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New Swing for an old body
The first thing I noticed, upon my return to playing golf after 16 plus years away, was how much things had changed. “Well duh !”, you say. Well, yes, but it was not what I was thinking it would be. My thoughts were about how much the technology had changed. However, it soon became apparent I could still score with my 1995 model of Golden Rams; front nine of 42, 5 pars, 2 bogeys, a double, and a triple. Not too bad considering the time away from the game. And, the back nine started off okay, bogey, par. Then reality set in! Two plus hours of turning, twisting, swinging, bending…
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Shooting my age, totally delusional?
Merriam-Webster defines delusional as something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated; as in believing “they will finish on schedule” or in the case of shooting one’s age; “delusions of grandeur”. And, I must admit the first few times I had the thought of “How cool it would be to shoot my age”, the next thought was “YOU ARE TOTALLY NUTS”. However, as I am now in the mid seventies age bracket, perhaps “delusional moments of grandeur” can turn into reality. Now, way back while playing to a plus 3 or better, I did shoot mid seventies or better most of the time, the only problem, I was in…
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Went To See What Could Be Seen
The last time I played the course, formerly know as Park Mammoth, it was days away from being placed up for auction. As I walked off the 18th green, I stopped to take in, one last time, what once was a very serene landscape and reflect upon the memories created over the years, knowing things were bound to change and Park Mammoth, as I knew it, would be no more. It’s been more than 18 months since that fall day, the property is under new ownership, and according to the social media updates over the past few months, it’s obvious things have definitely changed. Although the footprint looked to remained…
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The Sojourn of a Course Formerly Known As
It was the spring of 64 when I discovered the game of golf. Up until then, being totally focused on other types of round balls, I am not even sure I knew anything about the game except our school had a golf team. That same spring, 600 miles away, a course opened that in time would become ingrained in my golf DNA. Park Mammoth Golf Course was part of a Best Western resort that included tennis courts, putt-putt course, horseback riding, private cave, and a miniature train that would take you “to and from” the lodge to various points around the complex including the golf course. Imagine a collage of…
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Grown Man Cry
In the late sixties, while station in England, I had a caddie whose favorite “go to” saying was, “if you play this game long enough, it will make a grown man cry”. However, at that point in time, I did not grasped the real meaning of those words. Being fairly new to the game, my focus was on the execution of hitting the ball, thinking mastering that was all that was required to play good golf. So, I totally missed the point that its not the physical but the mental side that will bring you to tears. Now, after playing for over 50 years, you can not play this game…
