Tag: review

The Four Foundations of Golf

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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

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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

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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!

Coca-Cola Move

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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.

Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It

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I’m a big fan of Adam Savage and Tested, so when I saw he was writing a book, I preordered it from Amazon.

That was four years ago. I’m embarrassed to say the book had been untouched on my Kindle since it was released in May of 2019. I finally turned the page on the flights to Madrid and easily finished it.

Putting something in the world that didn’t exist before is the broadest definition of making, which means all of us can be makers. Creators.

Everyone has something valuable to contribute. It is that simple. It is not, however, that easy. For, as the things we make give us power and insight, at the same time they also render us vulnerable. Our obsessions can teach us about who we are, and who we want to be, but they can also expose us. They can expose our weirdness and our insecurities, our ignorances and our deficiencies.

If you’re a creative of any type I highly recommend reading Adam’s book. I learned a lot and it felt good to know other people think the way I do about a lot of things.

One of the chapters focused on lists, which is something I use often. Usually I prefer Apple Notes because is syncs between my iPhone and MacBooks (work and personal), allowing me to quickly update the lists. Here’s a list I started partway through my bathroom remodel.

Adam writes out his lists and makes a checkbox next to each item. When something is halfway or mostly complete he splits the box diagonally and fills in the upper left area. On completion, the entire box is filled in. It’s such an important process for him that after the Lists chapter was another titled Checkboxes!

Whenever I put a list to paper I’m going to try this method.

2023 Pepsi Peeps

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2023 Limited Edition Artificial Marshmallow Flavored Pepsi

I’d seen something similar released before with no desire to try it. B brought a bottle home, so I have to give it a try. It’s terrible and I dumped out over half the bottle. You get a little bit of marshmallow smell and taste, but the aftertaste is horrible and it’s very sweet. Only gets a 1/10.

Mtn Dew: Pitch Black

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Mountain Dew has brought back Pitch Black and I’m not sure I ever had it. I couldn’t find a MtDewVirus review for it, so here we are. I was trying to figure out what this tasted like when B said “It tastes like a flat grape Crush.” She had it. It’s a shitty version of a grape pop, so it only gets a 4/10. I would not buy this.

Making Things in 2022

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It was a continuation of 2021 in terms of making, with a lot of home projects. After the kitchen I was pretty burnt out and took a break during the summer.

January

February

March

June

September

October

November

December

I’m currently working on a full bathroom remodel and then that’s the end of large home renovation projects because just about every room in the house has been done in the last few years. Hopefully in 2023 I can get to some neat projects I have planned and catch up on some electroncis stuff.