36 Holes At Western Skies Golf Club And A New Personal Record

I was browsing GolfNow.com this past Saturday and I came upon a course I had never noticed before. The reason why it stood out was because they were having a killer promotion. $10 for 18 holes of golf plus the cart. The picture gallery for Western Skies Golf Club looked pretty good so I wanted to check it out.

It just so happened that a Facebook friend, we'll call him J.B. for now, wanted to play there the next day, but I was scheduled for work so I had to decline. I asked him to tell me how the course was as I was thinking about playing there the following day. J.B. got back to me that night and said the course was in good condition and on top of that he had a great round, shooting a 78. That was all I needed to hear. I called The Doctor and we booked the 10AM tee time.

It was a warm day. Unusually humid by Arizona standards, but I'll play in just about any weather so I was good to go. I can see why there motto is, "where locals bring their friends". Despite being a mostly residential golf course, the houses do not take away from the overall experience.

As J.B. said, the course was in good shape and it is very playable for all skill levels. They aren't too many surprises on this course. It is pretty much straight forward, without any blind shots like some of the courses that are nestled into the mountains.

I wouldn't say it is an easy course, but if you hit a bad shot, you will still be able to find it and have a chance at making par. I didn't lose a single ball the entire round, which means I didn't have any penalties which add to my score and my frustration.

I ended up shooting an 80. Missed the 70's by one shot. I blew four or five shortish putts which would have had me there, but I was proud of the fact that at least I gave myself a chance to score well.

By this time it was about 112 degrees, but there is something that was enticing us to stay at the course. REPLAY RATES!!! During this time of year, golf clubs just want bodies on the course. Many of them offer reduced rates for a second round. In this case, the replay rate was actually more than our first go around. For $12, we could try to better our first efforts. No brainer. $22 for two rounds of golf. Can't beat it.

After the first hole, I didn't think I would be able to make it, but I sucked it up and was glad that I did. I ended up shooting a 78, which to date is my best round ever. I struck the ball well. I only had one double bogey in 36 holes and only two 3-putts, none of which came during the second round.

The highlight of the day came at the end of the second round. When I got to the 17th, I didn't have any birdies up to that point. As I was teeing off, I told The Doctor, "I need a birdie today." Unfortunately I wasted a good tee shot and ended up with a bogey on 17.

I hit my tee shot on the 18th left of the fairway. My second shot ended up on the fringe left of the hole about twenty feet away. I decided to go with a 7-iron for my chip shot. It was a downhill shot and I just wanted to get the ball started on the right line. Trying a chip shot with a lofted wedge would have been dicey and if I used my putter, the ball might have got caught up in the fringe.

I picked my line, took my practice strokes as if it were a putt, and then trickle, trickle, trickle, it hit the pin and fell into the cup. Chip-in birdie to end the day(all I could think was, Mike would be proud). I was glad we decided to play that second round. Definitely a great way to end the day. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Players	Handicap	Gross Score	Net Score
Dexter Francois	12.4	80	67.6

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	5	3	5	3	4	4	3	4	4	35
Gross score	6	3	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	38
Over/Under	+1	+1	+1	+2	+2	+2	+3	+3	+3	+3
Fairways Hit										4/6
Greens (GIR)										4/9
Putts	3	2	1	2	1	2	2	1	2	16
Chips										0
Sands										0
Penalties										0
Net Score	5	3	4	3	4	4	3	3	3	32
Handicap	5	15	7	3	13	17	9	1	11
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	4	3	5	4	4	5	4	4	37	72
Gross score	5	5	3	5	5	5	6	4	4	42	80
Over/Under	+4	+5	+5	+5	+6	+7	+8	+8	+8	+8	+8
Fairways Hit										2/8	6/14
Greens (GIR)										4/9	8/18
Putts	1	2	1	2	2	3	1	2	2	16	32
Chips										0	0
Sands										0	0
Penalties										0	0
Net Score	4	4	2	4	5	5	5	3	4	36	68
Handicap	10	6	2	8	14	18	12	4	16

