Desires, Energy and Efforts

I'm a new golfer by most standards. I started in 2009. Took a few lessons, bought some cheap clubs and joined a league. I was extremely embarrassing to watch. But I had the desire to learn the game, even though at 56 years of age I should have stuck to other activities.


Last year I missed a lot of golf due to work and community commitments. It bothered me a lot, but first things first. Responsibility can be a bummer sometimes. I got word that my league was informally starting a month early for those that wanted to participate and with the recent spate of nice weather I thought I’d give it a whirl. Never mind that we went from sunny and 80’s to windy and 50’s. I wanted to golf.

So I showed up, paid my fee and went out to play. Not totally miserable conditions, but 20 mph winds with 40 mph gusts are not the best conditions for a mediocre player like me. But I wanted to golf. So I did. My shots were not great and by the end of the 9-hole round I was ready for a hot shower, not happy with my effort and feeling a bit like I wasted that time.

I tell this story because sometimes we do things that maybe we shouldn’t. I really have been in a busy stretch of work and I could have caught up a bit on some of those things that we all defer with those two hours. But I wanted to golf. And by god, I golfed. Misspent energy? Perhaps. Mini-reward for working hard since last Fall? Maybe. But I didn’t really enjoy the round as much as I thought I would, even though it felt great to swing the clubs, see the familiar faces, and kidding around with the guys was fantastic.

I let my desire to golf divert my energy and efforts, even with poor playing conditions. That was the mistake. I will make a better decision next time and I believe that the golf will be sweeter and I’ll be more focused with my game. A good energy policy!

Which leads me to a whole different energy thought. How is it that there’s such a disconnect between crude oil prices (barrel) and gasoline (gallon)? I looked up crude oil prices on the Bloomberg website and gasoline prices on the U.S. Energy Information Agency website and got these figures:

August 2011	$100.46/barrel	$3.64/gallon
November 2011	$105.26	$3.37
February 2012	$112.71	$3.64
March 2012	$102.37	$3.84

Now, we’re seeing $4.00+ prices but the crude prices haven’t risen dramatically.  An acquaintance said that it’s all because of speculators.  I’m speculating, too - every time I buy a $10 worth to get me back to a place where gas prices are a nickel cheaper per gallon for a fill-up. It doesn't get me much profit, but I feel better about the effort.

Switching Gears

My golf buddies and I were talking last night and we're pretty sure that there's only a few more weeks of golfing left in this season. Last year, I played my last, very chilly round on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Bundled up, wearing winter golf gloves and a wicking 'beanie' cap wasn't quite the same, but at least I was playing golf. This year, I'll start playing at the simulator earlier. It's pretty realistic, except for the putting, which I'll forego. If I'm within 10 ft of the pin I'll declare a one putt. Any further and a two putt. At $20/hr that makes sense to me.

I'm also going to play a lot more poker this year. I've been playing in the Poker Stars Poker School Online league and will be doing more multi-table tournaments (MTTs). Cheap buy-ins, long sessions and hopefully a few final tables will be in my future. That should get me through the winter!

Winter Blues

Well, this time of year is good for re-organizing your office and doing small project around the house, but not for much else if you don't ski.

I'm trying to hit a bucket of balls every week, but there were two weeks that I didn't do that, even with covered and heated tees. So what's a guy to do? I joined on online poker league. Once a week, $5.50, usually 25-35 guys playing. So far my competition views me as less than illustrious, I'm sure, but I hope to change that soon. I've actually been playing pretty decent in the tournaments, not so much in the small stakes cash games. And a guy's got to stick to his budget.

Once golf season starts, poker will go on the back burner for the rest of the good weather. Speaking of golf, rumor has it that Chemung Hills has been sold. Hopefully they will open for golf in the Spring. It's such a nice course, I'd hate to see its loss.

Support Gleaners Food Bank

Here's a group that really does a lot, especially in Livingston County. We don't take in enough donations to send food out, so food comes into the County from other Gleaners sites.

If you golf, Nov 22nd gives you an opportunity to play for the donation of a 15 lb or larger frozen turkey. You can golf at some of the area's nicest courses, Mystic Creek, Majestic, Timber Trace, Whispering Pines, or Hartland Glens - just bring a turkey (no, not your golfing buddy type of turkey). If you don't have time to shop, pay $25 and have at it on the links.

For more info see: http://www.gcfb.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pg_birdieday&AddInterest=1063

Mystic Creek Golf Course

I started golfing last year and have not let my relative low skill level stop me from playing some really great courses. Friends told me that the Jackal at Mt. Brighton was too hard for me, I had no business playing the Legend at Shanty Creek - you either know or can guess the drill.

I played them anyway, and I'm glad that I did. Yesterday I played two of the three nine hole courses at Mystic Creek in Milford (actually within the Camp Dearborn property). I paid a three dollar entry fee which was refunded at the Pro Shop. I decided on the Meadows and Woods courses since I figured the Lakes course would be too cool and breezy. Excellent courses, both. Low use at this time of year, so you have no pressure to keep up or speed up your play. The on-cart GPS was great for me since I had never seen the holes before. It gave tips at every tee box which was greatly appreciated.

