The Journey To The USGA Mid-Amateur–Episode 1

This wasn’t actually supposed to go live until October 1st, but I just couldn’t wait to share my plans for 2019 with you and start this incredible journey off. Anyways, there’s a ton of changes coming to the blog which I will highlight over the next few weeks, but as you can see, video may be a big part of them. For now, enjoy the updates!

Why Wiffleballs Are The Perfect Practice Tool For Wedges In Winter

We’ve all seen them in the stores, and honestly, I see more people laugh about them than actually use them. Still, those little plastic wiffleballs that come in neon orange, bright yellow or plain old white, have way more to offer than you might think. First, I’m not condoning the fact that you should go grab a couple dozen of them and fire them off at your neighbor’s place with a driver, but I am saying that there are some solid off season drills that you can do with these little guys that will really help you sharpen your skills for next year. Let’s break down the amazing sub $10 balls and how you can use them to make yourself a better player almost immediately.

Playing The Bump And Run (indoors)

Some may have a living room the size of Cleveland, but if you’re on a budget, chances are you may have a bit of carpet to chip off of and that’s about it. Even if you only have a floormat, working on your bump and run technique is something that you, a seven iron and a few plastic balls can do very easily all winter long. Just set up the ball on the carpet square take your stance and work on contacting the ball just before the carpet. This should produce a nice soft shot that never leaves the ground by more than a few inches and taps against the wall at the far end of the room. Working on this contact will help your short game consistency enormously and lower you putts by being closer to the hole when bumping the ball onto the green.

Pitching Practice (indoors or outdoors)

The key to playing a good pitch shot is keeping consistent contact with the ball and not hitting in front of or behind the ball. If your contact point is in front of the ball, you will find yourself thinning shots and skulling the ball over the green. If your contact point falls behind the ball, you’ll chunk the shot and leave it far short of your target. While the plastic practice balls aren’t great for getting a feel of flight and distance, they are remarkably good at learning your contact point. That’s the part of your swing that happens just slightly before you hit the ground on your normal swing. The best part about pitching practice is that you can use any wedge you want in virtually any room with these balls and not risk damaging much. Just remember to watch the wall behind you on your back swing.

Catch The Ball (outdoors or a really big room)

So this is actually one that my kiddo loves to play with me. The setup is very easy and the game is even easier. She stands about 15 feet away from me and tries to catch the pitch shots that I hit to her. Now, there are varying levels of difficulty to this game, so if you start mastering level one, try moving onward to a harder version. Level one, as we call it, starts off with her being able to move as far as she needs to to catch the ball. My pitching is still tested as I have to get the ball high enough for her to catch every time, but accuracy isn’t very important. Level two, we change to “no travelling” or two steps maximum. I have to hit every shot as close to her as possible as she only gets two steps from when I hit the ball to grab it. Finally, level three, or the don’t move level. At this point, I have to be deadly accurate with my pitching as she is not allowed to move to get to the ball at all. This one is the best for dialing in consistency of swings and making solid contact every time. If you want to add some fun to it, count out ten balls and score them in multiple sessions. The more catches the better your score. Now, if you don’t have a catcher around, grab a 5 gallon bucket to use. It goes straight to level 3, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Hop The Fence (indoors or outdoors)

If you have a fence, or a door, or anything that you can set up as a “barrier” (even a shower curtain,) you can play this practice game with practice balls. The point of the game is rather simple, but mastering it can be very difficult. The trick is to get as close as you can to the barrier you have, but still have a shot to get the ball over it. The lesson learned in this game is one of the most useful trouble shots you can possess on the course, the flop shot. With just a wedge and a few practice balls, you can entertain yourself for hours trying to beat your personal best. For even more fun, measure you best shot every session and track to see if you are getting better and better.

Jump The Pencil (indoors)

When you’re trapped inside and want to work on something a bit different, try this one out. You’ll need a putter and a few of the plastic practice balls – Whiffle style or solid – and a pencil or similar sized item to ‘bump’ over. What you will do is place the pencil on the ground (preferably on a carpeted surface) and place a practice ball directly behind it – usually within a half an inch or so. This drill will keep your putts rolling true by encouraging you to strike slightly (and I do mean slightly) upward on your putts instead of punching downward at them. By popping the ball over the pencil, you will see more true rolls during the warmer months of the year. Careful not to “drive” the ball though, it only takes a very short, controlled swing to master this drill. Remember, plastic balls work better than real ones or foam ones as this is a contact/loft drill, not a power control drill.

SKLZ 12 Pack Practice Balls ($9.99) - https://amzn.to/2DiCY4t

Paragon Golf Accessories Practice Ball Combo 36 Pieces ($12.95) - https://amzn.to/2NrpyYh

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Golf Fitness–The Journey To 100–The Reboot–Week 8

So, a bit of honesty here… Below is the original paragraph and post that I had written based on my weekly progress for week #8 of the reboot. It didn’t start out being a great week and honestly, I thought it was going to be one of those times where maybe, just maybe, I squeaked in with a 1 pound loss. The scale was locked in the 285.x’s this week and I was all prepared with my “Non-Scale Victories” this week. What I didn’t expect was what I ended up with. I began the week at 286.8, just like it says below, but this morning at weigh-in, I came in at an amazing 284.0. I’m really hoping this wasn’t one of those “fake weights” like I have gotten on two days during this 50+ days in, but we will see tomorrow. That brings the loss for this week in at 2.8 pounds and takes me to 34.6 pounds total since The Reboot started. As good as that is, I had set myself up for a very disappointing week, but here is what the progress looks like so far.

I began the week just passing the 30% mark on the way to my 100 pound goal. I wrote quite a bit about what many refer to as “Non-Scale Victories” and the timing couldn’t have been better. This has been one rough week over all. I came in at 286.8 after a pretty good loss last week, but this week started off just wonky as all get out. The scale was all over the place depending on the time of day and what I was doing. Finally, after everything settled, my weigh-in weight was ____, or a loss of just ____ pounds for the week. Now, that right there is something that I need to change my mindset on. There is no such thing as a “minimal loss” in this journey. I need to start thinking of everything as a step in the correct direction, not in the, “it wasn’t as good as last week,” style format that I normally do about this point in time. Instead of worrying about what others have lost, or what I didn’t lose, let’s look at a few key numbers that are really amazing.

33 POUNDS

Head over to your local grocery store. Walk into the produce section and grab 3 ten pound bags of potatoes and carry them around for 5 minutes. That is the amount of weight I have dropped in just 2 short months of dieting. It’s not a life changing amount yet and I still have a ways to go, but three big bags of potatoes are gone from my body. That’s a pretty amazing start.

8 PANT SIZES

As I mentioned in last week’s post, I was wearing a size 46 pant when all this started a few months back. I am now comfortable in the new size 38 pants that I just purchased. I also had to replace my underwear as it became a bit too loose in too many places. Again, not a huge thing, but WOW, it’s nice to be out of the “big” section at stores.

