{ personal }

Encore, Jaleo and Carnevino

I know, what happens in Vegas status in Vegas. But my flight is delayed and I need to kill time. So here are some quick reviews.

Pretty impressed with Encore. Stayed at the Wynn a few years ago and was not impressed. But Encore I would repeat. We got a suite on the 62nd floor with a nice view of the Wynn and the golf course. Service was top notch.

Friday night we had dinner at Jaleo, tapas place at Cosmopolitan. Good dinner, would repeat. The jambon was awesome. Brings back good memories of Madrid.

Saturday night we went to Carnevino, Italian steakhouse at the Palazzo. Was disappointed. The pacing of the food was annoying. Finish one dish, wait 20 minutes for the next dish. The waiter forgot that one member of the group wasn't having the tasting menu (vegan convert). For almost $200 per person would not recommend. The pasta and bison were good, but doesn't make up for the other shortcomings.

St. Andrews Trip

Thanks to TaskRabbit I got my Garmin G3 GPS fixed.  There's nothing worse than the post office: the lines, the waiting, the germs.  With TaskRabbit, "Kevin C" came to my office, picked up the unit, went to the post office, dealt with packaging, and a week later Garmin sent me a replacement.

Now that I can cross off a new GPS as a 2012 golf splurge, what to take its place? After lunch on Monday with The Olympic Club's Director of Golf and Basketball, I've decided on a trip to St. Andrews.  Every die-hard golfer wants to play St. Andrews, The Old Course.  The travel, the lack of guaranteed tee times and the cost make the trip daunting, however.  But after hearing about the trip in person and the relative ease of getting a tee time, I'm sold.

Mom @ St. Andrews

Guaranteed tee times will cost you a pretty penny (the agency they went through wanted an additional $1,500 per person).  But with St. Andrew's lottery/ballot and walk-on systems it's not too difficult to get a tee time.  He ended up playing the Old Course twice, the second time when he was out jogging and ran into the starter who told him there was an open slot in the afternoon.

So let the planning behind.

Golf and Your Brain Power

Almost done listening to Brain Rules.  My favorite rule, exercise powers the brain! Recent studies have shown that exercise makes you smarter.  Even just fidgeting while watching television makes a couch potatoe a smarter couch potatoe.

This is a great news for me, as it helps me justify and play guilt-free golf.  Golf is an expensive and time consuming hobby.  Sometimes I think my time might be better spent doing something else.  But I can't stop now.  Not only will golf make me live longer (see my early blog on golfers who walk the course living on average 5 years longer), it'll make me smarter as well.  If I stop playing I'd literally be killing and dumbing myself.  Tell that to wife next time you want to play on Sunday!

Another rule I like, the myth of multi-tasking.  Study or no study, I have never thought people could multi-task.  I remember in college seeing classmates in coffee shops, listening to music, eating, people watching and yes trying to study.  You just can't do that.  Context switching is too expensive.  Now studies have confirmed the brain is horrible at multi-tasking, requiring tenths of seconds to context switch.

Hips and Lower Back of a 60 Year Old

With my Asian babyface I seldom feel that old.  And when I play golf, I play with dads and guys collecting pension, so I never feel old during a round.  But today I did.  On the 11th hole of our 2nd round at Half Moon Bay Ocean Course we had to wait about 10 minutes.  It was cold (high 40s/low 50s) and windy.  I could feel my hips and lower back tighten up.

I didn't mind so much the wait (was in good company, nice ocean views, shooting the shit) but I could literally feel my hips and lower back tighten each time we waited, which was basically the entire back nine.  And as the temperature kept dropping I could feel it getting worse.  I've heard Fred Couples talk about his back tightening up in cold weather but never thought I, the young buck that I am, would be suffering from the same ailment.

Well, at least I got 28 good holes in.  The first round I played like shit but we had a small team wager to kept things interesting.  After lunch I felt revitalized (probably the diet coke).  Gave myself a little pep talk: time to play some golf, stop hacking around and embarassing yourself.

Things started off well.  Good drive and a helping wind left me with a little wedge in.  Good kick and roll to 10-12 feet.  Then I freakin 3-jack.  I just played the hole earlier in the day, exact same pin location, and I 3 putt from 10 feet, unbelievable.

