Author: Nick Momrik

I'm searching for my first hole-in-one. I enjoy being active and making things. I work for Automattic.

The Practice Manual

Nick Momrik1 Comment

I’d been itching to read The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers to help me improve where I spend my time with driving range sessions.

This book was a much slower and tougher read than The Four Foundations of Golf. The majority of the book focuses on how we learn and theories. I kept getting tempted to skip some of these chapters to get to the good stuff. I pressed on, hoping all of the pieces would fit together and make the read worth it.

Unfortunately a lot of the practice ideas felt much more suited to practice time on a simulator where you can measure distances and accuracy. Those are very difficult to measure on a driving range. Having a sim at home would also make it much easier to have short practice sessions of 15-30 minutes. In order to do that at the driving range requires well over an hour to pack up the vehicle, drive to the course, get range balls, loosen up, practice, and drive home.

On page 365 of 385 I was surprised to read the following.

…this book is aimed at aspiring tour players, as well as coaches who are teaching players who spend their lives on the practice rounds.

Quite different from the back cover stating, “The book everyone has been waiting for” and “If you love golf, you will love this book.”

As I read more and more of the book, I got the feeling it was not written for typical amateurs. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have bought it. I do not recommend reading it. The information I found most useful in the book was presented in The Four Foundations of Golf, which I believe would benefit every amateur golfer.

Mtn Dew: Baja Passionfruit Punch

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

DEW® with a blast of natural & artificial passionfruit flavor. Perfect for a tropical summer.

I’m not sure what passionfruit punch is supposed to taste like, but it’s not good. I don’t know if it’s the color tricking me, but I get a slight grape taste. It’s not a good flavor and only gets 4/10 because I could handle finishing the bottle.

Another Blanket Ladder

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Back in November I made a ladder for our fireplace and Mom commented on my Facebook post.

So I whipped one up for Mother’s Day. Very similar process and dimensions. I used pieces of old oak flooring and stained it.

My new sliding miter saw has a depth stop, so I used that to the dados and cleaned them up with a chisel. Can you spot the huge mistake though? I marked and cut the dados the same way in both sides of the ladder. Since everything is on a 10° angle, I couldn’t rotate the pieces to work, and ended up with two left sides. Milled up a board for a new right side, which went much quicker.

The Four Foundations of Golf

Nick Momrik2 Comments

Last summer I blazed through my first read of The Four Foundations of Golf by Jon Sherman and loved it. I just finished my second reading and will likely read it once or twice a year. The information is so good.

Jon has been golfing for decades and does a wonderful job presenting everything in an easy to read format. He runs the Practical Golf site, where a lot of the same information is presented in different ways. His Twitter account is a great follow as well.

A big part of the book focuses on strategy, which many of us get wrong. Here’s a taste…

This Simple Strategy Will Lower Your Scores (I’m Serious)

Similar information from Adam Young here…

Golf Distance Control Strategy

Last year I started using the Golfshot GPS and scoring app on an Apple watch for the first time. I switched from using a range finder to zap the pin on each hole to using middle and back of the green distances, which I get from a watch. It’s really changing my game. After reading Four Foundations I realized I needed more stats to help me determine where I could improve the most. I bought the new Shot Scope X5 watch, which provides all of the strokes gained data I need. I’m looking forward to putting in more practice time this year to see where I can take my handicap.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Jon and Adam have a podcast together, called The Sweet Spot, which you can find on all of the podcasting platforms. I’ve started reading Adam’s book, The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers and am learning a lot more about the physics of golf and how to use that information to determine what is happening when I hit the ball. You can bet I’ll post a review when I’m finished with the book.

“The Four Foundations of Golf” is a must read for every golfer.

Mtn Dew: Summer Freeze

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

Is it just me or do they release a lot of blue flavors? Maybe I have a memory bias because it’s my favorite color.

B thinks it tastes like the bomb pop Faygo, but that was the 2022 Voo-Dew. I don’t get that and I’m having a hard time placing the taste, but the initial wave of aftertaste is very familiar. Overall it’s a solid flavor I’d drink again if someone gave it to me. I don’t think I’d buy one, so it gets a 6/10.

Every Shot Counts

Nick Momrik1 Comment

I’ve been wanting to learn about strokes gained because it’s everywhere in golf now. What better source than a book written by the man who created strokes gained? “Every Shot Counts” by Mark Broadie.

So what is strokes gained?