2 SHIRT SIZES

Moving from a 4XL or a 3XLT to a 2XL is pretty amazing. I’m not 100% of the way there yet, but my old 3XL shirts are starting to fit again and the 2XLT’s they have in the store are a solid yet as well. Even some of the 2XL’s that I held on to from the past are starting to fit a bit better and are even wearable.

These types of things are what this is all about. Feeling better, feeling stronger, feeling like doing more every day. As the month of September comes to a close and the end of month number two on this reboot ends with it, I have nothing but the best thoughts of going into the holidays and enjoying as much golf as I can with my Winter Pass this season. I’ll be making that effort to hit the course to walk 9 holes much more often this winter and I have ever intention of spending as much of my Christmas week break at the course as well. Hopefully this will keep my eye on the prize and keep me moving towards my goal of losing 100 pounds before next season.

So, that was the original post, once again, where I was all set up for a bad week. I was originally going to redraft this whole thing, but honestly, I think it’s just as important to share what I thought was going to be justification of bad news as I did sharing the great news. Lifestyle changes aren’t just about simple results, they are all about the progress of accomplishing something bigger. It sounds stupid to admit this out loud, by at my range session yesterday, I sat down on the back of the van to get my shoes on, just like I had done over and over again over the past few years and I was able to bend down to the ground to tie my shoes instead of lifting my leg up to meet my body half way. People take things like that for granted, but for me, it was such a strange feeling of accomplishment. For the record, my practice session was simply amazing yesterday with even my long irons flying beautifully with a perfect draw…

Yesterday was a good day. As I approach 35 pounds now, I see the half way point in sight. With any luck, I’ll be celebrating my 50 pounds lost on Halloween!

The Tiger Woods Effect…

It wasn’t very long ago that golf had a hero. In fact, he was more than a hero, he was a gladiator, a beast-slayer, a knight in shining armor. He was Tiger. For 10 years, this man dismantled golf courses around the world in record breaking fashion. He won one out of ever four starts that he made. He made charges from the back of the pack late on Saturday’s and held on to almost every lead he had on Sunday afternoon. He didn’t lose. Then, on a fateful day November 2009, golf’s hero fell. Though the man returned for some good seasons, however brief they were, the hero was not there, not any more. People weren’t afraid of t his new Tiger, not like they were of the old one, but all of that is about to change. Almost 10 years removed from his prime, and 4 back surgeries, plus a few knee procedures, Tiger produced a year full of “what if’s” and “could have been’s.” He was a bubble qualifier for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but sometimes a hero only comes out when the challenge is at its greatest. At East Lake, this weekend, the challenge was there, and the hero did more than appear.

To show the true dominance of Tiger, one only has to look at the official PGA Tour money list from 1997 to 2009. He never finished outside the top 5 earners on tour. In fact, during his full seasons on tour, he only finished outside the top 10 three times when starting more than 10 tournaments. He compiled 79 wins, 14 of which were majors. Golf flourished under his destruction of courses. Brands were built around his drives and swagger. He was golf. He was a hero. After two full years off from golf and 5 years removed from his last victory, Tiger had is opportunities this season, but couldn’t close like Tiger used to. He flittered away shots on courses that he didn’t need to and he just didn’t have the attack that he did even 5 years ago. Again, sometimes that challenge is what is needed to bring out the best in the best, and that was this weekend.

After barely scraping in to the Tour Championship, Tiger Woods did not have a great start to his week at East Lake Golf Club. He started off with a bogey 5 on the first hole, and proceeded to carry that 1 over score to the 5th. After a birdie on five, he never saw a plus in front of his score again for the rest of the tournament. A bird on the par 5 sixth took him to one under and he followed that with birdies on 12 and 14. He continued to grind away at the course, in a vintage style – fairways and greens – until the par 5, eighteenth, where he broke out the eagle dance. He finished the day at 5 under par. He continued building momentum on Friday with an even front side and a 2 under back side, and that was even with a double bogey 6 on sixteen. Seven under after two days had him right in the thick of things before the weekend began, and then, Tiger roared.

Woods virtually destroyed the front nine at East Lake on Saturday. He recorded 6 birdies in his first 7 holes before finally surrendering a shot on the ninth. His 5 under par front side had the 29 best golfers on tour looking back over their shoulders. He played the back side at even par, putting him in the final group on Sunday with Rory McIlroy. It was a match the world couldn’t wait to see play out, but in the end, it was a one man show. Watching the first drive of the day, everyone knew that something was different about this Tiger than what we’ve seen in the recent past. He was hitting the ball solid and finding fairways. He played exactly how he needed to on the front side – fairways and greens – and didn’t have a single slip until the tenth. Even then, by the point he had shown that he wasn’t in complete control of the course, just about every opponent that he faced had fallen away. As the holes ticked by, even with 2 straight bogeys – though 15 could have been far worse! – it was Tiger’s tournament to do with as he pleased. As he hit is approach to the eighteenth green, it wasn’t the dramatic pin shot that we all hoped for, but a green side bunker. From there, he didn’t make the 15 foot putt, but he did make a par.

It was a stunning moment. It was almost a “Tiger-esque” win. The score didn’t reflect it quite as much as it should have, but for the thousands that watched it happen live and the millions more that saw that moment on TV or online, it really solidified that Mr. Woods, now just a handful of years away from Champions Tour eligibility, is ready to dismantle the golf universe once again. No one can put a price on what Woods brings to the game, but for starters, courses around the world were packed on Sunday, no just with golfers, but also with people flooding their restaurants and bars to watch golf. The driving ranges were all a bit busier and getting a walk on time at the local course was a bit tougher than usual on Sunday morning. Even the local golf shops got involved in Tiger-madness with Nike Polo sales and TaylorMade M3 deals. It’s all part of the Tiger Woods Effect. Hopefully, this is the start to greater things, maybe even a few more majors to put him that much closer to Jack’s record. Remember though, in an industry that is losing courses to housing developments and manufacturers that ruled 20 years ago going bankrupt, this game needs a hero, and it just so happens that this hero knows how to win and make it look easy doing so.

Welcome back Mr. Woods.

