I was in the yard the other day, praciticing Move 1 with a folding mirror. It would, I often muse, be easy to dismiss the takeaway as a mystery of the universe. But, determination is wonderfully oblivious. In a full sweat I was doing takeaways in slow motion, over and over and over. Out of [...]
Numerous times today the broadcasters at the US Open will discuss golf and Father’s Day. In the collective national memory, we are supposed to have many fond memories of schlepping around the course with Dear Old Dad. Of course, that’s not the case for all of us. I only have one.
Pop has been gone for [...]
I came home from night work late one day last week. Daylight had broken. It was cold. Bitter. A North wind was blowing down straight from the Arctic. The bare trees moaned under the assault. It was early March and winter was still in control. Our little creek was still frozen as it had been [...]
It’s been three weeks since the jolt came about my golf club closing. Enough time for some of the film to develop. Enough time for some prospecting for a new course. Enough time to get really, really mad and then cool down. And, enough time to realize I had witnessed a Greek tragedy up close [...]
I received an e-mail on Monday from the Head Pro at our home course. The title was one word, “Closing.” With all the suddenness of an accident our course had closed, effective immediately. No warning. Gone.
The principal owner died. The partners said, “Close it.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow. This was a course that fit. [...]
Growing up I spent most of my late summers cutting tobacco in the fiels of Southern Maryland. It’s an industry consigned to History now. But, it was a big industry at the time. “Housing” tobacco was as much a cultural touchstone as it was an economic pursuit. And, oh Brother, was it ever hard work. [...]
“Tight Shoes is a Mutha’ (Lover), Jack. Ain’t nothin’ worse than tight shoes. You wouldn’t never have to torture me. Put me in tight shoes, and in twenty minutes I’d confess to anything.” Richard Pryor
I enaged in an annual golf ritual over the weekend that I hate above all others: Buying a new pair of golf [...]
That was the question my playing partner and I were asking last Saturday. It was a marginal golf day here in Maryland: 42 or 43 degrees with a Northwest wind of about 6 to 10 knots…enough to remind you that you were living. There couldn’t have been more than 20 people on the course.
The two [...]
Today was one of those unique opportunities. It’s a week of vacation. (Don’t you just love “Use or Lose?”) And, it was a bit of a “Throw-away” day. There were no hard-and-fast plans. Tommorrow we’re going to a very nice tract. It’s a super golf course. So today was a home day. Just an opportunity to [...]
(With apologies to Eugene O’Neill)
There are messages that arrive from time to time that demand attention. Today came one of them:
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
317 PM EDT THU OCT 12 2006
…FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM EDT FRIDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
FREEZE [...]
…Well, there are some options here:
-The Putt. We all know you drive for show, but putt for dough. Dave Pelz says that the 50-50 line for a putt is somewhere around six feet out. And even a three-footer isn’t automatic. So, if a putt is longer than three feet, success looks like leaving it inside [...]
My very eclectic team played in an annual charity “Best Ball” tournament last Friday. This is a highlight of the golf year as it’s always a lot of fun. Last year we came in third place out of 36 teams. This year, we were going to win.
Tropical Storm Ernesto had been through the area a [...]
