I'll nominate HOAT!! Paging HOAT!!!!!!!
Welcome to my AMA with VTnerf. I am Brent, a '97 grad in Civil Engineering. Also one of the early sign-ups on TKP. Honestly cannot remember how I stumbled across Joe's brainchild, but I've been on board since 2010.
Nerf is a pledge name that just kinda became a nom de plume or screen name than anything else. Maybe one or two brothers still would actually call out nerf when trying to get my attention.
I've got 3 kids of my own; 22, 20, and 3, along with a step-son that's 16. All the ones in double digits are boys, and the queen toddler is the only girl. Obviously she rules the roost, all day long.
I grew up on Delmarva, in Salisbury, not far from the beach. Always knew I wanted to be an engineer so VT was a natural draw. We visited in the summer between my Jr and Sr year after playing in a junior golf tournament somewhere in western MD. Once we came around the corner and I saw the VT hedge, I was home. Something about it was comfortable and fitting, and I fell in love with it. Applied early decision, got accepted before Christmas my senior year, and it was easy street cruising out of High School. After graduating, moved "back home" and have been in the area my entire life.
Lucked out at VT, my roommate for the first two years was another guy I had known since 1st grade. We helped each other out keep grinding even though we were 400 miles from home. He was in architecture, I was in engineering, and we only saw each other for dinner almost every night. Having that set time to step away almost every day kept us sane...well...
Growing up I was a huge basketball fan. As shown in the Ltrepeter AMA, I was a huge Bias and David Robinson fan since we were so close. (I have a Bias autograph and jersey hanging in my office, beside a Dell Curry jersey and soon a signed Ace Custis jersey.) My dad was a high school assistant bball coach, helping win a state title in '69. Tired to play as a kid, but at 5'8/9" on my best day, never made it to trying out. But our coach (who is still there at 83!) is the winningest public school coach with over 900 wins. Between my dad and high school coach, I always wanted to get into coaching and finally scratched that itch with becoming a Class D soccer coach. I was part of a travel club on the shore that held their own, especially given that we had kids from 8 different high schools starting on our squads.
I've been playing golf for over 40 years. Was decent in high school and almost played college golf. If I could have putted back then, might have. They didn't break the high school tournament in MD out by classes, but if they did I would have been top 4 in 2A in MD my senior year. Oh well, if I had played in college, prob wouldn't have been a Hokie! But I am going to Scotland this year for a week and going to enjoy every second of it!
Also ran track. Yeah, many years ago and many pounds ago. I was anchor on the 4x100 and 4x200, with sprinkles of running the open 100, 200, and 400 in outdoor, and the 55, 300, and 500 in indoor. Was recruited by some small schools in PA for dual sports: golf and track! When I would ask about their engineering program their response was always "I'm not sure, I'll have to get back to you."
Professionally, I make water flow downhill. I'm an outside, below the knee, site civil by trade. After being blown up in the bubble burst of 2008 and being laid off 3 times in 2 years, reinvented myself as a Resiliency guy. Growing up, working professionally, living and raising a family around the water all while surrounding our lives completely where we live, we are affecting in everything we do by development pressure while balancing it with the natural environment. During retrofitting areas for greener techniques, I have the knowledge and history of understanding how it was originally intended to function. And then can apply the proper improvements to make it resilient as we face over 1.5' of sea level rise in the next 30 years. I'm working in several communities that are nearly completely in single digit elevations, so everything is at risk. While the simple answer is build a wall, that's not as simple as it sounds...thus several gray hairs all around my head.
Welp, there's the intro....have at it!
Edit to add that the hobbies include golf (obviously), craft beer, and amateur photography. I have several of my own photographs that I've taken on our recent travels blown up and hanging around our house. I refuse to spend a lot on a cameras or on photoshop...if it pops in the original, it's a good shot. I've won a few state fair competitions and some on-line comps with my shots over the years.
Comments
Hey Brent. Favorite Golf Course? I am a hack, but had a wonderful day at Augusta National many years back. Insanely difficult greens. It's great getting to meet and know better all us Hokies scattered over Planet Earth.
Kingsbarns just down the road from St. Andrews. Was lucky enough to win a trip from Golf Digest 10 years ago (I know, right?!!!) It was spectacular in every way. Some short, some long, some blind, some straight forward. I'm lucky that I'll get a chance to play it again this summer.
Stateside, might be Worthington Manor in MD or Tobacco Road.
