Played Friday night after work, trying to get in as many holes as I could before the rain arrived.

No. 8 at my course is a blind shot into the green. You have to hit it a little left as everything funnels right when it hits the ground.

Because it was into a good bit of fan, it was a 7-iron on this evening. When I hit it, I felt like it was going to be fine, but wasn’t 100 percent sure I got all of it. I figured it was probably going to be on the green, but wouldn’t have been shocked if it was a little short.

Walk over the hill to the blind green and didn’t see it anywhere. My playing partner asked if I thought it was over the back and I told him I didn’t think I hit it well enough for that. As I walked toward the right side of the green, I took a quick peek into the hole.

What did I see? This:

Yep, an eagle 2. I’d love to say that I saw the ball go in the hole or that I hit a high shot that spun back into the cup.

But I have no idea how it ended up in the hole. All I know is that I made a two.

Not going to complain about that.

Steve Elling with a an unbelievable blog post recapping a John Daly talk radio interview. In it Daly talks about Tiger Woods and how he handled the wheels coming off of his personal life, etc.

It is unbelievable and worth a read.

Tonight’s post-work agenda is pretty simple: Drive to the golf course. Play a few holes to get loose. Test drivers with my pro’s new launch monitor

While I do love drivers, change probably too frequently and I have hit some indoors at places like Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy, I’ve never been fit outdoors for a driver. The idea fascinates me as you get the launch, spin and carry distance data, but you also get to see ball flight with your own eyes.

I’m very interested to see what comes up. I am going to certainly hit the new TaylorMade R11 — yes the white one — and probably the new Titleist drivers. I have hit both the Titleist models on the golf course, but have yet to hit the R11. I don’t love the white color, but — I’ve got to be honest here — if it’s better, I’m buying.

My pro said he’s done seven fittings with the R11 and every person increased their carry distance by at least 16 yards over their previous driver. What I want to see is whether the R11 is that good? Or whether other people had drivers that were really poor fits for them.

Obviously I’m going to report back.

One last thing, I went through the 2nd Swing site in an attempt to get a handle on how many drivers I have had in recent years. I think this is a complete list and I think it’s everything I’ve had since 2000 or so. It is, however, quite possible that I missed one or two. I’m usually a driver or two (or sometimes three) a year. I tend to trade in or sell or whatever, so I don’t have a room in the basement with all of these. If I lose faith, it’s scorched earth — the thing is gone and it isn’t coming back.

And I know I have a driver problem.

Here’s the list (listed by brand, not chronologically):

Adams: 9015D

Callaway: FT5, FT-IZ, X460 Tour

Cleveland: HiBore XL

Ping: Tisi, G2, G15, i15

TaylorMade: Burner TP (the model from ’06 or ’07), R7 Quad, Tour Burner TP (from ’07 or ’08 and maybe the best thing I’ve ever had), Burner Superfast 1.0

Titleist: 975D, 975J, 983K, 905R, 907D2

That’s a total of 18. And soon I’ll be on to No. 19 and the Ping i15 will be gone from the bag.

I’m just trying to be honest.

There are currently a handful of pictures of a course sitting on my laptop. I have plans to play another different course this weekend (weather permitting of course) and my camera will be in my bag.

But I figured that if I’m going to write about golf courses and express opinions of what I like and don’t like, I should probably at least make an attempt to talk about and explain what I like and don’t like.

Sports Illustrated writer John Garrity spoke to Jim Furyk last week at Hilton Head and one of the topics was golf courses. Furyk said this: “I’ve always said that if the golf course was built before 1960, there’s a really good chance I’m going to like it. If it was built after 1990, there’s probably a good chance I’m not going to like it.”

I don’t know that I draw quite that hard of a line as there are plenty of modern courses that I like, but there is something to his comment. I am a fan of courses designed by old dead guys.

A few of my truths:

Fun is good. Hard isn’t always good.

There was a time when I thought a course was good because it was hard or it was good because it was long. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I don’t really really like to make double bogeys that much. There are courses I have played, including some in the Twin Cities, that I find boring because they are relentless and feature hard hole after hard hole. I would much rather play a course that might not be as long (and some might say easier) that requires accuracy, has interesting greens and forces golfers to think about where they hit the ball. I don’t want to wear out my hybrids and fairway woods.

I like good/interesting greens.

