Random conversation thread

[ScooterMcTavish]

LOL Okesa,

I do enjoy spending time with grumpy old sods. In fact, I'm working on my grumpy old sod routine - just a few minutes ago I referred to anyone under the age of 30 as a dope-smoking punk. LOL.

Something about this weather though....we certainly have four seasons here, and I've heard that people who move to sunnier climes eventually miss winter, and need to return to it at some point. But please don't lump me into the 1776 crowd. Proud monarchist here of fine British descent. It would be more like the war of 1812, and a few of us can stand up to our invading American friends.

Though with a few of them being ex-military, I'm not sure our odds are that good.

[birly-shirly]

[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1386807251' post='8285805']
Well Holden, I live in a 1930s house with low basement ceilings (6'2" or so) which is fine for living, but poor for golfing.

OSR, I think I'm going to plan a visit to you next year.

Actually been thinking we should plan a "Classic Golfers" meet up in 2014. Not sure if Okesa and B-S will join us, but thinking that meeting somewhere like Prof Smitty's around KC might be central enough for all of us.
[/quote]

aye - that's the (small) downside of a forum like this. you get to meet a great bunch of guys - and then you realise how difficult it would be to well, actually, meet.

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1386872661' post='8289435']
[size="4"][...][/size]
[size=5]Rather annoyed with these Golfwrx johnnies at the moment,my posts are not being posted,censorship is in action and the thought-Nazis have taken control.[/size]
[size=5]Simply because I disagreed (fairly strongly) with the joker who creates articles out of statistics,his latest blinding piece of utter nonsense concerns the selection of driver over 3-wood on tight par 4's,Birly-Shirly was very PC (for a Scotsman) and described it as 'thought provoking' which I consider a very polite and charitable description of the work by Rich Hunt (would do better if he changed his name to Mike).[/size]
[size=5]There appears to be a receptive audience for this kind of thing and I have to laugh at the guys who tell him how the use of statistics has changed their games,they're like those kids at school who want to be noticed"Please sir,me sir,please sir,me,I know the answer sir",arms almost dislocated in their eagerness to be first.[/size]

[/quote]

Absolutely vintage rant Okesa. A christmas special! I don't know if I've ever been accused of political correctness before - but I did actually think that article was interesting. I just happen to disagree with it. Or rather, I disagree with the conclusions about why more pros missed with their 3 woods than with drivers. I don't think the club design/MoI argument holds up - so I imagine the explanation is something along the lines of guys who are swinging well reach a tight drive and confidently reach for their driver and hit it well, whereas the guys who are struggling get psyched, pull 3 wood and still miss.

Delighted though to see you head off the "grumpy old fart" objection with your casual reference to trackman - well played sir!

Also, to be fair to Rich Hunt - the last time I looked he also hosted the most lightly moderated golf forum I've ever seen. You could post just about anything you like over there, short of a threat of physical violence (yes - that did get tested!) - and you won't be edited, deleted, banned, or lectured. So he's definitely on the liberal side of thought-Nazi. I think several of his arguments are based on necessarily incomplete data - so often his conclusions are open to debate, but it's refreshing to see someone dig into the numbers to see what they might be saying. I really liked his argument about the so-called one-way miss. I've made similar arguments on forums in the past - but never with the same rigour.

[okesa]

[size=5]Aaah,Birly,that is the the wonder of a Scottish education,to be able to approach a subject,examine it and come to a subjective conclusion whereas I take the traditional English manner of doing the same but rejecting it anyway because I don't like his tone![/size]
[size=5]The fact is I have an intense dislike bordering on contempt for these jokers who write such stuff which in my view is mostly utter nonsense,his article about Sergio's ballstriking ability just happened to coincide with the Tiger vs Sergio spat,coincide I say but hardly think that's the case,more opportunistic timing I think.[/size]
[size=5]His entire reasoning was flawed,he proved nothing about how well or poorly Sergio strikes a ball,only that his aim is frequently off![/size]
[size=5]This latest effort has zero relevance to the average golfer being based on Tour pro's playing a selected number of holes on selected courses,such a narrow field makes it meaningless especially considering that the average handicap in the US is 16.1,I'm not considering the macho men who proliferate on the other pages and who hit 9-irons 195 yards,they don't need the article either 'cos they're going to hit 5-iron![/size]
[size=5]A number of the articles appearing here have been written solely for the purpose of getting the author into print,they frequently have nothing new to say and are created for their own sake,perhaps this is the usual standard for American sporting journalism?[/size]
[size=5]I may be being over-critical but being brought up on the words of the classic British golf writers I find these articles shallow and contrived and bereft of good grammar and spelling,a bit like the woman who went into the greengrocer's and asked for two pounds of tomatoes.[/size]
[size=5]"Sorry madam,we have sold out".[/size]
[size=5]"But I want two pounds of tomatoes!![/size]
[size=5]"We've been very busy and they've all gone".[/size]
[size=5]"My man!I simply must have two pounds of tomatoes!!"[/size]
[size=5]"Listen lady,spell tomatoes for me".[/size]
[size=5]"T-O-M-A-T-O-E-S."[/size]
[size=5]"Where's the F?"[/size]
[size=5]"There's no F in tomatoes".[/size]
[size=5]"That's what I've been telling you!"[/size]