And i basically hate almost every Nicklaus course I've played. Bayside in lower DE is about the only one I can stomach, and even then the 18th hole is one of the dumbest holes period ever. Who has a double dogleg par 4?! Jack does.
say you live in tidewater on a small plot and have a back yard entirely taken up by a septic drain field that has decided to stop perking. What can you do about that? Not my situation, just heard about somebody on the radio and though, man, that would suck.
So, that's the rub. There's an enviromental factor it it...the bay and all. I wish that the state would actually understand that central sewer is in fact an environmentally friendly approach. Yeah, people hate having to pay monthly, but the other option is to NOT have use of your land. The main option is a mound system of sorts. We, in fact, had to have our septic replaced before closing on our house 1.5 years ago. Because it's a 6 bedroom house, it ended up being a $75k peat system because the soils below were so tainted by pines and ivy that they wouldn't perk or do any nutrient removal because of how carbon-rich it already was. Pines are terrible for soil health, then the ivy strips out anything that left. Allowing mound systems, while an eyesore, allow for continued use of ones land. Without that provision, it becomes almost a taking making you have to move and rendering your largest investment worthless. Now, the states should be assisting in these matters, but they are bad at that as well.
mounds are fairly common in NEFL
You are looking at an engineered system. Like Brent said sand/peat mound or something like that. Depends on your local health department personnel and what they like to approve. Talk to the health department first, I think they still do repair permits but its been many years since I got out of the real estate business so it may have changed. Most likely they will refer you to get a licensed alternative septic system designer as the state health dept. doesn't want the liability when it fails again. I know a local person who is on their third drainfield on a new construction home of less than 15 years.
What is your parenting philosophy?
Have you found your philosophy or approach to be different with your kids than with your stepkid?
Lead by example while dropping nuggets of wisdom along the way.
While coaching, the kids were kids. They'd ask why I would give some extra line to other kids occasionally, and it's because if I could get that kid confident and not worried about failing during practice, it would make the entire team stronger. And that kid a better person. My sons (and others) finally saw that. I would tell them it's a process, not an event.
The unfortunate part is that their other parental figure is........I'll just say lazy and unengaged. They've come to realize that now, but it was extremely easy for them to just be flippant about situations because of this for some time. They are growing every day and still learning. The human brain isn't fully formed until age 25.
The step son still adores his father. I respect that. He will ask some questions, but takes notes on how I act more than anything. I just try to lead by the best example. They need to make mistakes along the way to understand that it's not always a one-way fits all approach.
With the toddler, maybe she has a little more leeway than the others did when they were her age. Some of that is because of our schedules, our own age, our understanding of letting them find their way. I feel like we are here to ensure they grow up to be responsible adults in society, not replicas of us that can't make a decision without parental approval, no matter how old they are.
This is sort of my approach...
Getting ready to watch the finale tonight. I'm really going to miss that show...............dammit.
What is the best buffet in Ocean City?
Honestly, couldn't really tell you. I call them all brown food fiestas. Nearly everything is battered and fried, so it all comes out looking the same. Given that fact, traffic, and tourons all over, we typically stick to West OC (much better chefs) or up north in Rehoboth/Lewes area (much better restaurants.)
If I had to pick one, now that Phillips is gone, I'd say Bonfire.
As far as food goes, Shoti's Point has never let me down. If you have kids, Ropewalk has a great kid's play area so you can eat and let them be kids all at the same time. Fish Tales is great for afternoon brews and bites. Spain Wine Bar and Fagers might be the nicest on-island joints.
West OC, Sunset Grille, Harborside, and the old Marlin Moon on 707 are good picks. Plus just about anywhere in Berlin.
What's the dumbest thing you have ever done?
Whats the nicest thing you have ever done?
What's your favorite sound?
Whats the oddest/strangest thing you have ever seen happen, where you literally said to yourself: 'I cant believe that just happened right in front of me?
If you could remove one thing from existence in the world, what would be? It could be a person past or present, a thing, an emotion, .....anything.
Dumbest? Hard to say. I've made some bone head decisions in my life, but try to just move along. Maybe, in general, just not expressing myself fully. I'm introverted to a degree, so I don't like confrontation or making waves.
