Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[scotee]

On 6/29/2021 at 7:46 AM, Conrad1953 said:

 

I like your longish posts. They are always good reads and full of good content. And what

a great example of a course! The guy designed and built some very famous courses but

also did many many more courses besides those that are not famous. What a great story

and I'm glad you're getting to enjoy the course.

 

When golfers think of Alistair McKenzie they think of Augusta National, Cypress Point,

Pasa Tiempo, etc.......but he also did a course in Sacramento, CA. Granted it was not on

a site as exciting as those just mentioned but it was still a McKenzie course. Over the

years...................and eventually the city of Sacramento owned it. I don't remember the 

whole story. We played it a few times when we were on the road playing. It's in an

older part of town. Last time we were there in 2008 they told us in the pro shop that

the city was planning to spend $millions$ to restore it. I have no idea if it ever did as

we have not been back since.

 

There was another course on that site as well but it was built by someone else. There

was also a giant golf store there on site. We spent some time in that store as well.  It

was huge and turns out that they are also a big eBay seller under the name of Morton

Golf. I actually bought some clubs from Morton Golf on eBay a few times in later years.

 

13 years later now. I should probably look up the place online and see if the course

was ever restored even though the chance of me ever going back to Sacramento is

precisely zero, lol.....but I am a little curious now that I'm thinking of it.

 

EDIT: add. Haha, they never spent the additional money. It says they put $6.5 million

into the course in 2001. We were told in 2008 they were going to put $miilions$ more

into; I think they said $9 million if memory serves correctly.

 

Here's a link to the place if anyone is interested;

 

The Magic of Alister Mackenzie at Haggin Oaks - Haggin Oaks

 

Conrad reading this I thought I had played there too but the one I played was very near by and designed by William Francis Bell who designed Torrey Pines and a list of other impressive courses.

 

 

https://www.golfancilhoffman.com/about-this-course

 

I had an unusual birdie on #15  I scored a three after hitting four from the tee.  I hit the electric wires crossing the fairway 3 times in a row!  Finally got a drive up the right side but blocked out by a group of trees. Hit a low running 6 iron that ran through all the trees and up onto the green and made a short putt for the bird for one I will always remember.

Edited July 9, 2021 by scotee

[tolmij]

10 minutes ago, scotee said:

 

Tol, you perfectly captured the guilt.  

Thank you scotee, dogs have such expressive faces.

[Conrad1953]

22 minutes ago, scotee said:

 

Conrad reading this I thought I had played there too but the one I played was very near by and designed by William Francis Bell who designed Torrey Pines and a list of other impressive courses.

 

 

https://www.golfancilhoffman.com/about-this-course

 

I had an unusual birdie on #15  I scored a three after hitting four from the tee.  I hit the electric wires crossing the fairway 3 times in a row!  Finally got a drive up the right side but blocked out by a group of trees. Hit a low running 6 iron that ran through all the trees and up onto the green and made a short putt for the bird for one I will always remember.

 

There really are hidden gems all over. That's a wonderful looking course. That's a real feat

hitting the wires 3 in a row! My dad and I would sometimes play a 9 hole course in Cerritos

that had some wires overhead. I think we hit them once in maybe a few dozen rounds there.

[scomac2002]

7 hours ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

There really are hidden gems all over. That's a wonderful looking course. That's a real feat

hitting the wires 3 in a row! My dad and I would sometimes play a 9 hole course in Cerritos

that had some wires overhead. I think we hit them once in maybe a few dozen rounds there.

 

First of all, Conrad, let me wish you the best of luck with the upcoming surgery.  My understanding is that it's a relatively quick and simple procedure with a much quicker recovery than what i remember my father experiencing over 40 years ago.

 

The men's league course has overhead wires on #6.  I've hit them many times over the years.  Always played the ball where it laid as there was never any local rule stating otherwise.  The rule @scotee mentioned above is quite unique.  I'm sure I've run across other odd local rules that gave the player potential for advantage.  For example, the course I play at gives a free lift from all gardens.  Many regular players don't realize this until somebody takes advantage and there's a dispute over score.  

[scomac2002]

11 hours ago, BIG STU said:

And finally getting the M-6 set up for me. The M-6 defies all logic I have it set to 9.5 with lead tape in the back low like a vintage Power Bilt driver. With the way the shaft kicks on the bottom end it gets through the ball fast and I get a medium high ball flight which I like.

 

This sounds similar to hat I did with my RBZ Black.  It's a 12° head that I backed down two notches to open the face up from the factory setting.  I'm assuming that it's now 10.5° or 11°.  Gives a nice penetrating medium high flight as long as I don't get too handsy with it.  The ball flight for me is much higher and straighter than at the factory setting which tended to lower left with a lack of carry.  I tend to think that's a result of a long handle with too upright a lie angle in the OTR configuration. 

 

I remember having an old Nike DYMO square driver that I brought to life by chopping two inches off the butt end.  It was my son's driver and neither one of us could hit it with any sort of consistency.  Began choking down on it a bunch to get the head sitting square on the ground and that seemed much more natural.  Had to add half a roll of lead tape to the sucker, but I got it working pretty well with those adjustments.

[Fellaheen51]

8 hours ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

Thanks. 

 

I hope you get to feeling better soon.  It's funny; I can sit here on the couch and from this

view I can do anything I could do in my 20s.....but I know better yet even if I didn't as soon 

as I start to stand up I would be reminded right away that I'm a long way from my 20s.

 

For some reason I've been tuning into watching Wimbledon this year. In my 20s I played

far more tennis than golf and I watched the tennis "majors" on TV. On my TV channel menu

now I noticed the Tennis Channel right below the Golf Channel so I happened to click

on it last month when the French Open (also a tennis major) was going on...and got hooked

on watching it again after all these years.

 

Wow, thinking about my present physical state I'm so glad to have golf to look forward to

when I heal up cause watching them running around, slipping, sliding and doing the splits

on those grass courts makes me recoil in imagined agony at times. I never played on

grass or clay courts; just hard courts; nevertheless I'm glad I made the switch to golf

cause without golf what would us old guys do......play shuffleboard or croquet?

 

 

 

Croquet is a great backyard game BTW.  Not unlike golf, putting actually.  Before they moved, a bud had a regulation size croquet court (100' x 50') setup in his large backyard.   Mostly level ground, lush grass, mowed tight.  The ball had a pretty good roll while mashing it around.  Heated summertime contests were played.  Guys and gals.  Although the wives usually retired to the patio when the competition intensified.  Libations in hand to enhance one's focus.  Always someone that would employ dirty tactics and go "ball hunting".  A croquet.  Where you make contact with another, place the ball up against an opponent's and smash it off to the netherlands.  The favorability of this tactic directly related to one's position in the contest.  Was fun.  