[Soloman1]

Speaking of cold, it's just starting to feel like winter here, but I'm happy with anticipation about getting away from it for most of January. But, I'm off to Beijing on Monday for a week of bitter cold in the meantime.

Japan has four seasons - one month of bitter cold, one month of scorching, tropical heat, one month of rainy season and nine months of road repair. But I get to leave it behind in January and head to Florida for about three weeks. I'll get in some golf with old friends I haven't seen in quite a few years before I have to do some work at the PGA show for three days.

The little woman has never been to Florida and like all Japanese females she wants to shop, then shop and do some shopping after that. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get dragged to some Disney thing.

I wonder if I'll remember how to speak English? I'm serious. There's a 99.47% probability (I threw that in for okesa) that I'll fall into Japanese in the middle of every sentence. It's darn embarrassing because I'll look like some old flatulence on the edge of dementia and there's that "look" people get in their eyes when it happens.

At least I'll be a warm old flatulence.

[okesa]

[size=5]So desu......where in Japan do you live?You probably gather that I have an affinity for things Japanese,notably a 30 year old study of Nihonto,Japanese swords which has probably cost me more than even this ridiculous and never ending love affair with golf,I hasten to add that I am not a 'Wapanese' although the sword world is full of them and their pretentious affectations.I worked for a Japanese company in the early 90's,they were happy days for me and I have great respect and admiration for the way in which Japan has strived to retain its cultural identity,something almost lost in England although our Scottish and Welsh neighbours continue with theirs and their national pride.[/size]
[size=5]May you be protected from all things Disney although I have to admit he was a great author,I'd always been fooled into believing that all those works that were turned into screenplays of one sort or another were the efforts of Victor Hugo and the like but I see now how talented Walt was.[/size]
[size=5]I did smile when I read the courtroom report of the dissolution of Mickey and Minnie's marriage,the presiding judge told Mickey;[/size]
[size=5]"Mr Mouse,I really don't see that you have sufficient grounds for divorce because your wife has buck teeth and wears glasses".[/size]
[size=5]"Your Honour,that's not what I meant when I said that Minnie was f**k**g Goofy!"[/size]

[Soloman1]

I'm about 35 minutes north of Tokyo in a place called Moriya on a fairly new train line that runs from Akihabara to Tsukuba. Tsukuba is the center of high tech and research in Japan, from pharmaceuticals to the Japan space program.

There are worse places to live. ;-)

[okesa]

[size=5]Further to my tale about ball hunting in Danesdyke I thought I'd post a couple of pics I took today,it is a very significant feature and borders the easterly part of the course an is one of the landmarks that delineate the area of Flamborough Head which has its own golf course and off which John Paul Jones engaged HMS Serapis in the Battle of Flamborough Head in 1779.[/size]
[size=5]Danesdyke is also the haunt of a number of roe deer which I frequently see on the course at this time of year having a frolic in the bunkers and leave without raking![/size]
[size=5]Recognise these Scooter?[/size]
[size=5]They are a bit scruffy and someone reshafted them with S300's which work very well,I had a really nice 9-hole session despite the cold blustery wind.[/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

Thanks for the pics O. And the reference to the naval battle as well. It piqued my interest so much that I googled it and had a splendid read.
Randy

[okesa]