Nicest? Prob spent a lot of time managing a charity golf tournament for a 17 year old kid with leukemia right before his senior year in high school. We raised nearly $10k for him and his family. His parents couldn't thank me enough and had no idea why I would do that for him...and to be fair, at 30 or so, I wasn't sure...just knew it needed to be done. It all came fully circle when my younger son was diagnosed with leukemia a few months after the tournament and the kids dad cam e in to talk to us about the experience. Both went to Johns Hopkins, so we were asking about parking, eating, doctors, nurses, where to take a minute, all that.
Fav sound? Laughter of my kids. It warms my heart every time.
Not sure this is the oddest, but it's a core memory from way back in the day.......I saw a grasshopper eating stamps when I was like 12 years old. My parents went out for the night, and I was home alone. We kept the stamps by the phone. Went to call a friend of mine, and there sits this grasshopper chewing on the stamps. I left them in another spot for my parents to see, and they refused to believe me. My response was "yeah, I took little tiny bites out of them just to mess with you...really?" They still didn't believe me, and it was way before cameras were a prevalent thing. To this day, they still don't think that happened. Guess I try to bring that event into situations when someone is telling me something out of the ordinary.
One thing I could remove? Maybe not a thing...but more a feeling for everyone...regret. When bottled up, it kills us all. And not in the same way for everyone. But the end result isn't pretty no matter.
Irrationally...green golf tees. They have no business in existence. Nor does ECU. Or chick peas.
Also, I see you have not declared team pie or team cake- wanna pick a side?
Ice cream. I'm not big on sweets. If i have to pick something in the round dessert on a platter, it's cheesecake that sorts straddles the line. I know that's not an answer, and everyone from MD is yelling at me for not picking Smith Island Cake, but there's a place for blueberry pie as well.
Yes - blueberry pie FTW.
What is the best type of homemade cookie and why?
Peanut butter, because I control the peanut butter and the length of bake. Overbaked PB cookies are a travesty. They should fold when you pick them up, racing to get a bite before it falls apart.
This is wisdom. Long live the soft cookie.... er, i guess not that long-lived when I'm around, but you get the idea.
And if you have to resort to store bought dough, the flat trays, there should still be a hit of a square on top of the cookie when you remove them from the oven. And take them OFF the cookie sheet to cool, either a plate or cooling rack. Don't let them continue to bake from the bottom on hot metal. I'm going to eat it, not drop it at center ice for an Ovie slapper.
Also, a heel of white bread in your cookie storage container (bag, jar, disposable pan, whatever) will keep them chewy longer. The bread gets stale, they stay delicious.
If someone wanted to buy some cheap land that would be beachfront in 20 years, where would it be, and would you be interested in going in on it?
Favorite LOLUVA joke?
What is the subject of most of your photos (outside of the kids)? Nature, architecture, culture, landscape? Do you plan for them or just seize opportunities?
Elevation 10 or so. I think single digit living will be gone by 2100. I like to visit the waters edge, but don't want any of my investments tied to it. I've seen some destruction of what mother nature brings along the shore, both locally and thru research of other locales. Most of what I'm seeing is boomers retiring knowing they are pissing money away, but are willing to do so to get out of the rat race of overcrowded areas. It's really hard to argue with that, honestly. I love the hills, and always say I have to go back to recalibrate every once in a while. But at the end of the day, I have to be around tidal waters. Its just who I am.
Fav loluva joke isn't fully pc, but it's from my time at VT. It was when the first female cadet was admitted at the Citadel...and more of a bumper sticker than joke, but serves the point. "Women at the Citadel? What's next, men at uva?"
Subject matter is mostly landscapes. Right place, right time. I laugh that I see the world differently, and my pics show that. I have one from the hot air balloon ride in Vermont in October, one of a covered bridge in Vermont in October, one of a sunset at OC Golf with a great blue heron (I've won several contests with that one), skyline of San Fran from Alcatraz, the golden gate bridge, and skyline of NYC from the Edge. A few others here and there. In my office I have the 18th at St. Andrews with the R&A, 18th at Congressional, and a few others. My insta has a lot of them as well...same name as here. I hate taking pics of posed people. I don't know what it is, just not my cup of tea. There's some built environment in there too...and how it plays with nature around it. Some geometry as well.
What's the soundtrack to your life?
Smashing Pumpkins!!!!
Zac Brown Band
Beastie Boys
Buffet
U2
Logic
Tool
Chevelle
Mos Def
All over the place really. I've seen the Pumpkins (or Corgan solo) 6 times. Headed to Milwaukee in a few weeks to see Zac Brown with Marcus King (4th time seeing Zac).
