2013 Season End Watch part IV: counting down the seconds

I managed to get in another 18 this weekend, this time at Dyker Beach. The weather was borderline nice, which made me waffle over the matter about a hundred times before finally giving in.

Since there was (naturally) a lot of people at the course,  I was placed in a foursome which was a little weird for me. Because I'd played most of my golf alone for the last couple of months, it was sort of like a feral child being reintroduced into civilization. They were distant concepts to me, but I was more or less able to recall the etiquette, politeness and small-talk that I had learned in a previous life. Still I managed to step in someone's putting line a couple times.

2013 Season End Watch, part 3

It's probably time to call off this whole season end watch. I went snowboarding in the local NJ mountains this past week; I was riding the chairlift and when I turned around to look back down at the green earth I saw the Great Gorge Country Club sitting just beyond the base of the ski area, all verdant and ready to go. It occurred to me that this winter golf season is going to roll right on into 2014. Not ruling out any future calamities of course but for the foreseeable, cold temperatures are our only adversaries around here.

Dark Thoughts, vol. 5: IT LIVES

Yes, the 2013 New York City golf season lives on. Yes, my worst-case scenarios, various doomsday prep plans and 'Season End Watch' broodings were all way off-base, so what. Cut me some slack Jack.

Early in the week our high temperatures peaked in the low 30s; wind made it feel like low 20s. Our earth was encased in an ugly semi-permafrost consisting of layers of snow, frozen rain, sleet and wet rain that had all melted together and re-frozen over a couple times. It was starting to take on a glassy appearance. Things were looking bleak. Honestly I had even begun to move on mentally. With no golf balls to hit, I tried hitting the gym harder. With no low scores to shoot for, I took to the pavement instead and actually worked on lowering my 3.5-mile times.

Then the weekend came and the whole world changed. Temps in the upper 60s made quick work of all the snowcover and suddenly it was time again to scramble for the good tee-times and grumble about slow play.

Dark Thoughts: vol. 4: 2013 Season End Watch

We got some snow this week, and now it's being followed up by freezing temperatures for the forecastable future. Which means we are now at the point where every round, just might be the final round of the 2013 season. Now I try not to assign too much significance to the passing of Gregorian calendar-based intervals; the more salient point here is that each round played in these precarious times, just might be the last round for a really f'n long time.

I don't really feel that in my gut that it's the end, nor are there any major storm events on the horizon, but you just never know. Back at the end of '10, hard winter came early; the golf season was slammed shut right after Thanksgiving and wasn't revived until March. Really dark times.

Legitimategolf Diaries, vol. 8 Tale of two nines

61° F in December and another insane deal for an AM tee-time at Silver Lake--you can't pass up an opportunity like that. You just can't.

Ghetto Golf, vol. 8: Pelham Bay GC, Bronx

Located way, way up in the northeast Bronx, Pelham Bay is perhaps the most remote, far-flung course within the New York City golf matrix.

Dark Thoughts, volume 2: Freeze Warning

Winter doesn't officially start for another five weeks, but we got a preview of it today. Early in the AM hours there was even some light snow, which tapered off into light rain, which dried up before noon.

I was pretty sure the course would be open for the afternoon, but before leaving home I called ahead, just in case. I asked if anybody was out there. Three people, the guy said. All day? All day. I said that I would see him soon.

After a quick express bus ride, I got there just before two o'clock. A few people were teeing off on #1, so I got to start over on the back nine, which was totally deserted. The first swing of the afternoon felt good. A little constricted, but solid. The second felt good, and the third and fourth did too.

I won't lie, it was brutally cold out there. You're-crazy-for-playing-type weather. I had to jog the first couple of holes to get warm. The gusts were enough to stop you in your tracks--bitter, wincing blasts. Near the third green a sudden and rude gust knocked my bag over while I was trying to chip; I let out a primal yell. No one heard it though, I was the only human on that whole back nine.