[size=5]Thank you,I'm pleased it was of interest,the sea is visible above the trees in the third picture and adds to the scenic nature of the course so even when the golf is crap there is some solace to be found in the surroundings.As a Warwickshire boy I was born about as far from the sea as possible in the UK but have had a lifelong fascination with the sea but only to the extent of watching it!I used to work with a woman who sailed a lot out of Whitby in a 30-footer,they frequently sailed across the North Sea to Holland which I considered a voyage of epic proportions if not downright bloody scary!An uncle of mine served on the old 'Ark Royal',I have some pics somewhere of him on one of the 40mm pompom AA batteries and it may have been his influence that roused my interest in things nautical.I have just 'discovered' an excellent author called Peter Smalley who has written a series of novels set in the late 18th century on HMS Expedient a 36 gun frigate,really good books,he has a real feel for the period.[/size]
[size=5]Last night I bought 31 cast metal waterline model ships on ebay UK,mostly from the inter-war years a mix of capital ships,cruisers and destroyers,one is USS Atlanta apparently built as a fast scouting cruiser,more boys toys to clutter the place up but I love stuff like this and its Xmas![/size]

[ScooterMcTavish]

Ahh, die-cast. I hate to think how much lead I ingested as a youth by sticking wayward die-cast toys in my mouth.

 

Roe deer strike me as such odd animals....like small, genteel versions of the machismo white-tailed deer one sees frequently (and dodges with their vehicles frequently) around these parts.

 

 

I wonder how they taste....the ones here are quite delish, though not everyone (including Mrs. Scooter) are fond of them.

 

 

I have grown up about as far away from the sea as you can in North America, and do share your wonder with it, as I imagine what my ancestors thought as they got on a small boat to cross a big sea, with nothing waiting for them at the other end. Or, what my ancestors were thinking when they returned to small boats to cross a big sea, to possibly face death at the hands of a belligerent nation.

[okesa]

[size=5]Like most things that don't come out of a supermarket they are very tasty or as you say,delish![/size]
[size=5]Is that your back garden Scooter?[/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

The deer look much more delicious than the nutria rats and gators they were serving in the bayou on my trip to The Big Easy last week. Although the étouffée is to die for.
Back home for the holidays and snuck out for a round with one son while the wife was finishing up shopping. I was quite surprised when one the first tee he pulled the head cover off his driver and it was an old Powerbilt Citation. Seems he had hit up the thrifts while I was gone and found a set of nice laminates and some fg17s. Made the old man, me, proud to watch him play with the old school stuff and actually converse about the pros and cons of how the game has progressed.

[freddiec]

Beautiful pictures. I'm also very fascinated with the Ocean and find its so peaceful. I'm fortunate to live only about a quarter mile from it and in the summer season swim in it all the time. I don't mind the cold water on a hot summer day. There are dozens of great beaches within a 30 min drive.

[okesa]

[size=5]OSR,my turn to Google,that sounds yummy,I'm actually getting a case of rumble-tums (empty variety) as I type,I have the waft of a brace of pheasants in the oven seeping through into my lounge,a big smile too for the golf,like father,like son eh?[/size]

[size=5]Freddie,Lovely pic,like a mill-pond,don't know if you would want to swim where I am,the North Sea might be a bit too cool![/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

O,
Lol, speaking of the North Sea. My survival training certs are due and the last time I punched their tickets was in the North Sea. I am opting for warmer climates this time around. But, I must say I love the harsh brutality of the North Sea and the challenges it delves out.

[oldschoolrocker]

Without being overtly sentimental a Merry Christmas to all the wonderful and kindred souls I have meet through this forum.

Randy

[HoldenCornfield]

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1387979992' post='8346575']
Without being overtly sentimental a Merry Christmas to all the wonderful and kindred souls I have meet through this forum.

Randy
[/quote]

I second that! This is one of the coolest, and most civil, little corners of the internet I have ever found. Thanks to all for allowing me to participate.

[okesa]

[size=5]In full agreement with you boys,I too feel very fortunate in being able to participate and also learn from some of the incredibly knowledgeable people who are kind enough to share in such generous fashion.[/size]

[okesa]

[size=5]I rarely stray to the 'front page' but couldn't help having a good laugh when I saw this reported,I mean Caroline,come on,a TMI post if ever there was and I wonder if at some point Rory will come clean and explain that all those stars that she saw and explosions heard were nothing to do with his prowess in the luuurve department but was the firework display that's held every New Year's Eve![/size]
[size=5]As a gentleman of advancing years my own advice to Rory would have been to keep his wallet and everything else in his pants and focus on nothing but golf until he regained his former status as World No.1 but seeing how Nike have made him a billionaire for doing not very much I can only suppose there's not much incentive to go down that road.[/size]
[size=5]Apologies for introducing it to these hallowed pages but thought it very funny.[/size]

[okesa]

