I built up quite a large amount of prize money at my city course, a large chunk due to my best finish in the Salt Lake Amateur (2nd).
My first world problem was having to spend about $1,400 in the pro shop before the season ends. That may seem like an easy task for an average golfer. I’m not an average golfer. Because of my golf websites and connections, I have every golf club, golf apparel item, golf accessory, and golf product known to man. I can’t go to the bathroom at 3 a.m. without tripping over some kind of swing training device. That last thing in the world I want to do is spend $1,400 on golf stuff.
So the task was to find a way of spending $1,400 without buying anything golf related. Tough to do when the only place you can shop is the pro shop at the local city course. Once I realized the course was an Ecco dealer, I asked the pro if the shop could get Ecco street shoes, not golf shoes. He had never ordered them before, but checked with the rep and sure enough he could order any Ecco shoe which was available.
BINGO
I ordered SEVEN pairs of Eccos. Some are standard street shoes. Some skate shoes. I even got some unbelievable hiking boots. The lovely lady even benefited by receiving a pair of lady lightweight shoes and a set of amazing hiking boots.
If the 7 pairs of shoes fit, wear them
I’m going to be set in the street shoe department for a while.
The good news? I don’t have the exact number, but I think I’ll still have $300-$400 left to spend. I wonder if they deal in Kentwool socks…
Thanks to Click2Houston.com for the bonehead of the week report of a Jaguar driver who found his way onto a Top Golf driving range in Houston. He then, of course, became a target for the golfers. Sounds fun.
A man in a white Jaguar gave a new meaning to the term driving range last Saturday.
Houston police said they went out to Top Golf along the Katy Freeway and State Highway 6 after a man reportedly started driving his car over the course.
Viewer Josh Putt sent Local 2 pictures of the car. Putt said patrons apparently made the Jaguar a target, and began pelting it with golf balls.
Workers were eventually able to corral the car into a corner with a ball-collecting cart.
A security guard detained the driver and called police, but no one was arrested.
I wonder if the driver politely asked to play through?
The latest HOG featured cigar courtesy of my new best friends at Cigars City is the Kristoff LIgero Maduro Matador (Toro). Yes, the name could be longer. I’m no cigar aficionado, but working my way that direction now. This one is a departure for me. A type I’ve never tried before.
The Kristoff Ligero Maduro Matador (Toro) is a darker cigar with a much more powerful taste. The cigar comes from the Dominican Republic, but the wrapper is Brazilian. Some filler is from Nicaragua as well as Dominican.
Cigar Shape
Toro
Length & Gauge
6.5″ x 56
Strength
Medium-Full
Origin
Dominican Republic
Wrapper
Brazilian
Filler
Dominican, Nicaraguan
Avg Smoke Time
45 – 60 Minutes
Pack Size
20 Cigars
Brand
Kristoff
Price Per Cigar
$8.85
My first time around with the Ligero Maduro Matador (Toro) was a learning experience. I’m not used to medium-full cigars and this one hit me fairly hard. By the 6th tee in my golf round I was feeling a little bit silly and downright dizzy! I was puffing way too fast. It kicked my butt pretty hard.
The second time I tested out this stick I was much better prepared. I paced myself and took it nice and slow. After all, this one is a 45-60 minute smoke. The slower and less aggressive pace made a big difference. I was able to enjoy the cigar without it having too much of an effect on me physically (or mentally for that matter). This time I was able to soak in the taste a little better and enjoy it.
Conclusion
Pace yourself on this one. The Maduro Matador (Toro) is not for beginners! When smoked at a nice pace it can be highly enjoyed.
Two years ago today my life was greatly changed with the birth of baby Seve Anthony (first photo). The last two years have been quite sleep deprived and surely a test for myself and the lovely bride. Seve is growing fast. He has great sense of humor and is fun to play with. He’s formulating multiple word sentences and loves to say “well hi dad!”
Yes, the name Seve is inspired by golf legend Seve Ballesteros.
On a daily basis this great little boy blows my mind and melts my heart. I enjoy rediscovering life’s simple things with him. He enjoys digging in the dirt, throwing rocks in streams, pushing toy cars around, building with building blocks, walking around the neighborhood. Seve loves mechanical things which work together like hinges, doors, drawers, buttons, wheels. He studies them intensely to see how they work. Perhaps a mechanical engineer in the making.
