Well if there are any regular readers left, I want to thank you for your patience. This has not been my year to say the least. I've been out with a horrendous set of bulging discs--despite a disc friendly swing, and with summer here--it's high time I warn everybody against the number one danger of summer golf--DEHYDRATION! It's part and parcel of what put me where I am in this season's golf game--directly behind the eight ball. Here's what you need to know in order to beat this often deadly bit of nastiness that plagues all summer sports here in beautiful 100+ Degree North Central Texas.
Many of my readers know that last summer I suffered a heart attack after walking 27 holes in 103* heat. That's not usually a problem for me, golfing in the heat that is, as I know how to stay hydrated. The heart attack was actually more a case of my Chicken-Fried Everything Diet catching up with me. A clogged artery finally screamed--"Enough already you old fart!---We're going to the hospital, and you're going to learn to eat right. " Alas--I miss Popeye's Fried Chicken, and over indulging in Blue Bell Ice Cream, but hey, I've eaten enough of that stuff for 5 people. While I was in the hospital, I did learn one thing about staying hydrated, and that is-----make sure to bring along some electrolytes for your drinking water. Once those electrolytes are gone from your body, water alone can't save you. Here's some tricks besides that that you need to remember.
KEEP A BOTTLE OF WATER WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES
Preferably water with which you have added the aforementioned electrolytes. It is very important that you have that bottle with you for several reasons. First of all, you need to sip between almost every shot--if at all possible. Do Not Gulp the Water!!!!---It will weigh you down, and your shots will not come off as planned. It is harder on your muscles to wait for liquids they sorely need, and just as hard on your stomach, if not harder, when you gulp large quantities of liquids after long dry spells. Your body and your game will appreciate how much better off you feel and play if you keep your hydration levels constant.
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH
If it's 90+ Degrees outside, and you haven't urinated within the past 30 minutes---you are not drinking enough water. That may sound extreme, but it's true. In hot muggy weather your body is pouring out every ounce of liquid it can muster in order to cool off. You need to track that amount without becoming pre-occupied with it. It's hard enough to keep score of your game, much less your bladder. Let's just say that if you aren't knocking off that pint bottle of water every 3 holes---you're still not drinking enough. Most courses have water and or a bathroom every few holes. Take advantage of both. If you don't, you may notice that your ability to hit good recovery shots is starting to fade like your favourite old pair of jeans, and that is not a good thing.
REMEMBER THE FOREIGN LEGION
Take along a face towel for a hydration rag. Wet this towel with cold water, and re-wet it at every watering can or fountain along the course. Stick the towel on top of your head before putting your hat on. Rotate the towel so that you can see out of the front, but allow it to drape over your neck ala Ye Olde Foreign Legion Cap Style. (Remember--"Beau Knows Heat!") This acts as insulation, and the moisture that gets drawn out of the rag and through your hat will act as the old-fashioned cooling towers of the 30's and 40's did. You will also notice that your neck no longer gets sun burned. It is advisable to remove the rag and wipe your hands with a golf towel before taking a shot. You'll feel cooler, and more refreshed this way, and you won't have to suck down as much liquid just to keep cool.
NOT JUST STANDING ON A SOAPBOX
After my heart attack the folks at the hospital must've pumped me full of more saline than an entire day's production at The Tyson's Chicken Plant. This just goes to show how much the heat can suck out of you-- even when you try to stay hydrated. Unfortunately, despite my good hydrating habits at the golf course, I had not been practicing such good habits out in the garden for several days beforehand, so that left me vulnerable. Basically, stay hydrated all summer long is the lesson I learned here. The heart attack cost me half of last season, and my late start to this season can be indirectly attributed to it as well. After the heart attack, Crestor was just another of the many new meds introduced to my diet. Unfortunately, I turned out to be that lucky guy that forced Astra Zeneca's Lawyer's to add the addendum, "on rare occasions Crestor can cause muscle deterioration." After the muscle deterioration, there was no longer enough critical mass in the Lats and Abdominal region to support my spine, so we've been working on rebuilding all of that. So theoretically, if you'd like to get technical--Dehydration can destroy your golf season, and that's only if it doesn't kill you first. I consider this a public service to all who read my blog, and I will be back to regular columns soon. I'd love to get back to writingonly about all things strictly golf---but remember--without your health--there is no golf season.
