Weather permitting, we are playing golf again every Wednesday, my day off. Last week, we chose my favorite course, Heritage Oaks in Harrisonburg. Heritage Oaks is owned and operated by the City of Harrisonburg. Lots of municipal courses are grossly mis-managed as are many government-run projects. But not Heritage Oaks. For starters, it is a most friendly and welcoming course. After you … [Read more...]

I hadn’t swung a golf club in almost two months, but I teed it up with my Golf Amigos at Tanyard in Louisa last week and wondered what kind of golfer would show up after all that rust. I hit five ordinary shots on the first hole and was pleased to record a bogey. Bogey golf is about my speed. Then, on hole number 2, a short par 4, I laid up nicely with a six iron, knocked the ball on the green … [Read more...]

My golf game is now in shambles. Due to the intense heat, threat of thunderstorms and irregularities due to the Chinese virus, I haven’t played in 6 weeks. This means I have lost all momentum and will have to start from scratch in returning to my well-established bad habits. It’s not easy to master, for example, the rocket-ship sand blast. I’ve been working on this unique shot for years. To … [Read more...]

  Some claim that golf courses are a waste of green space, that they use too many chemicals and too much water. That land, they say,  would be better off in conservation easements with nothing done to the land. Baloney! Conservation easements are simply a way for wealthy people to earn tax advantages from the state – you and me. Whereas no building or improvements take place, they are … [Read more...]

  My golfing buddy, Greg Leffler, and I decided to take advantage of a pleasant Wednesday afternoon and tee it up. But we had to check around first. Two courses that I know of - Lake Monticello and Meadow Creek – are closed for the flu season. We checked with Old Trail and got a tee time with a few stipulations. First, it was cart path only – which had nothing to do with the virus but … [Read more...]

Everything in golf has its place. There are rules, there is proper etiquette and there are many unwritten rules – such as don’t throw your caddy in deep water if he can’t swim. There are also unwritten rules about how to organize a golf bag, unwritten at least until now. So here goes. A golf bag is more than a piece of nylon with holes and pockets to store clubs and equipment. A golf bag is … [Read more...]

Two months and no golf! For a golf nut like me, that’s like solitary confinement for a con.  Every Wednesday (our golfing sabbath), it has been cold, nasty, rainy or all of the above. Finally, an opening. We played Old Trail last week and then Lake Monticello this Wednesday.  It was good to get back on the course. I was pleased Old Trail came to their senses about exorbitant rates. They still … [Read more...]

  All my golf buddies have VSGA cards, which allow us nice discounts on dozens of courses across Virginia. Recently, VSGA opened up The Old Course at The Homestead to card holders and we took advantage. The regular rate for 18 holes is $135, but with our cards, we teed it up for $36 - with a cart. The Homestead has two courses – The Old Course and The Cascades. The Cascades is their … [Read more...]

  I had a chance to play 9 holes of golf with my son Jimmie on our recent jaunt to Atlanta. Jimmie wanted to try the newly re-opened public course, the Bobby Jones Course, not far from his house. The 9-hole layout had been completely renovated “It was an 18-hole course, but they dug up the entire layout and made it a reversible 9-hole course,” Jimmie explained. The city of Atlanta … [Read more...]