Strokes gained is a way of analysing a player’s performance level when comparing every aspect of their performance with other players within a particular dataset. It measures the golfer’s performance taking into account, the hole length, shot length, lie type of every shot and putt during a round of golf.

What is Strokes Gained? Strokes Gained Explained [2022]

The PGA Tour has really embraced SG, replacing many of the traditional golf stats for the most part. It’s a great way to measure the golf game and now there are products like Arccos and Shot Scope available to amateurs like me who want to analyze their own game to determine weaknesses and improve their handicap. I bought the new X5 watch from Shot Scope and will post about it after I’ve played more rounds with it.

There were parts of the book that seemed to repeat over and over again, but I realize stats and math can be hard for people to understand, so I think Mark was trying to drive home the concepts. The book was released in 2014, so I really enjoyed all of the references to Tiger Woods domination. SG shows how much better he was than everyone else who teed it up.

Overall it’s a really great book on the topic. You get in depth information about SG, the different categories, and plenty of examples from the PGA Tour. Perhaps the most valuable part of the book is the strategy information near the end. By using the math, Mark teaches the reader how to use SG to determine optimal decisions on the golf course.

With the data I’ve started collecting and some other things I’m reading, I’m excited to see where I can take my game this year. Stay tuned!

Alphard Club Booster V2 and a DIY Rack/Shelf

Nick Momrik1 Comment

I prefer to walk golf courses. It’s great exercise, gives me time prepare for shots as well as reflect, and it’s faster than riding. I bought a Clicgear 3.0 three wheel cart in 2011 and with some minor fixes over the years it’s worked great.

I’m not getting any younger and I want to keep walking as long as I can, so I’ve thought about a motorized push cart. Then I came across the Club Booster V2 by Alphard (save $50!), which converts your own push cart into a motorized one. The reviews were awesome so I ordered a refurb unit for $647. Here’s my first test after assembly.

I was impressed, but the dragging front wheel while turning didn’t work very well, so I quickly ordered the Swivel Conversion Kit for $89. The kit replaced the front wheel with an axle where the original back wheels mounted to make it a four wheel cart with a swivel front. It makes a huge difference for maneuverability and stability.

By the time I finished my first nine holes I felt very comfortable controlling it. I’ve played two 18 hole rounds and this upgraded cart let’s me play faster and leaves me fresher for the back nine. I’m surprised how much energy I save not having to push the cart. I’m thinking about doing a detailed review post.

There were two problems though. The parts took up too much floor space in the garage and looked messy. I also forgot to take the wheelie bars for the first round I played.

I needed some type of rack to keep things organized, help me remember to grab everything, and make changing easy. I thought about having slots for the axle or something to prevent the unit from falling to the floor. After cutting a piece of plywood and laying things out, I realized a simple shelf with holes for the wheelie bars is all I needed.

Just what I needed. I love a quick build.

With a motor this is a vehicle for my golf clubs, so it needed a name. I’ve been struggling to think of anything, so I asked ChatGPT.

Those are some good ones and I chuckled. Brandi’s idea was to call it R2-D2, but I don’t like reusing a specific name. I like the style, so I settled on CB-V2 since the unit is like my own droid.

Nitrile Glove Dispenser

Nick Momrik2 Comments

As I was finishing my closet reorganization I couldn’t help myself and had to make something. I have three sizes of nitrile gloves.

This gave me an idea based on plastic bag organizers I’ve seen on Facebook Marketplace.

I made a quick sketch, took some measurements, and grabbed plywood scraps.

It was a simple construction, using wood glue and pin nails to hold it together. I did screw on the back in case I ever need to get inside. I carved in the letters with whatever bit was on my rotary tool.

The top and bottom were made long so I could screw the unit in place.

I did finish organizing and cleaning the closet, so here are before and after pictures.

I’m glad that’s done. Time for some non-shop projects.

Coca-Cola Move

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

The newest Coca-Cola® Creation, co-created with one of the most daring artists in music today, is a celebration of transformation. A homage to all the versions of ourselves that coexist within us, and that forms our very own personality. Coca-Cola® Move is a tribute to the different faces of transformation, mixing a great, but familiar Coca-Cola® taste with both bold and delicate flavors.  Coca-Cola® Move is available for a limited time only, so get yours before the newest from Coca-Cola® Creations moves on for good.

From Coke’s site

This is some vanilla based flavor. I didn’t care for it after the first couple of drinks, but it grew on me a little, even though I wouldn’t buy it again. I’ll give it 5/10.