You don't have to worry about me though, I was fully prepped for the cold. I had all my layering systems operating and was plenty warm. But there were times when even though I felt okay inside my layers, the cold and the wind just made the playing of golf really hard. Well-struck balls got swatted out of the air by gusts, or else shot through greens on tailwinds. I three-putted the fourth hole trying to putt into a stiff headwind that blinded my eyes with tears.

My swing felt good though, and balls were being struck solid, and this gave me the spirit to keep grinding. I hit the first green in regulation, then the second, then just missed the third. The slight bit of bulk from winter clothes actually helped me to swing by making it easier to restrict the backswing, which is something I'm always trying to do.

Here's the 18th hole at Dyker Beach, my ninth hole of the day. From this spot, I chipped in for birdie.

It's a tough chip, about 20 yards, downhill then uphill with a couple feet of left-to-right, so I was really psyched about it. Still am, a little. A perfect shot just about.

Amazing. Somehow the fairways here are still a deep shade of green, and more lush and grassy than I've seen all year. Greens are nice too. The only real downside right now are the billions of leaves covering the ground.

From tee-off, I only had two hours and forty minutes until sunset. But because I didn't wait on a single shot I was able to finish in a ridiculous 2:14. Afterwards I just caught the express bus back home, and made it through the front door just a hair over four hours from when I left it, which has to be a record.

I shot an 84. Looking back I lost several strokes on the greens, but besides the score it was one of my best all-around efforts of the year. No penalties, no lost balls, no winter rules shenanigans. I was so into it, and the game felt unforced, more free flowing than it has in a long time. I did a good job of wrangling the ball around in some difficult conditions--it would've been easy to lose some today. The joy of playing on an empty course, that's still flush with greenery, I can't say enough about it. It's so great that after a little while, the cold doesn't even really matter.

As of now I might be more excited about my next round than I have been all year.

Legitimategolf Diaries: Autumn special

In the last post, I pretty much welcomed in the winter golf season. Early in the week, the temps sunk to around 40 degrees (F) so eagerly I took to Dyker Beach GC hoping to get in a fast one.

To my satisfaction the temperatures kept most people off the course, but when I got there I was surprised to see a still-very lush environment, still in the flush of fall--guess I was a little premature with that last post. So, I thought I'd put up some photos for those who might enjoy a bit of fall foliage.

Dark Thoughts, volume 1

For most of us, the golf season is winding down. The auspices, mounting for weeks, can no longer be ignored, even by the most optimistic among us.

Ghetto Golf, vol. 7: Silver Lake GC, Staten Island

Bye, home. See you in a few.

I've been in New York City for over a decade; I've been a NYC golfer since 2005. Yet in all that time, like a lot of Manhattanites, I've never set foot on the island known as Staten; never had a reason to. (After a while this becomes a weird, snobbish point of pride--never been there, never will!) Despite what the NYC transit map inaccurately depicts, it's not that close to Manhattan, and then there's that forbidding $13 toll charge if you want to cross the Verrazano Bridge by car.

But last week after the Brooklyn Open had finished, I was waiting at the bus stop in front of Marine Park when a tournament volunteer saw my clubs and struck up a conversation. He asked if I had ever played in Staten Island, and sang the praises of one of the courses there, Silver Lake. What's more, he claimed, getting there by ferry from either Brooklyn or Manhattan was quick and easy, even more so than the trip to Marine Park which, let's face it, is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than to actual New York City proper. Even for a lot of Brooklynites on the opposite edge of town, the trip to MPGC is forbiddingly long.

Brooklyn Open Recap

I got to the course about an hour before tee time. It was still kind of cold out, but the makings of a really nice, clear blue sky fall day. There were a few guys on the range, and the practice greens were packed. A news crew was on hand to cover the opening of the tournament.

Brooklyn Open: results

Brooklyn borough prez Marty Markowitz about to award the trophy. Spoiler: it wasn't to me.

Well, the inaugural Brooklyn Open is now in the books.

Brooklyn Open: Final Update

Hole locations have been released. None seem out of the ordinary. I'm not going to pay too much attention to the precise spots anyways, since I'll be looking at the middles of greens for the most part. I've been using Marine Park's GPS app the last couple times out, and I'll probably do the same tomorrow, thanks to a local tournament rule that permits the use of phones for rangefinding.

