Bandon Dunes, 2015

The main people I golf with are my brother, "Sparky" and his two kids, "Lefty" and "Numbers". These, of course, are their Irish Mafia names. Every year we play toward one goal, our annual winter trip to Bandon Dunes. For the past four or five years we've traveled together to Bandon in December, when the weather is surprisingly calm and the greens fees are reasonably priced. In June you're likely to find me at Langdon Farms, Lefty at Spring Hills, Numbers at OGA, and Sparky floating in his pool with a margarita in his hand. And we all agree -- it's just preparation for Bandon.

Lefty, Bad Golfer, Sparky, & Numbers
at Bandon Dunes

The trips to Bandon started with me and Lefty and I have to give Lefty credit, because it was all his idea. Since the first trip was the two of us, we enjoy the honor of being the "Founder's Club". That first year the weather was rough. The extreme wind was the worst of it. I'm talking wind where you blast a drive 80 yards on one hole and then over shoot a green 150 yards away with a sand wedge on the next. But that first trip we didn't catch too much rain. It was harsh, but fun.

Following that first year Sparky and Numbers joined us. Typically we keep our eye on the 10 day forecast looking for a weekend where the weather looks reasonable, and book our trip. The trip consists of us arriving at Bandon on Friday night or Saturday morning, spending Saturday at the practice center and playing 27 or so holes on Shorty's, and then playing Bandon Dunes or Pacific on Sunday.  And every year we've played, the weather has been perfect. I'm talking short sleeves, guzzling beer because you're thirsty perfect. And over the years we've had some great times. I should have been blogging about them. There was the round where Numbers had the opportunity to be the first of us to break 100 at Bandon. He was at 90 on the 18th of Pacific Dunes and proceeded to shoot a 12 on the final hole. There was the time that Sparky had one too many on the course and got enraptured by sunset. It was beautiful and he was having an out of body experience that didn't end until the marshals came looking for us.And every year we've played, the Founders Club has marveled and told Numbers and Sparky, you haven't played Bandon until you've played it it weather. Well this year, Bandon abides...

New Poll Reveals LPGA More Popular Than PGA

Surprise findings in a new poll conducted by the Bad Golf Blog show that the LPGA tour is more popular than the PGA tour. Also revieled in the poll is that Yani Tseng is the most popular player on the LPGA tour. According to the poll The Children’s Course (www.thechildrenscourse.org) located in Gladstone, Oregon is the best golf course in the world and the most popular male golfer is Yu Daddi.

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The Best Golf Tip a Bad Golfer Will Ever Get

I’m hesitant to do this because I know my buddy Craig reads this blog. For years he and I have been racing each other to be the first one to break 100. Imagine, then, how difficult it was at the beginning of this year when we played a quick nine after work (ok, at our skill level there’s really no such thing as a “quick nine” but we try).  At the end of nine we were both below 50. We were on the rode our elusive sub-100 rounds.  But we’d told our wives we were only playing nine and it was the first or second round of the year so we didn’t want to push our luck. We just had to pack it in with visions of future rounds in our heads. This year I did manage to break 100 four times. But Craig didn’t. So, I’m hesitant to give out this tip, because I’ll be giving Craig my secret and it’s just so much fun to tease him. But this is the Bad Golf blog, the blog all about bad golfers and we need to stick together. So, without further ado, and at the risk of helping Craig with his golf game, here it is: The best golf tip a bad golfer will ever get.

Oh, wait; there is more ado.

The reason I believe this is the best golf tip a bad golfer will ever get is this: I’ve been trying to break 100 for over fifteen years. I’ve had friends break 100 the first year they started playing. I’ve worked on my grip, tempo, alignment, pre-swing routine, and relaxing. I’ve tried new clubs, multiple swing thoughts, and psychological tricks. I've focused practicing my short game and putting. I’ve tried “playing smart” and once, I even tracked down a Golf Magazine top 100 teacher and took a lesson with him out at Pumpkin Ridge. And even with all that, the 100 mark remained as unobtainable as a straight answer from a politician. But this year I found it. I found the one thing to take me to the next level and I’m confident next year it will help me go even lower. That is why I'm declaring this the best golf tip a bad golfer will ever get. Because I've tried everything and this one simple tip is the one that did it. 

Ok, seriously, that's enough ado, now here's the tip:

Golf Boys

This video speaks for itself

Dick's

There’s one name in golf that never fails to bring out the adolescent in me and that’s Dick’s. Every time I hear it referenced I chuckle a little.  Every time I drive to the mall and see it on the top of the building in 10 foot high letters: DICK’S I grin. I’m stupid that way. But I’ll bet half of you reading this, when you saw the title of the post, thought something similar.

Have you ever been to a Dick’s? I went three times this year and every time I had a similar experience. What I found is Dick’s is not just a name, it’s an attitude. The first time I went to a Dick’s I was with my daughter. We were looking to buy her first set of clubs. We saw two sales people sitting behind a counter looking at a computer screen. When we approached the counter we were promptly ignored. When I finally broke the cold shoulder and asked where the kids clubs were the workers looked at me like I’d just farted. “Over there,” one of them said in a disgusted voice while waving his hand in a vague direction. Both employees then continued looking at the computer screen. Facebook I’m guessing. Walking away from the counter I knew exactly where the hand had waved -- in the direction of another golf shop.