Top Five: Off-Season Tools For Practice And Play

SKLZ Smash Bag – $24.99

These little guys are amazing to just take out some frustration on as the cold and wet weather settles in. The bag itself is designed to teach proper impact position, which should help you eliminate fat and thin hits in the season to come. The best part about the impact bag is you can use it indoors or outdoors, just remember to check your ceiling height before you start swinging away in the living room.  - SKLZ Smash Bag – $24.99

World Of Golf – Compact Aqua Brush – $9.99

Wet weather play is tough, but if you head to the course, you should be prepared for just about anything. While a towel can take care of most of the issues that a wet winter course doles out, a clean club face is paramount to making good contact. The Compact Aqua Brush from WOG, is a great solution as it offers a softer nylon brush head and the ability to put some clean water on the face of the club to help rise it off before you hit it with your towel. It’s a small price pay for a good clean clubhead. - World Of Golf – Compact Aqua Brush – $9.99

Warm Up Swing Weight – $6.99

These little donuts have been around forever and they are still one of the best tools to getting loose and staying that way. While you can swing an unweighted club all winter long and keep your swing in shape, this 4 ounce weight will help you train your muscles while you do it for just a couple bucks. - Warm Up Swing Weight – $6.99

Collapsible Chipping Net – $34.99

Just because the weather turns nasty, it doesn’t mean your short game has to as well. Whether you are able to chip indoors or outdoors during the offseason, a small chipping net will provide you with hours of practice time a week with real or practice balls. This model features 3 target areas (colors may vary) which means you can have even more fun practicing by playing games and trying to beat your best score all year long. - Collapsible Chipping Net – $34.99

GolfPadGPS App With GolfTags – $99

There is literally no better time to figure out you carry distances than on a wet course. While there are plenty of other tagging systems on the market today, the value of GolfPad’s system is second to none. For $99 you get the GolfTag system and a year of their premium service. The Premium part of the GolfPad system allows for advanced stat tracking and wearable compatibility. club recommendations and my personal reason, an Ad-Free display. Overall, the $20 a year is easily worth the feature set and when you compare it to competitive products in the industry, the $99 down and $20 a year will go out 5 plus years before you get anywhere close to the price of something comparable. - GolfPadGPS App With GolfTags – $99

Golf Fitness - The Journey To 100 - The Reboot - Week 7

Well, there it is, 50 days in (roughly) and I'm still doing pretty well. I came into the week at 289.2 pounds, which was down 25.8 total since the reboot began. As of today, I am down to 286.8 or, as I like to look at it, 2.4 for the week. I couldn’t be happier with the progress so far, but that led me down the path of something a bit different. I weigh myself daily to keep tabs on my progress, but this isn’t something many people should do. In fact, I know that many weight loss programs really try to get people to start looking at NSV's or non-scale victories, so that's what I want to focus on this week.

Non Scale Victories: These are the points that you will hit during a diet that don't count on the scale. A NSV could be something as small as getting your original wedding band on your finger or something as large as replacing a wardrobe. It might be an accomplishment like walking a mile a day or playing a round of golf without needing a cart. NSV's are not part of a diet, they are part of the goal of dieting. From looking better to shopping a normal clothes rack, NSV's set the tone for your life.

The Scale Lies: One of the most common NSV's that I see in most people is definition that wasn't there before. As fat comes off, the weight begins to drop. As muscle builds, our weight can go back up. This is what many would coin "Fake News" and is something that could be detrimental to just about any dieter's psyche. Imagine losing 10 pounds, then walking more, hitting the gym and playing more golf. The next week, you weigh in and you're up 5 pounds. Building muscle mass slows weight loss, but in the long run, you're far better off.

Clothes Speak The Truth: When I started this journey, I was wearing a size 44-46 pant and 3XLT shirts. Most of the time, I would cram into a smaller size just to avoid having to go to the big and tall stores to find something to wear. During my first run down, I made it back down to a 40-42 pant, but kept my somewhat baggy t-shirts around. Well, just 50 days into the reboot, I'm actually back in a size 38 jeans and I'm down to a 2XLT shirt. Again, my journey is just starting really, but for those struggling with numbers on a scale, remember, it's not about what the scale says if all the clothes are getting loose.

My personal journey will be longer than others, but that's OK. I understand that I won't drop my 100 pounds overnight, nor will every week tally up a loss like this week. It may take me 6 months to reach a goal or maybe even 6 years. Either way, I'm taking each day one by one and each drop with a smile. I know there will be days when drops don't come, but that doesn't mean my pants won't fit a bit looser than they did the week before. Non Scale Victories are just as important as the actual number on the scale, and that's the important thing to remember.

My $5 Goodwill Find Is An Offseason Training Treasure

With the wrapping still on it and a $4.99 price tag attached to it, I had to stop and do a double take. Either this was broken and it was going to fall apart when I picked it up or the good folks at Goodwill had no idea what they had put on the shelf. What looked like a child’s iron was none- other than an original, super-heavyweight, “Momentus Swing Trainer” from back in the 1990’s. While it really isn’t anything more than a heavy iron head on a weighted shaft, this $5 find is a killer off season training tool.

Starting out, the club has a very simple look and honestly looks like a child’s iron to the untrained eye. My bet is that this was in a bag that was traded in at my local store and they put it on the shelf without looking anything up. The street price on the “new model” which is the same as the older model is $79.99, so for 84% off, I felt dumb for considering not to get it at first. That moment of doubt faded quickly as this was the perfect solution for swinging indoors when then weather got nasty outside. The only thing missing was the three step DVD, which thanks to YouTube, was no issue at all. From starting out with the basics, the almost 7 minute video highlights how to use the Momentus to work your swing all off season, and even warm up with the club prior to a round. I’m not sure I’m quite ready to add this to my pre-round routine yet, but it’s an interesting idea to say the least.

The Momentus is actually pretty easy to use once you understand the principles behind it. The heavy weight club trains your muscles to engage at the right times of the swing to keep the path and speed correct. You start the swing by pushing the club forward (to a post impact position) about 18” and then begin the backswing process. This “throws” the club back in the correct path and causes your muscles to fire in sequence to hold that path on the way to the top of the backswing. A quick pause at the top of the swing will let your lower body begin the downswing and allow the club to pull your arms back through the downswing, again on the correct path. There’s nothing to crazy about the science involved here, but a weighted club certainly drives the point home.

The last piece of the Momentus is the formed grip. For someone that has spent years on the “strong” side of the fence, going back to neutral over the years has been really difficult. This crazy thing that is lashed to the end of the trainer is something that many would see as a pain, but I see it as a nice reminder of where I could be headed. As my hands take a more natural or standard grip on the trainer, I feel it being less awkward when I try and hold a regular club without my stronger grip. Overall, I’m really thinking that this could be the answer to my needs over the winter months.

Now, not every Goodwill is going to have one of these bad boys on the shelf so if this is something that interests you, here are a few options for you.

• Remove the grip from an older club, fill the shaft with sand and regrip it. This will add the stabilizing weight to the club but be far cheaper than the $70 list price. You can even land the training grip for $8.99 .
• Take an older iron and add a Donut Weight to it for under $10. This will give you the same “feel” as well, but the donut weights can shift. You may find yourself wanting to tape it on there or maybe trying an industrial zip tie to hold it in place. Again you can grab the training grip for $8.99 to complete this setup as well.
• There’s also the grab the old 1 pound ankle weights that someone bought for Yoga class years ago and lash that to the shaft.
• If you are still thinking that the original is worth the investment, you can grab a Momentus on Amazon for about $80 with the training grip or $70 with a standard grip.

Remember to keep the club short (wedge length is best) and watch the video on YouTube to see the proper sequencing for swinging the weighted club. Doing things wrong at the weights of these clubs can seriously mess with your body. It would be the equivalent of heading to the gym and maxing out your bench press on your first lift of the day without warming up. It’s just not a good thing to do. Still, weighted clubs have been used to warm up for a long time, in fact, the Momentus dates back to when I started playing. Back then we used it to fend off the dinosaurs, but as age has set in, it has given me a whole new perspective on how good a weighted club can be. If you haven’t tried one yet, grab a Donut Weight and give it a try. You might find that the benefits are equal to all those speed sticks and multi-$100 training aids that are out on the market today.

