18 at Wentworth Hills

Frank, DJ G-Ram and myself played 18 at Wentworth Hills Golf Club this past weekend.  It was a great day at one of my favorite public courses.

The Course:

Wentworth Hills (www.wentworthhillsgc.com) is located in Plainville MA.  They were running a special, $32 for 18 on the weekend.  It is right on the border of RI though and you actually end up playing 3-4 holes in the Biggest Little State in the Union.  They have had some trouble keeping the place going over the past couple of years.  It is always a question if they are going to be open when the season starts.  I heard they are under new management this year though so hopefully they can turn it around.  It is one of my favorites though so get out there and support the course.  Otherwise we will lose another gem to a development full of poorly built houses.  

I love the course because it requires you to think risk vs. reward and it also requires you to use all your clubs.  You have 14 in the bag, might as well get your moneys worth out of them all.  I tend to pick risk over reward because it just isnt as fun to play smart.  Tee it high and let if fly, chicks did the long ball.  There are some man made water features on the course and some very difficult Par 3's.  Here is a picture of the Par 3 #8

The course was in great shape overall and the greens picked up speed as the morning dew burnt off.  I was a little disappointed in the sand traps.  They were lacking a little depth and I found my ball resting on a mud pile on the 3rd hole.  I know Im not supposed to be in there in the first place but lets be honest, ISH happens. Other than that though the fairways were rolling out and were as green as could be.

The Round:

Frank, DJ G-Ram and I all finished in the higher 80's to the low 90's.  The weather wasnt that great but at least is wasnt raining.  I used my GolfLogix (www.golflogix.com) ap for the first time.  I was very impressed and best of all it was free.  I could keep track of my score and stats right on my phone, it gave me fairly accurate distances and in the end I got an email which gave a report on the stats.  The only down side is it made me realize how horrible I am at hitting greens 38%, not good.

Frank was trying out his new True shoes (www.truelinkswear.com).  He says they are the most comfortable golf shoe he has ever worn.  Said it was like wearing slippers on the golf course.  They look pretty cool too, I would wear them.  As an added bonus they dont leave any spike marks on the green.  Everyone wins!

DJ G-Ram had a redonkulous shot out of the woods that rolled to about 5 feet.  I thought that he was relieving himself in the woods and then out of no where came this shot.  Awesome.

The Beer:

Wentworth does allow drinking on the course and they have a lovely staff that will accommodate a good time while playing.  Here is a pic of DJ G-ram and Frank with Tracey.

We started with B-Lights.  Again not a beer that I think is deserving of a description.  On the second time around we had C-Lights.  I found out in college that Coors has the highest alcohol content for a light beer.  If you are going to be drinking domestic lights you might as well get the best bang for your buck.  Plus you cant go wrong with the cold meters on the side of the can.  No idea how that Harry Potter magic works but I like it.

At the turn we went into the club house and G-Ram and I decided to have a Bloody Marry.  Absolutely delicious!  If you play this course have a bloody.  We also grabbed a beer for the road.  It ended up that 3 of our beers were skunked.  DJ called up the restaurant from the course and they comped us some free brews when we were done with the round.  I was impressed at his ability to sweet talk some free beers.  Always a good asset when playing golf.  Here is happy as a clam G-Ram with his treats.

After the round was over we went into the restaurant for some burger dogs (a cheeseburger and hot dog under one bun).  They were fantastic and a must have after a round of golf.  We cashed in on our free beers and I decided upon a Blue Moon (http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com).  I was a little skeptical to order a blue moon after a round of golf but I said that I would try a new beer every round.  Im trying to live up to that promise.  I was happy with my decision though.  Blue moon is a little fruity but just like Leine's not over the top.  It has a little more spice to it than I usually care for.  I would not have ordered another one if we were sticking around.  It came with an orange and Im not big on having fruit in my beer.  I let it slide though and actually ended up feasting upon the orange when the beer was done.  A nice treat at the end.

