Flipper – King of the Green
Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, July 25th, 2014
Categories: Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Hackers
Tags: Acer
Categories: Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Hackers
Tags: Acer
Can a chipper (or Flipper in this case) be the cure for the chip yips? I’m desperate enough to find out.
Sitting in my basement still in the shrink wrap for many years, is the club which could be my secret to rounds in the 60’s and the end to my short game frustrations. It could also cause me to be the subject of laughter and much ridicule by golfers who I may or may not know. Say hello to the Acer Flipper, the king of the green!
Everybody sing with me!
They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
No-one you see, is smarter than he,
And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
Flying there-over, over the green!
Everyone loves the king of the green,
Ever so kind and gentle is he,
Tricks he will do when golfers appear,
And how they laugh when he’s near!
They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
No-one you see, is smarter than he,
And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
Flying there-over, over the green!
Flipper!
My putting is tour-level quality, but my chipping and pitching is as bad as my putting is good. In fact, I think I have the chip-yips. I’ve practiced countless hours and taken many lessons, but when I get on the course some kind of gag reflex happens and I have very little control over my chip distance. It has improved this season, yes. But I give up at least 3-5 shots per round due to bad chipping. Somehow I still manage to shoot in the low 70’s despite this problem. Imagine if I could save those 3-5 shots? I’d be scratch or better.
Case in point yesterday was a round of 73 in which I failed to get up and down for birdie when within five yards of two par-5 holes in two shots. I also failed to get up and down on the par-4 14th from about the same distance. Instead, I dubbed a chip about three feet and then changed to putter, getting up and down for bogey. There were three strokes I gagged up right there. Fix that and that 73 is a 70. Big difference.
Perhaps with the Flipper I can use my putting stroke around the greens instead of the gag-chip thing I’m doing.
Laugh at me if you wish. I’ll take it in stride. If the Flipper works, great! If not, I tried.
Possible Inside Scoop on One of Tom Watson’s Ryder Cup Captain’s Picks and He is Not Tiger Woods
You heard it here first. There’s been a lot of discussion as to whether or not Tom Watson should pick Tiger Woods as one of his captain’s picks. There are good arguments for both sides of the discussion for sure. My opinion is that the proper question is not whether Tom Watson should pick Tiger Woods, rather who is the BEST pick.
My official letter of invitation to be on the 2014 Ryder Cup team?
I just got this letter in the mail from Tom Watson. I have yet to open it. But I theorize that Tom has been looking at my last 10 rounds or so and seen that I’m playing pretty damn well. This letter must be my official notification that I’ve been chosen as one of Tom Watson’s Ryder Cup captain’s picks.
I won’t bother opening this. I’ll just book my flight for Gleneagles and talk to Tom when I get there. See you in September.
Snap Hookz Golf Accessory Follow-Up
Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Accessory
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Accessory
This is a quick follow-up commentary on a previous golf accessory review. Back on May 29, 2014 I reviewed the Snap Hookz golf “accessory accessory.” This is a unit which attaches to the golf bag and provides more and better options for hanging and mounting club brushes, golf towels, GPS watches, hats, or whatever.
I’ve been frustrated lately with my 4-wheeled Sun Mountain Micro Cart and Nike Golf Bag combination lately. The Nike bag’s hinges for the legs hits the Sun Mountain cart at the worst spot. The result is that the bag slips and rotates, bunching my clubs all up on one side. Yesterday I tried a solution, which was mounting the bag’s front on the underside toward the cart and that solved the movement problem. But the new problem was that my accessory loops and pockets were all underneath and not easy to access.
Snap Hookz on underside of golf bag!
Problem Solved!
With the Snap Hookz I was able to “create” a new set of loops for the leg-side of the bag (see photo above) and hang my GPS watch, golf towel, and Frogger club brush for easy access!
Nice job Snap Hookz!
Sandy Utah’s River Oaks From Above
Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
Categories: Golf Courses • HOG World Tour
Tags: Golf Utah
Categories: Golf Courses • HOG World Tour
Tags: Golf Utah
Being the last group on the back nine last night at one of my home courses was quite nice. The temperature had dropped down from 100 to a reasonable 87. The lighting was nice and the wind had died down. I’m such a quick draw on my portable aerial photo/video helicopter that I was able to catch some pictures and video around the par-3 12th hole while waiting for the green to clear!
Left to right: River Oaks hole 11, 2, 1, 12 green – click to enlarge
For more pics of River Oaks, go here: https://www.hookedongolfblog.com/gallery/courses/usa/Utah/RiverOaks
Golf and Cucumbers
Because I’m a blogger and not necessarily a “journalist” I’m giving myself the artistic permission to contradict myself. Two posts ago I wrote about the great people I’ve met through this blog, and also said that what keeps me in golf is the great friends I enjoy the game with. The power of those friendships is stronger than my frustration with not getting better. But what if I got worse?
While chopping cucumbers for last night’s dinner a thought popped into my cranium. I thought it a high possibility that I would quit the game if I could not play at a certain level. That level is either where I am now, or perhaps just a little better. If I were to fall to a higher handicap, I doubt I’d be excited about playing. I would not be enjoying the feel of those great shots, at least not as often. I liken it to my old days of being a high roller in Vegas. I used to play $25 minimum blackjack, with some of my bets exceeding $1000 on one hand. The thrill and adrenaline at that level is crazy. Going back down to say a $5 or $2 bet is downright boring and not exciting at all. Playing scratch is like playing those big and exciting bets in Vegas. Playing to a 12 handicap would be like the $2 bet, not thrilling and no excitement. I might even say it would feel like a waste of time.
As it sits now I’m golfing three times per week, with a short practice session before each round. Through the course of the summer I’ve managed to knock my handicap down from the spring blowup 5.7 to a 2.8. I’ve hovered around a 2 for many years. I shoot about half my rounds in the low 70’s and few times per year might break into the 60’s. The other 45% is the “other” category, where the scores are higher and do not count against the handicap.
Statistically I’m an above average amateur golfer. Like most, I want to improve my game and I try to get better. I doubt I can improve very much though, because I’m not on the course enough or logging enough practice time to make a difference. When I was a scratch player years ago I was playing five times per week, or even more.
I realize that every golfer who plays long enough will face the reality that their abilities will decrease with age. I’m not old enough to use that as an excuse, yet. I have a family, a day job, night job, do web programming on the side, and have taken up a new hobby which I hope to turn into a business (unmanned aerial vehicles for photography/videography). All of those demand quite a bit of time. If I’m on the golf course feeling like I’m wasting time I could spend doing those other things, that’s not good. I’m afraid that’s what playing a lower level of golf would be to me. Even now I’m frustrated with golf’s “time” factor.
Tiger Woods has said that he will quit playing golf when he feels like he can’t win or is not competitive. No Champions Tour for him. I totally understand that and feel the same way with my own game, albeit a much lower level than his. I’m very competitive and hold myself to high standards with regards to the quality of my play. I’m not sure I can enjoy golfing while hitting poor quality shots or shooting bad scores. Many tell me to forget the numbers and enjoy being in the outdoors with friends. I totally get that. But I can enjoy the outdoors by taking a hike or visiting the mountains, all without the frustration of a crappy short game, having to hit out of someone else’s divot, five hour rounds, or choking away a great score. Add the considerable expense of playing golf to the mix too.
I think I just figured out why the game of golf and the golf industry is struggling.
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