Equipment Review: A Sub $5 Multi-compound Grip That Feels Amazing

I will make no secret of the fact that the Lamkin wrap grips that I have played for, well, since forever, have been my all time favorite golf grip. Still, there are times when a change is needed (mainly when you can’t find them anymore) and people need to branch out. Early last year, I tried out various different grips and found a new love, the Golf Pride MMC4 New Decade grip. But then the whole budget thing kicks in and you realize that even with the best deal in town, they were still going to cost over $100 for a full set of them. Then I took the SuperStroke S-Tech grip for a spin, and while it was nice, I felt that the tack that the cord portion of the MMC style grips made me feel a bit more secure. That’s when I found a sleeping deal that should make just about any golfer excited to regrip their sticks. SuperStroke released the TX1 in late 2015 and it was in production for the entire 2016 season. Most of the fanfare surrounding the grip ended up dismissing it as a clone of the popular Golf Pride offering, which in my book makes it quite the steal at a sub $5 price.

Looking at the basic construction, you have the stiffer, corded portion of the grip is located at the top of the grip. This area provides just about the right amount of friction for my gloveless hand, but I could see how it might seem a bit slick to those that do wear gloves. Personally, I have never been a fan of cord grips, but there’s something either about the new threads that they are using or just the way the modern multi-compound grips are put together that make them far more hand friendly to me. Frpm the basic softer feel of the grip to the non-slip texture of the cord, the upper section of the TX1 just makes you feel like you don’t need to grip too firmly on the club to keep control of it.

The lower portion of the grip is a softer feeling, white compound that feels more like a traditional “soft” grip. There isn’t as much “tack” to it as my normal wrap grips, but with the stick of the cord section at the top, I just don’t need the extra stick at the bottom. The lower section also features a very subtle Super Stoke logo as an alignment aid, which is a nice way of doing it that doesn’t look out of place like many of the alignment lines do. The bottom of the grip is finished with a black ring, which on the colored options does look a bit peculiar, but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

The TX1 performed very well during my first range session with them. I used the grip both with a glove and without. While it was more firm than I expected in a new grip, I do have to keep in mind that these have probably been sitting in a plastic bin for 2 years in a warehouse. Even with that firmness, they were far more playable than my Lamkin Crosslines (even out of the box) and after about 10 minutes, each grip softened up nicely where it needed to. If I were going to offer up a “complaint” about them, it’s solidly in the looks department. Using the “white” bottom section and putting a “black” cap on them results in black smudges on the lower portion of the grip. It’s just a cosmetic gripe and one that is easily solved with one of my grip wipes (I use the Lamkin GRIPES) and a bit of time.

I won’t go as far to say that the Super Stroke TX1 is the greatest grip I have ever used, but at just over $50 a set if you self install, they are by far and away a spectacular value. If you have some older sticks that need new life, these are a great way to revitalize them and make them feel new again.

Order Online:Super Stroke TX1  -  Lamkin Gripes

Golf Fitness - The Journey To 100 - The Reboot - Week 6

Another week, another hopeful loss, right? Yes, this week started out with a bang after breaking even during our vacation week two weeks ago. While that may not sound all that great, after eating out for 4 days, I'll take breaking even all day long. Coming into this week, I weighed in at 292.4 or down a total of 25.8 pounds in the 5 weeks I've been in reboot mode. It's hard to put that in perspective until you look at something like a few 10 pound bags of potatoes. It's only 25% of my goal, but it's a great start.

This week started off much better with no trips planned or special events going on. It's back to school time as well, so no more late night runs to the mall or other stores that could cause me to fail miserably. I'm almost down to a weight where I can hop back on the exercise bike in the garage, which should help the process along and I'm feeling better and better about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. I still have some minor concerns about cholesterol and sodium content, but I'm trying to drink more water and keep tabs on that a bit more as well. I guess it's the lesser of two evils to have a bit higher stats in those two and a much lower weight, but I'll let the doctors talk that one over if I head back to see them next month. Enough babbling, let's take a look at this week's numbers.

Enough about the random stuff though, let’s look at how the week actually went. Again, starting out, I was at 292.4 pounds, and today, I came in at a whopping 289.2. That’s a 3.2 pound loss for the week and 29 pounds total. Last week, I averaged about 1550 calories a day, with a good mix of calories going towards all three meals. It seems to be a much better balance for the most part. I have noticed again that on the nights where I just don’t go and sit (even if it’s heading to the store to walk around) I do much better. For the week my macros were very inline as well. I had 74% fats, 22% proteins and 4% in carbs. Now, keep in mind, this is just how I’m choosing my meals. I’m specifically targeting foods to eliminate from my plate. What I mean by this is that I used to be huge into “burner foods” when I would diet. These foods were low calorie options that were supposedly “perfect diet foods”. These included broccoli, cabbage and a few others. With the Ketogenic Diet, you have to eliminate (or severely cut) those down due to the number of carbs that they have. I still eat them, but I have a half a cup of broccoli with dinner instead of 2 cups.

I’m going to have a bit more on the food thing this weekend. It’s been an interesting experience getting this going and I’m just happy to say that so far, this way of eating is working out pretty well for me. Calories are down. Energy is up. I’m feeling better and better every day I do this and hopefully the progress will continue. Until next week!

Club Selection: Five Is The New Eight

Shopping for new golf clubs can be a blast. Shopping for new golf clubs can also be a complete headache. Most of all, shopping for new golf clubs is no longer a trip down to your local shop to grab the prettiest thing you see and then heading off to the course to play 9 and break them in. Well, honestly, it can be that simple, but please, don’t make it that way. In the last 5 years, club fitting technology has become so stellar that only a foolish person will walk out of a store (or have delivered) a completely stock set of irons. Even I have fallen victim to this in the past, just ordering blindly and letting my swing adjust to the club rather than letting my natural swing take over and having the club fit to it. It’s an easy thing to do in our era of instant gratification. Still, most golfers out there would benefit from a few words of advice including one that was passed on to my by a local driving range operator – five is the new eight.

Looking at my current bag, I have pulled my three and four irons out from my set already. If I wanted to score even better, I should probably consider pulling the 5 iron and the 60° wedge as well. This would leave me with a 6-PW and a sand wedge – I have a gap wedge as well, but does anyone actually NEED a gap wedge? This would take me down to a six, seven, eight, nine and wedge in my main set. It would cover distances from 185 yards to 132 yards without any issues at all. This 5 club set replaces just about everything that an old 8 club set should do for me on the course. If I take those 5 as a base, then add that 100 yard sand wedge, a 200 yard hybrid, a driver and a putter, I could pretty well battle my way around any course in the country without needing much else. If that’s the case, why do so many golfers still rock the traditional 3-PW sets that you can buy off the shelf?