From the moment he awakes (unfortunately no later than 6 a.m.) he is full of energy and wants to explore the neighborhood, dragging mom and myself around in the wee hours to visit his spots and say hello to the neighbor’s pets. He will grab my hand and take me to whatever he’s doing so that I can participate with him. If I’m sitting or laying, he will try to lift me up! Sev’s energy level is constant and high, except during nap time and once he finally falls asleep for the night.
Without my influence, he has picked up some golf clubs and whacks a ball around the house. I may adopt his pre-shot routine, circling the ball a time or two before hitting it. Check it out:
Somehow (yes, yes I know) he loves football, and loves tossing a football around the house, the backyard, and at Utah Utes football tailgating.
Seve is a bright light in my world and brings happiness to everyone he comes in contact with. I look forward to watching this little guy grow, and to experiencing all that life has to offer him. I hope to be a great example for him, as my father was (and still is) to me.
Bushnell Tour Z6 Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker + Jolt
I’ve had a Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt laser rangefinder in the bag for a while now. The Tour Z6 Jolt is a small golf laser rangefinder which has some very nice features, the most useful and obvious is providing yardages to the golfer. Armed with exact yardages to the pin, to the lip of bunkers which need to be carried, to trees, to hazards, the golfer can confidently pick the right club and right swing for the shot.
Features
The key feature of a laser rangefinder is to give the golfer a yardage to the pin. The “Pinseeker” component of the Bushnell Tour Z6 is designed to easily lock onto flagsticks quickly and accurately, delivering that yardage fast and dependably.
The unit is capable of delivering yardages from five to 1,300 yards. Nice to be able to get a yardage to the pin on a 1,300 yard hole for you big hitters.
When the unit is fairly sure it has locked in on a flagstick, it vibrates or produces a “jolt” which gives physical feedback to the user. Thus the “jolt” name.
The numbers, crosshairs, and other on screen display items are shown in a very vibrant glowing red. That glowing red is much easier to read than lasers with black numbers.
The focus adjustable viewfinder magnifies the viewing area by 6x, making the flag or other items the user is shooting very easy to see. Since the focus is adjustable, the viewfinder can be tweaked for those who need prescription glasses or contacts.
The case and housing are very sharp looking. The skeleton of the unit is covered in very tough and durable rubber, which is also waterproof. Great for those rounds in Scotland, Florida, or the northwest USA.
On The Course
I like the small footprint of this particular laser. It easily fits in pockets on the golf bag. It is not heavy or cumbersome. The included case hangs nicely on a towel loop or other place on the bag for easy access.
For the most part the yardages are acquired quickly and accurately. The jolt feature is a nice addition, giving confidence that the unit is locked in on the flagstick and not the trees behind the green.
I really dig the red display characters and crosshairs. They look so much better than the standard black/gray LCD type display characters. The numbers are easy to read.
I wear prescription glasses on the course. Because of how they are working, I need an adjustable diopter to do a custom focus for my eyes. That way I don’t have to take off my glasses to see what’s in the laser’s display area. The adjustment works great and saves me the inconvenience of having to remove my glasses to use the unit.
Critiques
Above I mentioned that “for the most part” the yardages are quick and accurate. I have found on occasion that the yardages can sometimes vary by as much as two yards. One time I may shoot a pin at 150 and the next two confirmation shots could be 151 or 149. I’m not necessarily good enough to worry about the difference between 149 to 151, but it may bring into question whether or not the yardage is accurate.
Conclusion
I typically prefer lasers over golf GPS units. The only time a GPS is better is when hitting over trees or objects which block the laser’s line of sight, which is not often.
New drivers can cost $500 and up. But they can’t help you with as much of your game as knowing exact yardages to the pin and all sorts of other targets on the course. The roughly $400 investment for this unit is steep, but will be used far more times in a golf round than 14, the typical number of times a driver is hit.
The Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt is a solid golf laser rangefinder and it is my new gamer. I love the feel of the unit in both tactile terms and the jolt feature. The red display is awesome. I can use it in the rain, which I play plenty of rounds in.
The only thing better than a Scottish caddie is… a Scottish caddie. When I can’t use a Scottish caddie, I use the Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt golf laser rangefinder!
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