Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite holiday!  You cant beat a holiday where your holiday cheer is measured by how much you can stuff your face.  Trust me Im real good at stuffing my face.  I won a blueberry pie eating contest for both most eaten and messiest in 3min.  I finished the pie, with my hands behind my back, not kidding.  I wish I had a picture of that to show you, you will just have to take my word for it.  Anyhouch back to golf.

The Course:

I played 9 holes today at George Wright golf course in Hyde Park, MA (georgewrightgolfcourse.net).  It is a Donny Ross (my boy) design that was constructed back in the 1930's.  It is an absolute gem and in my professional opinion (I say that very loosely) the best Municipal course in MA.  This course screams Donald Ross.  It has every aspect of what he was all about.  False fronts, blind shots, crazy greens, working with the land, etc. 

From behind the 4th green, you can see the 3rd in the back ground.

You cant even see where the hole goes from the tee.  It is not low and left which is where I went.

If you are only able to get out for 9 try to get on the back.  It is the much better half of the course.  Unfortunately for me I had to play the front.  Not upset in anyway but just not as exciting.  The first two holes are pretty much a waste.  It is about 650yds from the club house to the end of the property and Donny stuck two par 4s in that space, blah.  After that the course picks up though.  The greens were rolling, hmmm, okay.  They had been sanded recently so that is always a mystery for putting but what can you do?  Im still playing golf at the end of November.  Im not going to complain that much. 

The trees at this point dont have much left on them which hurts you in two ways.  One, it isnt very visually stimulating.  Just makes everything feel gray.  Two, there are a bunch of leaves on the ground which makes it difficult to find your ball when you spray it a little.  Now you can look at this as a bonus depending on how much of a helping hand you require.  If you play like me then you walk up to an area somewhat near to where you hit your ball.  Put your hands in your pockets and kick around in the leaves and mumble to your self.  Pretend that there are far to many leaves to find you  ball and take a free drop and play on.  Perfect!

They are running a small fall discount right now (you can almost call them winter specials at this point) but not much which is a little disappointing.  It was $23 I think for 9.  When you consider that I paid $30 on the weekend at Poquoy Brook $23 doesnt look so good.  The course is 5min from my house though so you cant beat the convenience.  If you are a Boston resident they give you a decent discount year round though. 

The Round:

I couldnt find anyone to come out a play so I headed out by myself.  Im not going to pass up 60 degrees and sunny.  Are you kidding me, its almost December!  Im no scientist or politician but I think that Al Gore has it all wrong.  Global Warming kicks ass!  Walking around in short sleeves with the sun shinning down, yes please.  If you figure that the ice caps are going to melt in what 300+ years lets soak up the nice weather while we can.  There will be a nuclear fall out way before the ice caps melt. 

I ended up playing with a nice family.  The son was in college and could crush the ball, a real solid player.  The dad was alright, mostly annoying and thought he was way better than he actually was.  He was clearly trying to keep up with his son and doing a horrible job at it (little too competitive, just let it go dad).  The mom was a good golfer.  Hit it well off the tee and could really keep moving which was a nice surprise. 

I did not play well.  When I played for a fade, it would go straight or hook.  When I tried to draw it, forget it.  I also had a handful of hosel rockets, always a fun surprise when the ball goes shooting off into the woods.  On a Donald Ross course that isnt going to get you anywhere.  My swing is quickly falling apart at the end of the season.  Im okay with it I guess.  I figure I wouldnt usually be playing at this time of year so who cares if Im hitting everything but a straight shot.  Its all bonus time anyways.

The Beer:

They were running a special on Bud products.  $2.75 for anything Bud related which is a good deal.  I didnt take them up on it though.  The bar was empty and I wasnt about to belly up by myself at 2:15 in the afternoon.  That is the path to alcoholism my friends.  Instead I came home and enjoyed a Back in Black by 21st Amendment with my dog (he enjoyed a rubber bone).  You arent an alcoholic if you drink with someone else.

George Wright does have a handful of domestics at the bar but nothing on tap.  Ive reviewed the Back in Black before in another post (birdiesandbeer.blogspot.com/2011/09/butter-brook-gc).  I was just as impressed this time around as I was the last time I had it.  A wonderful brew. 

Final Tally:

0 birdies (Not even a par) and 1 Beer.  Until next time...free drops and lots-o-hops make for a good fall day.

Woopsie

So here is a picture of the course that we were supposed to play...