Tradition. It’s a pretty powerful word in golf, but we’re seeing more and more people stray from it every day. From how they dress to what they play, even the tour professionals are veering off the normal path to get what works for them in their bags. If more amateur golfers followed their lead, I’m positive they would begin to score better. Much like the premise of the “one-length” irons, simplicity is better for most players. Why would anyone want to carry a club that doesn’t work at least 75% of the time for them? You might have those long irons in the bag because you think you have to have 14 clubs, but the reality is, you don’t. You may have a fairway wood or two in the bag just in case you hit that one tight hole – but you hit your new oversized driver better anyways. Getting rid of the old school thinking is critical to get better. Simplifying your club selection is definitely one of those things that can break you out of that old school thinking.

Let’s play a quick few holes with your cut down set right here. First hole is a par 4, 320 yards, fairway bunkers at 225-250 on the left. You hit a drive about 230 yards off the tee and to the right side of the fairway. It leaves you 90 yards to the center, 80 to the front edge and 100 to the back. Grabbing that 100 yard club, you choke down on the grip about a half inch and take a nice smooth swing. The ball finds the center of the green. 2 putts later, you’re off to the second at even par. The next hole is a 160 yard par 3. Bunkers surround the front right pin location, but there’s plenty of room to miss long. You have 150 to the front edge and 170 to the back. My 8 iron is my perfect 154 club, so that should land somewhere between the front and the middle of the green. If you have a 160 club, pull that out and once again, choke down about a half inch and you are staring the flag distance down with a mission. Again, two quick putts and you’re off with another par. Finally, the par 5 comes along at 525 yards. You boom a 250 yard tee shot down the middle of the fairway with that Fisher Price driver that you can’t miss with. That leaves you with 275 yards to the green. A solid 175 yard shot will leave you that perfect 100 yard wedge again. You’re now sitting pretty at the flag with 2 putts to save par once again.

If you look at the way the round could play out with good shots instead of having to play recovery shots from bad ones with clubs you shouldn’t be hitting anyway, you’re going to find that you are much happier playing and your scores are going to come out much lower than you ever imagined. Maybe the pro was right, maybe 5 is the new 8? I had never really thought of it that way, but honestly, I bet I would score better on every hole if I took this approach to playing instead of pushing to get an extra 5 yards our of everything. I had already found out my 3 and 4 were problem children in my bag, but have you seen which clubs in your bag are giving you the biggest problems? If you have a few, try leaving them at home next round. You might be surprised by what happens next.

GO2 Socks: The BEST Socks I’ve Ever Worn

Socks. We don’t usually think too much about them. We grab a 6 pack on sale when the ones we have get some holes in them and keep rotating them in and out of our drawers. Well, all of that changed for me this year when I was diagnosed with a vascular issue in my right leg and I needed to start wearing compression socks. The first pair of socks that I purchased were rated at 30-40 mmHg and cost me about $75 for the pair. This was to help my leg heal and prepare me for surgery in the following weeks. Post surgery, I was dropped to a 20-30 mmHg rated sock. Fortunately, these are available for far less cost, but the selection was still rather rancid. Beige and Black were the colors of choice at the sub $20 price point and they were made of a nylon/rayon blend that breathed about as well as plastic wrap. During the heat of summer, my feet felt ok, but my legs were about 400 degrees every day. I spent the next 3 months searching for an athletic sock that had an actual fitting chart and was continually striking out. Most companies only offered “shoe size” fitting, not ankle and calf fitting sizes – which are key to compression socks fitting and compressing correctly. About 3 weeks ago, everything changed when I somehow stumbled on the site Go2Socks.com.

At under $20 a pair, Go2’s offerings were tempting. The fact that they actually have a full fitting chart online made them even more tempting. I kicked the idea of getting them around for about a week or so before I decided to pull the trigger. I placed the order and began the wait for them to arrive. The next day, I was shocked to see that the socks with the “free shipping” option would be at my door within 3 days. I was fully prepared for the new socks to arrive and to be completely disappointed in them, but when the envelope arrived, I was downright shocked. The packaging was stunning, though I do question the thought of passing the “tag” though the sock instead of just using a plastic hook, but more on that later. When I opened the socks, not only was I completely impressed with the quality of the sock, but also the weighting of them. They weren’t the “pantyhose” feeling that many of the brands that I have seen/tried over the last 6 months. They were a softer, heavier weight, fabric that felt much more like a normal athletic style sock. I think these would not only benefit golfers at this point, but also runners, soccer players and anyone that spends a significant amount of time on their feet all day long. They just feel softer and more natural than most of the compression brands that I have felt.

Putting the sock on, I worried that it wasn’t going to fit. It looked small, but as it expanded and began working, it fit like a glove and I could almost feel it energizing my feet. As my feet adjusted to them, which is a normal occurrence after not wearing them overnight, I noticed my feet weren’t getting warm, but they still felt absolutely wonderful. The fabric was actually breathing, not just sealing my legs into a sauna like wrap and drying them out. It was the best feeling I have had in months. The compression is definitely there, but they just feel much more like normal socks. Go2 Socks nailed this one and again, with the price of each pair being under $20, this is one that will start replacing all of my compression socks as they wear out.

Now, for my one gripe… This little beast. I understand why they did this, but it really bugs me. The image above shows where they put a tag through the cardboard wrapper, through the socks and out the back side of the packaging to hold the socks securely for retail sales. Personally, I would rather have paid the extra $.50 to have them use a plastic hook at the top that the socks would loop through to hold them in place instead of risking the compression rating of the sock by pushing the tab through it. That said, there’s no evidence that the tab did anything to the socks, so I’m going to be ok with this move. Still, if that’s the biggest issue that I have with these socks, I think Go2 Socks is more than nailing this game.

On the back of the packaging, Go 2 Socks also includes the color pallet that the socks are available in. From the basic white (which is what I’ve been dreaming about having for months now) to rainbow stripes, there’s a color that will go with just about anything you have in your wardrobe. If you look at their “deals” section, you may even find some even more amazing prices on some of the styles and colors. To continue down the path of selection, depending on what you want to wear, Ankle supports for Plantar Fasciitis, Calf Sleeves for faster recovery and extra support, or full socks for circulation issues, Go 2 Socks has a stellar selection of colors and styles. They also offer one of the best K-Tapes that I have ever seen, so if you are in recovery mode and need that style of support, make sure to give a roll a try.

To wrap this up, if you haven’t experienced a round of golf in compression socks, you probably should try it. At under $20 for a pair that could literally last you an entire season, these socks may not save you much in the way of strokes, but they will keep your legs feeling fresher throughout the round and also help you not feel nearly as fatigued after the round as well. While I never knew about them before this year, runners, soccer players and even health care workers have kept these guys as their secret to performing better day in and day out for many years. If you haven’t had the chance to check out a pair yet, grab a tape measure, measure your calf and order a pair as quickly as you can. They may even be there in time for your next weekend round. Let me know in the comments below if you get a pair or if you already wear compression items on the course and how they work for you.

Visit www.go2socks.com to check out their full selection.