_______________________________________

 

Given your present condition (you'll be good as new in no time), feel kinda uncomfortable bringing this up.  But I've been cycling a fair amount this year.  Wanted to get back into it for several years.  The old, rigid MTB no longer a suitable pedal.  They kept sending me $$ in the spring.  Thought about golf clubs for a hot minute.  No, that would be a waste of funds.  So decided to buy a new bike.  Off I went to the bike shops, only to discover that bicycles were no where to be found.  Pandemic, supply chain shortages.   So began to regularly check the online marketplaces for one.  Took me 6 weeks to find one in a XL frame size.  A good used bike are selling within a couple hours of being listed, no time to think about it.  See something, be ready to make an offer to buy immediately.  Finally locating a Trek hybrid with front suspension, more upright riding position, with some nice accessories (rack and bag, mirror, better pedals, bottle holders).  

 

Started riding most evenings.  A few miles, but didn't know for sure until I added a Bike GPS app to my phone to track distance, average speed and elapsed time.  Thought I was in OK shape initially, but the bod said otherwise.  Especially the knees.  Took awhile to get into some semblance of pedaling shape.  Not to bad now, have lost about 15 pounds so far.  The golf shorts are becoming to loose, need to cinch up the belt tighter to keep them from falling down (using only web belts now).  Feel better.  The golf game remains the same.

 

Last Sunday, in the early morning hours to beat the heat, took off for a ride.  We have a network of gravel/dirt roads within a quarter mile of the house.  Decided to head in that direction.  Very enjoyable riding off into the country rather than the typical around town pavement and sidewalk.  Stretched the distance out a bit further than normal.  Ended up doing 12 miles.  Problem was I went a bit to far out.  The hills heading out didn't seem that difficult.  Until I began looping back towards home.  There was one that I couldn't make it up, even using the "granny" gear.  Had to get off and walk.  Felt like a wimp.  When I finally got home and dismounted, dam(n) near fell.  The legs felt like mush.  

 

Seems as though eBikes are becoming increasingly popular.  Took a ride on one at a LBS recently, albeit a smaller frame than appropriate.  They're pretty cool.  Some pedal assist for old guys who ride too far.  Pedal out, cruise back.  Expensive though.  About the price of a fully fitted complete set of fancy new golf clubs.  Which has the most tech?  I wonder.  

 

 

 

[Fellaheen51]

11 hours ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

Here's how I feel about that. I go to sleep. I wake up. What happened while I was asleep can

remain classified. The surgeon who fixed my hernias handed me some glossy photos of my

insides before, during and after, when I was in his office for a post op.   I said "you really think 

I want to look at these?" LOL. 

 

I remember watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy and they were showing some orthopedic

surgery going and they had a few of some sap's bones out and they were drilling and beating

on them with hammers and then using the power screwdriver to screw parts and bones 

together. It's like you know this stuff goes on but you don't want to really see it or think

about it.

 

When we watched that we immediately thought about the titanium rod and bolts and screws

in Cobi's right leg from when she fell and broke her upper femur..................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not watch much TV.  The internets tend to be my diversionary entertainment.  But when I do, sure as he(ll) not going to be doctoring shows.  They give me the creeps.  

[Fellaheen51]

1 hour ago, scomac2002 said:

 

First of all, Conrad, let me wish you the best of luck with the upcoming surgery.  My understanding is that it's a relatively quick and simple procedure with a much quicker recovery than what i remember my father experiencing over 40 years ago.

 

The men's league course has overhead wires on #6.  I've hit them many times over the years.  Always played the ball where it laid as there was never any local rule stating otherwise.  The rule @scotee mentioned above is quite unique.  I'm sure I've run across other odd local rules that gave the player potential for advantage.  For example, the course I play at gives a free lift from all gardens.  Many regular players don't realize this until somebody takes advantage and there's a dispute over score.  

 

Likewise.  One of the regular rota courses has transmission wires bisecting the course.  They are a factor especially for second shots on the par 5 10th.  Uncanny off often they are hit.  Already hit them twice this year.  With a good tee shot, the second is positioned on high ground, ~220 yards out and requires getting the ball up in the air to clear a large pond just inside 150 to about 120.   It seemingly is the "nutted" ball that hits the wires.  Local rule is to rehit from the initial position.  Which invariably results in a less than nutted shot the second time.  Rinsed some balls in that pond over the years, after hitting the wires.

[scomac2002]

Nice wip you've acquired @Fellaheen51!  I've actually looked at that model in the past when contemplating changing bikes to something a bit more back friendly.  Instead I made some mods to raise the handlebars on my road bike.  That seemed to do the trick, but I'm so far away from riding shape these days that anything beyond a half hour is not tolerable.

 

Glad to hear that you're getting out regularly.  It's an incentive for me to dust off the wheels, especially when you cited the weight loss.  I've put on 20# since the low point following my back trouble.  Everything is tight now and I know that I need to make some changes to get the ship headed in the right direction so that my island wear is comfortable for going to Hawaii next spring.

[Fellaheen51]

38 minutes ago, scomac2002 said:

Nice wip you've acquired @Fellaheen51!  I've actually looked at that model in the past when contemplating changing bikes to something a bit more back friendly.  Instead I made some mods to raise the handlebars on my road bike.  That seemed to do the trick, but I'm so far away from riding shape these days that anything beyond a half hour is not tolerable.

 

Glad to hear that you're getting out regularly.  It's an incentive for me to dust off the wheels, especially when you cited the weight loss.  I've put on 20# since the low point following my back trouble.  Everything is tight now and I know that I need to make some changes to get the ship headed in the right direction so that my island wear is comfortable for going to Hawaii next spring.

 

Thanks.  Been happy with it so far.  Over the winter, in anticipation of doing this, had to immerse myself in the "language of bike" to have an understanding of what may be suitable.  Types, models, frame geometries, that kind of stuff.  There's a bike forum quite like GolfWRX in that regard.  That trends towards being geeky about this stuff.  There's some amazing technology on bicycles these days.  (Electronic bluetooth derailleurs and adjusting height seat posts?  Who knew?).   Theres a subform pertaining to vintage and classic bikes.  Some of the rides peeps have rescued and restored are pretty cool.  Vintage Raleigh 3-Speed as an around town bike anyone?  