2nd hole, good drive, decent approach.  3 putted again.  Rammed my 1st putt a good 15 feet pass.  I would also 3 putt the 4th hole.  3 greens in regulartion, 3 3-putts, 3 bogeys. Finally got something going on the 6th when I hit an 8-iron to about 5 feet.  No way was I going to 3-putt that.  But gave it all back on the 7th.  Still, managed a decent front nine after parring the 9th with another GIR.  5 greens on the front, that might tie a record for me.  Of course it was all for not once we ran into traffic.

My biggest take away from today, besides the fact that I have the hips and lower back of a 60 year, was I can will myself to play better golf.  The 1st round I was playing so shitty, but I knew exactly how I could play better for the 2nd round.   Slow my swing down.  Still hit the he ball just as far but so much more accurate, consistent and controlled when my I swing within myself.  It's a very comforting feeling knowing I can play better by making just a single mental adjustment, slowing my swing down.

End of the Year Golf Splurge Dilemma

Frankly, last month or so my interest in golf was waning a bit.  But a good round at the Archer Cup and playing the Lake Course has resurrected my passion for the game.  And by passion I mean shopping.  It's time for my end of the year golf splurge.

First potential splurge is a new set of irons.  Two years to the month since I got the TaylorMade Burner(1.0) irons.  They're perfectly fine, still in good condition, but the just released Titleist AP1 irons have caught my attention. 

For the most part I've had pretty much all TaylorMade clubs since I started playing 6 years ago and want to try a different manufacturer.  Since it's a brand new model if I buy it now I'll get maximum "newest" for my money.  So what's holding me back (besides the obvious money factor)?  One, buying an entire iron set seems wasteful since I only play up to a 6-iron (rest hybrids). Two, I'd have to get a matching sand wedge and lob wedge, which crosses my splurge budget.  Finally, not sure if I want to spend a couple of months getting used to new irons.

Next potential splurge item, a Bat Caddy remote controlled electric push cart.   My current Clicgear 2.0 is in good shape, some minor scratches here and there, otherwise fully functionality.

But it's so boring.  Seems like everybody has one.  I could get the limited edition white Clicgear but it seems stupid to get rid of a perfectly fine Clicgear for another one.  So what's holding me back (bsides the obvious money factor)?  One, I'm not sure if it'll fit in my car's storage compartment.  The Clicgear folds into a very compact rectangle and precisely fits into the my car's front storage compartment.  I think the Bat Caddy will also fit but I can't be sure because there's no local retailers that carry them.  I'd be taking a risk ordering online.

Third up, a round at Pebble Beach. The course is amazing, the views are breathtaking.  A caddy carries your bag while you stroll down the same fairway. Life is good. 

So what's holding me back (bsides the obvious money factor)?  Well, I've played it 3 times already so it no longer has that "wow" factor.  The first time was "wow", the second time was "wow" because it was the week before the US Open (2010).  The third time was good, but definitely didn't have the same kid in the candy store feeling.

Fourth up, new GPS.  My Garmin G3 GPS died on me.  Some software issue about "cannot unlock maps."  Been trying to get it working for the last few weeks, no luck.  The G3 wasn't full-featured.  Next GPS I think I'd want something larger, with better graphics, ability to track stats, etc.  Something like the SkyCaddy SGX

So what's holding me back (bsides the obvious money factor)? It just feels so wasteful.  I probably should try to get Garmin to fix the G3.  Also, I use my Bushnell laser rangefinder much more than GPS.  GPS is great for new courses but it's not like I'm playing new courses every weekend.  $400 to use it once or twice a round seems wasteful.

There you have it, my top four end of the year golf splurges.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Olympic Club Lake Course, Take Two

I had the privileged of playing the Lake Course at the Olympic Club today.  Privileged because the Lake Course is routinely ranked top 25 in the United States.  That's along side clubs such Medinah, Riviera and Muirfield Village.  If that wasn't enough to get me excited, the 2012 US Open will be played on the Lake Course.

Last year I played the Lake Course for the first time but frankly it was a blur.  We rode in a cart so I didn't get as good a feel for the course as when you walk.  This time I vowed to walk the course even if it meant a less relaxing, more tiring round.  Luckily I have a second, super lightweight carry bag.  The Lake Course is significantly more hilly than Harding Park but I would still put it in the very walkable category.  The tees are not very far apart and while there are some good climbs it's not overly exhausting.  I made it through 15 holes no problems.  The last 3 holes I wouldn't have mind a caddy but overall I'm really glad I walked to course.

