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

[Hankshank]

Dont know how many of you guys that still works, anyhow my vacation is finished, so golf is on saturday and sundays now, when the evenings comes sooner. But I do watch the PGA Champs. Did any of you play Harding Park? Remember it from the match play when Rory won, but its set up much better now, a really good major course. And it looks better to me aestetically and layout wise. I record the rounds and watch to my morning coffee. West coast tournaments is nighttime in europe... Hope for a good weekend both with own play and with what goes on in San Francisco.

[tolmij]

Had a really busy time evenings as well as daytime, starting to read the last two pages, hopefully I will catch up on all the news by tomorrow. Stay safe Grillers.

[Fellaheen51]

Hope the back gets back into shape soon (pun intended).

Nothing better than a tasty meal, sitting dockside. Something about being by the water on a nice summer evening never gets old.

We've been out a few times for dinner. Very selective on where and how, preferring to dine outside in a patio environment. Come too far with all this mess to let our guard down by being in a compromised situation.

[scomac2002]

At least I'm straight now rather than being a good 4" off-centre or at least that's how it felt. I'm sure it's going to take a few more days to start feeling normal again, but I'm hopeful that this will be a relatively short lived bout. I have another visit with my chiropractor on Monday and then I'll be going back to physio in a couple of weeks for a bit more stretching and pulling along with acupuncture. Probably won't risk golf until I'm feeling completely recovered which just might coincide with our staff tournament and BBQ a week Tuesday. I took yesterday off of work, but expect to be back at the course next Thursday for my regular shift.

We've been supporting our local eateries throughout the pandemic with curbside/porch pickups of takeout. We've been quite pleased with that option, coming home and eating on our own patio. I suspect that we'll be doing more of that going forward as long as the weather is nice rather than eating out because it's just too darned busy with tourists, especially on weekends.

We've been in stage 3 of reopening for a couple of weeks now and there are still a number of local establishments yet to open for indoor dining. I'm beginning to think that our favourite breakfast diner may not reopen at all. There are going to be a lot of failed businesses in the aftermath of all this and even the ones that survive, many have scaled back on a permanent basis. I don't expect that we'll be back to normal-normal until this is well past us following widespread inoculations, whenever that comes to pass.

WE have a cruise booked for next March that we booked while on the last one this past winter. It's looking more and more like we won't being going to this as long as the pandemic is still raging (not that we'd want to anyway). The issue is that you can't get medical coverage for travel that includes COVID-19 coverage. The insurers are all excluding it, so without coverage it's a non starter. Looking more and more like it's going to be a quiet winter at home without any sort of sunny escape. With that in mind I've been thinking this week that I should probably consider a golf lesson package to iron out any wrinkles I have in my swing that are causing my back grief. There's a course about a half hour away that has an indoor practice facility and offers winter lessons.

[Sean2]

Haven't been to a restaurant up my way, have done the take out thing, but that's about it.

[billh17]

Last doctors appointment and CT scan cancelled,due to the up-tick in cases around this state. Will be a video

call,as he wants to see the surgery area. Its all healed ..no problems. I am ready to start with the slow working

up to a round of golf. Had enough of this sitting around.

Hope all of you guys are enjoying this pause in the heat and swatting a few balls around the course !

[Hankshank]

You’ve had heat in the US?

[Hankshank]

Same here. Our country is famous for loose restrictions and people can actually go to restaurants in a fashion prohibited in all our neighbouring countries. But we and most people dont do that so we do the home delivery stuff too. Not too bad.

[tolmij]

Covid has turned our life upside down, there are so many stupid people who are destroying all the efforts of the government. Australia is very similar to America in as much as the states control their own borders so the premiers have had control of traffic over the borders. Some have done a rubbish job and it is getting out of control but our premier has done a terrific job and we are only having one or none a day and these are people who are visiting and in quarantine.

We have several groups who are saying there is no virus and it is the governments attempt to control us, but in our state we are lucky and up to now have fairly good movement, that is until others come into the state illegally by falsifying their travel documents and walking round infectious spreading it everywhere. So far we have been lucky as they have caught them and done a good job tracing contacts, but there is always the chance they have missed someone so we along with many others once again self isolate until the coast is clear.

So this week we have been concentrating trying to put our life in order, we feel as if the world has stopped and madness is taking over, we are going to try to put the thoughts away and carry on as normal, whatever normal is now. We can envisage us being long gone before this is over and we do not want our last years being afraid to live. 

Just our thoughts, hoping you are all doing better than we were, life must go one so we are now trying to live it.

