These are my tentative plans for recurring bits/series for this blog. As the year progresses some might come to me and some might fall by the wayside.
This will be the centerpiece of the website. One of my main 2020 resolutions is to shoot par or better from the tips by the end of the year. After each round I play, I will write up how it went and how I feel I am doing along my journey. Considering I have never done this or really threatened it all that much and I am an 8.1 handicap, this could take a while. If by some miracle it happens early enough in the year, I will shift focus to becoming a scratch golfer which at this point seems nearly impossible.
Because Quest for Par is all about playing from the tips, Going Low will be a less frequent series of me playing up and seeing how low I can shoot. At some courses, this will mean playing holes completely differently and deciding whether to try to drive greens or play it safe with a long iron. Not only will it hopefully be fun and not demoralizing because my score doesn’t improve, but it will give my brain a shakeup by thinking about course management differently and seeing them from a fresh perspective.
I play golf fast. I do not understand people who play it slow. There is no reason for a round to take more than three and a half hours at any course in the area. Now if you’re playing Pinehurst No. 2 for a grand in a four-ball, then I’ll give you 4 hours. This series (a clever pun on the 2000 Nick Cage auto theft classic) will be seeing how fast I can play while still shooting net par or better. 60 minutes will be the goal for 9 holes which is why the pun is so masterful. This one will be somewhat rare because I almost have to be the first one on the course or the only one out there, so the guys who wait to read their flat 5-footers or get their yardage or walk to their ball until it’s their time to play won’t be slowing me down.
I have played a bunch of courses in St. Charles and St. Louis Counties and across the river in Illinois. I have my go-to’s though. I will attempt to play every public and semi-private course this year at least once to review them and give a comprehensive guide for the average St. Charles golfer. I am going to wait until the summer to do my reviews because I want to be fair to them after a very wet winter. It will take some time for the courses to get back to their peaks.
I will also be reviewing golf balls. I love the Titleist Pro V1x and play the Pro V1 as well. However, I am always open to a cheaper ball that can compete with the big dogs. I will be trying out a slew of cheaper “tour” balls. Basically anything with a urethane cover and a cheaper price tag than the top of the market will get reviewed this year. Cut and Snell have the best comps for their price. Taylormade is dropping a budget urethane ball. Look for reviews of all of them and more.
I don’t think I will be reviewing clubs, and this might be obvious if you have read my What’s in the Bag. I think any club review in today’s day has to include GCQuad data, otherwise, you end up just spitting out cliches. Also, I just don’t buy clubs all that often because I am more focused on my own swing to gain improvements rather than a club. If manufacturers start sending me clubs all of a sudden (I don’t foresee this happening) maybe I’ll change my mind.
St. Charles Golfer 