It was a great day.  I think the highlight of the round was finding 5 bucks when walking down 10.  Tracey was the only one who benefited from that find though.  Cant wait to go back to Wentworth in the future.  $32 for 18 on the weekend, you just cant beat that.

Retro Post #2

Here is the other retro post.  Im sorry that it took so long in-between posts.  This is a recap from a round with my friend Frank and his GF's - twin sisters - husband light (HL).  Husband light is what I call someones Fiancee.  Fiancee is just too french for me. 

The Course:

We played at Braintree Municipal golf course (www.braintreegolf.com).  No one in the group had ever played before.  We decided to go there on a recommendation from one of my co-workers.  I was very impressed with the course, especially for a Municipal course.  Most Muni courses in MA are not that well kept (Leo J and Ponkey) but Braintee does not fall into that category.

If you play golf the same way that I do, bring extra balls.  There is a TON of water on Braintree and it is always in play.  I hit one of my tee shots to the right (big surprise) on the second hole and found 8, no exaggeration, extra balls.  It was a good thing too because I needed them.  

The course is a good mix of long and short holes.  It does not require the use of too many different clubs if you are a consistent golfer.  I on the other hand I had the opportunity to go through my whole bag.  I couldnt get my driver to behave until the last couple of holes.  That led to me using my 3 wood and 3 hybrid off the tee.  I wasnt really hitting those well so that led to me using a healthy mix of my irons out of the fairway.  I like to think of it as getting my money out of the course.  Playing like the pros can be so boring sometimes. 

The Round:

Like I eluded to earlier I did not play my best golf.  Frank, HL and I donated a bunch of golf balls to the Davey Jones locker.  That being said we all had a great time.  I might have sneaked some watermelon vodka (more on that later) onto the course.  The loser of the whole had to take a sip as a penalty.  I looked at it as winning personally but Frank and HL did not share my enthusiasm. 

The highlight of the round for me was hitting a 35 foot putt for par.  It felt great.  I also had a blast off the tee on 14.  After the fight my driver and I were having through the earlier part of the round it was a nice change of pace.  It also led to me letting out a very loud "woo-hoo."  My apologies to the golfers that were on the surrounding holes.  To those of you reading this post who are not golfers making any amount of noise over the decibel level of a giggle is frowned upon on the course. 

Frank had some great knocks off the tee.  We have been playing golf with each other for years and he has always been strong in that category.  HL is a south paw and a great guy to play with.  Had some difficulty off the tee just like myself but didnt let it bother him. 

The Beer:

Like I said earlier Braintree does no allow drinking on the course.  That leads to sneaking clear liquids on the course in a water bottle.  The high score of the hole had to take a penalty sip.  If players tied then you both had to take a sip, much to the chagrin (SAT word of the post) of Frank. 

We finished the round in about 5 hours and decided to hit up Unos for a beer afterwords.  I decided upon a Leinenkugel, pronounced lie-nin-coo-gell with a hard g in gell, Sunset Wheat (www.leinie.com).  I am a huge fan of Leinie's.  My wife's friends call it fruity pebbles because it is that delicious.  It is a little fruity but not over the top.  It is perfect for a hot summer day and it doesnt leave you with a funny taste in your mouth after drinking more than two of them.  It is a nice unfiltered wheat beer that I would highly recommend to anyone after a round of golf. 

I enjoyed my 22 of Sunset Wheat and headed on home.  Looking forward to the next round at Braintree and hope to have another Sunset after. 

Retro Post #1

I played a couple of rounds before I started this blog.  Once my friends heard about Birdies and Beer they wanted to know why they didnt make it into any of the posts yet.  Well boys here they are. 

The Course:

Every year for Patriots Day my two work buddies and I head out of the city for our annual Marathon Monday golf outing.   We usually go where ever it is nice and this year we decided to play Pinehills in Plymouth (www.pinehillsgolf.com).  Pinehills has two tracks and both are always in amazing shape.  This year we decided to play the Jones course because we have always played the Nicklaus course in the past. 