I considered real-time reporting my scores on the internet for anyone interested in following along but a) that would technically violate the "no communication by phone" rule and 2) it's another distraction I could do without. One app open is enough. Besides, in a tournament don't I have to keep everyone else's score too? Like Daniel Larusso, I'm just going to have to learn a bunch of this tournament stuff on the fly.

Golf bag is just about ready to go, as per normal. I'll probably pack a few more Pro-V1s than usual. Also part of my strategy for the day is to pack a lot of food (trail mix, jerkies, pb&j) and always be eating in order to maintain high energy levels. I think I have a fast metabolism, especially when I have to think hard, so I think this is key.

There will be a weird game time decision for me as I've found out that riding carts are included, though walking is still permitted. Most likely, I will walk and carry, as I always do on this course. Also in this circumstance I would expect sharing a cart with a stranger to be a huge distraction. Walking this full course is kind of a toil but I think I'll be fit enough to handle it.

I will probably post later that afternoon with the results and what not. Thanks to everyone for the advice and support and everything. Until then in the words of AC/DC... to those about to tee off, we salute you.

Brooklyn Open: Practice Round, more previews, tee times etc.

Played my very first official tournament practice round for the Brooklyn Open. "Official" because as a registered participant, I got a discount on the green fee. Other than that it was a usual day on the course--the other three guys I was grouped with had no idea about any upcoming tournament.

Brooklyn Open Updates

Some more details about next Monday's inaugural Brooklyn Open are emerging.

The field is set and here's the number of players in each division.

Professional Division: 23 players
Division 1 (0.0-8.9): 36 players
Division 2 (9.0-13.9): 21 players
Division 3 (14.0-18.9): 13 players
Division 4 (19+): 7 players

I'll be in Div 2, though I'm a bit sad now to see that I missed out on the division with the most action. Battling against 20 other guys, that's still a lot though. A little surprised at how few high handicappers turned up; then again, this is a pretty tough golf course.

Swing Thoughts: one week to go

En route to Randall's Island, where I served detention this weekend.

The entry deadline has passed, the field looks to be set and there's just one week to go until the first-ever Brooklyn Open. I just now read over some of the official tournament documentation and frankly I'm feeling a little freaked out right now.

The first tee time is supposedly at 7:30am.

Indian Summer + the Anti-Creeps of the Week

Verrazano Bridge overlooking #13 and #14 fairways.

It's hot over here this week. I snuck out for some late afternoon golf and it felt like summer all over again.

Great.

Ghetto Golf vol. 6: Rockaway Beach, Queens

"It's not far, not hard to reach/We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach"
-The Ramones, "Rockaway Beach"

It's been often said (by me) that New York City is an absolute wasteland for golfers. That's true in a relative sense--compared with most other major metropoles, golf here is too expensive, too crowded and too often characterized by general anarchy. Which is especially disheartening in a city that's constantly claiming to be the greatest.

But it wouldn't be quite fair of me to call it total desolation. The truth is there's a surprising number of golf-purposed facilities in the area, even beyond the known courses.

UPDATE: Brooklyn Open

A while back I mentioned the first-ever Brooklyn Open golf tournament, to be held on October 21st. Originally it was to be a gross-score competition open only to 10 handicaps and lower.

Now, as Legitimategolfer John Furr has brought to my attention, some notable changes have been made to the tournament.

The 1st Brooklyn Open

A few months ago I heard a rumor that this event might be happening sometime in the fall and now, it's been announced. The first ever Brooklyn Open will be held on Monday, October 21st at Marine Park GC. It's an 18-hole medal play competition open to professionals and am's with a 10.0 or lower handicap. The official website has more details.

This is great news for the area in general. I'm not sure if an event like this ever existed. Marine Park is definitely a fitting course. I'm curious to see what the turnout's like. If I can shave a stroke and some change off my current handicap before the October 14th deadline for entry I'd be eligible, in which case I'd consider entering.

Anyone else interested?