously given to me by my buddies and Judi. In less than an hour - I was fitted with new clubs (hybrid irons, a driver & 7 wood). This was nothing short of a miracle -- ask any of us who have gone with Barry shoe shopping .... this truly was like playing a round in under 4 hours. Although I have some doubts about the veracity of the computer that measured my swing and distance --- if I played the course like I hit in the store - I may think twice about my day job .... it was a most successful experience. And since our readership will be dramatically increased thanks to the APA (American Psychological Association) interest in how Dr. Ken played ... let it be said that counter to my 'Bronx/depression mentality', I was able to buy the clubs that I wanted. Since I will be on a medical leave (more on that later) for a number of weeks ... I'm saying 3 ... I paid a bit extra to take the clubs with me so I could play with them on Sunday.
Biggest concern was whether the weather (Jill - note the proper spelling and grammar) would allow us to play. The Golf G-d cooperated and we played under cloudy conditions. So much for the Ambien I took -- still couldn't sleep -- attribute that to my realization that by staying awake, I was able to will away the rain.
I will keep you in suspense no longer --- the first tee -- my first shot with my new clubs -- a 7 wood ... went over the trees and landed on the fairway. That essentially was the story of the day. The CLUBS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. So thank you to all who made this happen.
Truth be told - inviting Dr. Ken to join was not a 'no-brainer.' It's not that Dr. K isn't a great guy - he is - and a friend for 24 + years (our daughters and wives met at a mommy and me program at the Mid-Westchester Y -- free plug there) and it's not that Dr. K isn't a good player -- he's a very good player -- it's just that he is - to put it politely - very slow. Playing with him last year was like watching "paint dry.' Coupled with the fact that the foursome behind us are always waiting -- hands on their hips -- occasionally hitting up on us - to the point that I'm considering wearing a batting helmet -- Dr Ken's deliberate style of play was a source of concern. If memory serves me -- Dr. K would take between 9-11 warm up swings -- step back, behind his ball, and start the routine over again. The only advantage to playing with him last year - was that I took cat naps between his preparation and his shot.
During the pre-invitation screening, I was assured by Dr. K that he had been admonished by his son -- and he was a much quicker player. So after consultation with Rich -- our foursome's 'super ego' (Dr. K is an analyst by training and that reference is for him and the other 'Freudians') who makes sure that we are following all the rules and doing our best not to be admonished by the golf police, we extended the invitation.
Daniel B. -- we and golfers throughout Westchester and wherever else your dad plays -- owe you a debt of gratitude. I'd call Dr. K. deliberate -- but certainly within 'norm' of golfers on the continuum. It took us approximately 15 minutes longer to play -- but we didn't get scolded' by the Ranger and it was a pleasure to be joined by our favorite shrink.
About my Medical Leave --- not to worry -- Rich has demonstrated that he is an outstanding blogmeister and I'm looking forward to his postings. I'm having a non-functional kidney removed - which I'm counting on helping me with my slice -- since it's the left kidney and I slice to the right. The support I've received from family, friends from home and work, and now you my loyal readership will inspire me to get back to the course in short order.
today's lesson - having the proper tools is essential in golf - and probably in life.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Reunion
Simon and Garfunkle (not Garfinkle - Mr. Mayor ... who is a avid reader of this blog), the Brady Family, but not the Beatles were able to stage reunions that brought us back to better times. We also had a reunion of sorts -- the four of us golfing together after a very long stretch where at least one and sometimes two of us were not present.
Being together brought a tear to my eye -- or at least that was the reason I gave when I hit my tee shot on the first hole into the grove. It felt good -- you know how it is when you haven't seen an old friend for a long time -- and yet there is that special relationship that allows you to pick up as though it was just yesterday.
Golf itself was 'uneventful' - unless you count me playing in every sand trap on the course newsworthy. There was a lesson on counting strokes that was given by two of the foursome to a third member (you can speculate about whose who -- but I won't divulge). And there was the question that continues to stump me -- since Dan lost his Blackberry (or to be more accurate - learned it's never a good idea to drop it in the Lake) - why was he still wearing the empty case on his belt? Then there was the time that Dan escaped serious injury because he was only grazed by a golf shot of Richie's .... it is a dangerous sport.
Perhaps the most poignant remark -- one that captures our feelings for one another -- was made by Barry ... after Dan declined his offer of a bite of his Cinnamon bread on the 10th tee. Dan - not only a central character of the blog - but obviously a reader of it -- responded to Barry's sincere offer by saying, and I'm paraphrasing now, that he was not like the 4th golfer they picked up at the beginning of the season - who although a stranger - did take a bite of Barry's bagel when offered .... for those new readers - go back in the archives to an early blog --- Barry's response was "Dan -- you're family -- nothing like the other guy." It loses something in the translation - but trust me when I say it was a special moment -- one that guys don't often share with one another. (I'm hoping this 'love' will be enough to have Dan sign up for next year.)
and our golf game ended - with us not knowing when the original Fab Four would see each other again - Next week (July 4th ) Barry will be golfing at St. Kipps, Dan will be up on Golden Pond, and only Rich and I will be playing.
Wishing the loyal readership of this blog - a Happy 4th (except those of you from England) - and a lesson learned -- when in the sand trap - a hand wedge is often the club of choice.
Barry want it noted that he did not pee once on the course.
Being together brought a tear to my eye -- or at least that was the reason I gave when I hit my tee shot on the first hole into the grove. It felt good -- you know how it is when you haven't seen an old friend for a long time -- and yet there is that special relationship that allows you to pick up as though it was just yesterday.
Golf itself was 'uneventful' - unless you count me playing in every sand trap on the course newsworthy. There was a lesson on counting strokes that was given by two of the foursome to a third member (you can speculate about whose who -- but I won't divulge). And there was the question that continues to stump me -- since Dan lost his Blackberry (or to be more accurate - learned it's never a good idea to drop it in the Lake) - why was he still wearing the empty case on his belt? Then there was the time that Dan escaped serious injury because he was only grazed by a golf shot of Richie's .... it is a dangerous sport.
Perhaps the most poignant remark -- one that captures our feelings for one another -- was made by Barry ... after Dan declined his offer of a bite of his Cinnamon bread on the 10th tee. Dan - not only a central character of the blog - but obviously a reader of it -- responded to Barry's sincere offer by saying, and I'm paraphrasing now, that he was not like the 4th golfer they picked up at the beginning of the season - who although a stranger - did take a bite of Barry's bagel when offered .... for those new readers - go back in the archives to an early blog --- Barry's response was "Dan -- you're family -- nothing like the other guy." It loses something in the translation - but trust me when I say it was a special moment -- one that guys don't often share with one another. (I'm hoping this 'love' will be enough to have Dan sign up for next year.)
and our golf game ended - with us not knowing when the original Fab Four would see each other again - Next week (July 4th ) Barry will be golfing at St. Kipps, Dan will be up on Golden Pond, and only Rich and I will be playing.
Wishing the loyal readership of this blog - a Happy 4th (except those of you from England) - and a lesson learned -- when in the sand trap - a hand wedge is often the club of choice.
Barry want it noted that he did not pee once on the course.
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