First Day With The New Camera

Here are two of the better swings we made on the range today. Good times.

I'm going to need a place to post a bunch of these, any suggestions? Google video maybe?

Rabbit Repeatedly Misses Turn

1972 BMW R75/5

I'm all about the classic Beemers! Maybe I'll start saving my pennies...

The Duke City

I'm stepping up to answer the household question of the week: Why is Albuquerque called The Duke City?

The answer is simple, my friends. Albuquerque was named after Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duke of Alburquerque, viceroy of New Spain.

Note that Alburquerque is not a typo. There was originally another r in Albuquerque which was dropped in the 19th century.

Jams for the Road

I picked up a few new CDs for my drive out to Albuquerque. The pre-trip favorite is definitely The Misfits' Walk Among Us. So rockin'.

Oh, and yes, that is a ZZ Top album. Maybe I'll save it 'till Texas.

2008 United States Ryder Cup Team

With last week's PGA Championship came the announcement of the first eight of the twelve American players for this year's Ryder Cup team. These guys earned their way onto the team by way of a points system. The final four will be hand picked by captain Paul Azinger.

The first eight: Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Junsin Leonard, Ben Curtis, and Boo Weekley. In case you live in a cave, Tiger's not there because he's hurt.

Biggest surprise? Ben Curtis. If you've heard of him, you now doubt know him as The Guy Who Won The 2003 British Open, a.k.a. Ol' Flash In The Pan. Go ahead, Google him, he's not even the first Ben Curtis to come up.

Most awesome-ist team member? Boo Weekley. I would enjoy nothing more than to see European Ryder Cup superhero Sergio Garcia lose to a guy named Boo wearing a camouflage hat. Come to think of it, they wear those God-awful uniforms at the Ryder Cup, so Boo will have to leave the camo at home.

Worst Ryder Cup uniforms ever? 1999.

Dave's picks for the last four spots? Steve Stricker, Rocco Mediate, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson.

Yesteryear

Keith and Dave, circa 1995.

Best Customer Service Ever

The airlines managed to rip a handle clean off my golf-club carrier. Mind you, I have one of those nearly indestructible hard case coffin looking things. Even with a crowbar I'm not sure I could break the handles off this thing. Naturally, the airlines didn't even acknowledge that it happened, they just returned it to me broken.

Anyhow, there is good news. I looked into getting a replacement handle and when I was assessing the damage I read the details on this sticker, which is stuck to the side of the carrier (click for legible pic):

I called the number and left a voice message. A few days later, I got my replacement handle. Free of charge, no questions asked.

I hereby endorse SKB and their spectacular customer service!

Post-Standard Qualifier Follow-Up

My friend Ron played in the second day of qualifying for the Post-Standard Amateur, which was held today at the same course that I played yesterday. He faired a bit better with an 84, missing the qualifying number by four strokes. Hats off to you Ron, a valiant effort!

I'll be rooting for Shane and Matt at the first stage of the Post-Standard and I'm looking forward to my next chance to tee it up in a local amateur event!

By the way, two poor guys failed to break a hundred today, proving my hunch that my 90 from yesterday could have been much worse.

Post-Standard Amateur Qualifying (Or Lack Thereof)

I played in one of the qualifiers for the Post-Standard Amateur on Tuesday and I'm afraid I did not meet with tremendous success. On a positive note, I was not DFL (Dead Fucking Last).

Synopsis: Super nervous on the first tee, I hooked my tee shot out of bounds, hobbled through the rest of the hole and carded a quadruple bogey right off the bat. All this in front of some rather serious-looking Central New York PGA officials. It was a par 5, which one of my playing competitors reached with two irons (more on that below). I went driver, five iron, wedge and still missed the green.

I calmed down after hole #1 and played mediocre golf the rest of the way. Mediocre golf plus a quad equals 90 for Dave, 12 strokes off the qualifying number. It was all between the ears of course. I shot 83 on the same track last week which wouldn't have gotten me in but would have been a bit more respectable.

My playing competitors, Shane and Matt, are the two best golfers I've ever seen outside of the PGA tour. One plays division I college golf for Lehigh University. The other guy was no slouch either and carded a 72, one shot behind the day's lowest score. I was mentally prepared to be out driven by forty yards all day, but these guys could literally out drive me by 100 yards. I'm usually not impressed with long hitters because so many of them actually suck at golf. Not so with these fellows. Impressive indeed.

Dave Breaks 80 For The First Time Ever!

I shot the best round of my life this morning with a 79 at Radisson Greens! Yee-Haw!!

I get the first-hole jitters all the time, but I've never had the eighteenth-hole jitters like this before. Parring the home hole at Radisson for a 79? Unfreaking believable. With the Post-Standard qualifier on Tuesday I feel like I'm playing with the house's money--even if I shoot a hundred it's still a career week.

Post-Standard Amateur

Next week I'm trying my luck in a bona fide golf tournament, the Post-Standard Amateur!

I played in some Golf Channel Amateur Tour events last year and it went pretty well. Those events are handicapped though; they divide you into flights based on your ability. The Post-Standard Amateur is legit stroke play with no funny business. Last year's winner was a college golfer named Zach Vinal, and the year before that it was won by Jim Roy, who used to play on the freaking PGA Tour. Needless to say, the smart money is not on me.

I don't really have a goal in mind other than to go out and experience playing in this type of tournament. There is a qualifying stage to get into the tournament proper, so that's where I'll start. I'm playing on the first day of qualifying and the listing in the paper says that I'll be competing among 66 players for 24 spots in the field.

Wish me luck!

By...your...command...

Here's a tribute to the O.B., the Original Battlestar, which aired from 1978-1980. 1978 was thirty years ago, but the theme song is still deeply embedded in my subconscious.





Did you know that a bunch of characters were the same in the original series? You can see all the originals here.

Ormond Beach

Hurray for us on the beach with our sea shell!

Rae and I paid a visit to my in-laws down in Ormond Beach Florida over the weekend. Thank you Ray and Irene for hosting everyone! We ate, slept, went to the beach, and played golf. Highlights included Ray holing out for birdie at the Halifax Plantation course and our visit to LPGA International where we played the Champions course.

Tom, Molly, and Jodi were visiting as well, and we overlapped for a day and a half. From left to right: Molly, Jodi, Dave, Rae, Irene, and Ray.

Granddad, Rae & Dave

Cat Hammock

I've decided that our house needs some cat hammocks. Don't you agree?

p.s. Sorry for the long blog hiatus!

Great Cartoon Located