I have a few golf mixes that have Biggie and Kenny Rogers on the list. And DJ Baby Yu with his mashed potatoes mixes are a good driving soundtrack.
Windows down, nota care in the world, nowadays, it's Chevelle and very loud.
Did you see the Future Embrace tour back in the day, summer of 05 I guess? That was an incredible show and I still think about how cool the backdrop was periodically. That was also near peak will SP reunite speculation time frame so the few instrumental teasers in the set made people absolutely lose it.
Unfortunately, no. Saw them in '94 in Salem, then almost every other show has been in the past 6 years or so. Both my boys are huge fans and the step son loves them too. Was able to take them to Philly last fall for a great show, the one where Jane's didn't play, so the Pumpkins added like 4-5 songs to their set. I was hoarse for 2 days after.
Ahh, I was not in a position to see the original lineup in the 90s. It's super cool that you did. Saw BC solo at the show above and then the reformed SP a handful of times since (all pre-Iha return though). Supposed to go see them again with Interpol in August.
They still rock! Billy is Billy, but getting an XYU and Silverf*ck last year was amazing. And they killed it.
I have a tattoo inspired by Tonight, Tonight. The font they used is what I used. It's a line from In Flanders Fields. Threatened to get the moon with the star surrounding from the song and the MCIS booklet, but it's not real clean when you blow it up beyond half an inch.
As a soccer coach, what is your ideal alignment on the pitch? And why?
Can you describe the most picturesque view in terms of natural setting you have experienced?
Number One go to meal?
Top basketball memory Hokie and top memory non-Hokie?
I coached travel, but it really was more showcase than anything else. Put the kids in front of potential coaches to show off their ability to play the position and as a teammate. For that reason, we basically played a 4-4-2. Occasionally we would diamond up the middle with a true 6 (CDM) and 8 (CAM) to ensure there was always a stack in the middle. This let them play a basic formation, have freedom of movement, and show off their soccer abilities. We were solid playing this was and also given the 8 different schools, none of this kids played together EVERY day thru high school, so this kept it clean enough for them to step in and play. Sent several kids to D2 and D3 schools. And still run into a few that call me coach to this day. That's what hits me the most.
Picturesque...most likely was from the balloon in Vermont. I love it up there (Burlington area) anyway, and being above it was spectacular. Also, the coastline of Maine was amazing. (I forgot the pic of the Portland lighthouse on the wall as well.) To be fair, it's really gorgeous on the shore. Helped with a movie about climate change, and the final product made me fall in love with the shore all over again once I saw it. (High Tide in Dorchester)
Go to meal...ordering out. I have a philosophy that I rarely order something out that I can make at home. It's something that either I can't make (because of ingredients or equipment) or won't make (because of ingredients or level of quality). If there's lamb, I'm likely to order it. Or grouper. We are really lacking in pizza around us. Yeah, tons of places at the beach, but it's basic flour crust with sugary sauce and rubber cheese. Ugh.
At home, a good SRF sirloin with a crabcake or seared scallops do it. Roasted red potatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms. If I can get my hands on hen of the wood mushrooms, they are fantastic roasted too.
Top bball-Hokies. A few. My freshman year there was a 7'1" center for VCU that was from my conference. During warm ups in '92, I was hollering at him (from the front row, when you could get close to the floor without issue back in the day). All the other students around us joined in..."Hey Sharon, you're a long way from Snow Hill!!!!!" He had his worst game that year that day. Next to that was sitting in the corner when Travis Jackson hit the 3 to send us to NYC, then storming the floor. And then sitting front row on the baseline when we won the semifinal NIT game in NYC.
Non-Hokie: meeting Bias in person, and seeing him beat Villanova the year Massamino won the Natty. And the triple OT game against UCLA the following year.
I won tix for the return of the G'town-UMD basketball game as well. (After Bias' death, I stopped being a Murland fan. They cleaned house, even getting rid of Ross as the football coach...) so i didn't have a dog in the fight, but hated G'town as well. I was just a bball fan back in the day. Game wen to OT and some snobby G'town lawyer started mouthing off right before the OT tip. Seeing my dad flip him off when MD won was priceless.