Because it was so early in the season we were able to play for only 60 beans (usually $110).  That includes the cart (which if you dont take you are a complete idiot) and free use of the range to warm up.  The reason why I say you're an idiot if you dont take a cart is because some of the trips between holes take 3min by cart.  Plus where are you going to stash all your hide away booze? 

When we pulled up to the first tee the starter greeted us with some sound advice.  He said "hit the greens and dont over read your puts and you will play this course well."  Oh really, just like that?  This game is so easy.  You mean all I have to do is hit a green in regulation and make my putts and I will play well?  I was seconds away from kicking DJ G-ram out of the cart and asking this guy to caddy for me.  But seriously if I didnt over read the break in some of my putts I would have played much better.

Having played both courses I honestly cant say which one I prefer.  Both are in immaculate (SAT word of the post) shape.  I would have to say that the Jones course requires the use of more clubs and different shots.  On the Nicklaus side of things you can go more driver - wedge.  You cant really go wrong though if you are playing Pinehills.

The Round:

The teams were DJ G-ram and myself vs. Bag and C-mo.  We decided to have G-ram and C-mo play straight up and Bag spotted me 3 strokes.  G-ram and I lost three ways (individual x2 and team) but we won in the which cart drank the most during the round. 

I couldnt get off the tee to save my life.  Not usually my problem but what are you going to do.  I was doing pretty well around the greens but not well enough to make up for my inability to make it past the womens tees.  The boys were nice enough to not enforce the pants down rule, it was a little cold out.  DJ G-ram was blasting it off the tee past everyone but had some trouble around the greens.  If we could have combined our forces like Captain Planet we would have kicked some ace.

Bag and C-mo were their usual steady selves.  Bag is a great player and was armed with new irons that gave him an extra 10yds when compared to his old irons.  C-mo doesnt really mess up big.  He might have a bogey or double here or there but never any big numbers.  

I dont even know what my score was at the end of the round.  Probably had something to do with the drinkey-poops during the round.  I know I had an awesome time though!

The Beer:

Marathon Monday is usually a long day of running for some great people who have dedicated months to training.  To us it is a long day of golf and beer that required no training.  The four of us are just naturals.  Call it god given, genetics, what every you want.  We're like Maryland; Golf and Beer is what we do best, yumm yumm yumm. 

DJ G-ram and Bag met at my house early.  We stopped in a D&D for a mornin cup of joe.  Did you know that they serve Irish Coffee?  Neither did we, what a great idea. 

Pinehills does have cart girls.  Im not trying to be sexist by saying girls and not people but seriously does any course have cart boys?  God I hope not.  We also had some extra in the carts for in-between showings of the staff.  We settled on Bud Light for Bag/G-ram and myself.  C-mo went diesel.  Im not even going to comment on the quality of Bud.  I prefer C-Lights when we are drinking domestic but they didnt have it.  The one thing of note about Bud Diesel is that they have their crown emblem etched in the tab of the can.  That way when the sun shines on it there is a shadow cast of their logo on top of the can.  Nice touch Budweiser.  C-mo was rather impressed. 

It was a great, long, fun day and it was nice to add another member to the annual Patriots day golf outing.  Cant wait for next year!

9 at Norfie

I was able to sneak out and play 9 holes at my home course on Sat 4/7.  The weather forecast was for rain and thunder storms but it held off long enough to get the back nine in.

The Course:

Norfolk Golf Club (norfolkgc.com) is just over the border from Dedham going into Westwood.  It is my home course and I have been a member there for 3 years.  I love Norfie.  The die hards there will describe it as a great bar with a nice back yard.  There is also a quote over the bar from our current club president that says "it is too late to go home early."  It is a great place to grab a beer and play some golf if you ever get the invite.