[size=5]Oh well,never mind,sorry nobody else though it humorous,how about Sergio agreeing that the rough at this week's tournament was 'dangerous'![/size]
[size=5]Now that really does have to worth a laugh,bullfighting is dangerous,cliff diving is dangerous,taking on a Cape buffalo with a bb gun is [i]very[/i] dangerous but tangling with some tufty,thick grass hardly comes into the same category or does it?[/size]
[size=5]I have admired Sergio's qualities as a golfer in the past but this really makes me wonder what professional sportsmen are about these days,spoiled,namby-pamby and pathetic are three words that immediately come to mind,particularly so in the case of the England cricket team who have been well and truly rogered senseless (in a sporting way) by the convicts 'down-under'.[/size]
[size=5]For those of you unfamiliar with cricket may I emphasise that it is [i]nothing[/i][i] like baseball despite what some people say[/i],it's a far more interesting and testing game!I know it seems strange that 5-day Test Matches are played but they are usually more enthralling than baseball games that take less than one day to play but manage to feel like 5-days,like American football,half a day to play a game of 4x 15 minute quarters,which when I went to school came to 1 hour.[/size]
[size=5]Perhaps it's all about perceived value for money?[/size]
[size=5]If you have spent all day going to and watching the Patriots play whoever even if the game has been poor there must be some sense of satisfaction,in similar vein,many years ago the pro at a municipal course that I played fairly regularly was chatting with me one day and told me that if I worked hard on my game I had the potential to be a low handicap golfer.[/size]
[size=5]He was astonished when I laughed and told him in no uncertain terms that it would never do,my explanation being that having paid the best part of £5 for a round of golf,why on earth would I want to go round in only 65 strokes when going round in 83 represented much greater value for money per stroke taken.[/size]
[size=5]I still don't understand why he couldn't see the logic......[/size]

[ScooterMcTavish]

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1390077537' post='8484751']
[size=5]Oh well,never mind,sorry nobody else though it humorous[/size]


[size=5]...why on earth would I want to go round in only 65 strokes when going round in 83 represented much greater value for money per stroke taken.[/size]
[size=5]I still don't understand why he couldn't see the logic......[/size]
[/quote]

OK Okesa, gave you a like for the Rory post. It was subversively funny, even if all you heard was the sound of crickets.

I also had a friend who used to tell me he got better value for his golf dollar, hacking and chopping his way around the course to a 133. Yes, a 133.

Haven't been on the board much as winter refuses to show even the smallest glimpse of releasing its talons, and I am going stir crazy. We've had snow (3"), high winds (as high as 90km/h - 55 MPH for my US/UK friends), and wind chills down to -50*C (-58*F). Even where Randy is sounds like a tropical paradise to me.

Wanted to try and get outside this winter, and even had the cross country skis and poles ready for the oldest child and I. Weather has been so bloody cold, we haven't even had a chance to use them. Found myself looking at cheap flights to Vegas the other day, not because I like Vegas, but because if I don't get some sun, I'll die.

Thank heaven for Netflix and the ability to change your DNS to get US Netflix in Canada. Have enjoyed watching Season 2 of American Horror Story: Asylum, one of the best acted, cringeworthy, and plainly weird shows I've ever seen.

[Ironmaster Oddities]

[quote name='okesa' timestamp='1390077537' post='8484751']
[size=5]Oh well,never mind,sorry nobody else though it humorous,how about Sergio agreeing that the rough at this week's tournament was 'dangerous'![/size]
[size=5]Now that really does have to worth a laugh,bullfighting is dangerous,cliff diving is dangerous,taking on a Cape buffalo with a bb gun is [i]very[/i] dangerous but tangling with some tufty,thick grass hardly comes into the same category or does it?[/size]
[size=5]I have admired Sergio's qualities as a golfer in the past but this really makes me wonder what professional sportsmen are about these days,spoiled,namby-pamby and pathetic are three words that immediately come to mind,particularly so in the case of the England cricket team who have been well and truly rogered senseless (in a sporting way) by the convicts 'down-under'.[/size]
[size=5]For those of you unfamiliar with cricket may I emphasise that it is [i]nothing[/i][i] like baseball despite what some people say[/i],it's a far more interesting and testing game!I know it seems strange that 5-day Test Matches are played but they are usually more enthralling than baseball games that take less than one day to play but manage to feel like 5-days,like American football,half a day to play a game of 4x 15 minute quarters,which when I went to school came to 1 hour.[/size]
[size=5]Perhaps it's all about perceived value for money?[/size]
[size=5]If you have spent all day going to and watching the Patriots play whoever even if the game has been poor there must be some sense of satisfaction,in similar vein,many years ago the pro at a municipal course that I played fairly regularly was chatting with me one day and told me that if I worked hard on my game I had the potential to be a low handicap golfer.[/size]
[size=5]He was astonished when I laughed and told him in no uncertain terms that it would never do,my explanation being that having paid the best part of £5 for a round of golf,why on earth would I want to go round in only 65 strokes when going round in 83 represented much greater value for money per stroke taken.[/size]
[size=5]I still don't understand why he couldn't see the logic......[/size]
[/quote]