All The Best
Bernie
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I apologize to my regular readers for the rather lengthy time frame since my last posting. This has been one of the more vicious Texas Winters I can remember, and since 3 of the 4 courses in my regular rotation reside just below the flood plain, it has been hard to get a good round or two in over the past several months, let alone the several rounds needed to affirm, and then re-affirm what will be in the bag for the season. Well, after regaining 15 MPH of my former swing speed since this summer's heart attack, the bag is finally in some semblance of where she needs to remain for the season. Here we go.
Driver--9.5* Aurora with Accuflex Stiff Shaft. This club is an absolute distance monster thanks to the legendary "Aurora Driver Head" made of forged Aermet Steel, and forged at none other than The Kobe Steel Works in Japan. The Accuflex Shaft is phenomenal, and now that I have rediscovered my swing plane--it's only a matter of time until I'm splitting a few down a sun- baked Texas Fairway for 285-300 yards.
Safety Driver--This is a 10* club with the length cut to 43.5". It comes in at 330cc's vs the 440 cc's of my driver. I hate hitting 3 woods off of the tee, and this thing is darned near as long as the driver. It ought to be, as it too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club manufactured at The Same Kobe Steel Works, and it too is made of forged Aermet Steel. When I step up to the tee, and need The World's Easiest 200 yards down a narrow fairway, I pull this baby out and give her a nice even tempoed 75% swing.
3 Wood--This is my first 15* 3 Wood in many moons. I have almost always played a strong 3 at 13*. With the Safety Driver now an integral part of my bag, my 3 wood no longer has to do double duty. Besides, this 15* Monster is just as long as an old 12* 2 wood I used to carry around, but it's so much easier to hit. It too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club made at the Kobe Steel Works and forged of Aermet Steel.
My long irons have been replaced, but I no longer carry a 5 or 7 Wood. Instead I have 3,4, and 5 numbered hybrids. They are the Adams A4 OS Models with the Graphite Design YSQ Hi Launch Shafts. These are great clubs from 185 on in. I can't tell you how many strokes I've sawed off of my game by swinging one of these at 60% instead of flailing away with a long or mid iron. It's the best move I've made in sometime, and it feels good to go pin-seeking from long distance again. A word of warning though--unless you are playing a 3 piece urethane covered ball, you'd better launch it high if you expect it to stop from 180 out on these hard winter greens. Springtime or not--they haven't softened up yet, and may take another month or so to do it.
I still carry a 7 Iron, as that is one easy club to hit. Besides, it's a Wilson Di-9, so it really plays like an old school 5 iron. From there I jump to Pitching Wedge, Approach Wedge, and Gap Wedge--these are all steel shafted Wilson Di-9's so they play at least one club stronger than labeled. I personally like the feel of these particular Wilsons, and though they were bought as stop gap clubs after my heart attack, they may actually end up staying in my bag for at least 2 more seasons.
My 54* Sand Wedge, 58* Lob Wedge, and 62* Flop Wedge are all Nickent Arc Wedges. One of the first things John Hoeflich did after leaving TaylorMade and attempting to save Nickent Golf was to take this very good design, and regrind the soles similar to the soles one sees on tour. These Nickent Arc Wedges are about the closest thing to a tour van wedge you will find in an off the rack version. If you have a club fitter or do any of your own sole grinding you will see what I mean. Sadly, they are already obsolescent thanks to the new rules of competition, but I plan on keeping them for at least 2 more years, whereupon I will probably upgrade to the new Clevelands, The new score lines between zip grooves pattern works exceptionally well for my swing.
My Flatstick remains the Scotty Cameron Detour Mallet. This putter is definitely not for everyone. It was probably the only commercial flop in the entire Scotty Cameron line. Fortunately for me--it fits my putting stroke perfectly, so I own not only one, but 2 of these gems. I picked them up for $80 apiece, and thank my lucky stars that someone finally built a putter to fit my rather unorthodox pseudo pendulum/slightly arced at impact and follow through/ hybrid putting stroke.
These are all clubs I feel safe recommending. I have been experimenting with all the new balls this year as I am currently on the last 2 Dozen of my beloved "New and Improved" Wilson PX 3's that were discontinued here in The States roughly4 years ago, as well as the last 10 Dozen Bridgestone B-330s (Discontinued 3 piece version) Golf Balls in my inventory. This should carry me through the rest of this season, and the first half of next season, but I've already been on the lookout for the next ball to re-stock my inventory with. So far--the new Wilson FG Tour is the winner. I highly recommend that ball, as well as all the clubs, as esoteric as some of them may be, listed here in my bag. Have a great day--and thanks again for dropping by. Hit 'em long and straight.