This is Shining Rock Golf Course in Northbridge, MA (www.shiningrock.com).  My friend Mike and I were supposed to play for $Free.99 but he messed up the reservation.  He set us up for Monday instead of Sunday, an honest mistake (if you are a dumbass) but it didnt get us on the course because they were all booked up.  To Shining Rocks credit they did give us numbers to surrounding courses so that we could still try to get out and enjoy the day.  Big ups to them for trying to help us out.  It is that kind of hospitality that will bring me back even if I have to pay. 

The Course:

So we called around and Sandy Burr was able to take us.  They had a cancellation and we jumped on the opening.  Sandy Burr (www.sandyburr.com) is in Wayland, MA.  I have played this course in the past but when I was much younger.  I grew up in Natick so this course was the best option that was close to my house.  I never got to play it and drink at the same time though so this was a different experience. 

The course is a Donny Ross design (yea I called him Donny, we're tight like that) but I wouldnt call it one of his best.  Dont get me wrong, it is a very nice course and worth a try but you wouldnt play it and automatically think about Donny.  Some false fronts and it works well with the land but there are better designed Ross courses out there.  It is set on the Sudbury river and a word to the wise, dont ever play there after some hard days of rain.  The course turns into a marsh quickly and they usually have to close some holes.  The day we played was nice though with some soft fairways but it is playing very well for the end of the season (minus the punched greeens).  Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees which makes it not as visually appealing as usual but still a nice walk.

They do have some fall rates going on right now ($40 for 18) so go and check it out.  I think they could do a little better on the price given the time of year and the condition of the course but Im always looking for a better bargain.  It isnt long enough where you have to take a cart.  So save yourself a little cake on the cart and apply it to your bar tab. 

The Round:

So the course was nice but the round was HORRIBLE!  I was playing like poop.  I blamed it on not being prepared to play Sandy Burr but the truth is that I just wasnt at my best.  Now I have played like doodie in the past but had a great time doing it.  That was not the case today. 

We were paired up with a couple of Asian guys.  Dont get the wrong idea about me.  Im not a racist or one to stereotype.  I mention that purely for descriptive purposes.  They were terrible golfers!  They would duff it all the way up the fairway and then take their sweet ass time on the green like they were lining up a putt on the 18th at Augusta (only to 3 putt every green, awesome!).  I thought that golf would be a universal language but I was very wrong.  These guys didnt speak a lick of English.  You try to describe "play faster" with hand signals and gestures and see how far you get.  We just got a lot of head nods a smiles.

Mike played well.  He was crushing the ball off the tee and had some difficulty around the green.  His typical game.  We were both so frustrated with the day that by the 16th tee we were ready to go home.  The only thing that made the back 9 tolerable was the two 16 ounce bud heavies at the turn (by two I mean two a piece).  Just an FYI, a sand trap makes a great koozie. 

Im not trying to condone drinking (yes I am) but lets be honest with each other here, it always makes life better.  It makes ugly people better looking, it makes a hard day at work melt away, it makes your nagging mother less annoying, and it makes playing horrible golf with a couple of people you hope to never see again, hmm okay. 

Needless to say I was happy when it was all over.  I did par the last hole which helped as well.  I was more excited to get into the club house and grab a frosty beverage. 

The Beer:

Sandy Burr did not have any cart girls on the course.  Ive come to find out this is customary for this time of year due to the fact that all the college girls go back to school.  I believe that they usually do have on course alcohol assistance during the regular season.  The club house isnt accessible from much of the course.  Realistically only the 1st and 10th are close enough to duck in and grab your libations.  I tell you this so you can plan accordingly.  If I had planned ahead better I would have grabbed more than two at the turn. 

After the round I tried Festbier by Victory Brewing Company (www.victorybeer.com/beers/festbier).

I have had other Victory's in the past at the brew fests that I go to throughout the year and these guys know what they are doing.  Festbier is their Octoberfest and man is it a tasty brew.  Real good hop flavor and a smooth finish.  Hands down one of my favorite Octoberfests and that is saying a lot, trust me.  This is my favorite time of year for beer and I hold companies fall beers to a higher standard.  Victory straight delivers with this brew.  Watch the video on their website.  The beer flavors actually make your brain think you should drink more (now I know why I like octoberfests).  It is a great beer for the fall and early winter.  I will definitely be looking for this in the liquor stores and you should too.  You will not be disappointed. 

Final Tally:

0 birdies (I didnt even have a legit look at one, sad face) 3 beers.  Until next time...A Slice is never Nice unless you are taking down an OctoberFeist.

Peaks and Valleys

It was a perfect afternoon for golf and the Patsies werent on until Sunday night so we had plenty of time to play.  C-Mo and I decided upon Poquoy Brook which is clearly in support of the home team.