As a follow up, there was another guy that started helping right before I did. His name was Brent as well. We used to joke that we were the head guy's minions...even had minion lunch boxes that we used as first aid kits. (Seriously, why do youth soccer tournaments not have EMTs or PAs on-site during games. There's 400 kids running around and someone it bound to get blown up at some point!!!!!!! Anyway.) We actually went to the same high school, although he was 2 years ahead of me. Very similar approaches, and when the age groups broke out at some point, it was him and me coaching together. We worked great at covering each other and having similar thoughts during games, ways to boost the kids, and have fun doing it. Ted Lasso came out, and I knew enough to be dangerous without seeing it. He calls me up after like 5 episodes are out and asks if I've watched it yet. told him no, and he says "DUDE, you so have to watch it!!!!!" Asked him if Ted and Beard were like our other coach and Beard was just like a mix of us....and he says absolutely not. He could distinguish who Ted or Beard was between the two of us, and it would switch back and forth. Well, I HAD to watch it then. Sure enough. Some days I'm Ted, some I'm Beard.
Did HOAT's treadmill break and he just keep running into the wild blue yonder? I haven't seen him on in a while and both you and ltrepeter tagged him for AMA and he didn't respond.....
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Hoping he just is getting some R&R at the pool...
If he doesn't respond, I'll toss HEUPLEK out there. Some younger blood in the mix.
I think your picks are on vacation.
Ok, I'll make this easy. Lancer, you are on the clock!
I had to lol hard here.
Fine. I will get one started. I'm not that interesting but whatever.
Ah come on...you're married to another TKP'er, a teacher, and have Hokie themed pumps. We've had a few older guys in here, time to shake it up.
I cannot claim the pumps. They belong to FlippinHokie.
It's all good. If I owned the heels, I would end up with crutches at the least.
HokieEnginerd.
FTFY
The pumps ended up being part of my joining TKP... They are also part of FlippinHokie and DCIMSA's love story.....
Why was HokieEnginerd's pumps part of somebody else's love story?
FlippinHokie's pumps were part of her own love story.
That horse is an absolute unit. He's yoked.
Favorite play by play commentator ever?
Favorite color commentator ever?
Who's the most obnoxious person ever in sports?
Best vacation ou ever took other than a golfing vacation?
Funniest vacation anectode?
Steven A Smith or Skip Bayless have to be contenders here
True, they are annoying, but only if you listen to them or give them attention.
I was a big Dickie Vitale and Billy Packer fan growing up for basketball games. I'm talking mid 80's here, before Vitale went fully off the reservation. Billy had great insight. If not those tow together, then Madden calling games. He was great. (Was never a huge baseball guy, but Vin Scully was solid!!!)
Most obnoxious in sports, maybe Jim Rome. Talk about an inflated ego with just a bunch of words saying nothing...man. Cowherd only saved himself with the loluva rant, but outside of that he's unbearable. In sports, Neymar's antics are tough to swallow. Sidney Crosby always whining. Bryson Dechambeau is up there, but I don't think any of them compete with Patrick Reed (and his wife.) They are just terrible people.
Best vacation was our honeymoon of sorts a few years ago. Couple of nights in Portland, ME, couple in Burlington, VT, couple in Boston. The hot air balloon ride, whale watching tour (actually got to see a breach!), Salem in October, more cheese than we could handle, 22 bags of coffee, and 2 coolers full of craft beer came home with us. And probably 2 of the 5 best meals we've ever had.
Funniest might be the saddest too. We were in Dallas and went to arguably the best steakhouse in the city. The couple next to us argued for an hour about a $1,000 coffee maker that then turned into an argument about spending time with the kids, their vacation (he booked to shut her up), the fact that he was going to just play playstation on the vacation, and even when hurricane season is. (Fun fact, they BOTH were wrong.) It was so bad, we couldn't even hold a conversation between us. Then, after they left, another cople came it and sat on the other side of us. In the 15 minutes there, she was mad because she wanted to be in the middle of the restaurant but he wouldn't ask (or pay) for that, he tried to shove a tomato in her face, and she announced that she was moving out when they got home.
Head scratching moment though, we're in Mad River, VT walking out of a cheese shop. This lady pulls up and starts asking if we're looking for leaves. Well, it's October in New England, you really don't have to look too far...so we said yeah, we guess. She then asks if we know where to find them. Puzzled, I point at the trees in the parking lot and the mountainside adjacent to the parking lot "You mean like them?" "Yeah, sort of...well..." And then she asks if we knew were rt 100 was. We were 50 yards from it. She asked if it was better to go north or south. Well, there are trees all over, so depends on where you have to be when........We both were looking all over the lot for the camera, and she finally just drove off. That was a strange one for sure.
