Tag: May 2026

  • Putting: At War With My Mind

    Probably my first post involving introspection. I’ve played golf off and on for 40 years, having recently started up again after an almost ten year hiatus. Looking back, work was the primary reason I gave for not playing but the reality is that the yips made it so that I didn’t try hard to find the time to play. I started playing more tennis then one of the tennis players, Phil, invited me to play golf with his group. That’s when I started back up. Then a recurring tennis arm injury flared up and I began playing less tennis and more golf. Since starting the website and YouTube channel, it has just been golf.

    Since restarting golf, it has only been for fun and playing against myself, but the yips have stuck with me over those intervening years. I would have thought the time would heal the old wounds but I guess psychological scaring goes deeper and lasts longer. So now, I’ve decided to embrace the suck.

    This past Monday, I shot a good round at Langston but did so with 42 putts. Not a record for me but well up there. I decided to make a video just of my putting and as I watched that video I could see just how bad it was. It’s a miracle that I only had 42 putts and that I didn’t four-putt at least once. Anyway, just compiling the video made me think I should work on getting better at putting, or more specifically getting rid of the yips.

    I’ve set up a putting mat that I’ve had for years but haven’t been using. And I’m going to try to visit golf courses when I’m not playing a round and practice putting on their practice greens. I’ll keep a log and publish it – so I can hold myself accountable to do it and to see if it helps. I’ll also make videos of just putting to see the progress.

    So here’s the first. Wish me luck.

  • Golfing in Maryland: A Perfect Day Out

    The warm weather is upon us with today’s lows starting in the 70s and reaching the 90s by the afternoon. Prime golf season in Maryland and anyone that’s able to should be out there.

    Barry, Mac and I hit the Bowie Golf Course bright and early. A warm workday with threats of thundershowers mid-afternoon seemed to keep a lot of people away. Usually a single would get paired with a threesome but not today. We didn’t catch up to the group in front of us until the fourth hole. They seemed to be struggling and abandoned the round after the turn. We didn’t catch up to anyone else on the back nine and nobody caught up to us. We finished in about 3 hours and 15 minutes without particularly hurrying. Mac shot from the white tees while Barry and I shot from the golds, giving us about 900 yards advantage.

    I came out smoking on the front nine, hitting the first six greens in regulation, and ending up with a 36 on the temporary par 33. Barry was breathing down my neck with a 39 after making a birdie on the temporary par 3 9th hole and Mac was just two back of him.

    On the back nine, Barry was the consistent ball striker and putter, carding a 41 on the par 35 side to finish with an 80. I was a bit more erratic, losing balls on the 10th and 15th holes and finishing up with a 43 for a total of 79. Mac finished with a 46 for a total of 87.

    Pluses: This was my fourth best round of the year as judged by the temporary USGA course rating and slope (not the one on the scorecard). While I only hit 4 fairways on my tee shots, I wasn’t far off and was able to hit 11 greens in regulation. I had 9 pars, 7 bogeys and two double bogeys (from the two lost balls). And, of course, Barry and Mac were great company. My self-calculated handicap index dropped from 18.7 to 18.1.

    Minues: Even though I was on 11 greens in regulation, I didn’t make one birdie putt. At Langston two days ago, I was on 12 and didn’t make one. That’s 23 birdie putts in a row that didn’t go in. And today there were 4 three-putts, which is better than the 6 at Langston but still something I need to start putting work into. Perhaps on Friday I’ll got to a course instead of a driving range to hit balls and then spend some time on their putting green. Likely a wise investment of my time.

    I will also note that the Senior mid-week price for 18 holes with a cart has gone up from $38 to $42. Still pretty inexpensive compared to a lot of courses. Additionally, the course is still under construction and playing as a par 68 and the progress suggests they may not get back to “regular” play for at least another month.

    All-in-all a great day. Recommend you get out there and play every course in Maryland or maybe just your local favorite.

    Here’s the evidence.

    Completed scorecard for Barry, Mac and Clayt at the Bowie Golf Course on 20 May 2026, Barry and Clayt scored 80 and 79, respectively from the Gold tees, and Mac scored an 87 from the White tees.
    Barry, Clayt and Mac’s scorecard from Bowie Golf Course on 20 May 2026.

  • Langston Golf Course – A Bonus Round

    As you’re aware, Langston Golf Course in located on Benning Road in Washington, DC, near the Anacostia River, and is not located in the state of Maryland. I’ve driven past Langston numerous times throughout my career with the US Government but had never played there. Barry proposed we go there and since my purpose in playing golf is to get outdoors and enjoy golf again ( and not just getting to the “Maryland Seniors Golf 100” finish line), I thought “what the heck.” “Let’s make this a bonus round.”

    It started out as a very pleasant day, with sun and temperatures in the low 70s. By the afternoon, it hit 95 degrees. There was a pleasant breeze, we rode in a cart and stayed in the shade whenever possible so it wasn’t bad at all. And while I wasn’t completely soaked in the vido, I was a little damp. Playing from the white tees, the course stretched to 6,161 yards, but only a couple of the par 4s were really long. Barry had to scramble more than I’m used to seeing while I seemed to scramble less than average. Barry’s total was 97 while I had an 89. You’ll notice the scorecard indicates it’s an 89 but the front nine was added wrong so I thought I had an 88. After going through the video, I found that I had indicated a bogey when I actually had a double bogey. So the 89 was correct after all.

    On the plus side, I was striking the ball really well, hitting the driver longer and straighter than usual and getting my approach shots onto the green. I hit 9 fairways and 12 greens in regulation. No birdies, 6 pars, 9 bogeys, one double and two triples.