I know this might seem obvious, but I want interesting greens that roll true and smooth with a decent amount of pace. I don’t like golf courses with big, flat, boring greens. I want to have to be concerned about going above the hole or hitting it on the wrong side of the hole. I want to be worried about short siding myself. And I’m good with a couple of greens that are fairly severe.

Life is too short to play bad golf courses

That is pretty much the mantra I live by. I won’t play awful places. You aren’t going to see my post photos from a place that is bad. And if you invite me to somewhere that is terrible, I might come up with an excuse to not play. Or the company had better be awesome. If I put photos up of a place, it’s because it is at least decent. Does that make me a golf course snob? Maybe. And if so, that is just fine.

I’m good with some quirk

I probably have a higher tolerance for what some people consider quirky or stupid holes. I’m OK with a blind tee shot or blind approach. I kind of think it is cool when a course has three par 5s in a row like Town & Country. I’m good with some extreme greens — though I don’t want 18 holes of it.

I don’t love trees

Trees are like many things, they are fine in moderation. I have little patience for spots where you are in the fairway, but are blocked out by trees. I don’t like courses that allow their greens (or other turf areas) to suffer because trees keep the green from getting enough sun or air circulation. My feeling is that if there’s a question on whether to keep a tree or get rid of it, you should get rid of it. If that makes me a bad Minnesotan, so be it.

I want to be able to walk

If you mandate that I take a cart, you won’t earn points with me. If your site is so severe that you pretty much have to take a cart, I might not be back. If you say I have to take a cart AND keep it on the path, I know I won’t be back. And I’m not exactly a fan of long green-to-tee walks. I do like compact routings that flow well.

I like variety

I want to hit a number of different clubs into greens. I like short par 4s that make people think about what club to hit off the tee. I like par 3s that don’t all play essentially the same distance. I like doglegs that go both directions. Don’t give me boring and straight and 400+ yard par 4s over and over.

If I’m playing a public course, I want value…

When I reach into my wallet, I don’t want to feel ripped off. Because of that, my playing resume doesn’t include too many publics that have triple-digit greens fees and maybe only one that would currently be more than $200 (Pinehurst No. 2). If I’m out of town and looking to play, I’m way more likely to go for the best course in a town in the $50-75 range rather than some $150 course. There’s a public course in town that I haven’t played yet simply because I haven’t gotten a good deal on it and I’m guessing it isn’t worth the sticker price.

… and fast play

Nothing makes me more upset than a round of golf that is a death march. If I have to wait on every shot, I lose both my patience and my focus. I know I’m very spoiled in this area after playing at a private club. But courses need to make more of an effort to keep things moving. If it is going to take 5 hours to play golf, I’m probably not going to be a repeat customer. I know, I want value and fast play and the two may very well run counter to each other. My feeling is that they shouldn’t have to.

I don’t care about your waterfall

When I go play golf, I’m there to play golf. I don’t want a 17-year-old grabbing my clubs from the car. There is a 100 percent chance I’m not going to use your bag drop. And I don’t really need somebody to clean my clubs afterwards. The primary ammenity I care about is the availability of drinking water on the golf course. Give me water every few holes and I’m good. A Diet Coke and maybe a hot dog at the turn is a bonus. A cold beer afterwards is pretty good. And I don’t care if it is out of a double-wide trailer. I don’t care about the size of your clubhouse or how large of an event you can hold. I care about your golf course. And that is it.

But I’m also not that hard to please

As a general rule, I can find good in most places that are at least decent. I enjoy golf, I enjoy the challenge, I enjoy people. As long as things aren’t too awful, I’m probably going to have a good time. After all it beats working.

Thoughts?

I’m going to post this on both of my blogs because I’d like to help my friend Jim spread the word.

Jim Colton is a guy from Chicago who I’ve gotten to know through the site Golf Club Atlas and Facebook and chatting on gmail. He loves the NBA, the University of Illinois and is obsessed with golf. He loves days in which he can play multiple rounds of golf. My idea of a big day is 36 holes, but Jim is very cool with 54 or 72 holes in one day.

On June 22nd — that would be one of the longest days of the year — Jim is going to try to set a new record. He wants to play 108 holes in one day at Ballyneal Golf Club in Colorado. Walking every one of them. That, for the math challenged, is six full rounds of golf. Is he crazy? Maybe. But he’s doing it for a good cause.