Norfie is a 9 hole track that is a par 35.  Dont let the distance and par fool you though.  It is tough with a lot of OB that seems to be a magnet for my golf ball.  The rough is also very long which makes getting up and down around the green nearly impossible.  The course also has a lot of elevation changes.

The course was in fantastic shape for this early in the season.  Green as could be with all the trees in bloom.  As my Bill-in-law would say "it was GORGEOUS."  It feels great to be back out on the course for the spring season.  The greens were a little slow compared to how they usually roll.  At least that is what I told myself as I three putted two of the holes.

The Round:

I was fortunate to meet up with my wifes uncle Mike.  I love playing with Mike because we play the same game.  Hit the ball as far and as hard as you can and hope that it goes in the direction you want it to.  At one point in the round Mike blistered a 4 iron into the green on 7.  He came up about 10 yards shy and was in the rough.  He turned to me and said "it would have been smart to lay up with a 7 iron but where is the fun in that."  The only difference between Mike and I though is that he is an 8 HCP and Im a 16.  He is one of the best scramblers that I have ever seen.  He can get himself out of situations that involve trees, bushes, walls and still make par on the hole.  Amazing!

I played bogey golf with a 9 over 44.  Not a bad day overall.  I was hitting the ball well but not scoring well.  The bright spot of the day was when I absolutely crushed my drive on 5.  I am a self admitting over exaggerator when I tell stories but Im not here when I tell you that I hit it 300yds into the wind and up hill.  It felt GREAT!  I read an article in Golf Magazine before playing about skipping stones or something like that and apparently it worked.  Thank you Golf Magazine.

I also finished the round with the same ball that I started with.  A small miracle in my book.

The Beer:

Norfolk has a great set up.  Drinking is allowed (almost encouraged) on the course and the club house is literally smack dab in the middle.  You can access it off of the first tee, coming down 4 and then coming back up 5.   If you take a cart, something I never do, there are coolers on the side big enough to fit at least a six pack.  I wasnt kidding when I said this is a drinkers course.

During the round I enjoyed a lovely Absolut and tonic that I grabbed walking past the club house coming up 4.  I know, I know the title of the blog is birdies and "beer" but I enjoy a refreshing mixed drink every now and then.  After the round we went in for some food and livations.  We were served by the wonderful Amanda and Kelly, both veterans of the club.  I decided to go with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html).  I usually dont have such a full bodied beer following golf (usually because it doesnt leave room for multiple beers) but it was perfect after the round.  Nice and cold and not too hoppy.  I hate it when they over hop a pale ale and try to push it towards an IPA.  If you wanted to make and IPA then just make one.  It also fit in well given the cold rainy weather that was rolling in.

Overall a great day in the sun with a new to me beer afterwards.  Until next time, keep swinging and keep drinking.  The swing oil always helps.

Welcome!

Hello Everyone and welcome to Birdies and Beer.  The title says it all.  The purpose of this blog is to talk about the birdies that I make (not very often) and the beers that I drink (much more frequent) on the different courses that I play throughout the season. 

Now let me start by saying that I have never had a strong grasp of the English language.  Most of my friends know that I have very minimal spelling capability.  That is what spell check is for though right?  Thanks Bill Gates for giving me something to hide my short comings.  My point though is please dont make comments on here about any grammar or spelling mistakes that I might have made.  I dont care, I never have and I never will.  Just look at the postings like you would your 3 year old son/daughter and say, awww thats cute, he thinks that cat is spelled with a K. 

The post will describe the course and the round.  How the course played, would I recommend it, and any funny happenings during the round.  I will also talk about the beers that I had afterwords at the 19th hole.  I will try to have a different beer every time.  It is going to force me to drink multiple beers but trust me it is a burden that I can shoulder.  I will also let you know if drinking is allowed on the course or should I say drinking legally. 

I hope you enjoy the posts and it encourages you to get out there and try some different courses and beers that you might not have tried in the past.  Thanks for reading.