I have been getting warmed up at my favorite practice facility, MN Golf Academy.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Minnesota winter golf practice
Spring has finally sprung in Minneapolis. Tomorrow's high is expected to reach 70. With the warm weather comes the slew of area course opening announcements. Everything is still a little brown for my tastes though.
I have been getting warmed up at my favorite practice facility, MN Golf Academy.
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The thing that makes this place so great, isn't the full swing area (which is a great area). What I really love is the short game area shown above. With the realistic green you actually get balls to check fairly realistically. The short game is what I always find is the most rusty after the winter break so to be able to occasionally practice that part of the game is a great thing. They even offer sand practice at the back of the green, though I don't need that, since I never find bunkers while I am playing ;)
I have been getting warmed up at my favorite practice facility, MN Golf Academy.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Ball fitting results
Venturing out to the MN Golf Academy today was great. They were crazy busy which was awesome to see, as I really want to see these guys do well.
It was too busy for me to warm up prior to my ball fitting so my numbers are likely a little off as I was swinging cold.
The Bridgestone ball fitting was pretty quick, I told them about my current ball (the Bridgestone B330S) and they had me hit that one and then the new version of them. The new version this year has some kind of hydro core technology which is suppose to somehow use water to make the core more consistent or more gradient, or some similar gobbleygook.
Not sure what the technology is but I can tell you that the ball of the club definitely feels softer. Despite that softer feel the ball had better spin numbers and resulted in better carry. They said in general this new generation of balls is about 1/2 club longer than the previous generation of thew same ball.
Here is a printout of my numbers. The numbers along the top are the 2012 version of the B330S and the lower numbers are the new version. The middle numbers are an ideal. All numbers are with a 7 iron.
One of the things I tell everyone is how much of a difference balls make in tuning in the right spin and launch numbers. When I got fitted at Totally Driven, it was crazy to see how much of a difference the balls made on the Trackman.
I guess it might be time to buy some of the newer versions of the B330S. That or stock up on the old model which is now selling fro around $30 a box.
It was too busy for me to warm up prior to my ball fitting so my numbers are likely a little off as I was swinging cold.
The Bridgestone ball fitting was pretty quick, I told them about my current ball (the Bridgestone B330S) and they had me hit that one and then the new version of them. The new version this year has some kind of hydro core technology which is suppose to somehow use water to make the core more consistent or more gradient, or some similar gobbleygook.
Not sure what the technology is but I can tell you that the ball of the club definitely feels softer. Despite that softer feel the ball had better spin numbers and resulted in better carry. They said in general this new generation of balls is about 1/2 club longer than the previous generation of thew same ball.
Here is a printout of my numbers. The numbers along the top are the 2012 version of the B330S and the lower numbers are the new version. The middle numbers are an ideal. All numbers are with a 7 iron.
One of the things I tell everyone is how much of a difference balls make in tuning in the right spin and launch numbers. When I got fitted at Totally Driven, it was crazy to see how much of a difference the balls made on the Trackman.
I guess it might be time to buy some of the newer versions of the B330S. That or stock up on the old model which is now selling fro around $30 a box.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Free ball fitting on 3/22
Minnesota's eternal winter drags on. Today is the last day before the weather dips back into the 20s to finish out March.
Sigh.
Well luckily we have a couple of great indoor golf practice areas. Two of my favorites are MN Golf Academy and Totally Driven.
I just received an email from MN golf academy that they are having free ball fittings tomorrow Saturday 22. Here is there email:
Are you playing the right golf ball for your swing? Find out this Saturday at the Bridgestone Ball Fittting Day at Minnesota Golf Academy. Free! RSVP for a 15 minute fitting slot between 10AM-4PM. Everyone who gets fit receives a pass for 30 minutes of future practice time at the Minnesota Golf Academy!
Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA5AF29A2F49-bridgestone1
I am excited to check this out. When I got fitted at Totally Driven by Jesse (Great experience. Do it!) my ball was spec'd out to be the Bridgestone B330s. I am interested to see what kind of numbers the newer Bridgestone balls with the whoop-dee-do-hydro-core technology give. Besides that, a chance to swing a club in Minnesota is always a welcome thing!
Sigh.
Well luckily we have a couple of great indoor golf practice areas. Two of my favorites are MN Golf Academy and Totally Driven.
I just received an email from MN golf academy that they are having free ball fittings tomorrow Saturday 22. Here is there email:
Are you playing the right golf ball for your swing? Find out this Saturday at the Bridgestone Ball Fittting Day at Minnesota Golf Academy. Free! RSVP for a 15 minute fitting slot between 10AM-4PM. Everyone who gets fit receives a pass for 30 minutes of future practice time at the Minnesota Golf Academy!
Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA5AF29A2F49-bridgestone1
I am excited to check this out. When I got fitted at Totally Driven by Jesse (Great experience. Do it!) my ball was spec'd out to be the Bridgestone B330s. I am interested to see what kind of numbers the newer Bridgestone balls with the whoop-dee-do-hydro-core technology give. Besides that, a chance to swing a club in Minnesota is always a welcome thing!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
A dream trip forthcoming?
My wife and I are both turning the big 40 this year and next. In order to commemorate the big milestone we are beginning to plan a trip to either Scotland or Ireland!!
So far Ireland seems to be winning in my mind. I mean who can pass up something like this:
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You just done see that kind of thing on the Minneapolis city courses!
Nothing is defined at this point but I am just drooling looking at all of the great courses that are possibilities on the itinerary.
So far Ireland seems to be winning in my mind. I mean who can pass up something like this:
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Killeen Castle Course
You just done see that kind of thing on the Minneapolis city courses!
Nothing is defined at this point but I am just drooling looking at all of the great courses that are possibilities on the itinerary.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
A look at Augusta over time
Golf Digest has a great web page up that shows a hole by hole evolution of Augusta National. Really interesting to see how the course has matured and evolved.
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/georgia/augusta-changes
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/georgia/augusta-changes
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
:(
Augusta National Golf Club released a statement Sunday confirming that
the Eisenhower Tree on the 17th hole had been removed after a recent
winter storm "caused irreparable damage" to many of its branches
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Save the Fred!!!
The city of Edina, looking to shave costs, has made some short sighted proposals. One of the first is to shut down the municipal Fred Richards golf executive course.
First, the bad news. Last night, City of Edina Staff led by City Manager Scott Neal, formally announced a 6 point plan to reduce costs and increase revenue for Edina golf operations. Sadly, the very first point in the plan is a recommendation to close Fred Richards Golf course. Enough of the bad news, now on to the good news!
THE GOOD NEWS!
• FRIENDS of the FRED TURNED OUT! Of over 300 people at the meeting, approximately 90% were there to support the Fred!
• Friends of the Fred handed out 150 neon yellow t-shirts with the phrase “Save the Fred” on the front. We ran out of T-Shirts 10 minutes before the meeting even started. City Staff were startled to look out and see a WALL OF YELLOW sitting in front of them.
• It was obvious to everyone in the room from the first slide on the screen that the plan being presented was flawed and not well thought out. The City's presentation provided little to no support for their numbers related to the economics of Fred Richards golf course.
• Several FOF brought up that repurposing of Fred land would cost money…both in initial capital and in ongoing maintenance costs. When asked about this, the City Manager confirmed that potential future costs of operating and maintaining a park were NOT included in the city’s financial analysis that led to the recommendation to close the FRED.
• Friends of the Fred spoke passionately for over one hour and fifteen minutes when the meeting was opened to comments. Highlights:
o City proposed timeline is for a vote on closing the Fred on March 4th….we let them know loud and clear this is unacceptable! They have been working on this with consultants and staff for MONTHS, AND MONTHS, AND MONTHS.
o Golfers of all ages have enjoyed Fred Richards for over 20 years and City Staff proposed public consideration of ONE MONTH. That timeline cannot and will not stand!
o FOF spoke eloquently about years of enjoying rounds on the Fred with children, grandchildren, friends and family.
o Fred Richards league members talked about how great the course is and how their leagues are growing (Patty Berg League, Happy Hackers League, Fairway Femmes League, Toro League, Seagate League, NWW League etc.).
o Many great questions were asked about the financial assumptions underlying the recommendation. Quite simply, the numbers don’t add up and Friends of the Fred in attendance let the City know it.
o FOF put forward great ideas about how to generate more revenue at the Fred and across golf operations. When asked whether any of these ideas were even considered by staff when putting together their recommendation the answer was almost always NO.
o FOF stressed how talented and resourceful Edina residents are and challenged City Staff to put together an ad hoc team to study other alternatives to increasing golf revenue WITHOUT closing the Fred.
• We applaud Mayor Hovland for attending the meeting and listening to our concerns. After the meeting he expressed significant concern over the timeline for making a decision to close the Fred and also remains open to other ideas and proposals.
• None of the other City Council Members attended the meeting. We sincerely hope they will get involved and take every opportunity to listen to the voice of the citizens that they represent in the near future.
WHAT'S NEXT...
• Friends of the Fred team will be meeting this weekend to discuss an action plan for next steps….stay tuned!
• Public hearing of the Edina Park Board at City Hall on Tuesday, February 11th at 7PM.
• City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 4th.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO HELP SAVE THE FRED!
1. THE SUPPORT WE HAD LAST NIGHT WAS TREMENDOUS, BUT IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING! WE NEED YOU TO COME TO THE PARK BOARD MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11TH. WE ARE ORDERING MORE “SAVE THE FRED” YELLOW T- SHIRTS! EMAIL jtstang67@gmail.com to let us know you will be there to support the FRED.