Here’s where you come in. I’ve posted the copy Jim\’s recent blog post below. Give it a read, click on his link and if you’re inspired do anything, then do so. And Colton, when you read this, just know that I’m in for $100.

So far, Jim has pledges for more than $14,000. Hopefully that number continues to grow.

Here’s Jim’s announcement:

To my friends and loyal blog readers,Anybody who has ever been out to Ballyneal knows the caddies are a big part of the experience.  Most are high school and college kids from the area. And “area” is defined loosely, because some come from up to two hours away just to earn a $75-$100 dollar loop and a chance to be an Evans Scholar. Over the years, seven Ballyneal caddies have earned scholarships at Colorado University through the Colorado Golf Association Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship Fund.

[April 18 Update: The Event has a Facebook Page. Even if you can't make it to Colorado in person, please click 'Attend' to offer moral support and help spread the word.]

I will admit to having something of a strong like for golf shoes. I’m not a sneakerhead — one of those guys who buy pair after pair of basketball shoes — but I can kind of understand how it happens.

I play a lot of golf. I walk almost every round I play. So my golf shoes are important to me. I want something that is comfortable, keeps me from slipping and provides enough support for my feet so that my slight case of what I think is probably plantar fasciitis. But I also want them to look good.

There was a time when picking golf shoes was much easier. I’d get a new pair of Footjoy Dryjoys each spring and use the ones from the year before as my second pair.Since then, there are more and more good options out there.

Now, do I really need a new pair of golf shoes? Of course not. I currently have three pairs of shoes in the regular rotation (though one pair is kind of on reserve). The two primary pairs are a pair of adidas Tour 360 3.0s in all black. The other is a pair of adidas Powerband 3.0 in all white with black stripes. The clear No. 3 is a pair of white Footjoy Dryjoys with the Reelfit lacing system (the ones with the knob on the back).

I thought I hit the shoe jackpot recently when I saw one model of Footjoy ICON’s on the sale table at Golf Galaxy. The ICONs are the replacement for the Classics and have a retail price in the $250 range. When I saw some pairs of black on black saddles for $129, I was thrilled. But then I tried them on.

I generally grab my size in Footjoys and am good to go. But these 11s didn’t come close to fitting. They were tight on the top of the foot and it was very odd. The 11.5s were still not great in that area, plus they kind of slipped in the heel when I walked.

What I want: I like how companies (adidas in particular) has produced shoes that are updated versions of classic shoes. They look good with pants, but also look good with shorts. Basically I want something that still looks stylish with shorts. That means that both FJ ICONs and the new DryJoy Tours are probably out. I’m not going to spend the money for the ICONs at this point and while the DryJoy Tours have a nice classic look, I think I’m going to go with something more stylish. Because I’m good with black and white shoes, I’m leaning toward some version of a saddle shoe that will look good with shorts.

The true contenders:

Adidas Tour 360 4.0

Pros: This is probably the safest choice considering I had two pairs of the original Tour 360s, had one pair of the 360 2.0s and currently have a pair of 3.0s. These can probably be had for a little more than $100 on a certain internet auction site that rhymes with Flea Bay. I’ve tried them on and they seem good. Plus they look pretty sharp, like an updated version of classic saddles.

Cons: Over the past four years or so, I’ve had five pair of adidas golf shoes. It might be time to try something else. Also, I don’t love the stitching line that runs from the laces to the toe across the top of the shoe. And the safe choice isn’t always the best choice.

TRUE Linkswear

Pros: These are one of hottest shoes out there on the market right now. TRUE took the PGA show by storm this winter. Reviews I’ve heard — including from people I know who own them — have been very positive. These are supposed to be very, very comfortable. Comfort, after all, is one of my biggest wants.

Cons: I have two significant concerns. First, I would like to be able to try these on before buying to see how they fit, but I haven’t found anywhere in the Twin Cities that has them in stock. Second, I have some concerns about lack of arch support. Would that cause my plantar fasciitis to flare up and my feet to bark? I have some concerns there. Also, I’d like to see how these really look with shorts. Are they kind of goofy looking?