Bernie
Driver--9.5* Aurora with Accuflex Stiff Shaft. This club is an absolute distance monster thanks to the legendary "Aurora Driver Head" made of forged Aermet Steel, and forged at none other than The Kobe Steel Works in Japan. The Accuflex Shaft is phenomenal, and now that I have rediscovered my swing plane--it's only a matter of time until I'm splitting a few down a sun- baked Texas Fairway for 285-300 yards.
Safety Driver--This is a 10* club with the length cut to 43.5". It comes in at 330cc's vs the 440 cc's of my driver. I hate hitting 3 woods off of the tee, and this thing is darned near as long as the driver. It ought to be, as it too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club manufactured at The Same Kobe Steel Works, and it too is made of forged Aermet Steel. When I step up to the tee, and need The World's Easiest 200 yards down a narrow fairway, I pull this baby out and give her a nice even tempoed 75% swing.
3 Wood--This is my first 15* 3 Wood in many moons. I have almost always played a strong 3 at 13*. With the Safety Driver now an integral part of my bag, my 3 wood no longer has to do double duty. Besides, this 15* Monster is just as long as an old 12* 2 wood I used to carry around, but it's so much easier to hit. It too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club made at the Kobe Steel Works and forged of Aermet Steel.
My long irons have been replaced, but I no longer carry a 5 or 7 Wood. Instead I have 3,4, and 5 numbered hybrids. They are the Adams A4 OS Models with the Graphite Design YSQ Hi Launch Shafts. These are great clubs from 185 on in. I can't tell you how many strokes I've sawed off of my game by swinging one of these at 60% instead of flailing away with a long or mid iron. It's the best move I've made in sometime, and it feels good to go pin-seeking from long distance again. A word of warning though--unless you are playing a 3 piece urethane covered ball, you'd better launch it high if you expect it to stop from 180 out on these hard winter greens. Springtime or not--they haven't softened up yet, and may take another month or so to do it.
I still carry a 7 Iron, as that is one easy club to hit. Besides, it's a Wilson Di-9, so it really plays like an old school 5 iron. From there I jump to Pitching Wedge, Approach Wedge, and Gap Wedge--these are all steel shafted Wilson Di-9's so they play at least one club stronger than labeled. I personally like the feel of these particular Wilsons, and though they were bought as stop gap clubs after my heart attack, they may actually end up staying in my bag for at least 2 more seasons.
My 54* Sand Wedge, 58* Lob Wedge, and 62* Flop Wedge are all Nickent Arc Wedges. One of the first things John Hoeflich did after leaving TaylorMade and attempting to save Nickent Golf was to take this very good design, and regrind the soles similar to the soles one sees on tour. These Nickent Arc Wedges are about the closest thing to a tour van wedge you will find in an off the rack version. If you have a club fitter or do any of your own sole grinding you will see what I mean. Sadly, they are already obsolescent thanks to the new rules of competition, but I plan on keeping them for at least 2 more years, whereupon I will probably upgrade to the new Clevelands, The new score lines between zip grooves pattern works exceptionally well for my swing.
My Flatstick remains the Scotty Cameron Detour Mallet. This putter is definitely not for everyone. It was probably the only commercial flop in the entire Scotty Cameron line. Fortunately for me--it fits my putting stroke perfectly, so I own not only one, but 2 of these gems. I picked them up for $80 apiece, and thank my lucky stars that someone finally built a putter to fit my rather unorthodox pseudo pendulum/slightly arced at impact and follow through/ hybrid putting stroke.
These are all clubs I feel safe recommending. I have been experimenting with all the new balls this year as I am currently on the last 2 Dozen of my beloved "New and Improved" Wilson PX 3's that were discontinued here in The States roughly4 years ago, as well as the last 10 Dozen Bridgestone B-330s (Discontinued 3 piece version) Golf Balls in my inventory. This should carry me through the rest of this season, and the first half of next season, but I've already been on the lookout for the next ball to re-stock my inventory with. So far--the new Wilson FG Tour is the winner. I highly recommend that ball, as well as all the clubs, as esoteric as some of them may be, listed here in my bag. Have a great day--and thanks again for dropping by. Hit 'em long and straight.
Bernie
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)