2. FLOOD the Mayor and City Council Members with emails and letters to express your support for the Fred (See email addresses below). THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION. Tell them the timeline proposed is offensive and ask for the City to approve an ad hoc team of concerned residents to develop alternative proposals for consideration.
3. Watch your email for more updates from us and visit the FaceBook page for SAVE THE FRED every day!
CONTACT Info:
James Hovland
Mayor
612-874-8550
mail@EdinaMN.gov
Joni Bennett
City Council Member
952-927-0661...
jonibennett12@comcast.net
Mary Brindle
City Council Member
952-941-7746
mbrindle@comcast.net
Josh Sprague
City Council Member
612-501-0252
joshsprague@edinarealty.com
Ann Swenson
City Council Member
952-927-7524
swensonann1@gmail.com
First, the bad news. Last night, City of Edina Staff led by City Manager Scott Neal, formally announced a 6 point plan to reduce costs and increase revenue for Edina golf operations. Sadly, the very first point in the plan is a recommendation to close Fred Richards Golf course. Enough of the bad news, now on to the good news!
THE GOOD NEWS!
• FRIENDS of the FRED TURNED OUT! Of over 300 people at the meeting, approximately 90% were there to support the Fred!
• Friends of the Fred handed out 150 neon yellow t-shirts with the phrase “Save the Fred” on the front. We ran out of T-Shirts 10 minutes before the meeting even started. City Staff were startled to look out and see a WALL OF YELLOW sitting in front of them.
• It was obvious to everyone in the room from the first slide on the screen that the plan being presented was flawed and not well thought out. The City's presentation provided little to no support for their numbers related to the economics of Fred Richards golf course.
• Several FOF brought up that repurposing of Fred land would cost money…both in initial capital and in ongoing maintenance costs. When asked about this, the City Manager confirmed that potential future costs of operating and maintaining a park were NOT included in the city’s financial analysis that led to the recommendation to close the FRED.
• Friends of the Fred spoke passionately for over one hour and fifteen minutes when the meeting was opened to comments. Highlights:
o City proposed timeline is for a vote on closing the Fred on March 4th….we let them know loud and clear this is unacceptable! They have been working on this with consultants and staff for MONTHS, AND MONTHS, AND MONTHS.
o Golfers of all ages have enjoyed Fred Richards for over 20 years and City Staff proposed public consideration of ONE MONTH. That timeline cannot and will not stand!
o FOF spoke eloquently about years of enjoying rounds on the Fred with children, grandchildren, friends and family.
o Fred Richards league members talked about how great the course is and how their leagues are growing (Patty Berg League, Happy Hackers League, Fairway Femmes League, Toro League, Seagate League, NWW League etc.).
o Many great questions were asked about the financial assumptions underlying the recommendation. Quite simply, the numbers don’t add up and Friends of the Fred in attendance let the City know it.
o FOF put forward great ideas about how to generate more revenue at the Fred and across golf operations. When asked whether any of these ideas were even considered by staff when putting together their recommendation the answer was almost always NO.
o FOF stressed how talented and resourceful Edina residents are and challenged City Staff to put together an ad hoc team to study other alternatives to increasing golf revenue WITHOUT closing the Fred.
• We applaud Mayor Hovland for attending the meeting and listening to our concerns. After the meeting he expressed significant concern over the timeline for making a decision to close the Fred and also remains open to other ideas and proposals.
• None of the other City Council Members attended the meeting. We sincerely hope they will get involved and take every opportunity to listen to the voice of the citizens that they represent in the near future.
WHAT'S NEXT...
• Friends of the Fred team will be meeting this weekend to discuss an action plan for next steps….stay tuned!
• Public hearing of the Edina Park Board at City Hall on Tuesday, February 11th at 7PM.
• City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 4th.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO HELP SAVE THE FRED!
1. THE SUPPORT WE HAD LAST NIGHT WAS TREMENDOUS, BUT IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING! WE NEED YOU TO COME TO THE PARK BOARD MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11TH. WE ARE ORDERING MORE “SAVE THE FRED” YELLOW T- SHIRTS! EMAIL jtstang67@gmail.com to let us know you will be there to support the FRED.
2. FLOOD the Mayor and City Council Members with emails and letters to express your support for the Fred (See email addresses below). THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION. Tell them the timeline proposed is offensive and ask for the City to approve an ad hoc team of concerned residents to develop alternative proposals for consideration.
3. Watch your email for more updates from us and visit the FaceBook page for SAVE THE FRED every day!
CONTACT Info:
James Hovland
Mayor
612-874-8550
mail@EdinaMN.gov
Joni Bennett
City Council Member
952-927-0661...
jonibennett12@comcast.net
Mary Brindle
City Council Member
952-941-7746
mbrindle@comcast.net
Josh Sprague
City Council Member
612-501-0252
joshsprague@edinarealty.com
Ann Swenson
City Council Member
952-927-7524
swensonann1@gmail.com
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