[Sean2]

@tolmij if nothing else, human beings are adaptable, that said, the entire Covid thing is stressful. For example, I can't imagine what parents with young kids are going through, trying to work at home and keep the little ones entertained. Not sure what will happen in the fall regarding school. A lot of kids want to go back to school (there's a switch), but who knows if the schools will open? As far as online learning goes, parents I have talked to have found it to be less than efficacious. Some want to wait on a vaccine, but viruses mutate so I am not sure how effective a vaccine would be in the long run.
In any event, I am grateful to be playing golf again and am happy to see a lot of businesses that were shut down for so long, are now open.

[scomac2002]

We are fortunate. I don't see our lives being all that different than before. We certainly aren't travelling, but we didn't do much of that when we were younger, so that hasn't been that big of an adjustment. WE don't eat out like before, but we've adapted with a takeout meal once a week and so that hasn't been that big of an adjustment either.
I said back during the lockdown that all I really wanted was to play golf, get my hair cut and have a chiropractic appointment. If I could manage those three things then I would be good to go. I had done all of that by early June, so I'm good to go. It hasn't been nearly as hard for me as it has been for others, of that I'm certain. Like @Sean2 I feel for young parents who are trying to keep their kids engaged whilst working from home. I don't know how they're managing.
I'm not sure what the winter will hold though. It will depend a lot on how the disease has progressed and the degree of control achieved as to what sort of activities will be possible. Our gym has yet to open even though they have been allowed. The bridge club are playing games online, but I'm so far out of practice that I'm not comfortable playing in that environment. Curling is a very big question mark as it is one of the higher risk activities. Church will be open , but without the choir. We're saving a redecorating project for the winter to give us something to do and we still hold out that we'll be able to go out west to see the kids late in the fall.

[Conrad1953]

Mid to upper 90s temps here. Have not been inclined to play golf until it cools down a little. Humidity has gone down

in recent days. Yesterday afternoon was cloudless and with the relative humidity in the 30s......but the temp was 96 so

still friggn' hot if you're in direct sunlight.

 

As much as I love to play golf there are days when it's just too hot or too cold to play.... and try to pretend I'm enjoying

myself, lol. You get out there, and suffer.............and you still have many holes left to play.....and you're thinking......WTH

are you doing out here, dufus! When that happens enough you finally learn not to go out there in the first place.

 

 

[Sean2]

I'll take a cart when it gets hot and humid like that...I get too warn out walking in hot and humid weather.

Yes, I am wondering about what winter will bring too regarding Covid, plus there is the seasonal flu thrown it just to confuse things.

[Conrad1953]

As far as Covid19, I think wearing masks and social distancing will be with us for a long while; even after it's not required. I'm talking

mainly indoors, while away from home. I don't wear a mask in my car or when I'm outside away from home; only when I actually go

inside a store or whatever.

 

I believe we seasoned citizens will be the ones still wearing masks and keeping our distance, even when everyone else has gone back to

pre covid19 behavior.

[Qqq123xx]

Sturgis, S.D.

250,000 people most of whom are not wearing masks.

From all over the Country.

What could possibly go wrong.

[tolmij]

Unfortunately the world is full of idiots who think it could not happen to them.?

[Conrad1953]

The trip to Sturgis is a pilgrimage for motorcycle enthusiasts. Cobi and I happened to go through there one year when it was going

on....in our truck. We saw tents everywhere as I guess there are not enough motel rooms to handle all that come. It's certainly not our

thing but it's not just the hardcore there. There are people from all walks of life that make their pilgrimage up there on their bikes.

I remember hearing a well known pastor in Texas say he goes up there every year.

 

South Dakota is one state that never shut down for Covid19. People that are going up there for this are riding their bikes for

anywhere from a day to several days to get there. Western South Dakota is a pretty remote place. While it's possible I think

it's unlikely this will become some covid19 spreader event.

[tolmij]

It looks as if people are final getting the situation.

In Melbourne today an anti covid lockdown rally was planned and thousands were expected to turn up, this is in the state with the greatest death rate and the most positive for the virus, run by the most incompetent premier. Two people turned up for the demonstration who were immediately arrested and fined over $1000 For breaking the lock down.

About time the message was received and understood.

[scomac2002]

My wife loves to follow the statistics of the pandemic. She checks the case counts every day!

There are just over 20M confirmed cases worldwide. The world's current population is 7.6B!

AS awful as the as the raw data sounds and as dire as the predictions are from public health officials are, no one has had this disease yet in statistical terms. The infection rate is .26%!