Golf Fitness–The Journey To 100–The Reboot - Week 5

Here I am, ready for a bad weigh in week since we spent 4 days of this week on the road in Seaside, OR. Even though I stuck fairly well to the plan, I’m sure that I am up do to the increased amount of vegetables and salads that I had. Still, this has to be done, so here we go. Last week, I came in at 293 pounds, officially crossing the 25 pound mark. That was the day that we left for Seaside. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were loaded with days of restaurant food and relaxing. While I tried hard to eat bunless burgers or steaks, the side dishes were definitely challenging. I also avoided the candy and ice cream completely – yeah me! So, how bad was it with all that “dining out” for the week? Well, officially this morning, I weighed in at 292.4, or a loss of .6 for the week.  Now, normally, I’d be pretty torqued with a half pound loss for the week, but after a vacation? I couldn’t be happier. During the last Journey, we took a 4 day vacation to Cama Beach and I gained 10 pounds – and that was without restaurant food!

Now for the crazy stats. My calories on average were up to 1557 per day for the week. I seemed to have done a good job of mixing my macros as I came in with a 75%/18%/7% ratio of Fats/Proteins/Carbs. The new stat that jumped out at me the most was the nutrient report. I saw a number on there that made me laugh so bad that I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. There is a line item on there for grams of sugar consumed for the week. Mine said 39g. At first I was shocked that I had 39g of sugar in a week since I’ve been trying so hard not to have any at all. Then I looked up a point of reference – a Snickers bar. That one, single candy bar has 47g of sugar in it. A can of Coke as 40.5 grams. What started as panic, turned into a laugh as I realized that I was having roughly a teaspoon of sugar a day, total. My lesson for the week was complete. My sugar intake is way down, my fats are up and this Keto thing even works while out and about if you pay attention. So, off to week 6 and seeing if I can peel off some of the lag from vacation here and drop a bit of extra this week.

How Did The Wilson Triton Perform During Its First Round?

Last week, I was able to take the Wilson Triton out to Gearhart Golf Links, just outside of Seaside, OR for it’s debut round. I was a bit excited to see how well the driver performed on the course after hitting it at the range for the first time the week before. It appeared that I was picking up a solid 10-15 yards a shot at the range, so that type of distance increase would be really beneficial to me on the course. Now we all know that what we see on the launch monitor and what we get on the course can be dramatically different, as can be what we see at the range after getting all warmed up and ready to hit. Stepping up to the first tee cold is never a good idea, but that is what happens at Gearhart as the only thing missing from this exceptional course is a warmup facility – either nets or a range. Other than that, the course is absolutely a pleasure to walk or ride and it really captures the feel of what you might see the tour pros playing during a European Tour event. I’ll gush more on the course during my round review, but this is about the sub $150 driver that could – or could not.

As I said, the first hole I was stepping up cold – and the weather matched it as it was about 50 degrees at 7:30 in the morning when we teed off. My first tee shot was not what I hoped for. It was a slight pull to the left center of the fairway and never got more than about 20 feet off the ground. Still, it was a bullet into the fairway and the 250 yards was nothing to complain too much about. I didn’t hit driver again until the 5th hole, which again, shot off the face extremely low, but again found the left side of the fairway about 250 yards off the tee. Not exactly the consistency I was hoping for, but consistency is good. Fortunately, a small tweak to my setup turned things around for me on the 6th hole. With a small movement of the ball in my setup, I was able to get a better launch angle on the ball and with that, a dramatic distance increase. On the 6th, I was able to play a gorgeous fade down the left side of the fairway that travelled a much stronger 310 yards. This was about as well as I could strike the ball and it was about as perfect of shot as I expected it to produce. Game on.

All good things must come to an end though and on the 7th, I made up for my great shot with a not so great one. A dead solid pull left that caught a side hill and the fescue completely destroyed the average, but having the ability to just chalk that up to a terrible shot and delete the data from the average was helpful. Even as bad as the swing was, I was still in decent shape for the hole and ended up hitting a good approach. Moving on to the 8th, I was able to recover with a completely gorgeous 275 yard fade up the hill on the long par 5. Again, the ball flight was much better with the adjusted stance and the shot was so good, it almost made me forget about the 7th. The 9th provided one more opportunity to hit driver off the tee. a lovely 270 yard fade to the center of the fairway set me up perfectly for another par and left me with 5 of 6 fairways on the front side with the Triton. It was a good performance.

The back side started off with a pretty rancid snap pull off the tee. Still, the ball made it 240 yards out into the fescue before it instantly stopped in the tall grass. Not a bad carry distance for a terrible shot. The Triton came back out on the 12th and yielded a lovely 255 yard fade to the slightly uphill par 4 hole. Again, not a distance killer, but with the winds swirling a bit, not heavy winds mind you, but a good breeze, the ball travelled very well and found another fairway. Hitting into the wind on 13, the Triton shined once again. With a perfect cut, starting left and moving right, the drive found the right side of the fairway about 280 yards off the tee. Again, a solid performance and about all I could hope for on this hole. The 14th was another great tee shot that may not have had tour distance on it, but a 260 yard shot down the middle was about all I needed.

This set me up for the trio of driving holes on 16, 17 and 18. On the 16th, again, the cut was working beautifully with the Triton. Right off the bat, 262 to the center of the fairway. By now you may have noticed a very solid pattern emerging – fairways. The 17th gave me another 260 yard fairway strike. Then it was time for the beast – the incredibly long, par 5 18th. Going back into that swirling breeze, there wasn’t much of a chance of reaching this beast in two at all, so I played it safe with the shot that had been working all day long with the Triton. Another cut, 266 yards into the fairway and I was 6 of 7 on the backside in fairways hit. Overall, the Triton hit 11 of 13 fairways and the only two misses simply couldn’t be blamed on the club. Two completely awful efforts on my part led to those two misses and that’s that. According to my GolfPadGPS stat tracking, I was averaging 270 yards off the tee and hit 85% of my fairways. Comparing that to my F5 driver that has been completely dialed in, I was 1 yard shorter in average and hit almost 30% more fairways. In comparison to my “go to” club, the 2 hybrid, I was almost 30 yards longer off the tee and hit 30% more fairways.

Now, comparing this to a custom fit $500 driver, I’m sure the numbers could go up a bit, but how much performance can you gain with simple club improvements over a another? For the most part, I think the Triton is more than capable of keeping up with the big boys in the distance department (as shown by my 300+ yard drive) and the ability to control the ball flight is simply easy with all the available adjustments. Now, for the better news. You can still grab the Triton at Budget Golf or various other online locations for under $150, even with the limited custom shaft options that they may still have available. If you haven’t tried it out yet, you probably should. Again, the adjustability of this club is about as good as anything else on the market today and that makes it one of the best values in golf, especially at a clearance price point.