This course is really great and a good value, too. A few of the greens had been punched as part of the fall maintenance, but overall it was in excellent shape. A small army of groundskeepers were seen darting around doing chores, and I actually played pretty well on the Meadows. That fell apart when I got to the Woods, which is a slightly longer course, and more challenging.

Lately, I'm striking the ball much better. I actually beat my son for the first time last weekend. He wasn't thrilled, but at least I loaded him up with some new golf balls that I found on sale, and that I really like. They're Nike SFT. I found them on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods, a two dozen box for $25. I didn't expect much at a buck a ball, but they seem to play very well for me. I'm not a monster hitter from the tee, a typical drive is 180-200, and a great drive is 220 or so. But these SFT's seem to work better for me than anything else I've tried.

I hope to get in a few more rounds before the snow hits. Not sure what I'll do this winter, other than visit the outdoor but covered and heated tees at Deaton's in Howell. That may give me my golf fix until Spring.

Cost Savings or Cost Passing?

Boy, does it pay to do a little research. My recent interest in golf is tempered by only two things - time and money. When I can find the time to play, I like to get the best prices possible (who doesn't?).

I found a web site for golf tee times and it had some of my local courses listed. So I signed up (for free), filled out my profile and looked at some prices. It has a two-tier pricing system where you can pay a higher price to reserve a tee time but pay at the course, or pay a lesser fee and use your credit card online. (Impulse buyer's discount?)

I was ready to take advantage of the lower priced fee and decided to call the course before I clicked the mouse. Their price was a full $5 cheaper than the cheapest online price. Plus, I was told about the 'senior' rate (over 50) which saved me another $4. No mention of the senior rate with the online system. A $9 savings for picking up the phone and making my own reservation.

I completely understand that the reservation web site has to make money, too, and that there has to be some kind of fee to either the golfer to the golf course (or maybe both). But a $5 difference seemed high to me. I'll check around with some other courses and see if this was an exception, or the rule. After all, $9 will buy a modest lunch and a bucket of balls at the driving range.

Golf Bug Bites Hard

Last year I finally succumbed to golf. I had played in a couple of outings (with borrowed clubs) some 30 years ago and never found a thirst for the game. I could watch it on TV, be amazed at the skill of other golfers, but never had the urge to play. That changed last year.

I took four lessons in March & April of 2008, bought a starter set of clubs at the end of April and played my first round at a scramble outing in mid-May. I played a fair amount of golf last year (once a week, sometimes twice) and decided to join a league this year.

As I play more, I want to play even more. Of course, that's not possible since I still work. But I do have a certain latitude with my hours and an early morning tee time allows me to play 9 holes and still begin work before 9:30 or 10am. I like to hit a couple buckets of balls each week, too.

Some days I go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls instead of eating lunch. Actually, I think that's been good for me as I notice lately that my belt is being fastened at the end notch, a place I haven't been for some time!

As I hit better shots more often, I want to hit better shots all the time. Not realistic since even the pros blow a shot now & then, but hey, it's a goal to work towards. There are a lot of great courses here in Livingston County, and long-time golfers tell me golf has not been this affordable for a many years.

Some of my favorite places are:

Chemung Hills Golf Course. Beautiful, but tougher with a lot of water hazards and subtle, tricky greens. If you can putt here, you can putt anywhere. A big bonus for those living nearby is the best driving range prices I've found at $3 for a small bucket and $6 for a large bucket of balls. Also a very nice club house and good food. I've used their banquet center a couple of times, too, and it's first-class.

Faulkwood Shores, not far down the road, is a great value (see their website for monthly specials) and challenging in a different way. Narrow fairways penalize those who hit 'banana' balls but it is still a 'fair' course, even for golfers of my limited ability. Greens are usually very fast, too.

The Jackal, at Mt. Brighton, is scenic - and tough! I had no business playing this course last year, but I did anyway. (I still have no business playing it, by the way.) I lost a lot of balls, but it was worth it. Elevated tees on various parts of the downhill ski slopes, plenty of water, wetlands and woods to challenge you, but overall one of my favorite courses. Very good food in the lodge and convenient to an I-96 interchange to make it convenient for your friends to play.

Huron Meadows, part of the Huron-Clinton Metropark system, is perhaps the best maintained course on which I've played. Granted, Metropark fees are a little higher, but everything is in great shape from the tee boxes to the greens. Their carts have little 'perks', too - a combination club and ball washer, and a flip-down cleat cleaner on the rear! I love this course. And you don't need a metropark pass to enter if you're paying for golf, so don't let that park fee stop you.

There are a lot of other great golf venues within a 30 minute drive of the Brighton-Howell area, and just because they're not mentioned here doesn't mean they're not worth playing. If you're a golfer with suggestions, leave a comment with your suggestions.