A QUIZ

[Michael Moore]

Patrick Mucci -

Where did I ever say I needed more than a stick with a flag on it? I was just making fun of the fact that every tall, brightly colored pin is an indicator of its own location.

GPS? That requires a cart, which I avoid.

Aside from 14-3, the USGA rules that I break each and every time are 8-1 (Advice) and 10-2 (Order of Play). Fast and friendly.

Am I a traditionalist? I'm not sure. I always wear long pants, but never a tie. I want to use wound balls, but I find that they go out of round and become unplayable too quickly. I play with blades from 1988 and handmade persimmon woods, but they have X100 stiff steel shafts. I do wish that carts, cart paths, ball washers, granite monoliths covered with ads, and such would vanish from the courses I play.

When the game consisted of hitting a turd along the ground for 30 yards at time, yardage was probably not important. But the game has changed. I have resisted most of the changes, most notably carts, "metal woods" and cavity-back irons, that make the game less aesthetically pleasing. I suppose that I look silly and not traditional when I break out my illegal Rangefinder. But I look great when my short iron does a little dance next to the flag.

[BarnyF]

When I am at the driving range hitting a limited flight ball out of a rusted bucket off of a rubber tee while standing on faux grass next to tight jean wearing rebel whose belt buckle is bigger than the plate in his head over a rusted VW into a net over short yardage markers do I day dream of my perfectly struck shot as I walk past the minivans of prozac induced soccer moms when I toss the remnants of my double whopper with cheese to the children of the local crackho that turns tricks in the parking lot or is the perfection of my swing somehow lost in the distractions of the moment?  Sadly I must admit I let my fagile ego take hold and block out the distractions and walk on air back to my car...this does not pull the range out of the pits of depravity anymore than it makes the ugliness of unneeded appurtances blend into the naturalness of a great design.  Its simply our need to find some happiness in between the tricks we turn to make our wives smile and keep our kids warm.  When are we ever going to stop blaming courses for being too hard...for information being too little and just admit we are not very good when measured against people blessed with what it takes to turn tricks at golf for a living.

[RobertWalker]

Barney F,
have you ever hit balls at the driving range in Jersey City?

[Dan Kelly]

Mr. Mucci --

My red-faced apologies!

I intended to put those little yellow smily faces ALL OVER my last remarks to you, to show you that no matter how rude my comments sounded, I didn't mean ANYTHING by them.

That's how it works, right?

I'm sure that you're a wonderful companion on the course. (Smily face.)

[ForkaB]

Patrick

NOW I know why the Japanese have always used women caddies!

BarnyF

Great job of slipping your driving range post under the GCA "MEOW" (Morissett Early Obsessive Warning" system!

[BarnyF]

Robert,

Yesturday a friend gave me a set of irons to hit so I went to the local dribble dredge and the ball machine was out of order so I would have had to walk to the club house and purchase 15 ball for $1.25.  I saw a 12 year old boy with two buckets and offered him $5.00 for one of his and he said to me "Sure if your too damn lazy to walk 100 yds I'll sell you a bucket."  The kid just doesn't understand the value of time or how to play a sucker...

I asked you once if you were the Robert Walker of fitness fame...If this is your picture we have got to get together for a pose off.
http://www.mostmuscular.com/2000wtenn/named/walker.jpg

[Patrick_Mucci]

Dan Kelly,

The difficulty in having a perfectly struck conversation over the internet, IS the lack of additional information.

We can't see the persons face to see if they are grinning, scowling, joking or serious.

We can't hear the persons voice, nor determine its tone, to see if they are relaxed, tense, joking or serious.

And because of that, an informational aid is sometimes used to convey the tone of one's post.

Many times you will read what appears to be a critical post, followed by a smiley face
This is meant to provide additional information, direction if you will with respect to the light meaning of the post.

Certainly, you who crave all the addtional information you can get on the golf course, can appreciate the attempt to provide additional information through a post.