Playing A Round: Gearhart Golf Links–Gearhart, OR

Once in a blue moon I get to play a golf course that reminds me of why golf is such an amazing game. Two years ago, I was able to play Gearhart Golf Links, located in Gearhart, Oregon. Gearhart is an adorable little town that is just north of Seaside, an uber popular vacation spot in northern Oregon. When we decided to plan a last minute trip to Seaside to end the summer, Gearhart was my first though, and I’m glad it was. The course plays 5157 from the front tees and 6551 from the stones. From the vintage clubhouse, which is home to the fabulous Mcminnaminns Gearhart Hotel and Sandtrap Pub, to the knee high fescue that lines the fairway, Gearhart takes you back in time to where you might think your bag should feature hickory shafts and forged blades. The course is nothing short of amazing and for the price, it’s something that should be considered for every golfer that heads to the Oregon Coast. Enough about this amazing course, let’s get to the round up.

Coming back to Gearhart and hitting that first tee box just made me smile. I was playing with a group that was playing a bit further up on the blocks, so we compromised and played the black tees instead of the stones this time around. This made the course come in just under 6200 yards. The first hole, par 4 – 340 yards, was playing a touch into the light breeze that was up in the morning. I decided to break out the Wilson Triton for it’s on course debut for this cold tee shot. The driver was decent, travelling about 250 yards down the left side of the fairway, bit it had an extremely low flight path as it went. Still for a cold tee shot, I’ll take it. I followed up the drive with a solid lob wedge from 95 yards out. We then were introduced to the Gearhart greens, which wiggled out a three putt on the first for a bogey. I started off the second hole, par 4 – 360 yards, with my 2 hybrid as the flight of the hole was favoring a draw. Well, good intentions usually lead to bad execution and this was no exception. I played the ball too far forward in my stance and hit a dead pull about 10 feet off the ground into the trees left. A punch out/recovery 5 iron put me in position to hit the green from 100 yards. I ran my first putt about 3 feet past the hole, but made the come back for bogey. The third, par 4 – 270 yards, was the exact type of hole that I carry my 2 hybrid for, but again, not placing the ball in the correct position in my stance lead to another pull left. It wasn’t as bad as the first, but it wasn’t much better. The ball got caught up in the fescue on the left and left me another 100 yard wedge to the green. A quick two putt netted me my first par of the day. I was two over after three holes.

Moving on to the fourth, par 3 – 176 yards, I had a dilemma on my hands. The hole was screaming 7 iron, but my head was saying 8 iron and let it bounce up to the green. I went with the 8 iron but left it slightly left of the green. My chip shot hit the green and just kept rolling to about 20 feet past the pin, even though I landed it just as short. These greens were fast and hard to say the least. I was able to convert another two putt on this tough green, but it was another bogey on the card. The fifth hole, par 4 – 360 yards, played very straight up. I played a nice 250 yard drive down the middle of the fairway and followed that up with a sand wedge to the back of the green. A quick 2 putts and I was off to the sixth with another par. The sixth, par 4 – 340 yards, played wonderfully short down the slope it was on. This is also the first time I let the Triton run wild and really put a swing on it. I played the ball slightly further up in my stance and really let one rip. The drive came to rest just short of the green about 310 yards away from the tee. Once again, a decent chip shot turned a bit nasty and the ball ran about 20 feet past the hole. A two putt par moved me to the seventh hole at 3 over par.

The seventh hole, par 4 – 335 yards, turned a bit disastrous off the tee. Honestly, the hole started off badly when we mis-identified the target fairway right off the bat. My ball ended up short and left on the hole in the fescue. At least I could see the green from the lie. I hit a very solid 153 yard pitching wedge to the back of the green and had a very easy two putt par. Next up was the long eighth hole, par 5 – 456, and it was an uphill monster. I hit a very solid 275 yard drive down the middle, which came to rest on a downhill lie. A bladed 7 iron came up well short of the green from where a good sand wedge got me in two putt range once again. What looked like a sure birdie off the tee turned in to a solid par. That brought me back to the ninth tee box to close out the outward nine. The ninth hole, par 4 – 346 yards, set up very well for me. A 270 yard drive off the tee found the fairway and my lob wedge approach came up just short of the green. A pitch on landed just short of the flag and a tap in netted me one last par on the front side and a score of 39.

As I made the turn, I have to be honest with you and say that I was much more sure that an 80’s score was in the cards for me today than any possibility of keeping things in the 70’s. In fact, when I stepped on the tenth hole, par 4 – 343 yards, I figured I was about done for the day. Especially after hitting another low driver off the tee that found the fescue. On the next shot, however, something changed. I hit a very strong sand wedge from the deep stuff and found the green. My 60 foot putt came to rest 2 feet from the hole and it was a tap in par. It was an interesting one to say the least, but it was another hole down without a bogey. On the eleventh, par 3 – 221 yards, I debated club selection in my head based off the 2 hybrid misses I had earlier, and I chose wrong. Instead of hitting a strong 5 iron into the green, I pulled the 4 hybrid from my bag. Once again, my ball position was off on these guys today and left it went. A gap wedge to the green and two putts later, I carded my 4th bogey of the day. The twelfth hole, par 4 – 386 yards, offered some relief from the craziness with a good drive down the right center of the fairway. That was followed up with a great pitching wedge to the green where I just missed my 30 foot birdie putt and tapped in for another par. I was four over par with just 6 holes to play.

The thirteenth hole, par 5 – 528 yards, was the turning point of the round for sure. A 280 yard drive found the fairway, which led to me going after the green in two. Once again, a topped hybrid ruined those chances. The difference this time was the gap wedge that I hit to 3 feet. A virtual tap in birdie got me back to 3 over par for the day. The fourteenth hole, par 4 – 363 yards, can be summed up with the simple thought of – make sure to hit your wedges clean – because that was all that kept me from keeping the birdie train rolling for another hole. A perfect drive left me 85 yards in to the flag. Unfortunately, I caught my lob wedge a bit high on the face and lost about 10 yards on the shot. I chipped up to the flag only to have the ball release once again and roll about 20 feet past. The two putt bogey put me back to four over for the round. If there is any respite at Gearhart, it’s the fifteenth hole, par 3 – 116 yards. This short, even baby sized, par 3 is one of the easier holes on the course. My lob wedge tried to make up for the last hole on this one by hitting a gorgeous shot into the green. It missed the flag location right, but an easy two putt par kept me moving on to the closing 3 holes at 4 over par.

As I came into the final three holes, the sixteenth, par 4 – 344 yards, was the first step in a few tough closers. Today, this hole let me have one as I hit a great drive into the breeze followed by a perfect 80 yard lob wedge into the green. 2 putts later, I was cruising to the 17th still holding strong at 4 over par. The seventeenth, par 4 – 341 yards, played equally simplistic on this day. Another good drive found the fairway and a knockdown gap wedge found the front of the green. Repeating the previous hole, 2 putts later I was off to the dreaded 18th with a four over par score. The eighteenth, par 5 – 588 yards, is a hard hole even from the front tees. It’s a long, dog-leg left, that finishes at an uphill green. After a good drive, I tried to run the ball closer to the green with my 3 hybrid. Once again, these go to clubs failed me due to me not remembering how I hit them at the range the week before. With my forward ball position, I didn’t hit one good hybrid the entire day. In fact, every single one of them was left of target – and that was due to one reason only – I had the ball too far forward in my stance. After hitting a thin hybrid to the left, a solid 8 iron found the green for one last par and a good finishing hole. That left me at 4 over par, 76, for the round. It was definitely one of the better scrambling rounds I have ever played and I will certainly look to best that the next time we go to Seaside, or anywhere near there for that matter.