 

Needed a more relaxed riding position to remove shoulder and arm stress, stretched out geometry for stability, a semi-plush sprung saddle for the butt, that sort of thing.  The steering fork has an adjustable stem, but haven't gotten around to tweaking it yet.  Was more concerned with getting the correct saddle height, angle, and position on the stem.  Read some mumbo about this relative to knee strain.  

 

Simply raising the handlebar height can improve the riding position.  As you've discovered.  Plethora of handlebar shapes and sizes, expensive to cheap, can put one in a better riding position.  Was thinking about doing it with the old MTB, before the bike shop told me about the ancillary expense of recabling everything due to insufficient length.  Wasn't worth spending $150 on a $100 bike.  And still have twitchy MTB steering that was more than unsettling.  All about riding around, without falling.  

[Soloman1]

3 hours ago, Fellaheen51 said:

 

Do not watch much TV.  The internets tend to be my diversionary entertainment.  But when I do, sure as he(ll) not going to be doctoring shows.  They give me the creeps.  

 

 

Hey, that's an idea. Maybe we can save Conrad some money on his surgery?

 

I'm convinced that after an hour on YouTube and another hour on Google, any one of us could perform this surgery just as well as any doctor. There's probably an App, too.

 

(Listen to me. I'm turning into a Millennial . . .)

[NoTalentLefty]

I’ve become a fan of flatter golf courses as I get older. Our Retiree group went to one of my favorite golf courses in the past. Found out my body doesn’t like all those side hill , uphill, downhill lies like I use to. Also above 86 degrees and humid is dam hot anymore. 

[BIG STU]

13 hours ago, scotee said:

 

Conrad reading this I thought I had played there too but the one I played was very near by and designed by William Francis Bell who designed Torrey Pines and a list of other impressive courses.

 

 

https://www.golfancilhoffman.com/about-this-course

 

I had an unusual birdie on #15  I scored a three after hitting four from the tee.  I hit the electric wires crossing the fairway 3 times in a row!  Finally got a drive up the right side but blocked out by a group of trees. Hit a low running 6 iron that ran through all the trees and up onto the green and made a short putt for the bird for one I will always remember.

Gastonia Municipal in Gastonia NC was like that. In a high school golf match I hit the wires with a balata ball darn near cut it in two. When we got to the ball it was oozing blue stuff from the core. Of course it is a local rule a do over no penality. 

Harold Varner III on the PGA Tour that was the course he grew up on BTW---- Nope have never met him but pull for him since he is also a ECU Alumni

[NoTalentLefty]

I hate surgery! Too much in the last 20 years. Conrad best wishes.

[BIG STU]

On 7/7/2021 at 1:21 AM, tolmij said:

Been away for a week or so, life just gets busier in retirement. Plenty to read up over the next few days. Had time to paint, this is the latest, finished today, meet Casey the greyhound who's a naughty girl.

 

 

 

Love it she has the look of Who me? or it wasnt me. Yep I get that look doubled now everyday from either the 11 year old terrier or the Frenchie Puppy. The Frenchie is well behaved but a ball of fire. The old terrier is laid back but has gotten some more pep in his step now. Part of it I attribute to the puppy but also the Terrier got his last Heartworm treatment last month. The Terrier had Heartworms when we adopted him and the Adoption agency paid for the treatments if we would have adopted him which we would have anyway. The Vet said when the heartworms started dying and distengrating he would more than likely have some more pep in his step.

[BIG STU]

3 hours ago, scomac2002 said:

Nice wip you've acquired @Fellaheen51!  I've actually looked at that model in the past when contemplating changing bikes to something a bit more back friendly.  Instead I made some mods to raise the handlebars on my road bike.  That seemed to do the trick, but I'm so far away from riding shape these days that anything beyond a half hour is not tolerable.

 

Glad to hear that you're getting out regularly.  It's an incentive for me to dust off the wheels, especially when you cited the weight loss.  I've put on 20# since the low point following my back trouble.  Everything is tight now and I know that I need to make some changes to get the ship headed in the right direction so that my island wear is comfortable for going to Hawaii next spring.

I can relate I had lost about 20 LBS before my accident by just playing golf and not being in a truck so much. Then the accident and on my back in bed most of the next 4 months. I gained that back and 20 more to boot. But I am more active now and have lost 10 LBS without even trying. I was skinny when I joined the Navy and gained 10 LBS of muscle in boot camp. From then on I bulked out

Back in my 30s early 40s when I was racing I was also a Volunteer Fireman. In the winter I would gain about 25 LBS. But when spring hit and we started up racing I would rapidly loose it without trying. Also in the spring where I was at brush fire season would start up. I did all of that while holding a full time job mostly turning wrenches. LOL some of my buds in Gaffney and I were talking about it on FB the other night. Back in those days I fully functioned off of 4 hours of sleep each day. But usually on Sunday I would sleep most of the day and recharge so to speak. My attitude in them days was like Sam Eliott in Roadhouse " I can sleep when I am dead". And yes once or twice a month I would sneak up to Charlotte and play golf with my buds on Sunday then sleep Sunday night and most of Monday because I worked 2nd shift at the International Truck dealer. I was big but in pretty good shape passed my Interior Structual Firefighter annual practical at age 44 which many guys could not do. But whew no where I am in that shape now--- When I quit driving race cars I porked out some which all big guys tend to do after they retire. 

 

I will relate this. In Feburary before my accident I went up and tested a car for a bud. He has 3 cars and still races at age 67. I had not been in a race car for 15 years of so. I did the test and he stated he felt I had not lost a thing. I was going to run some of the big races like 5 that year in his back up car. Well covid and my accident shelved it. Have an appointment in a couple of weeks with another Doc to see if my back can take a impact. If it can I may run a handfull next year we will see. First thing will be if I can ride in a vehicle 180 miles or so to get there. Right now that aint happening. 

[Conrad1953]

5 hours ago, Fellaheen51 said:

 

Croquet is a great backyard game BTW.  Not unlike golf, putting actually.  Before they moved, a bud had a regulation size croquet court (100' x 50') setup in his large backyard.   Mostly level ground, lush grass, mowed tight.  The ball had a pretty good roll while mashing it around.  Heated summertime contests were played.  Guys and gals.  Although the wives usually retired to the patio when the competition intensified.  Libations in hand to enhance one's focus.  Always someone that would employ dirty tactics and go "ball hunting".  A croquet.  Where you make contact with another, place the ball up against an opponent's and smash it off to the netherlands.  The favorability of this tactic directly related to one's position in the contest.  Was fun.  