Just think of smiley faces   as BIG TEE SIGNS, complete with a diagram of the hole, including pin location of the day, yardage, handicap, stimp reading and atmospheric pressure.

On several posts, starting with the earliest ones, I tried to communicate with you, to provide you with additional information that I was jesting, but you couldn't read the next tee sign, made a wrong turn, and went and played the wrong hole, despite the abundance of additional information provided.

Then, when I reintroduced the STYMIE, you missed that too.  But, I can understand that, as it was an earlier thread that we had some fun with, that you probably didn't get to read.

I even resorted to a post saying I was kidding, but somehow that got missed too.

I like the banter, the teasing, and the criticisms that appear on this site, so long as they're not negative mean spirited personal attacks.

I've been set upon, far, far, far worse than what you perceive you've experienced, for my position advocating or defending an issue or person.  

Tommy Naccarato, Dan King, Barny F,
Tom MacWood, TEPaul, and others have had some serious if not contentious debates with me, yet I'm not bent out of shape because they disagreed with or made fun of my position.

I've also learned a great deal from everyone of them, and on a few occassions, modified, or changed my outlook and position on a topic.

I welcome everyone to this site, but, if you take a position, like the referee says at the start of a boxing match, be ready to "defend yourself at all times", because as Rodney Dangerfield says,
"it's a tough crowd".

[Dan Kelly]

Mr. Mucci --

I have played many wrong holes in my time.

I notice that it has happened particularly often when the BIG TEE SIGNS were (1) poorly constructed, and therefore impossible to decipher; or (2) obscured by overgrowth, and therefore invisible.

I am smiling as I type this.

So, what exactly do you mean by "negative mean spirited personal attacks"?

[SPDB]

This thread is as boring as Mucci's logic is flawed. Why not just exchange email addresses and bicker off line.

[Dan Kelly]

SPDB --

That sounds like a negative mean-spirited personal attack.

Shame on you.

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

I was just filling in some time, waiting...
Waiting for your response to the questions
that have been asked of you several times, that you're reluctant to answer.

Have you ever played Atlantic ?

On what holes/greens does a caddy have an advantage over the player in determining pin location.

Your silence, can only mean that you have never played Atlantic, can't answer the question regarding pin locations, rendering your previous posts erroneous, and... boring.

Dan Kelly,

I believe SPDB made a semi, or soft personal attack, no harm, no foul.

Well Sean, we're waiting.....

[SPDB]

Patrick -
You are right, I have never played Atlantic and as I said in my prior post - "I am only using modern green construction techniques, as my guide."

That you claim a caddy who has done countless loops at Atlantic has no advantage in identifying pin locations from the first time player is simply unbelievable. Is there never a bottom of a pin that is obscured at Atlantic from any possible angle of attack?

Yes?

Also, this whole thing about playing purely on feel, is totally discredited when you are relying on your caddy for local knowledge.

I didn't mean to be rude in my last post, but this whole back and forth, and your reluctance to recognize the error (however minor) in your logic, is a little nauseating. I promise I will keep it to myself next time.  

[freedman]

Group hug, everyone.

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

Atlantic is one of those fairly straight forward golf courses where little is obscured at the green.

I'm sure there are locations, deep in the scuttle holes, where an errant shot would need some directional advice, like, "the green is over here".

A course like NGLA would provide a far greater visual challenge to the first time player, with perhaps as many as eleven 11) blind shots.  A caddy has a substantial edge over the first time player at NGLA.

Every course is different.

[SPDB]

Patrick,
Not that we were ever at war, but I'm at peace with you. I think an experienced caddy always has an edge over a first time player. Particularly at NGLA, but also, too (I presume) Atlantic.

I enjoy a good natured scrap every once in a while. Thanks
sean

[Dan Kelly]

I'm dying to see how Mr. Mucci will manage to find fault with this: "I think an experienced caddy always has an edge over a first time player."

Them's fightin' words!

[SPDB]

perhaps i should clarify, i meant a first time visitor to the course.