For nearly 15 years the Hooked on Golf Blog image gallery has been serving up golf related photos. About a year ago though, some problems with the gallery started to happen. The software that ran the gallery had been abandoned by the company that wrote it, and as time went on and web technologies advanced, the gallery eventually croaked. At that point the gallery had over 20,000 photos in it.
I looked around for other gallery software to replace the old one with. Every time I found an option, I feared I’d get invested again and go through the same problems later. So I decided to write my own software. This past weekend, I put it up and it is now working! Below is a screen cap of the “Courses” category.
Unfortunately transferring the old gallery images to the new one has to be a manual process. It is tedious to say the least. I’ve got the “Courses” and “Apparel” galleries up now. Over the next days/weeks, I will be adding all the rest of the galleries like “Golf Travel,” “Golf Equipment” and so on.
More To Come
There’s a lot more work to do. There are some bugs and tweaks I’d like to do on the layout and such. But the core is there. Enjoy.
It has now been 15 weeks since I had surgery for a torn rotator cuff, torn labrum, torn bicep tendon, and bone spurs in the right shoulder. It has been a frustrating several weeks as I have developed what is known as “frozen shoulder.” This condition is where there is too much scar tissue and inflammation in the shoulder socket, causing it to literally lock up. I had not been able to move it beyond a certain amount for close to two months. I got a steroid injection about three weeks ago, and finally over the last week and a half I’m seeing some notable progress.
At rehab last week the therapist got my arm lifted (front) to about 160 degrees, a new record over 150 degrees. It had been at 150 for weeks. Last week she was able to get the arm to about 160 degrees in a more side motion, away from the body. That was a record as well. Today, with the therapist’s help, I got the first measurement to 170 degrees and the 2nd to 180. Major improvements.
I’ve also noticed that my pain level over the last week or so has subsided quite a bit. I’m going large portions of the day with no pain. I’m also sleeping in my own bed, and even sleeping on my left side with no pain or waking up due to pain in the night. Major win. I can lay on my bad shoulder side for awhile, but moving after that is painful and stiff.
I can finally see some decent progress, 20 degrees or so, in the last couple of weeks. Major breakthrough. I’m getting more exercises and stretches which I’m religiously doing at home daily.
Not Over Yet
I still have a long way to go. I can’t reach behind my back with my right arm, at all. Not even an inch or two. I can’t get anywhere near a throwing position, nor can I even reach across my body, say to dry my left shoulder off with a towel. It takes effort to shave right handed, or wash my hair right handed, but I can do it now.
Keeping Sane
Fortunately I’ve been able to keep my sanity, somewhat. I’ve taken up backcountry skiing and I’ve gone up into the wonderful mountains here in northern Utah for “skin” sessions. A few days ago I skinned up to over 10,000 feet. Great exercise, and a physical activity I can do, even with a limited right arm.
Golf?
Today I grabbed a golf club out of curiosity. I could take it back gingerly to about 1/3 of a full swing before I felt pain. Worse than that was the followthrough. Once my right hand crossed about the center of my body it was big time no-go zone. So I bet the farthest I could hit a golf ball at this point, with any club, would be maybe 20-30 yards. And I’d have one swing in me before I’d have to bail.
Father’s Day gift alert! Here’s a fantastic gadget not just for golfers, but for anyone. I’ve been gaming the KeySmart Pro for awhile now. KeySmart Pro is “the world’s smartest key holder.” Check it out:
KeySmart Pro Features
- Retractable key organizer
- Tile Smart Location – Find missing keys on map with smartphone via free Tile App
- Ring keys via smartphone to find them nearby
- Use keychain to ring and find missing smartphone
- Holds up to 10 keys
- Bottle opener
- LED flashlight
- Rechargeable via included USB cable
- Compact and easy to carry
I’ve really benefitted from my KeySmart Pro. To date I’ve quickly found my keys in the house by ringing the keychain. I haven’t lost my phone (yet), but I have tested out the phone ringer and know I can confidently find my smartphone with KeySmart Pro. I’ve even used the built-in LED flashlight.
Final Thoughts
KeySmart Pro, available for $49 at getkeysmart.com, is a fantastic gift idea for Father’s Day, Christmas, or any gift giving occasion, and not just for men.
I’m particular to German engineering, especially cars. But cars aren’t the only great products of German engineering. Add golf laser rangefinders to the list, from GPO. GPO is an abbreviation for German Precision Optics. GPO makes the new FLAGMASTER 1800 Golf Laser Rangefinder. Let’s take a look.
Features
The FLAGMASTER 1800 features advanced optical technology which helps the unit quickly and accurately lock onto the target and deliver a solid, accurate yardage. The unit is six-power, which is massively powerful for golf applications. While it is completely overkill, the unit can measure targets as far away as 1800 yards! Think of it like that German car, say a Porsche. It will go 180 miles per hour, but realistically the driver may not need that extra 100 MPH.
The unit looks for pins equipped with reflective “flaglock” prism tape, and uses a specific flag-finding algorithm if the tape is present. If there’s no prism tape, the unit converts to a close-target distance function instead.
When the unit locks onto the flagstick, the unit makes a small vibration and a circle will appear around the flag icon in the viewfinder.
For practice rounds or times when the golfer wants to measure it, the 1800 offers slope reading. Slope reading will help the golfer adjust for elevation changes by producing a yardage number which accounts for the change. For instance, when shooting the par-3 17th at one of my home courses, the downhill shot is 155 yards. Due to the large drop, the hole plays more like it is 147 yards. To make things fair, a red LED light flashes when the 1800 is in slope mode. This allows judges and competitors to see whether the unit is in slope mode or not.
The unit is rated IPX4 rainproof.
As seen in the photo above, the 1800 comes with a nice case and also includes a CR2 battery.
On The Course
The 1800 is easy to use and very accurate. Locking onto the pin or other targets is quick. The unit does a good job of discerning the pin when there’s a background of other objects it might false positive on, like trees behind. The longest distance I shot was from the clubhouse of my home course to the pin on the par-5 first green, 685 yards. Boom. With driver technology getting more and more “long” every year, we need to shoot pins at 685 yards now. I kid, sort of.
The display is clear and easy to read, and the image clarity in the viewfinder is excellent.
Final Thoughts
GPO’s Flagmaster 1800 is a solid option in the golf laser rangefinder market. It is quick and easy to use and produces accurate yardages from ridiculously long distances!
I have not personally confirmed this, but I’ve been told that this unit has been seen for sale in Costco locations, at considerably less than the $390 retail price.
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