My grandfather called football and baseball games with Scully back in the 50s at Fordham, Hofstra and a few other places before Scully went with the Dodgers to Los Angeles.
I skied Mad River Glen back in the 70s. Legit hill. Was a blast. Caught it after a big dump - steep and deep!
(This was back when my knees could take moguls.)
Vermont is beautiful in all seasons.
What other sports/leagues/teams do you follow/support?
If you drink bourbon, what are your top three favorites?
What are you reading at the moment?
If you could erase one other schoo
Used to watch prob half the Caps games every year. Now that they've finally won the cup, I find myself watching a lot less. I'll put golf on the TV on Sunday afternoons. Sort of a wind down. But the main one now is premier league and Newcastle. I've been a fan since the mid 90's, and it's not been easy. But finishing top 4 this season was awesome. Trying to find a way to manage a Champions League game at St. James Park next season. (My wife's boss lives and works in Newcastle, so it would end up being covered partially by her company, at least her airfare and the hotel.)
I'm a Biffalo Trace guy. Also enjoy Woodford Double Oaked. And just grabbed a Springbrook Adirondack rye. I honestly haven't gone too far down the rabbit hole, but do enjoy BT.
I don't read too much, sadly. I've enjoyed the stuff I've read from Feinstien (good walk spoiled and like) and my local environmental author Tom Horton about the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern shore.
Eastern Caroli
Oof. Rough stretch to be a Toon fan. The spending Chelski did this year was kinda what I was expecting from y'all with the new ownership, but it was much more restrained and y'all had a much better season.
I like having BT on the shelf as a solid workhorse bottle. The fact it's allocated here is insane to me. Don't like Woodford, but got gifted a bottle of the double oak and it's damn fine stuff.
That's three votes now for ECU, and I don't blame y'all.
Going to have to look at my `97 Civil Engineering Class Photo in the basement. We probably shared a bunch of classes.
That was a few pounds and grey hairs ago.....
For me as well. I had hair in that photo!
I have a fraternity brother that lives in Snow Hill. Paul Bessette.
Just wondering if you know him. He and his wife are top notch.
They bought an older house they are refurbishing, its gorgeous.
Re: Craft beer. What's your go to home brew? A couple friends bring theirs to our VT home game tailgates and their brews are always great. They mix it up a lot. I have tons of respect for those that can do this.
Haven't crossed paths w him, yet. There are some large houses that definitely need some TLC in Snow Hill...and I'm sure he has a peach down there.
Never started home brewing. I knew if I did, it would be all I would do. I support my locals, mainly Dewey Beer. I'm a hop head, so IPA all day long. I mean, I can enjoy all varieties and have a good hoard of barrel aged stouts mellowing currently as well, but an IPA is my standard go to. I've been able to hit the east coast check list; Alchemist, Lawsons, Treehouse, Trillium, Maine Beer, Other Half, etc. But my favorite one prob has been Foley Brothers in Brandon, VT.
I really want to work on improving my golf game. When just going to the range, do you have a method or go to drills you would recommend? I think my weakness is always consistency with ball striking.
Working on contact is key. A good drill is to take your 8/7/6 iron, which ever you get along with best, and swing from 9 to 3. Half swings basically. But find the center of the clubface. Make it go straight as far as you can with a limited swing. This means getting the club face back to square every time, hitting THRU the ball...not TO the ball, and following it down the line. Also, don't sway. Too many times I see people shifting their weight too far behind the ball, then coming back thru it you have to shift so much that the arms are just along for the ride and it becomes a weak bleeder to the right. Think of a slap bunt in softball...there isn't any power in it and it doesn't go straight. Keep a solid base, TURN your hips and shoulders, and get back to square. I have alignment sticks that I put out every time I'm working on the range. One between my feet and ball so I can see the proper alignment (I don't put it too close because during a round, it's not there. I want it to help, but not be THE thing I'm using for alignment, then I'm completely lost when it's not there.) And another perpendicular to that so i can check ball position in my stance. Sometimes I just need a reminder/check-up/push to keep things square.
As for the "turning" part, imagine standing facing forward, but having to get a medicine ball from the guy behind you without moving your feet....twist the hips, but twist the shoulders twice as much. That's the x factor, and creates power. Also keeps you THRU the ball. Imagine swinging down the line...skipping a stone...when you get to full swings.