    On the negative side, there were a lot of first putts that could have been birdies that were nowhere close to going in. Then there are the two triples. One was from a lost ball off the tee on a par 5 and chunking one on an awkward sidehill lie. The other was on a par 4 where it landed in a greenside bunker on my second shot, then hit it thin across the green to a awkward lie… You get it. And then there were the 6 three-putts. Not a record for me but not good.

    The video of the round is here as an “18 Holes in Under 15 Minutes” and a “Bonus Round.” Sorry that I didn’t get more shots of Barry in. He’s not seeking fame and fortune since he already has it, unlike me…

    And the scorecard.

    Clayt and Barry's scorecard from a round of golf at the Langston Golf Course, Washington, DC, on 18 May 2026, Barry shot a 97. Clayt's score indicates an 89 but the addition was in error and it was really an 88.
    Clayt and Barry’s scorecard at Langston Golf Course on 18 May 2025.

  • My Best Golf Round in 20 Years at Bowie

    Today, or at least the first half of the day, was beautiful with mid-70s temperatures, sunshine and quite windy. As of this writing, the rain and possibly thunderstorms are set to arrive. Phil had advance booked a tee time for him, Coop, John and myself at Bowie, teeing off just after 10 a.m. After the rainy round on Monday where every shot resulted in spray, the fairways and greens were firm and dry and the shots were rolling well.

    As for my round, this was the best scoring round that I’ve had in at least 20 years, shooting a 74 on a par 68/69 course. I had one birdie, 12 pars, four bogeys and one double bogey. While I only hit four fairways, I was on the green in regulation 13 times. Another highlight was hitting my driver 283 yards on the par 5 7th hole, the farthest I’ve hit it this years by a lot, leaving just a pitching wedge to the green.

    Sadly, there isn’t any video for this one. I’ve already posted videos of golf rounds at Bowie and wasn’t planning on shooting another one until the first and ninth holes were fully opened. For anyone that hasn’t read prior posts, Bowie has been building a new driving range and the construction has impacted holes 1, 9 and 18. The par 4 first hole has a temporary tee box and is playing shorter than its posted 301 yards for the golf tees. The par 5 ninth hole has a tiny temporary green playing as a 170 yard par 3 or 4 and will reopen as a par 4. And the par 4 18th is reported going to have the tee boxes moved back to make it a par 5. The course will revert back to a par 70 from its current temporary par 68. The next Bowie video I’m planning will feature the layouts of the new and improved holes.

    Here’s the evidence, as recorded by Phil using his “net from par” scoring system.

    Golf scorecard for Clayt, Phil, Coop and John at the Bowie Golf Course on May 13, 2026. Clayt shot 74, Coop 79, Phil 84 and John 92.
    Clayt, Phil, John and Coop played Bowie on May 13, 2026.

  • Rainy Round at Enterprise Golf Course: A Review

    Phil, Bill and I braved a rainy Monday to make Enterprise Golf Course in Mitchellville, Maryland, the 11th course on my way to playing every course in Maryland (that will have me). It pretty much rained through the first 13 holes. Not pouring down but a consistent “heavy” drizzle. It definitely limited distance if you hit into the rough or tried to hit out of it. The impact was much less hitting into or off the fairway. The greens rolled great pretty much the whole time.

    I last played Enterprise about ten years ago. The course has been opened up with the removal of a lot of trees, some of which have been replaced by knee-high grass. The condition of the tee boxes were adequate and appeared to indicate the course was getting a lot more play than the excellent condition of the fairways and greens would suggest. I’m guessing that the changes were designed to improve the speed of play.

    Here’s the “18 Holes in Under 15 Minutes” video showing the round and the rain. With any luck, I may have the JTC (Just the course) version completed soon.

    We played the gold tees, which total 5,647 yards. I shot a 90 which I thought was pretty good for the wet conditions.

    Here’s my scorecard. The notations in pencil were made during the round. The ones in ink are after the round based upon my review of my VoiceCaddie T11 data.

    Clayt's scorecard from the May 11, 2026 round of golf at Enterprise Golf Course, Mitchellville, Maryland, reflecting a final score of 90.
    Clayt’s scorecard, Enterprise Golf Course, May 11, 2026

  • Only Maryland Golf: White Plains Golf Course (#10)

    For my tenth stop on the golf tour of Maryland, I played at the White Plains Golf Course in White Plains, Maryland, just outside Waldorf. The clubhouse was small and the staff extremely friendly and helpful, walking me out to the carts and telling me about the course, particularly that there was little water or sand on the course but that I needed to hit the ball straight as woods were nearby on almost every hole. While I was a little early, they sent me right out by myself though I eventually caught up to other players that asked me to join them. Thanks go out to Tom, Leanne and Quincy. Even though I tried to follow the staff’s advise to hit them straight, I didn’t do very well, shooting a 93.

    The greens were in great shape with few ball marks and rolling fast compared to what I’ve been used to so far. There were also much smaller than those at Oak Creek and the Preserve at Eisenhower. The fairways were dry from the lack of rain and no apparent irrigation for them. I frequently hit through fairways, both due to a lack of familiarization with distances on a new course and the dryness causing the low shots to travel further than expected. I punched out a 3-iron from the trees on the 4th hole that traveled 187 yards – something I’d normally expect from one that is well hit from a perfect lie.

    And I’m trying out something new. Previous videos have featured me or someone in my group playing on the course and focused primarily on the golf shots. This time I’ve made a companion video focusing primarily on the golf course. For those that have seen my mediocre golf shots and my horrendous putting, this gives you an opportunity to see the beauty and layout of the golf course without the psychological scarring. (I am an old guy with a 20 handicap after all…)

    Clayt's completed scorecard for his round at the White Plains Golf Course on May 4, 2026, shooting a 93.
    White Plains Golf Course, White Plains, Maryland

    And here’s the evidence…