_______________________________________

 

Given your present condition (you'll be good as new in no time), feel kinda uncomfortable bringing this up.  But I've been cycling a fair amount this year.  Wanted to get back into it for several years.  The old, rigid MTB no longer a suitable pedal.  They kept sending me $$ in the spring.  Thought about golf clubs for a hot minute.  No, that would be a waste of funds.  So decided to buy a new bike.  Off I went to the bike shops, only to discover that bicycles were no where to be found.  Pandemic, supply chain shortages.   So began to regularly check the online marketplaces for one.  Took me 6 weeks to find one in a XL frame size.  A good used bike are selling within a couple hours of being listed, no time to think about it.  See something, be ready to make an offer to buy immediately.  Finally locating a Trek hybrid with front suspension, more upright riding position, with some nice accessories (rack and bag, mirror, better pedals, bottle holders).  

 

Started riding most evenings.  A few miles, but didn't know for sure until I added a Bike GPS app to my phone to track distance, average speed and elapsed time.  Thought I was in OK shape initially, but the bod said otherwise.  Especially the knees.  Took awhile to get into some semblance of pedaling shape.  Not to bad now, have lost about 15 pounds so far.  The golf shorts are becoming to loose, need to cinch up the belt tighter to keep them from falling down (using only web belts now).  Feel better.  The golf game remains the same.

 

Last Sunday, in the early morning hours to beat the heat, took off for a ride.  We have a network of gravel/dirt roads within a quarter mile of the house.  Decided to head in that direction.  Very enjoyable riding off into the country rather than the typical around town pavement and sidewalk.  Stretched the distance out a bit further than normal.  Ended up doing 12 miles.  Problem was I went a bit to far out.  The hills heading out didn't seem that difficult.  Until I began looping back towards home.  There was one that I couldn't make it up, even using the "granny" gear.  Had to get off and walk.  Felt like a wimp.  When I finally got home and dismounted, dam(n) near fell.  The legs felt like mush.  

 

Seems as though eBikes are becoming increasingly popular.  Took a ride on one at a LBS recently, albeit a smaller frame than appropriate.  They're pretty cool.  Some pedal assist for old guys who ride too far.  Pedal out, cruise back.  Expensive though.  About the price of a fully fitted complete set of fancy new golf clubs.  Which has the most tech?  I wonder.  

 

 

 

 

Man, no need to feel uncomfortable. When I'm on the sidelines I never expect the players

on the field to stop playing and go home. Besides, I like the entertainment and tossing in

a peanut gallery offering when I feel inclined.

 

I do feel a little bad posting the following....... 15 years ago Cobi and I bought bikes with

the best of intentions. It's not safe riding around in the streets competing with motorized

vehicles and we don't have any "public" dirt/gravel roads nearby but we do have the local

HS football stadium close by............and so we rode there around and around and around.

 

One day the PTB decided to lock the gates from then on; keeping us and all the other

riff raff out of the stadium and track. The bikes sat in our shed for years after that. We

eventually gave them away and were happy to see them out of the way and into a place

where they would get used.

 

EDIT; we played croquet as kids in the back yards and it was fun. Never played on an

"official" course that I can remember. It wasn't my intention to insult croquet or

shuffleboard because I have, at times, played both. More that I am grateful for

golf since even if I wanted to play again; tennis is out of the question.

Edited July 9, 2021 by Conrad1953

[billh17]

10 hours ago, NoTalentLefty said:

I’ve become a fan of flatter golf courses as I get older. Our Retiree group went to one of my favorite golf courses in the past. Found out my body doesn’t like all those side hill , uphill, downhill lies like I use to. Also above 86 degrees and humid is dam hot anymore. 

I am super happy to hear that someone else has the same feelings i do ! I have started playing the back 9 later in the day, because it is flatter.  And the humidity was so bad here last week that the air was heavy. I mean, you could feel it when you walked outside. I left the house and was back in an hour, and my better 1/2 said she thought i was crazy for even going out !  And shots to hidden greens on these hills ? HAH ! I  dont  hit that many great shots and i Darn sure want to see them land when i do get  one !  Yesterday and today were beautiful days, 80 degrees with sun and a breeze ! High temps and humidity will be back starting tuesday !

Edited July 10, 2021 by billh17
trying to make it look readable !

[Fellaheen51]

7 hours ago, billh17 said:

I am super happy to hear that someone else has the same feelings i do ! I have started playing the back 9 later in the day, because it is flatter.  And the humidity was so bad here last week that the air was heavy. I mean, you could feel it when you walked outside. I left the house and was back in an hour, and my better 1/2 said she thought i was crazy for even going out !  And shots to hidden greens on these hills ? HAH ! I  dont  hit that many great shots and i Darn sure want to see them land when i do get  one !  Yesterday and today were beautiful days, 80 degrees with sun and a breeze ! High temps and humidity will be back starting tuesday !

 

One of my pet course peeves.  The blind shot into a green, where one can barely see the top of the flagstick.  Hard to select the right club for those kind of shots (don't have slope on my cheap GPS gizmo).  Yeah, want to see what I'm trying to shoot for and watch the ball land.  

 

There's an upscale course nearby, gets a lot of publicity as to the quality and challenge.  Play it maybe once every couple years.  Rack rate during the week is $90, although we only play there before 9:00 a.m. with a weekday rate of $49.00.   Carved out of the woods and very hilly.  One could drop a ball in the middle of any number of fairways and it would be above or below your feet.  So severe are the contours.  Last time I played there, hit a drive almost to the top of a hill, like a couple feet at the most.  And the ball rolled back down the slope 75 yards.  Could see the track in entirety do to the heavy morning dew.  Ridiculous.  A course beyond my capabilities to enjoy playing.  

 

 

[scomac2002]

Blind shots are a fact of life for me as there are a couple at my regular course.  The first is a short uphill par 3 that plays around 120 yd.  You can see the ball land, but you have no idea where it will roll/bounce to as there is a berm protecting the front.  Always take a wedge along with putter as one walks up to the green (bags are left on the next tee which is adjacent to this hole's tee box) because you won't see where you have ended up until you're at the top of the hill.

 

The very next hole offers the same sort of challenge if you place your drive/2nd shot along the left side of the fairway which is protected by a row of cedar trees.  They block view of the green as it's tucked in on the left and there is water on the right.