The day got off to an early start.  Knowing I'd be walking I opted for a 3-egg, 6-sauage breakfast.  Then it was off to the grass driving range for a quick warm-up.  Was hitting the ball pretty well so I stop early and went to roll some putts.  Olympic's greens are "super bent", 70% Tyee and 30% 007 grass.  Very nice to putt on--if you can read the putts.  Putting would turn out to be my Achilles' heel.

9:40, Tebow Time.  The 1st hole is one of the easier holes, a  dogleft right par-5.  Easy, except for the nervous factor.  Our host is a 7, his friend is a 10, while my former boss and I are more or less hacks. Our host plays from the blue tees so we join him.  Frankly, the blue tees are just too long for me.  I'd have to hit my driver and #2 hybrid perfectly on a few par 4s to reach.  Especially with some of the greenside bunkering which effectively forces you to carry your entire approach distance. After a great driver and 2nd I was left with a nice little gap wedge in.  Borderline skulled it but got relief from grounds under repair.  Failed to get up and down.

2nd hole is a prime example of course management.  There's a relatively deep bunk guarding the green on the right side.  If I had known this I wouldn't have went for the right side pin.  Once I got in bunker it was game over.  My bunker play today was horrible.  

3rd hole is a long 200 yard par-3. I hit an absolute laser.  Needed about 4 more feet of roll to get over the ridge and it wold have cozied next to hole.  So instead I'm left with about a 15 footer that goes over a slight ridge then downhill.  Flew it by and was left with about an 8 footer coming back for par.  3-jack bogey from 15 feet. Ugg.

Think I had 40+ putts today.  Just couldn't get the speed down until about the 14th/15th hole.  Was actually hitting the ball pretty well.  On the front I GIR the 3rd, 7th and 8th.  3 GIRs for a nine is good for my handicap.  But I walked away with 3 bogeys.  Couldn't putt.

Back nine was a bit of a grind.  When you feel like you're playing well but can't 2-putt from 15 feet golf becomes very frustrating.  Like on the 12th.  Made a mess of my approach shot but hit a beauty to about 10 feet for a chance to save par.  Walked away with a double from another 3 putt.

The 16th, 17th and 18th were brutal.  The toll of walking had finally caught up.  The 16th is just such a ridiculously long par 5.  17th I was so out of it I thought it was a par 4 when in fact it was a par 5.  So the entire hole I kept thining to myself, man, am I that short of a hitter?  18th I was just too drained.

Overall, great day.  Weather was absolutely amazing.  Cool but sunny, good for walking.  My impressions of the Lake Course has definitely gone up from the first time.  Harding you don't really need to position your ball.  Here, you definitely need to think about where you want to be to avoid the big numbers.  The wrong bunker, the wrong side of the fairway, the wrong miss, and you're in a world of hurt.  Just a lot more trouble.  Fair though, not gimmicky stuff or bind shots.  A lot more variety in the holes than Harding.  Dogleft left, right, elevation changes. 

Finally, No Blowup Hole

My game (if you can call it that) is characterized by a lot of bogeys mixed in with a few pars.  Steady and boring.

But the last month I haven't lived up to my moniker, "Bogey Bao."  Like at the club championship.  I'm on a 5 hole par streak, playing some of my best golf, then 4-jack from 15 feet.  Not sure if it's lack of focus or nerves.  Whatever it is, the result is the same, extreme frustration.  Entire round, ruined by one bad decision, one lousy hole. 4 hours of good play derailed by a 5 minute span.

Today, that frustration ended at our season ending event. Things started off slow.  Driver wasn't working on the first and second holes, forcing me to punch out and scramble for bogeys.

Third hole I 3-jack from 12 feet. 4th hole I 3-jack when I missed a 1.5 footer (no gimmes in tournament golf).  Back-to-back doubles.  It's going to be a long day.

I made a mess of the 5th but a good chip and putt saved bogey.  The 5th probably saved my round.  3 straight doubles and I might not have been able to mentally recover.  So through 5,

score (putt)
1: +1 (2)
2: +1 (2)
3: +2 (3)
4: +2 (3)
5: +1 (1)

6th I hit a good approach shot from 168 but came a yard short so instead of putting for birdie I was playing out of the bunker.  After a poor out from the sand I 2-putted for another bogey.  Through 6, still no pars.