Players Handicap Gross Score Net Score Dexter Francois 12.4 78 65.6 Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out Par 5 3 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 35   Gross score 6 3 5 3 4 4 3 5 6 39   Over/Under +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +2 +4 +4   Fairways Hit       4/6   Greens (GIR) 4/9   Putts 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 15   Chips 0   Sands 0   Penalties 0   Net Score 5 3 4 2 4 4 2 4 5 33   Handicap 5 15 7 3 13 17 9 1 11     Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total Par 4 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 4 37 72 Gross score 4 4 4 5 4 5 5 5 3 39 78 Over/Under +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +6 +6 +6 Fairways Hit   7/8 11/14 Greens (GIR) 4/9 8/18 Putts 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 0 15 30 Chips 0 0 Sands 0 0 Penalties 0 0 Net Score 3 3 3 4 4 5 4 4 3 33 66 Handicap 10 6 2 8 14 18 12 4 16

Age Ain't Nothing But A Number - Tom Watson's Hole In One

Tom Watson is at it again. This time it's the 2011 edition of the Open Championship at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, Kent, England . The 61 year old Hall Of Famer proves that he can still hang with the young guys. In Arizona, coverage of the Open started at 1:00AM this morning. I tried to stay up but quickly fell asleep with the television on.

Something must have startled one of my Danes, because he started barking which awoke me from my slumber. Lucky for me, this was at the exact moment Watson was teeing up his shot on the 6th hole. People say that dogs have a sixth sense. My pup must have known that this was a moment in history I should not miss.

It doesn't look like Watson is going to make another run like he did a few years ago before being outlasted by Stewart Cink, but he continues to give golf fans memories to talk about for years to come. Then again, he is only six shots behind the leaders. I'm not going to count him out just yet. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Steve Stricker's Amazing Shot From A Fairway Bunker To Win The John Deere Classic

Steve Stricker pulled off one of the greatest shots I have ever seen this past weekend to win the John Deere Classic. The usually mild mannered Stricker showed some real emotion and we were treated with the "Stricker Fist Pump" after he holed his winning putt. This was one of the most exciting moments in a non-major event that we have seen so far in 2011. If you missed it, here it is.

Everything was difficult about this shot. The stance. One foot in the bunker. One foot out. The lie. Way below his feet. The shot length. 182 yards out of a fairway bunker(some say one of the hardest shots in golf). The situation. In need of a birdie for the win.

I didn't think Stricker had a chance. At best I thought he and Kyle Stanley would be going to a playoff. Unfortunately for Stanley, who missed his par putt, Stricker had nothing but 3-peat on his mind.

Everyone was impressed that he made the 25 foot putt to clinch the victory, but as I was watching it, I was much more impressed with the shot that gave him the chance at birdie. A seasoned veteran who has won "come back player of the year" twice, he took his time, analyzed the situation, and nailed it.

Like most amateurs, I fear being in a fairway bunker. Let me rephrase that. I don't fear it, but I do get a queasy feeling in my belly when I find my ball in a sand trap that is not close to the green.  And it is sure that I would have never been able to pull of that shot. Even under the most relaxed of conditions. Knowing how to execute this shot, however, can help to shave a few strokes during a round.

I would have loved to have found a video of Stricker demonstrating how to hit this shot, but there wasn't any that I could find. Instead I found a video from Phil Milckelson's DVD. Not a bad substitute considering he is a four time major winner.

I know most of us are right handed but just think of Phil as your mirror image. For the lefties, this is one of the rare occasions when you can get instruction from a fellow south paw.

Listen to what Phil has to say and remember Stricker's shot the next time you are faced with a similar situation. More importantly, don't put so much pressure on yourself. This will surely cause you and me, as I am talking to myself as well right now, no chance at hitting a good shot. Have a great round and always hit your target. 

Photo found here.