Swinging at partial "power" is sometimes key as well. I play the 90% rule most of the time. Can I hit a 6 iron 185? Yup. When I'm 180 out, not even 185, do I hit my 6 iron? Typically nope. I'll smooth a 5. I want control of the distance and where it's going. (Doesn't always happen, but when I jump on irons that's when I'm either launching them 193 straight or yanking them 30 yards left because my timing is off....) Swing within yourself. Distance is fun, but scoring is funner, and taking $$$ off your buddy that hits it past you is the funnest!
try to put your left hip pocket where your right one was
You're 25 years old and you're single with no kids . Aliens land in your backyard. They come up to you and invite you to go with them on the spot to travel throughout our galaxy. They tell you if you join them you will never ever return to Earth again, and will never see anyone you know again. You will see the wonders of the Galaxy beyond the things you can imagine. You will never get sick and you will live a long and meaningful life of at least 200 years as part of their community. You will have everything you ever need to survive with them. You cannot wait to make your decision, you cannot leave a note, and no one will ever know what happened to you. It will be like you disappeared Without a trace.
Do you go? Why or why not?
If you're 45 with a wife and kids does your answer change? How about if you're 80 and widowed, but your kids and grandkids are still alive?
Or make it more weird...
Alien lands in your back yard. Are the first person to eat an alien? Or the first person to shag an alien.
No judgement. Captain Kirk was doing the latter.
25, giddy up!!! I can drink alcohol, right?! I mean there has to be some good bourbon and ale up there somewhere. I'm all over it. Let's get the intergalactic party started and solve all the mysteries together. I'd take the approach that they aren't around to harm us if they promise me all that. And if I got duped, well, it was a good ride, amiright?!
At 46, married with an infant and 3 others collectively, nope. Sit down fellas, let's finish a bottle of bourbon, have a good cigar, chew the fat, but I gotta work in the morning. (Or have a tee time, one or the other.) At 44, maybe actually. My boys were mature enough, I was in a dead end job, my best friend had passed away suddenly from his pancreas exploding, and things were meh. They offer me that during that period, I might just take them up on it. I feel like I prepped my boys well enough to be responsible adults and they would have a story to spin the rest of their lives. And I could have a fresh start and quite possibly do some great things along the way. I'd find a way to let my boys know I was there with them, and they would know it too.
At 80, not sure I've got the energy for another 120 or so years....and if there are grandkids running around...well, I ain't going nowhere.
Thanks for participating Brent. Looking forward to golf with you and Mas Scott in Delaware in July!
any thoughts on nation states buying soccer clubs as part of a larger "sportswashing" initiative? as a Newcastle supporter, does it bug you at all or is it just "it is what it is" and "anyone is better than mike ashley" ?
I've not honestly given it much thought. And that is sad, really. I hate that they are in involved, but fear that things as they were are gone........and without their influx of money, clubs and maybe even leagues would go away. It sucks they are buying titles, basically. (See the money plug into City and such.) And altering the trajectory of things as they were even 3 years ago. (Ronaldo is playing where? Benzema is being offered WHAT and can choose his team???) And don't get me started on LIV Golf and how they've come in and disrupted the entire "sport".
One thing Bias taught me at a young age is that sports people are not in fact idols. They can do things we can admire. They can accomplish things most normal people can only dream about. But that's it. And I've resigned myself to understanding they are human too. So I watch, support, wish them well, but their results don't dictate my attitude or how I function over the next few days. Seeing Newcastle do well and make the CL is great. Just like finding a rare flower and enjoying it's beauty. It's there, it happened, and I still have to make water flow down hill and make chocolate milk for a 3 year old dragon slayer.
LIV Golf was here in Sterling last weekend. Parking lot by one Loudoun did not appear they got much turn out but I can't fault the golfers that jumped after seeing all the articles about guys getting $200M, $400M and $800M sign on bonuses. The bonus is probably more than most would have earned in their careers and its life changing money, generation changing money.
I don't have a problem with them taking the bag. I have a problem with them taking the bag, using excuses about less golf, then trying to play more golf than before all while suing the PGA tour (the ones that allowed them to become worth that big bag of money) and saying they were doing them harm. Nearly (not ALL!) every one of them can suck on a wet fart. And honestly, I think the PGA tour is better off without them. (Ask the touring pros whom they miss and whom they don't....)
Couple that with LIV changing the rules constantly and pulling some shady stuff on the guys they supposedly sign to support their tour, and it's a laughing stock of a circus fire. Screw all of them, especially Greg Norman and Phil.