 

I sometimes think that blind shots can be a gift.  You can't see exactly where you're going and therefore you can't see how badly you missed when pressing to make a good shot.  With the blind shot all you can do is take a smooth swing and hope for the best.  I have found more often than not that I am surprised by the result that I get as it can be fairly open around the green when the obstacles are out front.

[Soloman1]

The Official Saturday Morning Rant (July 10th Edition)

"Restaurant Hell"

 

OK, so we've been eating at home for more than a year and sometimes doing takeout. Maybe it was time to take our long-ago vaccinated bodies out and sit down in a restaurant again and have someone else do the cooking and dishes. Off we went to an Italian food chain called Maggiano's. First time to go inside, but had takeout once and it was pretty good and looked nice inside when I picked it up.

 

Made a reservation and reserved a booth. The person on the other end was polite and cheerful. All set.

 

Show up at zero hour and the host sends us off to be seated by a guy who looks exactly like Garth Algar from Wayne's World (see below - he really did look like this).

 

No worries.

We walk about three feet and he points to a tiny little table right behind the host stand against the wall and a frosted window. I explained that we made a reservation for one of the booths, like all of those empty ones over there...

 

He counters immediately, "Oh, but this table has a nice view."

 

"We reserved one of those booths," I said again quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

 

He insisted that this was where we should sit.

 

Ok, enough of this. I said, "I'm sorry young man, but that's the wrong answer. The correct answer is, 'Yes sir, I'll take care of it immediately.'"

 

We get our booth after jousting with Garth. Let it go and enjoy the dinner.

 

Our waiter with a nasty beard half-covered with a dirty mask shows up. He's full of swagger for some reason. We get a couple glasses of wine. He brings some hot bread and our order is squared away. We're going to split a salad and a spicy red sauce pasta dish. Portions are just too big now for one human to eat by themselves. I'm trying to keep my dinners under 10,000 calories.

 

Mr. Swagger plunks the salad dish onto the table and scurries away. We wait and wait until he walks by and I remind him that we were going to split this salad. Can he at least get us another plate? We get another plate. No apology, just another plate. OK, I think we've successfully maneuvered around the last roadblock of the night.

 

Mr Swagger plunks down the big entree plate and two small plates. We're doing good! He disappears immediately. He has no other tables yet, but he's always gone.

 

We start to put some on the plates and realize that this is not what we ordered. Mr Swagger is nowhere to be found. Since we're sitting next to the congregating area where all the wait staff talk about their lives, their loves, their diseases, their troubles, their hangovers, etc., I ask one if they can find our waiter. I get an eye roll, but at least someone will go find him.

 

Sometimes I just have to take a break, take a breath and reset my mind to understand and accept that this is the new standard of service.

 

Swagger shows up. I tell him that this isn't what we ordered. He asks what we ordered. I told him to look at his ticket. He takes the food away. No "I'm sorry," no "I apologize." Nothing. He says he'll get it out right away. I tell him not to rush, we're not in a hurry. I just want it cooked properly.

 

He brings out the correct entree and drops it on the table, then he's off again to the mystery hang out. No plates, and even better, no silverware, since he took ours when he picked up the wrong entree.

 

Sigh.

 

He's nowhere to be found. I have to ask Mr Eyeroll again to please (we must say "please" and "thank you" to them, lest they get offended) find Mr Swagger. He returns and says he can't find him. He shows up just as the dish has reached that degree of coolness that it's not as appetizing as it looked. He asks what I need.

 

I say nothing. I look at him, then the table, then him, then the table, hoping he might be able to figure this out on his own.

 

Nope. He's totally oblivious to the fact that we have no plates or silverware. What the hell was I thinking? I have to spell it out to him.

 

Sigh. This place isn't cheap. I'm not going to make a scene. They have a special thing where you can order an entree to go for $5 if you eat in and they're delicious. Just heat them up yourself. We ordered two.

 

Right on cue, Mr Swagger brought us the check (he didn't forget the check...) and a bag with the entrees. I just want to leave, so I don't check the bag.

 

And right on cue, we check at home and the orders in the bag were wrong.

 

Another frustration was that sitting right next to each other, we could not hear each other. The music was so loud that no one in the restaurant was talking. Everyone was screaming. No one could hear each other without screaming.

 

Naturally, you cannot talk to, or write to, anyone in the corporate HQ. No phone numbers and no email addresses are on the site. They don't even have a street address because you might actually write a letter to them.

 

They learned their lesson that the best way to stop hearing complaints is stop giving people a way to complain.

 

I called the restaurant the next day. Without going into details, I asked to talk with the manager about my experience there and was told that the manager would definitely call me that day or the next day. That was over a week ago. I guess I'll keep waiting? I'm sure the manager is just too busy and will call me later.

 

It's all me. It can't be them. If it was them, the place would be struggling to stay in business. It's packed every day with people who think much differently than I do. They think it's great that everything is wrong, or they just don't care.

 

I have to learn to accept that this is the new standard of service. Or I have to stay at home.

 

Rant over!

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Soloman1

[scomac2002]

Doesn't instill a lot of confidence that eating out is going to be desirable at all if your experience is the new normal.   If that is the case then I'll be doing takeout for the rest of my life and banking the savings!

[scotee]

4 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

The Official Saturday Morning Rant (July 10th Edition)

"Restaurant Hell"

 

OK, so we've been eating at home for more than a year and sometimes doing takeout. Maybe it was time to take our long-ago vaccinated bodies out and sit down in a restaurant again and have someone else do the cooking and dishes. Off we went to an Italian food chain called Maggiano's. First time to go inside, but had takeout once and it was pretty good and looked nice inside when I picked it up.

 

Made a reservation and reserved a booth. The person on the other end was polite and cheerful. All set.

 

Show up at zero hour and the host sends us off to be seated by a guy who looks exactly like Garth Algar from Wayne's World (see below - he really did look like this).

 

No worries.

We walk about three feet and he points to a tiny little table right behind the host stand against the wall and a frosted window. I explained that we made a reservation for one of the booths, like all of those empty ones over there...

 

He counters immediately, "Oh, but this table has a nice view."

 

"We reserved one of those booths," I said again quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

 

He insisted that this was where we should sit.

 

Ok, enough of this. I said, "I'm sorry young man, but that's the wrong answer. The correct answer is, 'Yes sir, I'll take care of it immediately.'"

 

We get our booth after jousting with Garth. Let it go and enjoy the dinner.

 

Our waiter with a nasty beard half-covered with a dirty mask shows up. He's full of swagger for some reason. We get a couple glasses of wine. He brings some hot bread and our order is squared away. We're going to split a salad and a spicy red sauce pasta dish. Portions are just too big now for one human to eat by themselves. I'm trying to keep my dinners under 10,000 calories.