Nike Lunar Control

Pros: Having heard good things about these, I made a concerted effort over the weekend to try these on. I have never owned a pair of Nike golf shoes as I seemed to have problems getting them to fit my feet. They were often either too tight or they would slip in the heel area — two options that were far from perfect. This shoe, however, was much better. It’s light. It fit my foot well. It seemed pretty good. In almost all areas, Nike has much improved golf products over a few years ago. I like the One Tour ball. I played a set of Nike irons for much of last season. Their other club offerings are better. I used only like their clothes and said I would never hit their clubs, but now I have a much more open mind. I like the look of the shoes on the right and left of the picture above as they have the look of a modern classic.

Cons: I am somewhat of a golf snob. I can’t lie about that. I see guys with Nike golf shoes and I don’t always take them seriously. I think they might be guys who buy bad clubs and play three times a summer. Yes, I know that is snobby. Sorry. The other con is kind of the unknown. Since I’ve never worn Nike golf shoes (though I have had success with some of their running shoes and like their golf clothes), I don’t know how they will hold up. Are they durable, etc.? That isn’t a con as much as an unknown.

So do you like any of these? Had any experience with any of these? Because if you read 1,000 words about golf shoes, I know you have an opinion.

A loyal reader found this Cybergolf story today. It looks like essentially a press release, but there is some good info on the work being done at Edina Country Club.

Among the highlights in the piece:

- The work had a pricetag of $3.4 million.

- They are hoping to reopen in June.

- It’s not a secret that this course, originally designed by Tom Bendelow, has had issues. This from the story: “According to club president Scott Thiss, a renovation completed in 1995 was not properly executed. “We’ve been playing on a golf course with serious issues for 15 years.”

If you want to see the what Lehman is doing/has done to Edina, there is a great hole-by-hole video here. It shows Lehman, who recently also did work at North Oaks, talking in specifics about each hole on the course and why he was doing things. It gives a really good sense of what he was trying to accomplish. It’s kind of long, but go0d.

My take on this is that I hope the work is finally done right. While Edina is not in the top tier of courses in the Twin Cities (and maybe not in the second tier), but it is a solid, classic course with a good, strong membership. It’s also somewhat unique among Twin Cities clubs in that it is very much a neighborhood/community club in that the overwhelming majority of members live within five minutes of the club. Those folks deserve to finally have a golf course that doesn’t have screwed up greens. And I’m all for more good golf courses.

They certainly have some creative folks working there. As someone who works in the communication world and spends a lot of time with marketing people, all I can really say about this is well done.

They’ve generated buzz. Their placement is unique. It will get people talking. And since it was done in their hometown, it will create pride among employees. The only people it may offend are baseball purists.

What’s not to like.

The “club” went up yesterday and tonight’s Padres game will be the first time it is truly displayed.

The R11 may be great, it may be garbage, I haven’t hit it yet. But the combination of the white head, the midnight club release and the early success on tour have made it difficult to miss.

Well, you have some options.

The Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents’ Association has put the form for its annual turfgrass week online.

Here’s the story: For $440, you can get a foursome of golfers (that’s $110 per person for the math-challenged) onto a private club at certain assigned times. Most of the tee times are during the first week in June, though some go later. Edina Country Club, for example, has times available in early September as it is still in the midst of rennovating its course. A few other courses offer gift certificates for play.

There are some big names here including Minikahda, Northland, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Windsong Farm and Oak Ridge. Others include: Brackett’s Crossing, Burl Oaks, Indian Hills, Minnesota Valley, Olympic Hills, Midland Hills, Stillwater, Town & Country, Medina, Somerby, St. Cloud, Dellwood Hills and TPC Twin Cities.

So if there’s a club on there you’ve always wanted to play, but you don’t know a member or have an in, here is an option for you.

 For those of you in the Twin Cities, you know what you saw when you looked out the window this morning. For those of you from elsewhere, we got snow this morning. Yes on April 20. And, no, it’s not cool.

But will this stuff hurt courses that are open for the season?

Northland Country Club’s Chris Tritabaugh blogged about this last weekend. His short answer is that it really isn’t any different than rain.

And if you don’t know, Chris (who has even commented on this humble blog) writes a great blog that is entertaining and informative. If you are interested at all in golf courses, it is worth checking out or putting in your Google Reader.

A quick aside, after getting a little snow last Saturday morning, I did see a couple of groups playing in the afternoon post-melt at Golden Valley.