What's In The Bag: September 2018 Edition

Well, here's another WITB posting since there have been a few minor tweaks to it over the last month. So, let's take a look at what's in the bag and what's out for September of 2018!

Driver - Wilson Staff Triton 9° - Aldila Rogue Black 60 - X-Stiff

This is probably the biggest change up in the bag going forward and it's one of those "for now" changes. The Triton offers me far more control over my ball flight than the F5 does, but it just doesn't feel quite as perfect off the tee. That said, I hit a wall with the distance I was getting with the F5 and the control was just adequate at best. The Triton will give me the opportunity to increase both, which is why the switch out is being made at such a strange time of year.

Yardage: 275+

Hybrids - Wilson Staff FG Tour F5 - MRC Fubuki Z80 - Stiff

These were added to the bag during the off season last year. I never dreamed about playing an "old man club" like this, but obviously they make them for a reason. I discovered that reason while playing the short Golf Club at Echo Falls over the winter. I wasn't hitting the long irons well enough and I wasn't getting the direction from the driver. It was a bad scenario for me and my scoring. Fortunately, within a few round, I picked up ta set of these and now have some go to clubs in my bag for almost any length holes.

17° Hybrid

I love this club off the tee and I don't hate it out of the fairway. Honestly, this club was a godsend off the tee last winter. Hitting more fairways and less rough really helped me card quite a few low rounds on medium length courses. The minimal amount of summer play that its gotten this year has also resulted in more than adequate results from this 1 iron replacement. It's the perfect tight par 4 tee club, but honestly, out of the fairway, it's a bit hit or miss.

Yardage: 235 (fairway)  -  250 (tee)

20° Hybrid

This is a bit of an oddball club in my bag. It's not one that there is much call for on the course, but when I need that extra bit of pop, this club has filled in beautifully for my harder to hit 3 iron. As I play more, this could become a victim to my 3 iron coming back into the bag simply due to the fact that there are shots that I can hit with the 3 that I can't hit with this one. Those under the tree punch outs, or those low runners into the wind are just not as easy to hit with the hybrids, but they do provide plenty of stopping power on dried out greens, which is nice during this time of year.

Yardage: 220-240 (fade to draw)

23° Hybrid

The gapper. It's either a 4 iron in the FG 100's or this hybrid. Both work great, but given the fact that this has a much higher angle of decent for the summer months, I've kept the 23° in the bag. I did an experiment where dropped the lofts 1° across the board, but that led to a minimal yardage gain for quite a bit of decent angle lost.

Yardage: 205-220 (fade to draw)

Irons - 5-PW - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

I love these irons. They look gorgeous, even with 2+ seasons of wear and tear on them. They perform brilliantly and have hundreds of great shots left in them. While I've been tempted by some of the newer "more forgiving" irons that have hit the players side of the street in the last few months, nothing has played better than these. So, In the bag they will stay for the 2018 season unless something shows up that I can hit better - and I mean really better.

5 iron (27°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 192

6 iron (31°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 180

7 iron (35°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 168

8 iron (39°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 156

9 iron (43°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 144

Pitching Wedge(47°) - Wilson Staff FG 100 blades - True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Yardage: 132

Wedges - Wilson Staff PMP Wedge Tour Frosted - KBS Hi-REV 2.0 - Wedge Flex

I currently run all three Wilson Tour Frosted PMP wedges in my bag. They gap out well, though I have lost my 100 yard club and it's turned into a 105 yard club for me, so there may be a slight bend needed in the set soon. That said, once again, these keep the almost perfect steps down for my game. the 51° wedge is actually the 50°/08 in the traditional grind that was bent 1° weak to cover the gap better. The 56° is the 56°/11 tour grind that was left at standard loft. This was my 100 yard club the past two seasons but somehow it gained about 5 yards this year. Strange, but not awful. Finally, the 60° is a 60°/09 tour grind as well. I prefer the way the tour grind soles interact with the ground a bit more than the traditional. They just seem to grab a bit less, but maybe that's in my head. Either way, that's what I have in the bag at the moment.

51° Gap Wedge - Wilson Staff PMP Wedge Tour Frosted - KBS Hi-REV 2.0 - Wedge Flex

Yardage: 120

56° Sand Wedge - Wilson Staff PMP Wedge Tour Frosted - KBS Hi-REV 2.0 - Wedge Flex

Yardage: 105

60° Lob Wedge - Wilson Staff PMP Wedge Tour Frosted - KBS Hi-REV 2.0 - Wedge Flex

Yardage: 90

Putter – Wilson Staff Infinite Grant Park – 34”

The Grant Park became my go to putter over a year ago. While I have toyed with the idea of getting the TaylorMade Tour Spyder to replace it (and actually tested better with it when I bought this one) the GP is still in the bag and still making plenty of good putts. It replaced the older Tri-Hot that I had from back in the day and even beat out my trusty Wilson 8813 because of the stronger sight lines. I do have to admit that I cheated on my GP recently at the store and tried the “The Bean” model from Wilson and fell in love with the new darker black finish and slightly larger head. This one may be due for a change soon, but not quite yet.

My Bag - Wilson Staff Ionix Light on the ClicGear ROVIC RV2L cart.

I've been carrying the Ionix Light bag now for 4 seasons (pretty sure it's been 4) and I am so happy with it. It's a perfect carry bag for the guy that doesn't want to carry too much stuff. I'd love to upgrade to the Hybrix bag eventually, but for now the Ionix is still my bag of choice. The Rovic was a late add this year as I was so worn out after getting my leg done this year that I just was dragging in May after about 10 holes of carrying my bag. I made it through rounds without issues, but it was definitely more tiring than taking a cart. The Rovic was my compromise. I still get to walk the course (which I think helps not only with health, but also for knowing the course and distances better) but I don't have to lug the bag around.

Wet Weather Ball - Wilson Staff Zip

Dry Weather Ball - Wilson Staff Duo Spin (2017)

I absolutely love the Wilson Zip ball. At $0.86 per ball, it's a steal for how well it performs. I get good distance, solid spin and decent enough performance around the greens. It's a well blended ball that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg when it plugs during the winter and gets lost. Even for dry weather performance, I have yet to find a ball in the sub $10 a dozen category that even touches this one.

When the weather dries out a bit, the Zip starts to lose some of it's stick and I switch up to the slightly higher spinning Duo Spin model that I was able to grab a few dozen of on clearance.

That’s the what’s in the bag for September. I’ll update the official page soon, but I want to make sure the changes stick before going too far into the changes. If you have any questions on my bag, feel free to hit me up via email or let me know in the comments below.