 

Mr. Swagger plunks the salad dish onto the table and scurries away. We wait and wait until he walks by and I remind him that we were going to split this salad. Can he at least get us another plate? We get another plate. No apology, just another plate. OK, I think we've successfully maneuvered around the last roadblock of the night.

 

Mr Swagger plunks down the big entree plate and two small plates. We're doing good! He disappears immediately. He has no other tables yet, but he's always gone.

 

We start to put some on the plates and realize that this is not what we ordered. Mr Swagger is nowhere to be found. Since we're sitting next to the congregating area where all the wait staff talk about their lives, their loves, their diseases, their troubles, their hangovers, etc., I ask one if they can find our waiter. I get an eye roll, but at least someone will go find him.

 

Sometimes I just have to take a break, take a breath and reset my mind to understand and accept that this is the new standard of service.

 

Swagger shows up. I tell him that this isn't what we ordered. He asks what we ordered. I told him to look at his ticket. He takes the food away. No "I'm sorry," no "I apologize." Nothing. He says he'll get it out right away. I tell him not to rush, we're not in a hurry. I just want it cooked properly.

 

He brings out the correct entree and drops it on the table, then he's off again to the mystery hang out. No plates, and even better, no silverware, since he took ours when he picked up the wrong entree.

 

Sigh.

 

He's nowhere to be found. I have to ask Mr Eyeroll again to please (we must say "please" and "thank you" to them, lest they get offended) find Mr Swagger. He returns and says he can't find him. He shows up just as the dish has reached that degree of coolness that it's not as appetizing as it looked. He asks what I need.

 

I say nothing. I look at him, then the table, then him, then the table, hoping he might be able to figure this out on his own.

 

Nope. He's totally oblivious to the fact that we have no plates or silverware. What the hell was I thinking? I have to spell it out to him.

 

Sigh. This place isn't cheap. I'm not going to make a scene. They have a special thing where you can order an entree to go for $5 if you eat in and they're delicious. Just heat them up yourself. We ordered two.

 

Right on cue, Mr Swagger brought us the check (he didn't forget the check...) and a bag with the entrees. I just want to leave, so I don't check the bag.

 

And right on cue, we check at home and the orders in the bag were wrong.

 

Another frustration was that sitting right next to each other, we could not hear each other. The music was so loud that no one in the restaurant was talking. Everyone was screaming. No one could hear each other without screaming.

 

Naturally, you cannot talk to, or write to, anyone in the corporate HQ. No phone numbers and no email addresses are on the site. They don't even have a street address because you might actually write a letter to them.

 

They learned their lesson that the best way to stop hearing complaints is stop giving people a way to complain.

 

I called the restaurant the next day. Without going into details, I asked to talk with the manager about my experience there and was told that the manager would definitely call me that day or the next day. That was over a week ago. I guess I'll keep waiting? I'm sure the manager is just too busy and will call me later.

 

It's all me. It can't be them. If it was them, the place would be struggling to stay in business. It's packed every day with people who think much differently than I do. They think it's great that everything is wrong, or they just don't care.

 

I have to learn to accept that this is the new standard of service. Or I have to stay at home.

 

Rant over!

 

 

 

 

Just come on over to the Clubhouse Grille! Gus and the girls will treat you right and the food will be good. It won't be spelled correctly but that's just part of the charm.

[BIG STU]

5 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

The Official Saturday Morning Rant (July 10th Edition)

"Restaurant Hell"

 

OK, so we've been eating at home for more than a year and sometimes doing takeout. Maybe it was time to take our long-ago vaccinated bodies out and sit down in a restaurant again and have someone else do the cooking and dishes. Off we went to an Italian food chain called Maggiano's. First time to go inside, but had takeout once and it was pretty good and looked nice inside when I picked it up.

 

Made a reservation and reserved a booth. The person on the other end was polite and cheerful. All set.

 

Show up at zero hour and the host sends us off to be seated by a guy who looks exactly like Garth Algar from Wayne's World (see below - he really did look like this).

 

No worries.

We walk about three feet and he points to a tiny little table right behind the host stand against the wall and a frosted window. I explained that we made a reservation for one of the booths, like all of those empty ones over there...

 

He counters immediately, "Oh, but this table has a nice view."

 

"We reserved one of those booths," I said again quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

 

He insisted that this was where we should sit.

 

Ok, enough of this. I said, "I'm sorry young man, but that's the wrong answer. The correct answer is, 'Yes sir, I'll take care of it immediately.'"

 

We get our booth after jousting with Garth. Let it go and enjoy the dinner.

 

Our waiter with a nasty beard half-covered with a dirty mask shows up. He's full of swagger for some reason. We get a couple glasses of wine. He brings some hot bread and our order is squared away. We're going to split a salad and a spicy red sauce pasta dish. Portions are just too big now for one human to eat by themselves. I'm trying to keep my dinners under 10,000 calories.

 

Mr. Swagger plunks the salad dish onto the table and scurries away. We wait and wait until he walks by and I remind him that we were going to split this salad. Can he at least get us another plate? We get another plate. No apology, just another plate. OK, I think we've successfully maneuvered around the last roadblock of the night.

 

Mr Swagger plunks down the big entree plate and two small plates. We're doing good! He disappears immediately. He has no other tables yet, but he's always gone.

 

We start to put some on the plates and realize that this is not what we ordered. Mr Swagger is nowhere to be found. Since we're sitting next to the congregating area where all the wait staff talk about their lives, their loves, their diseases, their troubles, their hangovers, etc., I ask one if they can find our waiter. I get an eye roll, but at least someone will go find him.

 

Sometimes I just have to take a break, take a breath and reset my mind to understand and accept that this is the new standard of service.

 

Swagger shows up. I tell him that this isn't what we ordered. He asks what we ordered. I told him to look at his ticket. He takes the food away. No "I'm sorry," no "I apologize." Nothing. He says he'll get it out right away. I tell him not to rush, we're not in a hurry. I just want it cooked properly.

 

He brings out the correct entree and drops it on the table, then he's off again to the mystery hang out. No plates, and even better, no silverware, since he took ours when he picked up the wrong entree.

 

Sigh.

 

He's nowhere to be found. I have to ask Mr Eyeroll again to please (we must say "please" and "thank you" to them, lest they get offended) find Mr Swagger. He returns and says he can't find him. He shows up just as the dish has reached that degree of coolness that it's not as appetizing as it looked. He asks what I need.