Finally par the 7th.  Hit a laser from 185 on the 8th for another par.  9th, what I consider the easiest hole, got me when the wind took my ball into the fairway bunker.  So I finished the front +9. 

1: +1 (2)
2: +1 (2)
3: +2 (3)
4: +2 (3)
5: +1 (1)
6: +1 (2)
7:  E (2)
8:  E (1)
9: +1 (2)
---------
   +9 (18)

Nothing to write home about, but I was feeling good. No triples, no blowups.  I'm back to playing steady, relatively stress free golf.  Without those inexcusable 3-putts I'd be Bogey Bao again.

Back nine started well with a par on the 10th.  After bogeying the 11th I GIR the 12th.  About a 10-13 footer for birdie but I completely misread the putt so I'm left for a 5 footer for par.  Missed it for a 3-jack bogey. Uggh.

10:  E (1)
11: +1 (2)
12: +1 (3)

Then I got on a hot streak.  Par the 13th, bogey the tough 14th, par the 15th, par the 16th.

13:  E (1)
14: +1 (2)
15:  E (1)
16:  E (2)

So I'm +3 with 2 holes to go.  17th is a par 3, playing 168 today.  I hit a great little fade but it just didn't have enough with the head wind.  Another yard and I'd be vying for closest to the pin, but it caught the fringe and rolled back into the bunker.  Bogey. Poor driver on the 18th left me little chance for par.

10:  E (1)
11: +1 (2)
12: +1 (3)
13:  E (1)
14: +1 (2)
15:  E (1)
16:  E (2)
17: +1 (2)
18: +1 (2)
----------
    +5 (16)

Still, +5 on the back nine I'll take any day.  Final tally, 86 with 34 putts.  Putting, putting, putting.  Gave away 3 strokes from the 3 3-jacks. 

The frustration has ended.

Great Expectations

Playing in my first multi-round tournament.  Our club championship is 3 rounds spread over two weekends with a cut after the 1st round.  Timing couldn't be worst.  Since last Sunday, I've worked probably close to 80 hours.  Mentally, physically, I am exhausted.  Seriously thought about skipping, even though I had already paid.  But willed myself to get out and take a break from work.

Despite a solid 9 hours of sleep I still felt like crap in the morning.  Barely got a small breakfast in then it was go time.  Had absolutely no expectations.  Break a 100, don't lose too many balls, don't collapse from exhaustion....

Drive on 1st hole goes 140 yards.  Then a poor layup, followed by a skulled wedge, followed by a chip that runs across the green, followed by  a chip that's 6 feet short.  Did make the 6 footer though.  Well, that settles it, probably won't be playing next weekend. 

2nd and 3rd holes weren't much better.  +4 through 3.  At this point all expectations truly went out the window.  This freed me up and I ended up playing a good stretch of golf.

I hit the green on the 1 handicap 4th hole.  Unfortunately I 3-putted but a bogey on 4 ain't bad for my handicap.  Great drive on the 5th left me with about 110 yards.   Wedge to about 12 feet.  6th I found the bunker but hit one of my best bunker shots ever to about 2.5 feet.  Of course I missed the 2.5 footer! 

7th I GIR and two putted for par.  8th I just found the fringe of the green and two putt for par.  Also parred the easy par-5 9th.  4 pars in the last 5 holes, not bad at all.  Still, my expectations were tempered.

Back nine started out well, getting up-and-down for par on the 10th hole.  OK, expectations creeping in.  5 pars in 6 holes, I'm on pace for a pretty good round.  Maybe I will be around for next weekend

Hit a laser to the tight back right pin on the par-3 11th.  I even said "be good" like the pros because it looked so good.  OK, expectations are definitely high now.  Another par, maybe even a birdie.  Maybe closest to the pin.   

But it wasn't good.  Just off by a yard so instead of putting for birdie I had a delicate chip.  I flubbed the chip.  I go from "par's in the bag" to "shit, double's a real possibility."  Proceeded to 4 putt for quadruple bogey.