The Course:

Poquoy Brook (www.poquoybrook.com) is located in Lakeville, MA just south of Boston and it is a gem of a course.  I dont know where the term Indian Summer comes from, or what its true meaning is but I like it.  If I were Websters (and thank god for the human race that Im not) I would describe it as a period of time in fall that allows Ian to play a ton of golf at a discounted rate in really nice weather.  Thank you Indians.  You can have my wampum at your casinos as long as you keep providing me with late rounds of golf.  Sounds like a fair trade.  Not like my early ancestors that stole America from you.....too soon?

It was only 30 beans to play 18 holes for walking and only an extra 10 beans to take a cart.  That is what I call value my freinds.  First off only $30 to play this course is an absolute steal.  Minus the leaves on the course it was in fantastic shape.  The greens were quick and rolling true and the fairways were still well kept.  It was a little soggy but you cant fault the course for that.  Secondly an extra $10 for a cart is what every course should charge.  I typically dont take a cart because I enjoy the exercise of walking but when I do I CANT STAND paying $20 to utilize something that only cost the course 20 cents to operate (that is not value)

The course had a great mix of all types of holes.  Short, Long, Up, Down with a couple of nice blind shots mixed in.  Most holes are tree lined which I think adds some visual value.  It also gives me an aiming point and landing point for my golf ball (the two are never the same).  There isnt a whole lot of OB and if you tend to spray it a little you can knock it back in your own fairway without losing your golf ball.  OR, if your feeling saucy you can play it up the other persons fairway and hit back into your hole when you have a clear opening.  I might have done that a couple of times.  They do have a nice creek running through the course on some holes and some other added water features.  Overall a very pretty course with a great mix of holes that are very well laid out.

The Round:

I titled the post peaks and valleys because that is how my day went.  I had two birdes to complement my two snowmen.  I had a great lesson the previous week and was obviously able to incorporate it on a couple of holes and then totally lost it on a couple others.  C-Mo and I showed up a little late so we had to skip the first hole.  We decided that we probably would have birdied it, so we gave ourselves par just so it didnt feel like we were cheating.

My front 9 sucked, minus my birdie.  I decided to grab two bloodies (yea I said 2) at the turn to make my second 9 better.  Apparently something clicked because I hit a huge anti-gravity ball off the 10th tee.  I drew a bulls eye to show where it landed, stupid long!

Here is a view back to the tee from where it landed.  Holy Ballz!

I was sporting my new Triple Bogey vanilla golf shirt.  These guys are awesome, check them out (triplebogey.myshopify.com).  They have a great view on the game of golf and an even better product.  Their shirts run in the $15 range and are well worth the money.  It feels like a cotton bed sheet wrapped around your body.  I think that it is made from 800 count Egyptian cotton, just a guesstimate.  It fits well and leaves you plenty of room to swing (and I have a big swing if you know what I mean).

C-Mo played well.  He had a case of the lefts going on but eventually calculated how to play with them for the better part of the round.  Our match ended up even at the end of the day after a bunch of back and forth.  It added some good excitement to the round though.  We played with two randoms and one of them was named Fuk.  He said it was the John Smith of Vietnam.  I think the Vietnamese could have picked a better letter combination for the most common name in their country.  This only prompted C-Mo to make a ton of Austin Power references.  We thought it was hilarious, Fuk didnt share our enthusiasm.

The Beer:

The Brook does not have cart girls (cart people for my PC readers).  They might during the full season but in the middle of fall there was no one out there to quench my thirst.  I tried to get a bloody before we tee'd off but they dont start serving until 11am (thanks a lot Massachusetts).  I tried to drop a couple of dollars to see if that helped establish my own laws but it didnt change a thing.  Like I said earlier I did have two at the turn and they were delicious.  A home grown mix with good spice and a heavy poor.

Poquoy has a good selection of beers and a full bar.

I decided upon a Bass Ale (www.bass.com) after the round.  It was, okay.  I would typically go for the Sams October but at the beginning of the season I said I would try all types of beers to see what is best.  Bass has a good flavor, not enough hops for my liking, and a little more bitter than I typically enjoy.  It just didnt mix right for me with the crisp fall air.  Maybe it is better suited for a mid-summer or early spring round but that judgement will have to wait until next season.  I do love Bass in a black and tan but I didnt have that option.  Maybe next time.

Final Tally:

2 count em 2 Birdies, 1 beer, and 2 bloodies.  Until next time...its peanut butter jelly time.  I racked my brain for an alcohol related phrase but it just wasnt coming to me.  Ill try better next time.