 

I say nothing. I look at him, then the table, then him, then the table, hoping he might be able to figure this out on his own.

 

Nope. He's totally oblivious to the fact that we have no plates or silverware. What the hell was I thinking? I have to spell it out to him.

 

Sigh. This place isn't cheap. I'm not going to make a scene. They have a special thing where you can order an entree to go for $5 if you eat in and they're delicious. Just heat them up yourself. We ordered two.

 

Right on cue, Mr Swagger brought us the check (he didn't forget the check...) and a bag with the entrees. I just want to leave, so I don't check the bag.

 

And right on cue, we check at home and the orders in the bag were wrong.

 

Another frustration was that sitting right next to each other, we could not hear each other. The music was so loud that no one in the restaurant was talking. Everyone was screaming. No one could hear each other without screaming.

 

Naturally, you cannot talk to, or write to, anyone in the corporate HQ. No phone numbers and no email addresses are on the site. They don't even have a street address because you might actually write a letter to them.

 

They learned their lesson that the best way to stop hearing complaints is stop giving people a way to complain.

 

I called the restaurant the next day. Without going into details, I asked to talk with the manager about my experience there and was told that the manager would definitely call me that day or the next day. That was over a week ago. I guess I'll keep waiting? I'm sure the manager is just too busy and will call me later.

 

It's all me. It can't be them. If it was them, the place would be struggling to stay in business. It's packed every day with people who think much differently than I do. They think it's great that everything is wrong, or they just don't care.

 

I have to learn to accept that this is the new standard of service. Or I have to stay at home.

 

Rant over!

 

 

 

Had a similar experience at a local Outback. This one is a franchise. We popped in and there was no one hardly there. This was my first foray out after my injury. I still had my back brace and cane. They tried to seat us at a booth> My wife told them we needed a table that I could not slide across in a booth due to my back was broke. They informed us that no one was waiting that section. I had gotten pissed by then and I said lets go somewhere else. The host said that may be a better thing to do. We went next door to a Itlian restaurant who were glad to accomodate me. When I went home I got a case of the red a**

Next day I called down there and a plesant lady answered the phone. I told her what happened and she gasped and was horrified. Said she was going to have a "Come To Jesus Meeting" with her staff that afternoon. Turned out she was the franchise owner. She asked our address to send us a $100 Gift Card. When I told her she repied you are less than a mile from me I will bring it to you. 30 minutes later she was here profusely apologizing. We went down a couple days later and had a pleasant young man wait on us. I told him before we ordered we had a gift card and why. His eyes got wide and whispered that 4 people were fired over this. Got ready to pay and he said the owner said this was on her and to keep the full $100 card for later

 

I guarentee she was well aware of what happened in Dirty Myrtle a few years back. There was a Chinese buffet that would not let a Disabled Iraq vet bring his service dog in. They kept saying no dog no dog. Well about 100 people witnessed this and most of the people waiting walked out. The news media got hold of it and the Veterans locally and on Social Media put the word out. Their business was down to zilch. Then the State put a big fine on them plus the Vet filed a civil suit. They had the owner on TV one night and he kept stating I do not understand I do not understand. They ended up loosing the business and the property. I think they shut down 2 months after the initial incident. Since the property was involved in a federal lawsuit the city refused to issue any business license to anyone who wanted to lease it. I think the Outback Owner knew full well the ramifications if my incident got public. I did not have grounds for a big lawsuit but the media and social media could have destroyer her business

[tolmij]

5 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

The Official Saturday Morning Rant (July 10th Edition)

"Restaurant Hell"

 

OK, so we've been eating at home for more than a year and sometimes doing takeout. Maybe it was time to take our long-ago vaccinated bodies out and sit down in a restaurant again and have someone else do the cooking and dishes. Off we went to an Italian food chain called Maggiano's. First time to go inside, but had takeout once and it was pretty good and looked nice inside when I picked it up.

 

Made a reservation and reserved a booth. The person on the other end was polite and cheerful. All set.

 

Show up at zero hour and the host sends us off to be seated by a guy who looks exactly like Garth Algar from Wayne's World (see below - he really did look like this).

 

No worries.

We walk about three feet and he points to a tiny little table right behind the host stand against the wall and a frosted window. I explained that we made a reservation for one of the booths, like all of those empty ones over there...

 

He counters immediately, "Oh, but this table has a nice view."

 

"We reserved one of those booths," I said again quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

 

He insisted that this was where we should sit.

 

Ok, enough of this. I said, "I'm sorry young man, but that's the wrong answer. The correct answer is, 'Yes sir, I'll take care of it immediately.'"

 

We get our booth after jousting with Garth. Let it go and enjoy the dinner.

 

Our waiter with a nasty beard half-covered with a dirty mask shows up. He's full of swagger for some reason. We get a couple glasses of wine. He brings some hot bread and our order is squared away. We're going to split a salad and a spicy red sauce pasta dish. Portions are just too big now for one human to eat by themselves. I'm trying to keep my dinners under 10,000 calories.

 

Mr. Swagger plunks the salad dish onto the table and scurries away. We wait and wait until he walks by and I remind him that we were going to split this salad. Can he at least get us another plate? We get another plate. No apology, just another plate. OK, I think we've successfully maneuvered around the last roadblock of the night.

 

Mr Swagger plunks down the big entree plate and two small plates. We're doing good! He disappears immediately. He has no other tables yet, but he's always gone.

 

We start to put some on the plates and realize that this is not what we ordered. Mr Swagger is nowhere to be found. Since we're sitting next to the congregating area where all the wait staff talk about their lives, their loves, their diseases, their troubles, their hangovers, etc., I ask one if they can find our waiter. I get an eye roll, but at least someone will go find him.

 

Sometimes I just have to take a break, take a breath and reset my mind to understand and accept that this is the new standard of service.

 

Swagger shows up. I tell him that this isn't what we ordered. He asks what we ordered. I told him to look at his ticket. He takes the food away. No "I'm sorry," no "I apologize." Nothing. He says he'll get it out right away. I tell him not to rush, we're not in a hurry. I just want it cooked properly.

 

He brings out the correct entree and drops it on the table, then he's off again to the mystery hang out. No plates, and even better, no silverware, since he took ours when he picked up the wrong entree.

 

Sigh.

 

He's nowhere to be found. I have to ask Mr Eyeroll again to please (we must say "please" and "thank you" to them, lest they get offended) find Mr Swagger. He returns and says he can't find him. He shows up just as the dish has reached that degree of coolness that it's not as appetizing as it looked. He asks what I need.

