Keeping the faith

Posted this on instagram earlier last Saturday.

I didn't sleep well the Friday night before, constantly waking up to see if it was raining (and it was) and by the time I got ready, it was still raining. I was though encouraged by the weather forecast. (cloudy in the morning) But heading out when it's grey and raining? That's faith.

So over breakfast Phang and I enjoyed a nice bowl of kolo mee and soup whilst the rain continued to pour. I had decided earlier that I would hit the driving range anyway if the rain didn't stop. So imagine our joy when the sun decided to make an appearance. We then made our way to the Samarahan Country Club and teed off at about 8.30am. 

On a day when the course was really soggy, I was very pleased that I was still striking my irons well consistently (loving this new grip change) on and off the tee. Driving was a mixed bag and putting was crapppp. Put it down to lost of touch but I hate missing those makeable 6 footers. 

Anyways, golf season is now in full swing and that means the stars are back in action. In the meantime, the Robert Allenby saga continues to unravel and he's scheduled to give a press conference today. In other news, a certain Mr. Woods and Mr. DJ also return to action at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (What a name) and the Farmer's Insurance Open, respectively.

Closer to home, the Maybank Open will begin on 5.02.2014 where defending Champion, Lee Westwood will be looking to make it back-to-back wins at the KLGCC.

PGA Merchandise show : 2015

If you are an avid follower of golf related news on the social media, you would have come across the many pictures from the PGA Merchandise show happening right now in Orlando, Florida. 

What is the PGA Merchandise show?

As the name suggests, it's where everything new in golf (off the course) happens.

In a nutshell :-

"The PGA Merchandise Show plays host to the biggest week of golf business January 20 – 23, 2015—4 days of your Ultimate Golf Experience with:

• 1,100+ interactive exhibits by leading golf companies and brands
• Over 400,000 Square Feet of Exhibit Space
• More than 40,000 of the most important people in golf
• Representation from all 50 U.S. states and 74 countries
• LIVE Golf Channel Coverage

The Show serves as a global platform for PGA Professionals, General Managers, Superintendents, Owners, and Industry Leaders to form a dynamic community where they visit with current vendors, discover new products, make purchases for the year ahead, and network with industry peers. 

The PGA Merchandise Show is organized by PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions in partnership with The PGA of America, Experts in the Game and Business of Golf." 

The above excerpt copied from the show info here.

All you need to know about the PGA Merchandise show (1,100+ interactive exhibits spread across over 400,000 square feet of exhibition space) and the exhibitors here and here.

But before I get ahead of myself, the PGA Merchandise show isn't open to the public. So you need to be either a international PGA member, or golf industry professional (or an invited guest) amongst others to get in.

In case you are wondering, that's an indoor hitting bay.

For those of us who can't even buy a ticket to get in, head over to Golf Digest's live blog and coverage on what's new and going on , here. 

*SIGH!

When it rains, it pours and pours somemore.

The rain just won't stop. It's been pouring since last week and it doesn't look like it will be drying up anytime soon.

Needless to say, golfing last Saturday was out of the question. First world problems I know, but a guy's got to have his golf! 

In the meantime, a number of areas in Kuching are experiencing floods and with the wet road conditions and poorer then usual visibility, it's best to be extra careful when driving. 

 

Back to Basics : The golf grip

My neck felt alot better on Saturday morning (there's some niggling discomfort, but nothing that would get in the way of golf - LOL) so the boys and I scheduled an afternoon tee-off. 

There was some rain on the first two holes though but it stopped eventually and the weather after was nice and cool. Fairways were still wet and soggy at the Samarahan Country Club, which resulted in plugged balls, but it should dry up soon after the rainy season (decides to) moves along. 

So why this golf grip business?

We teed off at 12.30pm so I figured I would get some practice / warm up at the range. It's becoming somewhat of a broken record, but I wasn't doing anything right (slicing, shanking, fat shots) except for my driver, which I hit well oddly enough. (am gaming a new shaft with my Callaway driver but more on this another day)

I have been meaning to check in with a golf pro for a while now and as fate would have it, V.Nellan, the visiting golf pro. to the Samarahan Country Club happened to be in town. 

(V. Nellan has been involved in golf instruction for over 40 years and is a well known professional in the industry. Check out this great video of him here. - Credit to the Sandakan Eagle for the video)

Thanks to my mate Lee, I was able to have an unscheduled 'consultation' session with the pro and in 5 minutes he solved my iron striking problems (I kid you not). First, he told me to take a practice swing. In that one back swing, he stopped me and told me what my problem was. My grip.

As we all know, there are essentially 3 different ways to grip a club. The 10 finger grip, the over lap and the inter lock.

I picked up golf a long time ago and when I first started, I was taught to grip the club the inter-lock way and I have been using that grip since. More on grips, here.

So imagine my surprise  when the pro asked me to try a 10 finger grip. It felt really strange at first and it was more a mental block then anything, but what did I have to lose?