The adrenaline that had been sustaining me gone in an instance.  Energy level dropped, focus out the window.  The next 5 holes were brutal.  Even when I did hit a good shot I couldn't catch a break.  Like on the difficult 14th.  Hit another laser to the pin but just like the 11th hole it was long by a couple of yards, so instead of putting for birdie I was left with another delicate chip.

Finally caught a break on the 17th and got up-and-down for par.  This gave me life and I proceeded to birdie the 18th with a great little cut to about 4 feet.  Think I made the cut with the par-birdie finish but I didn't stick around to see the other scores.

Rennsport Reunion and Golf Weekend

Exciting weekend ahead, combining two of my passions (some say obsessions).  Saturday is Rennsport Reunion IV at Laguna Seca, the world's largest gathering of Porsche race cars.  In addition to the various races I'm looking forward to seeing the new 911 make its North American debut.  To cap the day off there'll be plenty of beer and brats in the Porsche Paddock Biergarten.

Sunday I was supposed to play in the Tiger Woods Invitational at Pebble Beach just down the road from Laguna Seca.  Unfortunately my $10,500 entry fee check bounced so instead I'll hanging out with the Bushwood GC at Poppy Hills for our season ending tournament.  First time this year I'll be playing with BGC.  My hernia sidelined me at the beginning of the season, then once I recovered I played Harding Park almost exclusively.  But better late than never.

Fond memories from last year's tournment.  Big down pour, miserable conditions.  But I probably shot a net 70.  One of my best driving and ball striking days. Couldn't make a putt to save my life but that's golf.

Thursday Tee Time with Tiger

Big golf week this week.  Thursday, taking day off to play an early morning round with some friends down in San Jose.  Then we're going to head over to CordeValle to catch Tiger play at the Frys.com Open.  Thursday round shouldn't be too crowded so we're hoping to see a lot. 

Sunday, have my monthly TPC Harding Park Men's Club tournament.  I like these tournaments because they serve as a good test of how many game is progressing.  During a casual round, either as a single walk-on or with friends, it's so easy to lose focus, give up, go for the miracle shot, etc.  I wouldn't want to grind out 5+ hour rounds every weekend, but once a month is good for keeping yourself honest.  Those little 3 foot gimmes suddenly look a lot longer.

Things weren't looking good for the Thursday and Sunday rounds.  Yesterday I played at Sharp Park and lost 7 balls, probably more than my last 20 rounds combined!  Then this morning I played with a couple of friends at Harding Park and shot about 9 strokes worst than my index on the front nine alone.  Back nine didn't get off to a good start either, a triple (ESC double) after losing another ball. 

At that point I was at a complete lost.  Decided to go back to my old Nike 20XI-X balls. If you recall, I've been trying out the Callaway HX Diablo and HX Diablo Tour balls; felt I was giving up too much distance with the Nikes.  The HX Diablo (both versions) are definitely longer than the Nikes (maybe 15-20 yards on a solid drive) but from day one I felt like I couldn't control them as well.

Let me rephrase that.  I'm not good enough to "control" my ball.  With the Nikes a bad shot would still be fairly straight, fairly on target.  With the Callways I'm all over the place.  Big pushes, big pulls, crazy slices, crazy hooks.  Maybe it's all mental, but whatever it is, as soon as I went back to the 20XIs on the 11th I got my first par of the day.  Then after a stretch of bogeys and one blow-up hole (more on that latter), I went par, par, birdie to finish.  Yes, I finally birdied the 18th hole at Harding.  For those unfamiliar with the 18th, it's Harding Park's signature hole, and a 2-handicap at that.  

The blow-up hole occurred because it took me 2 strokes to get out of the bunker (and it was a poor out at that).  I'm actually pretty confident of my bunker play but today I was definitely having problems.  Then it occurred to me why.  Normally, most muni courses have basically dirt bunkers.  You have to play it like a fat shot.  A good, aggressive fat shot.  But because Harding Park is prepping for the PGA Charles Schwab Cup next month they've actually put sand in the bunker.  Now you have to play it like a "real" bunker shot, letting that leading edge slide in.  Well, that's my explanation/excuse, that it for what it's worth.

In any event, the strong finish gives me much needed confidence for Thursday and Sunday.  Time to go buy some more Nike 20XIs.  Like I said, maybe it's all mental, but I've definitely played my best golf with the 20XIs.  Aidios Callaway HX Diablos!