That doesn't mean that COVID-19 is a hoax. Even if the actual number of infected people is 100 fold those that have been confirmed by testing, it's still insignificant!

We're not going to get herd immunity. Either we get a vaccine or the virus will just wear itself out over a couple of years by enough people following hygiene protocols and distancing.

[Sean2]

But will it wear itself out, or will it simply continue to mutate and be with us from here on out? As some have suggested, even when things go back to "normal" those at a higher risk may have to continue to practice safety protocols. A lot of people test positive for the virus, and never get sick. And, a lot of people die every year from the plain old flu. The mortality rates of Covid aren't nearly as dire as originally predicted, and the majority of those who do succumb are an at risk group. I am not sure where all this is headed, and I have no answers, just questions.

My last two rounds were 77 and 78, and the weather was kind enough to cooperate so I could walk. Going back up to the 90s though, so I will hop on a cart. A big part of golf for me is the exercise, so I really don't like taking a cart if I don't have to. Fortunately my home course, and a few other courses I play, are relatively flat, so the walking isn't as difficult as it would be on a hilly golf course. I have walked a few when visiting my mother in upper East Tennessee, and wow, what a work out, lol. (My mother is 90, walks 3-4 miles a day, does yard work, is in her own house, still drives, and during my last visit a few months ago we did some hiking in the mountains).

[Sean2]

I am passing on the club championship next weekend. I would have to play the back tees on the front and that is simply too long for me. Hard to compete against players 30-40 years younger. I don't know why they don't allow seniors to play up.

[scomac2002]

I may have mentioned this before at one time or another, but I remember when I was in a Swing and Sweep tournament sponsored by our curling club that men had to play the whites unless they were over 80. Only then were they allowed to play from the golds or senior tees. My wife and I were playing with another couple who were in their late 70's and playing from 5700 yd. or so is a mighty big ask for anyone that age unless the individual is a single figure player.

We limped along for a 2 or 3 over score for 9 holes while other teams were handily under par in a scramble format. WE smoked the competition in the curling portion, but our golf score killed our chances as we had one of the lowest point totals where making birdies (or better) would really run your score up.

One of the guys in my men's league is a lifetime member at a high end private club. He was the B flight champion there for 8 years running. He doesn't play there anymore, preferring to pay to play at our little 9 holes course because the yardage suits the current state of his game at 86 years of age. He said there's no reward in playing a course that you can't make a green in regulation anymore. But, that board isn't interested in teeing it forward when they're getting recognition for being the home course of a PGA touring pro. I guess they figure it sends the wrong message!

[tolmij]

The club I usually play allows the forward tees for players over 75 with a handicap of 25 or more. At that age and handicap there would be no chance of a win anyway so no one bothers if they are in that group.

[tolmij]

Too many clubs now only consider the prestige of having low handicap members and a course long enough and difficult enough to challenge par golfers. The average golfer who used to keep these places going are no longer welcome. Too many clubs are making courses longer because we should all have the newest longer playing equipment to make longer drives and iron shots. Its the same now with most sports The average player is no longer wanted.

I often think back not so long ago when rugby league players in the best competitions were part time with a full time job out of the sport, since the big money and ridiculous contracts came in the sport has not changed for the better, we now have a self serving group of overpaid people who think they are better than the rest of us. Golf is no different.

Mini rant over, and I feel better for it.?

[Qqq123xx]

Problem is most of them think it is a hoax. A made up story. Therein lies the big problem.

[Qqq123xx]

Would have to disagree with you there Rad. People from all over the Country are going there. Interviewed a older guy, yeah like us, from Florida at Sturgis who of course said masks were a joke. Yeah that Florida the Nation leader in CV at the moment. So who knows how many people have it going there, quite a few I am guessing. Then they pass it on there and afterwards when everyone goes back home they start to spread it there. Family, friends, work etc. etc.

[billh17]

The only thing I will say on the virus:

#1: It is not a hoax...that is just this ignorant hillbilly opinion.

#2: When several states have admitted that the number of tests dropped 20 to 30 %,is it a

big surprise that the number of new cases also dropped? Not to me.

stay safe, and don't drop your guard grillers.

[Conrad1953]

Some great golf on TV today. Been watching the US Womens Amateur. Wow, all square after 36 holes. Now onto the 37th............

[Conrad1953]

Also, nice to see Lydia on the verge of winning again. It's been a few years. I am a little mixed though as I am a fan of

Danielle Kang......but this one is Lydia's with a 5 shot lead and 6 to play.

[Conrad1953]

Not so fast Conrad..................................Danielle won. Lydia must be in a Greg Norman mental state after this. WOW.