"2 Teams, 1 Cup" 2014 Edition

I have no interest whatsoever in any of the pre-Ryder Cup hype or the weeks-long buildup, but when the event actually begins I can't help but to watch with some interest.

It's hard for me to attach any kind of patriotic zeal to sporting events--I tend to watch with the disinterest of an extraterrestrial, coldly observing human behavior. Let's face it, the guys on the US team have more in common with the guys on the Europe team than they do with you, or me. But still, US vs. Europe is an interesting golf rivalry in that a clear pattern has emerged lately, in which the tormentor has become the tormented. Comeuppance, in a sporting context, is all in good fun.

Roadgolf: The Architects GC, Phillipsburg NJ

For the past couple of years I've been celebrating birthdays by burning rubber out of the city and playing a round of civilized golf with Ms. L, on a course that's a little more upscale than I'm comfortable with. Last year was New Jersey's Crystal Springs resort; the year before that, Jack Nicklaus' Mansion Ridge in the Hudson Valley. For someone who's never really been too interested in birthday celebrations, this is shaping up to be a real treat and something I actually look forward to.

This year I picked out the somewhat pompously-named Architects club, located on the westernmost edge of New Jersey, right up against the Pennsylvania state line. (To completely escape the reek of the city, you have to drive for at least an hour.)

The Legitimategolf Reality Tour, volume 1

Mr. F was understandably hesitant to have his actual identity associated with this blog, but there's his hat sitting in the rough.

Over the weekend I had a visitor. One of our brave readers from south of the Mason-Dixon came up to the city for a bit of adventure, personal edification, some light tourism, and to experience first-hand a slice of ghetto golf life.

Due to circumstances we ended up playing Dyker Beach twice in three days. Not the best itinerary, but perhaps good for my Southern friend in that this would at least offer him a deeper, rawer, more immersive experience. This is after all the ground-zero of ghetto golf in the Americas, in my opinion.

Inching towards summer's end

I am now in full longing for cooler weather and all the goodness it brings to golf courses everywhere. I now daydream about beanie hats and long sleeves; about saying "F off" to the sunscreen, bermuda shorts, all the thrice-a-year golfers that gum up the works during peak season.

Still, we are talking about clinical addiction here. As much I'd like to blow the whole thing off until around October, needs must be met. So it's back to Silver Lake.

Penalized in the Poconos

The Pocono Mountains are located in northeast Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half from New York City.

Around here the name Poconos is generally synonymous with alpine fun and good times, located within a sensible distance of the big cities. As a non-native New Yorker I had always assumed that it was a place to be. A destination if you will.

Stuck in the mud

The happy roadtrip times are over. I am back in the city to ride out the dog days of summer. The weather has been unsettlingly cool this year, yet the deep summer blahs are still in full effect. At this point I feel like I'm only playing to fill a need, to avoid the withdrawals. To get back to zero.

Street Scenes: decline of golf, hits Manhattan

Came across a rather dismal tidbit on the internet yesterday. EV Grieve is a neighborhood blog that covers the goings on in (and let's face it, the cultural demise of) the East Village area of Manhattan, which is where I've lived for most of my time in New York. It is still my neighborhood though in a sense, because while I moved out three years ago, it was only to the next neighborhood over. I'm only a par 4 length away, and when it's time to eat out I usually end up back in the old 'hood.

Besides news the blog covers all sorts of ephemera, some of which involves semi-interesting garbage left out on the sidewalk. This one hit close to home, especially since I'm a stand bag user myself. (Apologies for the graphic filth in the photos.)

Street trends: Empty golf bags

We spotted these two empty (and unattended) golf bags yesterday morning outside the new Cooper Union building… they weren't for the taking though… 

Frankly I'm not sure what to make of this. It's a little disconcerting that all three of those bags seemed to be in decent condition, fairly modern, and name brand items. Especially the Ping. Everyone knows that the best stand bag in the business is a Ping stand bag. Even an Ogio is not half bad. I've used one myself.

Plus this all happened within a day or two. One doesn't just throw out a good Ping stand bag, unless something really bad has gone down. Or one has just stopped caring completely.