He then asked me to take an easy 3/4 swing which I did and my word, was it an EYE- Opener. The impact was flush and even more surprisingly, I produced a slight draw. No slice.

I looked at him in disbelief and he reciprocated with a smile and a simple "How did that feel?" All I could muster was an amazed "Wow!"

Maybe that was just beginner's luck or just an easy 3/4 swing, so I set up again and this time he says encouragingly "Now take a full swing. Don't think about it and just swing through the ball." 

Making sure I had the new grip in place, I took a swing and again the ball flew off the face of my 7 iron effortlessly. Incredible. Flush and no slice. 

Under the pro's watchful eye, I hit about a dozen more shots and although they varied from draws to hooks (better then slicing in my books) I was replicating that sweet, flush impact. Had trouble coming to grips (pardon the pun) that it only took one tweak. 

The session was brief so there wasn't enough time to find out just why this tweak made such a big difference. I mean, it wasn't as if I played crap all the time. After the golf outings in Kuala Lumpur last year, I was striking my irons like a king! So it does puzzle me somewhat, but whatever works man!

More importantly, it was a nice boost to my ailing confidence. Let's see if it will improve / continue this weekend. 

The new grip will take some getting used to, but it's great feeling confident with the irons again.     

A crick in my neck...

I was having trouble sleeping a few nights ago and ta-dah! woke up with a terrible crick in the right side of my neck. There's obviously discomfort when I try to turn my head, but it's nice to see the people around me chuckling at my expense. 

Anyways, I have been diligently applying anti-inflammatory cream, massaging the affected area and have even resorted to a few panadol tablets. It feels much better today but the big question is whether I should take the risk and play tomorrow. The Mrs. certainly doesn't approve. 

Fingers crossed the crick miraculously dissappears tonight...

For Sale : Brand New Pair of True Linkswear Vegas golf shoes (Size 10 : US)

So I am selling another pair of golf shoes (again?!) I guess 2015 is the year I try to recover from my golf shoe obsession. I kid and in seriousness, I have decided to let these go because they are a bit too snug unfortunately.

At the moment I am gaming a pair of True PHX and Puma Biofusion (both spikeless) and I have two other older pairs as spares, a pair of Footjoy and Puma (both with conventional spikes). Still in boxes are the True Lyt Dry and True Lyt Breathe. So I am pretty set in the golf shoe department (you don't say!)

Puma Biofusion / True PHX

So, up for sale are a BRAND New pair of True Linkswear Vegas golf shoes in size 10 : US. Still in box too.

They are white/black in colour and are spikeless.

Short FAQ:

Are they comfortable?

- True Linkswear shoes are very comfy. Like the PHX, Proto etc, the Vegas also has a wide mouth / end (which I like). Plus, I now prefer spikeless golf shoes. They are way better to walk in.

Do they provide enough support?

- Yes, they provide good traction on the course and I have never 'slipped' or lost my balance playing in them. That said, they can be slippery on wet smooth surfaces.

Should I get a pair of Trues?

- YES! Especially if you walk the course alot and like a fashionable / casual design. Plus, you can wear them off the course as well. Bias answer, but True (pardon the pun)

Last I checked a pair of Trues retail for RM300+ in Malaysia.  I am letting them go for a price of RM220.00 (inclusive of postage within Malaysia) I am fairly confident you won't find another pair of Trues selling at this price.

I have also posted an ad up on mudah here. 

So if anyone is interested, just drop me a line in the comments or sms me at 016 889 2897.  

2015 : First tee - off!

Having read the weekly weather forecast (rain, rain and more rain), we weren't optimistic of a Saturday morning tee-off. So imagine my surprise when the sun made an appearance last Saturday morning.

After a hearty breakfast of noodles and soup, we made our way to Samarahan Country Club. Course conditions were wet and soggy in places but that's to be expected. The Greens were in great shape though and more importantly, the weather was fantastic. 

To make things interesting, our foursome engaged in a friendly game of 'alternate shots' (essentially, each player taking a shot until the ball gets in the hole). I was paired with my mate Lee Lee for the round and we were 1-up as we reached the 18th tee. Alas, our friends managed to win the hole leaving things all square. Very good fun. 

The Par 3 - 16th, Jungle Nine.

And just like clockwork, the rain started to pour from nowhere as we finished our shower. Then it was a drive down to town for a fitting lunch of chicken rice and cha-sio. If you are in the Stutong area, try the chicken rice and chicken curry at "xiao bao wang" (next to C121). the curry gravy is awesome.

In other news, I will be putting up a brand new pair of True Linkswear golf shoes for sale in the next post. Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

And just like that, the new year has arrived. 

Still getting used to writing, 2015 though. 

I had a quiet new year's eve spent with the family, which was cozy and nice. Tomorrow is the first Saturday of 2015 and I can't wait to hit the fairways. 

The weather here in Kuching has been very wet though. Plenty of rain and grey clouds.

Fingers crossed we will get to start our season in good weather.