 

I say nothing. I look at him, then the table, then him, then the table, hoping he might be able to figure this out on his own.

 

Nope. He's totally oblivious to the fact that we have no plates or silverware. What the hell was I thinking? I have to spell it out to him.

 

Sigh. This place isn't cheap. I'm not going to make a scene. They have a special thing where you can order an entree to go for $5 if you eat in and they're delicious. Just heat them up yourself. We ordered two.

 

Right on cue, Mr Swagger brought us the check (he didn't forget the check...) and a bag with the entrees. I just want to leave, so I don't check the bag.

 

And right on cue, we check at home and the orders in the bag were wrong.

 

Another frustration was that sitting right next to each other, we could not hear each other. The music was so loud that no one in the restaurant was talking. Everyone was screaming. No one could hear each other without screaming.

 

Naturally, you cannot talk to, or write to, anyone in the corporate HQ. No phone numbers and no email addresses are on the site. They don't even have a street address because you might actually write a letter to them.

 

They learned their lesson that the best way to stop hearing complaints is stop giving people a way to complain.

 

I called the restaurant the next day. Without going into details, I asked to talk with the manager about my experience there and was told that the manager would definitely call me that day or the next day. That was over a week ago. I guess I'll keep waiting? I'm sure the manager is just too busy and will call me later.

 

It's all me. It can't be them. If it was them, the place would be struggling to stay in business. It's packed every day with people who think much differently than I do. They think it's great that everything is wrong, or they just don't care.

 

I have to learn to accept that this is the new standard of service. Or I have to stay at home.

 

Rant over!

 

 

 

Last time we had a meal at a restaurant is the last time, waited almost an hour for the meal in a half empty dining room then sent it back because it was inedible, excuse we are busy.

 

One of my jobs was as a chef in a carvery that also did a la carte, we had a chef carving the meat at the front counter, half the customer had that meal. My job in the kitchen was entree, three types, vegetables, desert, and A la carte. The first three for 120 the a la carte for around 50 diners. We had a full house summer and winter  120 a night as the carvery was an all you can eat meal. We did a three sitting format of 40 diners each sitting was 90 mins so there was no time to go slow, most prep was done prior to the first sitting, coffee was served in the lounge. I worked an 8 hr shift with one kitchen hand. Hard but satisfying work so from my perspective when we have bad service I lose it and let them know what I think.

[BIG STU]

1 hour ago, scomac2002 said:

Doesn't instill a lot of confidence that eating out is going to be desirable at all if your experience is the new normal.   If that is the case then I'll be doing takeout for the rest of my life and banking the savings!

Well the current situation is pure hell to put it mildly. We are flooded with tourists and the restaurants have no help. We only eat out at the local Pancake house that my bud and former sponsor owns. We know we can get waited on there because most of his staff has been there 20 years or more. Worse comes to worse we can get our own food and coffee there. Everywhere else blaah you will be dead of starvation. So we do not go out and if we do eat out we have stuff delivered. The lack of staff in the hospitatly industry is all over the local media darn near every broadcast. Now the president of the SC restaurant association was telling these owners they need to pay employees more money. But I have seen some restaurants offering $15 hr and other bonuses. I do not know the solution

[tolmij]

9 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Had a similar experience at a local Outback. This one is a franchise. We popped in and there was no one hardly there. This was my first foray out after my injury. I still had my back brace and cane. They tried to seat us at a booth> My wife told them we needed a table that I could not slide across in a booth due to my back was broke. They informed us that no one was waiting that section. I had gotten pissed by then and I said lets go somewhere else. The host said that may be a better thing to do. We went next door to a Itlian restaurant who were glad to accomodate me. When I went home I got a case of the red a**

Next day I called down there and a plesant lady answered the phone. I told her what happened and she gasped and was horrified. Said she was going to have a "Come To Jesus Meeting" with her staff that afternoon. Turned out she was the franchise owner. She asked our address to send us a $100 Gift Card. When I told her she repied you are less than a mile from me I will bring it to you. 30 minutes later she was here profusely apologizing. We went down a couple days later and had a pleasant young man wait on us. I told him before we ordered we had a gift card and why. His eyes got wide and whispered that 4 people were fired over this. Got ready to pay and he said the owner said this was on her and to keep the full $100 card for later

 

I guarentee she was well aware of what happened in Dirty Myrtle a few years back. There was a Chinese buffet that would not let a Disabled Iraq vet bring his service dog in. They kept saying no dog no dog. Well about 100 people witnessed this and most of the people waiting walked out. The news media got hold of it and the Veterans locally and on Social Media put the word out. Their business was down to zilch. Then the State put a big fine on them plus the Vet filed a civil suit. They had the owner on TV one night and he kept stating I do not understand I do not understand. They ended up loosing the business and the property. I think they shut down 2 months after the initial incident. Since the property was involved in a federal lawsuit the city refused to issue any business license to anyone who wanted to lease it. I think the Outback Owner knew full well the ramifications if my incident got public. I did not have grounds for a big lawsuit but the media and social media could have destroyer her business

Well done Stu, restaurant service for some reason has hit rock bottom. Probably because its bloody hard work and our new snowflake generation cannot keep up with the required pace.

[miamistomp]

 Only places I actually sit and eat at these days are a family owned Chinese place and Waffle House

 

 

[Conrad1953]

It's satisfying to just let loose with a good rant now and then. 

[Conrad1953]

Well, it's Saturday night so I'll share a music video I happened onto one night a few weeks

ago. This girl is not a professional but she plays very well and has her own Youtube channel

where she plays many piano pieces; most of which are video game songs but she also plays

other things too.

 

This Nocturne she has chosen Chopin wrote when he was 17 years old; about the age she

looks when playing this.  He held onto the manuscript for this piece but never published it

and on his death bed pled with his friends and family to burn all his unpublished works; 

which, of course, they were all too happy to ignore after he died.

 

This Nocturne turned out to be one of his most popular Nocturnes as did a few other pieces

that would have been lost forever had his wishes been honored. No one knows why he thought

this particular one unworthy..............

 

I really like this one. It's written in 4/4 time but the left hand triplets that wander around throughout

have the same effect of the left hand playing in 3/4 time while the right plays in 4/4 time.

These "polyrhythms"  have a wonderful effect IMO and he is known for using them in many

of his compositions.

 

Kara is interesting to watch. She has a natural charisma at the keyboard as she plays. Nothing

forced or superficial about her playing. I hope you enjoy.