Been Under the Weather

Haven't had the time to blog lately, my bad.  It's that time again, when the weather drops and the tee times open up.  I love playing when it's cold-for one big reason-no one else plays.  I get spoiled in the wintertime because I can play in a very short time period.  What do you think?

Frugal Regripping

After viewing some of the video links you see in the right column regarding regripping a club, I decided to try it. While I started on some old clubs with cheaper grips, I eventually felt comfortable regripping better clubs. While regripping seems like something the pro shop should do for you, it's actually very easy and not very expensive, if you find a little luck and buy just enough double-sided tape and solvent. I went to Golf Galaxy and bought a combo pack of solvent and tape. I don't think it was even $10. Then I went to a local golf store (with two locations) and found a basket of $1 grips. Not necessarily used. Some where new, some had defects and others looked like they may have been taken off a club. Anyway, I was able to piece together 8 nice grips from the same maker and same style. For $18 I was able to get a better set of irons, because of the new grips. Plus I have tape and solvent left over--probably enough for at least another 8 clubs.

Natalie Gulbis on the Apprentice

Word is that Natalie Gulbis will be on the next installment of Donald Trump's The Apprentice. Outside of helping with guys tuning in, it also helps Trump bring two of his favorite things together: his TV show and his new passion for golf courses. By the way, HBO's Real Sports recently did a segment on his proposed course in Scotland. Good stuff. One local doesn't want to see the resort come to town and some of the towns folk welcome it. Donald is Donald during the interview. Like tall buildings, Trump will soon be synonymous with Golf.

As the weather changes

Folks, even in cool to cold weather your body needs to hydrate when you play, especially if you're walking. Under all those layers you may actually be losing electrolytes because of sweat. You won't have to drink as much water, but you will still need some. Again, my suggestion is Back Nine Lytes. They not only keep you hydrated, but alert as well.

Brush-t is no laughing matter

Folks like to laugh when they see my tees. Long bristles to hold the ball. Most people think it's either something to keep my clubs clean or a moustache brush (yes, some dope asked me that). It's none of this of course. It's a Brush-t tee. I use the yellow style for XL drivers. After I hit the ball (hopefully it goes straight) they stop laughing. The Brush-t wipes out any friction caused by the clubhead hitting the old fashioned wooden tee. Another benefit I get from using these things is that I tee the ball up the very same height every time. Golf is about consistency and these tees cater to that. I never play 18 without them.

Don't be a fool like me

For years I beleived a graphite shaft for my irons was the way to go. They were lighter and I was never a "big" hitter. Well after taking the game more seriously, I began to notice that my game was not improving. My iron shots were actually getting worse. I was spraying them all over. After talking with some professionals, a light finally went off--I had a regular shafted club when I needed a stiff flex. While I am not a big guy, my swings were getting bigger (faster). Unfortuantely, this revelation happened months after I purchased a set of irons with regualr flex graphite shafts. Well guess what, I had them all reshafted. Let's just say my wife did not like the idea.

Beware of Ebay

While doing some research for this very blog, our staff noticed some scary posts and articles about people who bought clubs on Ebay that were fakes. Shafts cracked and heads came off the clubs. When buying an expensive club on Ebay be sure to find out the serial number of the item. Check that with the manufacturer. While Ebay tries to handle this issue, fakes are all over. An average golfer may have bought one at a local shop, used it and now wants to sell it. The seller may not even know.