Friday, November 7, 2008

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?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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.

Monday, September 8, 2008

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.

Friday, September 5, 2008

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.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Candidates as Golfers

Now that we are in full swing of the Presidential Election, it got us at One Mulligan thinking "What type of golfers would each of the four candidates (Prez and VPs) be. This reflects no party affiliation.

Joe Biden-would be the 14 handicap who might even still use a persimmon wood. He knows all the rules and would be quick to point them out, except he may not always follow them. He's a good guy to have on a scramble, but never you're first pick.

Sarah Palin-She's long off the tee, but her approach shots aren't consistent. She may want to take a nip quite often during a round. I would imagine in Alaska you often take a nip during a round.

John McCain-he slices, hooks and every once in a while hits a straight tee shot. His approach is solid, but his lag putting is poor. He three-putts too much.

Obama-He's the guy you love to hate. His swing is sweet. He's slender and looks good in almost all golf clothes. He probably would be the scratch golfer of the group. He keeps you entertained. His downside is that he probably couldn't putt, he's not about the short game. He's about the home run, not the single. It's way too cool to hit the ball like J.B. Holmes.

Fed Ex Cup gets Rained Out, what to do?

Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk and others had to watch the start of the BMW Championship wash away with the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. The winds and rain stopped play before it even started.

When you're about to play and skies open up, what is there to do? I know a lot of folks drink. I've seen people play a golf game with dice. Others eat. What do you do?

Staying Hydrated while Playing 18

Gatorade is a monster in the sports drink category. In fact, I think their share is more than 80%. Recently, Gatorade and Tiger Woods joined forces for a new sports/golf drink, called Gatorade Tiger Woods. I'm sure the differences between this version and the classic Gatorade are minute. Whenever I am forced to hydrate gulping some colored drink I find myself: 1-looking for the tall grass to relieve myself 2-So much sugar I can't sit still and 3-One heck of a bloated stomach. All of this does not make for a good afternoon of golfing. I think I may have found a solution. Many months ago I saw a feature in a golf magazine about what a player has in his bag. Besides clubs, one golfer carried something called Back Nine Lytes. As a pretty good sweater, I figured it looked interesting. So I googled the company and called to place an order. I started using them as soon as they arrived. I have got to tell you that they are as important in my bag now as my putter. If it's hot I take a few of these pills with water prior to my round. I might take a few around the 6-7 holes. Then I definitely take a few more around 12-13 and I even take some after I'm finished. I never feel fatigued.

Tip: Finding the best deals

I'm sure many of you have secrets on how to save money when it comes to buying golf equipment, clothes and accessories. Here are our tips on reaching more greens without reaching for more green:

1. National golf chains and local golf shop still tend to be high. Even national sporting good stores are high.

2. If you want good prices on balls, tees and even gloves--go to Wal-Mart.

3. If you don't mind buying used equipment, find the nearest second hand sporting good store, like a Play-it-Again Sports Shop. They have deals comparable to ebay.

4. Ok, if you want to go to ebay, make sure you buy from a reputable seller. Also, ask many questions. I bought clubs once that we're newly gripped, but the grips were some of the cheapest grips I've ever seen. I didn't ask what kind of grips.

5. The clubs at Wal-Mart and K-Mart are cheap for a reason. For the annual golfer or maybe for kids these clubs make sense, but don't rely on their performance. Clubs are high for a reason.

Welcome to our Blog

Whether you are Tiger Woods, Ralph Kramden, Charles Barkley, Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (Janet Jones) or anyone else, there are some simple solutions to help your round of golf. From exercises, to clubs, to mental alertness, etc. One Mulligan has it covered.