Massive Dust Storm Puts A Damper On My Golfing Plans

So I was planning on playing either tomorrow or the following day, but it looks like I'll have to put it off for a few more days than expected. If you haven't seen the pictures, Phoenix got hit with a massive dust storm yesterday which left most of the valley under a blanket of fine dirt.

When I first heard about monsoon season, I laughed. Living in Miami for so many years, I am used to storms. Real storms. Hurricanes. During this time of year, we know that it is going to rain around 3:00PM everyday for about an hour. These downpours can leave the streets flooded in some areas, so when my friends told me that people get all worked up about tenth of an inch of rain, I was like whatever. Bring it on.

Be careful what you wish for...When it was all over, the pool that you saw my Great Dane swimming in was full of dirt, and leaves, and bugs, and lawn chairs, and lots of other stuff. I couldn't see to the bottom it was so dirty. The back patio had a layer of dust a half an inch deep. It looked like something out of one of those apocalyptic movies. My wife and others said it was the worse they had ever seen.

I cleaned up the backyard but it is going to take some effort to get the pool back to its once pristine condition. Which brings me back to golf. The air quality is going to horrible for the next few days so meteorologists are warning people about the dangers of being outside for long periods of time. Looks like I'll be doing my drills inside for the next few days. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

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The Kodak Playsport Zx3 Really Works Underwater

This is kind of a follow up post to a review I did after I purchased the Kodak Playsport Zx3 camera. I have been really impressed with the quality with which it takes pictures and videos. All of the recent pictures and videos that I have used in my posts were taken with this camera.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and I spent it barbecuing and romping around in the pool with my Great Danes. Athos, the younger of the two, is a bit more adventurous than our older boy Tank. Tank likes the water, but it has to be a lake or the ocean. A body of water he can wade into. Athos on the other hand, shows no fear. I figured it would be the perfect occasion to try out the camera under water.

The Playsport lives up to its billing. The transition from air to water and back is awesome. The picture is very clear and is good to depths of up to ten feet. As you can see from the video below, Athos' spots are as clear as day.

Since purchasing my Playsport Zx3, Kodak has come out with the Zx5. It is basically the same thing but they have added an editing feature so that you can touch up your videos before sharing them. And speaking of sharing, they have also added a "share" button to the device. Now you can upload your videos and pictures right to your favorite social media sites. With the Zx3, I have to upload my pictures to iPhoto, then load it to my computer, then I can upload them to Facebook. Now it looks like one touch, and you can share them with the world.

I mainly use my Playsport to take pictures of the golf courses I play. I also use it so that Mike can look at my swing so that he can give me tips on how to improve my swing. Now I am looking forward to visiting the Caribbean somewhere and snorkeling a few coral reefs. I know that the sights will be breathtaking.

Hope you had a great holiday. It's summer time. Get out and be active. Take a lot of pictures and shoot a bunch of videos. This is how you are able to create the memories that you can look back on for years to come. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Ride In Style On The 4th Of July

If I were playing today, this would be the perfect form of transportation for the 4th July.  This is how you celebrate the holiday on the course in style. Just wanted to wish everybody a fun 4th. Be safe and eat lots of hot dogs and hamburgers. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Good Golfers Know How To Concentrate And Maintain Composure - Byron Nelson Quotes

~Every great player has learned the two Cs: how to concentrate and how to maintain composure~ Byron Nelson

~One way to break up any kind of tension is good deep breathing~ Byron Nelson

~Winners are different. They're a different breed of cat~ Byron Nelson

~Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it~ Byron Nelson

~The first step in building a solid, dependable attitude is to be realistic, not only about your inherent capabilities, but also about how well you are playing to those capabilities on any given day~ Byron Nelson

~Putting affects the nerves more than anything. I would actually get nauseated over three-footers~ Byron Nelson

~One of the things I'm most proud of looking back in my little black book is that my career had a lot of consistency~ Byron Nelson

~It shows you how important one stroke really is in golf, ... One shot doesn't sound like much, but I won eight times in 1944, improved one-third of a shot in '45 and won 18 times~ Byron Nelson

Picture found here.