2014 Swing Thoughts

It's a new year - time to clear the brain of the old bad habits from my golf swing and head into a new year with clear, concise thoughts. I'm trying to just focus on the contact and make a good swing now - to get back to basics - instead of constantly fighting to shoot a number.

I've got it down to four pre-swing thoughts that I am focusing on:

1. Square the left toe at address
2. Set up behind the ball
3. See the follow-through swing path - swing on that path
4. Pause at the top.

4a. No, I mean it, pause at the top

4b. No, not an Eric "technically, a pause is the instantaneous moment between the backswing and the downswing", but a Don Hershey "you can sneeze when he is at the top and it won't affect his swing" pause.

4c. Dammit, if you don't pause, I will shove this club up your ass.....

There, those positive thoughts ought to do it.

Yes, most golfers only have one - maybe two - thoughts in their head pre-swing....but as you know, I am psychologically messed up in the head on the course, so I need all these. And this is an improvement! I used to have 7 or 8 thoughts in my head in past years!

Here we go

First real medical emergency this weekend...Martin fell while we were at basketball - and started screaming; his forearm resembled a very soft "S" shape. Oh yeah. Joe Theisman immediately came to mind.

First thing to do was to go to the local Emergency room to get X-rays and hopefully get it reset/cast. Well, we got the X-rays - two X-rays in a cement block room where they escorted everyone out except for Martin and me (I drew the small straw). The X-rays confirm a slight break; however, the Chinese emergency room does not have the resources/materials to put a cast on. Um, how is that possible?

So we are in a bit of limbo - it is not that serious so it doesn't need surgery; and an American pediatric doctor is coming into town on Tuesday when he can see Martin. So, for now, we wait; Martin's arm is immobilized and he is playing his IPad one-handed for 12 hours straight......

 

Weekend getaway

I know, a bit late for the annual birthday posting. As a present, Janice and I got away for the night

(Friday night) to Macau. The first time just Janice and I took a trip there without the kids! It's much more relaxing, of course.

But it's obvious I am getting old. After checking in, we headed to our dinner reservation at Morton's. (Have to celebrate a birthday with some Western steak!). By the time dinner was over, it was about 9:30; the wine and other drinks kicked in, and I was exhausted. We gambled for about 30 minutes - a bit of craps, a bit of baccarat and I gave up. Too tired to go on. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I was asleep before 11, and woke up after 7 - woke up extremely refreshed. What a birthday gift! Sleeping in a hotel room without the kids! After a morning hot tub session, it was non-stop morning/afternoon gambling for 6 hours. Now that's a birthday.

Some quick highlights:

- Baccarat is a great game for head-to-head matchups. I'm playing my usual minimum bet on the banker - $500HK, $800 when pressing - when a Chinese guy sits down. After a few hands, he puts $20,000 on player. I still have my banker bet.

He gets his cards - a King and an 8. Not good for me.
I turn over my cards....a. 7........and a 2. My nine beats his 8. I smile, he leaves in a huff. That's what gambling is all about!

- Craps was horrible. I was in mid-Vegas form; rolled two turns on Friday night after dinner; I rolled the dice exactly 5 times combined. A nice sequence of 6, 7; then 8, 5, 7. Ugh.

- Here's an example of how stats can be your enemy. This guy was rolling at the end of the table- and the last time he rolled, he rolled nothing but 9s. So it's his turn again. He sets a point of 4.
So I bet:
 - odds on the 4
- place the 6 and 8
- what the hell, it's my birthday, so we place the 5 and 9 also....
- and a little sugar on the hard 4 and hard 10.

So I have the 4, hard 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and hard 10. I'm set.

The guy rolls seven more times without sevening out....
....and I lose money.

How?  His rolls:
a. 12....nothing
b. 11....nothing
c. Easy 10 - 6-4...Hard 10 loses; what the hell, I'll go back up.
d. 3.... nothing
e. Easy 10 again...6-4. Argh, another loser.
OK, I'll put an end to this. I place a bet on the field.
f. 8...good, winner 8, but loser on the field.
I do not replace the field bet. Of course....
g. 3....nothing

I'm in shock...of course, next roll is a 7.

Outside of one winning session at the Wynn (what a nice casino), it was a bad gambling weekend. But a wonderful 24 hours away from reality (and away from the kids).