I understood suing PGA for blocking World Ranking Points but access to tournaments never made sense. I also can see it from the PGA side so it's more comedy in motion for me but I am a casual golf guy at best. It's like watching Disney vs DeSantis play out. Both are a great show if you don't care for any of them.
The Ranking Points thing is a joke imho. They took their ball, went off, and didn't do all of their homework before starting a tour. They allowed public opinion and the PGA to have a say in it. If they had applied prior to playing a handful events, like an afterthought, they might have gotten them. Now, they are playing in 54 hole events, paying out for teams (so if a guy is in 16th spot but his team is going to win, what's his incentive to shoot 64 on the last day?), doing a shotgun start, and no cuts. And with limited events. Sure, there are some sticks on there, but you don't just get points because you want them. It should be treated like the Greater Milwaukee Open, with 75% of the points because they play 75% of the holes. And even less down the line...the guy finishing last in LIV shouldn't get points, just like someone not making the cut in the PGA event.
But they didn't sort everything out. First year, everyone was on the same plane being taken all over the world. Now, it's up to the team captains (or owners...they are trying to sell teams like a franchise) are responsible to get the players to the tournaments. It started as all for one, now it's right back to everyone in their own bubble paying their own way. Pulled the wool over several of the jumpers eyes.
Plus as far as I'm aware you could always leave the PGA and go play other tours if you had an issue. You could even criticize the PGA while playing on that tour. Good luck getting out of anything you signed with the Saudi's.....they tend to handle things a bit different.
And want you yo pay back your money earned as an exit fee. I think the PGA win now makes it like a $400mil exit fee for Brooks.
So what I don't understand is if enough of the PGA pros wanted these changes (maybe not the scale of the insane money) they could make them in the PGA, it's not like the other sports where there are people who own the NBA and NFL, the pros run the PGA. They hire people to take care of the non golf stuff but they can get rid of them if they want. It's really up to the golfers.
Hey vtnerf, thanks for the page. Sorry for being MIA - got distracted by life and haven't visited TKP in at least a few week (I know, shame on me). It looks like these AMAs are going full bore and I need to catch up on them.
Insert kramer-giddy-up.gif
I'll see if kville has a nominee or wants you to go...
Now you have to backtrack through all of them and ask questions.
I think HOAT is a great choice!
Paging HOAT! - step up to the plate buddy!
What's your favorite club to hit?
What's your least favorite?
When the driver is on, love it. Also love hitting a flop w the 60 to a tight pin. But my Mizuno PW is so butter it's a blast to hit whether from 90 or 135.
Least, prob 5 iron. It has a different shaft from the 7-GW, and can either be pure cherubs singing or a rhino falling out of a tree clunky. I don't have to hit it often, so it stays, but any swing w it is basically fingers crossed.
have you ever seen a bare knuckle hooker fight?
I don't think they were hookers, but I've seen a few spats in my day.
All I can think of is an old Sergio Garcia ultra commercial where he asks a woman at the bar if she's a slicer and she says "no, I'm a..." and it oes to him walking away slowly.
Which question were you preparing to be asked, hoping to be asked, or afraid would be asked that has not been asked, and what is the answer?
man, journalists have just gotten lazy
Hmmm...I feel like I'm fairly open on here. My tab on the spreadsheet should be pretty well populated. Golfer, beer nerd, Caps fan, dad of 3.
One thing not brought up was TV I guess. Shows that I like, or movies that I get into. For TV, the Wire, Bear, Ted Lasso are things I've watched in the past few years and thoroughly enjoyed. For movies, I'm a big Bond guy. I order "00" golf balls and draw a 7 on them to identify mine. (Used to just get 7's, but there were actually a lot of people playing them.) Also have a Bond-themed golf shirt, which I plan on wearing on the Old Course in a few weeks.
Beyond that, I guess I don't know what I don't know...
Just thought of something else...
Tattoos. I have 3. First is fraternity letters. You know, the thing you do when 21 and off at college.
Second is "believe" for my son, the leukemia survivor. It's the logo from the believe show at sea world when we were there many moons ago. It became a motto when he was going thru treatments at Hopkins and Baltimore had their huge believe campaign. Signs everywhere, all over buildings, bumper stickers. It became a thing.
Third is a line from In Flanders Fields "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high." Stems from always being a teacher by nature, a coach, and someone on the forefront of climate change mitigation. Sometimes the past isn't able to continue, so the next one up needs to take the torch. It fits on so many levels in my life.