Well, I finally watched “Golf in the Kingdom” on Saturday, which led to me explaining the Mysticism of Golf to my wife. She didn’t roll her eyes, which was a good sign (or at least she masked her concern very well).
When I first read GITK about a decade ago, I showed up at my Men’s Club the next day armed with a new lease on my golfing life. I got off to a slow start, which led one of my buddies to ask me why I was still smiling:
“Kev, you’re not doing so well. Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Gary, the game’s about so much more than that. It’s all in the walking.”
“Kev, I’m worried about you.”
Saturday led to a resurgence of my desire to play a more “rooted” version of the game. So when I arrived on the first tee with Ron Mon Sunday morning, I came armed with more than just a renewed attitude. I dug into the shed, made some phone calls, and showed up with this:
I loved my Tony Penna Woods, and used the 3-Wood in my bag all the way through 2008. Unfortunately, the Penna Driver lost its whipping, so the head now shifts on the downswing. As a result, I had to use a mixed set, with the Wilson Royal 1 Wood taking the “big dog” position. Since there were no hybrids back in the day, the 1 and 2 irons were resurrected, along with a set of Wilson Staff Tour Blades. A hickory-shafted putter completed the bag.
When was the last time any of you played a “back in time” round? I certainly didn’t set the world on fire with my performance, but I managed 7 pars on a waterlogged golf course, each of which were savored with an enhanced sense of “I earned that.”
I regret that I didn’t have this inspiration earlier in the season when the Buffalo-area courses were firmer. We had chosen a course that is typically the driest in the area, but even this one was in a cart-path only situation. The course was also “cart mandatory", so my desire to savor the walking was muted by the equal desire to share the social side of the day (Forgive them, Melvyn – I’ve berated and protested enough to no avail).
However, despite those few drawbacks, it was a great experience that will not be a “one time only” occurrence. Part of my decision was based on using this as a “training aid” (like high-altitude training for runners) to help correct some swing flaws masked by today’s equipment (mainly tempo). A few of the primary observations:
- It’s hard to describe the excitement of standing over your first fairway 1-iron shot since the mid 1990s. I had no idea what was in store, but I was eager to find out (hard, low fade).
- How did I not give up the game out of frustration from this equipment, back when I had a scorecard mentality?
- Chipping and pitching is a completely different animal when the ball doesn’t “jump” off the face. After the first few attempts, I found this actually made things a little easier to control distances.
- How much have manufacturers strengthened lofts over the decades? The Pitching Wedge appeared to have the same loft as my current “A” Wedge.
- Am I given a pass on the “No Spitting” Rule when it’s solely meant to revive a small semblance of tack to rubber grips that are older than Jessica Simpson?
I’ve been contemplating the purchase of a set of hickories to complement the “modern” game. Yesterday affirmed my desire, and I’ll be even more eager for the 2012 season to begin for that experience. Scott Witter designed a “zero irrigation” course just 5 minutes from my house (Ironwood) that will be perfect for the hickory game.
Anyone else ready to step Back in Time? (I've been singing the Huey Lewis theme from Back to the Future all day)