Trying Tennis

Nick Momrik1 Comment

This weekend when my friend Mo was in town I tried out tennis for the first time. Mo is a pretty good tennis player (or at least that’s what he tells everyone) so I figured he could give me a few pointers, teach me the game, and give me a few tennis tips. It was only my first time on the court so I wasn’t expecting much, but I don’t think I did too bad. Just like golf, it’s a sport where you need to get in some practice time and feel comfortable out on the court.

We spent nearly three hours on the court and I’m still feeling some of the muscles today. All in all it was fun and I think I’ll be trying to play once every week or two as something different to do. Oh…did I mention that Mo and I played a set and I actually won a game? First time out and I beat the “Champion” in one game. It was even on a game in which he was serving! Maybe I’m a “natural athlete” like Mo. 😉

Review: TurfTee

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TurfTee“TurfTee is a revolutionized way of hitting golf balls versus the old fashioned rubber tees.” The idea behind the tee is great in theory and something I’ve always wished for. Hitting off the standard rubber tees at a driving range has never been one of my favorite ways to practice and never will. With TurfTee I thought those days might be over.

Savvy Golfer, sent me a TurfTee to give a little test drive about a month ago and I was finally able to give the product a try. At first it took me a minute or two trying to figure out who the tee actually worked. It didn’t seem to want to go into the longer whispier matt surface, where the rubber tees are, so then I tried the other part of the driving matt and it stuck in right away. I tucked the green end of TurfTee under the matt and teed a ball up. After two swings with my driver, the shorter yellow tee had broken. The little plastic tie down at the bottom of the tee where the string is held in place snapped. My TurfTee testing was over rather quickly because the taller blue tee puts the golf ball much higher than I like it for driving.

If the company behind TurfTee could come up with a better design for the leashes and holder, I think they’d have a great product. The current system doesn’t work though. I’d be pretty mad if I had purchased the item and had it break after two swings of the club.

Thanks to Savvy Golfer for the opportunity to try out TurfTee.


Don't Underestimate the Driving Range

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Ever since I made the decision on which fairway woods and irons I was ordered I hadn’t been back to the driving range. Nearly two weeks has passed until yesterday when I stopped by the Saginaw Golf Centre on my way home from work. Over the past few weeks I had been spraying everything out to the right. I’d rarely make a miss left so I knew that had to be something relatively simple in my swing causing the problems. I needed a trip to the “Doctor’s Office” where I could examine my symptoms more carefully than on the course.

I warmed up with the three pound eight iron and then picked up my pitching wedge. I started with full swings but nothing stood out as being horribly wrong. I slowed down my swing a bit and shortened it as well and then it hit me. My club face was wide open at impact, which doesn’t take rocket science to figure out, but it was the reason why that really clicked. On my back swing my right wrist was rotating so far open that it was nearly impossible to snap it back though and square up at impact.

I took a few more shots with the PW and moved on to the driver where I could really see the results. As I kept the wrist from rotating open on my backswing it felt pretty weird at first. Near the end of the bucket of balls I was crushing drives out to the 250 flag on the fly. On the last couple of shots I was even able to hit a nice little draw with my driver. I’ve never been able to play a draw!

I kept putting off trips to the range waiting for my new clubs to arrive, causing my golf game to suffer. I’ll definitely be making more of an effort to hit the practice range once or twice a week from now on. It can do wonders for your game!

Review: United 93

Nick Momrik1 Comment

United 93This year will be the 5th anniversary of the tragedies which occurred on September 11, 2001. No one living in the United States can say they’ve forgotten what happened on 9/11, but it’s far enough in the past where a movie could be released about the event. United 93 is the story of the only hijacked plane not to reach its target that day.

The film was created in actual time from the time the flight left the ground to the time it was met it’s fateful fall. United 93 honors the brave men and women aboard United Airlines flight 93 and serves as a memory of everyone else who lost their lives on September 11th.

I don’t want to go into details about the movie, but it was brilliantly produced. The way in which scenes were filmed really gave you an idea of how chaotic and out of the ordinary the day’s events were for those attempting to figure out what was happening in the air. When the movie ended there were a few words displayed about the film and the events of that day. Once the credits started to roll nobody in the theater knew what to do. Not a word was spoken. As we walked out the door my friend Tom remarked, “This is the first time I’ve left a movie and felt like I was leaving a funeral.” United 93 is a powerful movie, which brings back memories of the events which have changed our lives forever. Don’t wait for the DVD…go see it in a theater when you get a chance.

Detroit Tigers Game

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Comerica ParkYesterday I went to see the Detroit Tigers play the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. The Tigers came away the winners by a final score of 18-1. Out of the eight innings the came up to the plate, Detroit scored in seven of those with a home run coming in each of the first four innings.

Before the game there was a Youth Clinic on the field, so all fans were allowed to walk around and see some of the players up close. I was amazed at how perfect the grass on the field was. I wished I had brought my pitching wedge with me to hit a few over the fences. The grass was immaculate.