Funny, Okessa.
I agree with you about baseball. Rather than watching a baseball game, I think it would be more enjoyable to slip on over to Winer's Scrapyard and watch the metal rust.
But Sergio may have a point about the rough being dangerous..... It could conceal a rabid ground squirrel.

[okesa]

[size=5]Only a problem if it's after your nuts.....[/size]

[size=5]That could explain why so many golfers in Yorkshire play with their trousers tucked into their socks.....?[/size]

[DavePelz4]

Microsoft bought Skype for 8.5 billion... what a bunch of idiots. I downloaded it for free.

[okesa]

[size=5]Well that is a non-sequitur par excellence...........congratulations Dave.[/size]

[size=5]I dropped in here to tell you boys that are suffering with terrible weather how I sympathise and to give a little encouragement in the form of mentioning how the days are drawing out slightly which is like the light at the end of the tunnel.[/size]
[size=5]We have been very lucky here and I've golfed on most days although the course is very wet and yesterday was caught in a terrific storm that started as fine rain and in the space of two or three minutes became a howling gale carrying sheets of hailstones.[/size]
[size=5]By the time I got my jacket out I was drenched,absolutely soaked through 4 layers on top and thermal long-johns and 'waterproof' trousers below,shoes full of water,face stung by hailstones and at the hole that is farthest from the clubhouse and 160 yards from the nearest treeline when 'BANG' and a great flash of lightning 50 yards away over the cliff edge.[/size]
[size=5]That provided the encouragement to slosh my way to the ravine of Danesdyke below ground level and by a circuitous route back to my bicycle and a squelchy ride home.[/size]
[size=5]Middle of last week I set off to the course in bright sunshine played 5 holes and while standing on the 6th tee this happened......I came home for a cup of tea![/size]

[BIG STU]

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1385068673' post='8185536']
Nice gig O. I live about 10 minutes from the ocean on the other side of the pond. Was thinking of rewarding myself, yard work all day, plus, I decided to go back in the workforce( have been doing a lot of nothing but tinkering and writing since my surgery) and in doing so will allow my wife to properly retire and paint, sculpt, in general create.
May take a club with me and a few balls and give it a go, but we have a lot of signs posted about staying away from the dunes, so I am a bit uncertain about all that. Either way if I get out I will take some pics.
[/quote]That is how I learned to be a good sand player. When I moved here 13 years ago I was a mediocre sand player at best. I was bored to death that winter because my wife was working in the upstate of SC and I was not working that much and we only saw each other on weekends. I was not in the drinking and party scene and did not know many people. I went out on the beach and hit balls out of the sand for hours at the time. Wore out a Cleveland 588 sand wedge but it made me one heck of a sand player and it helped me learn to hit out of waste bunkers also.wore out an old Wilson staff 5 iron doing that. We don't have any dunes per say at Garden City Beach but in SC they are protected areas by law

[okesa]

[size=5]That was one of the reasons why Seve was such a great sand player,he used to hit balls on the beach at Pedrena (can't put tilde over n),in bad weather when the course is closed I do the same here and it's great for developing the correct strike of ball first and hitting cleanly,much more enjoyable than a driving range.[/size]
[size=5]Just for a change I've cycled out a bit further to Flamborough Head golf course and enjoyed a couple of rounds there in glorious winter sunshine with splendid views,it's a typical 1930's holiday course,very pleasant to play with my Staff laminates and Slazenger Jack Nicklaus irons,managed the par 5 15th with a 3-wood and 7-iron! (winter tee a loooong way up the fairway!) and for those two occasions the wind dropped to a gentle breeze.[/size]

[oldschoolrocker]

Thanks O. Simply majestic!

[HoldenCornfield]

Nice work, Okesa! Made my day.

[BIG STU]

Beautiful would love to go over there and play. And absolutely have the 1 iron out