http://youtu.be/3kTFJ62y25Q

This would be a better episode if it were about cooking steak, but as it were, it’s about what happens when your ball goes past red stakes. I guess I’m just hungry.

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I spent the week in Hilton Head and had a chance to play 2 nice golf courses - Barony and Oyster Reef. For the record, I really loved Oyster Reef, it was challenging and gorgeous - a terrific combination for sure.

I had a new box of Slazenger Raw balls with me and got out 2 boxes for that first round at Barony. On the 4th hole, a 364 yard (blue tees) par 4 I jacked my tee shot dead left into the rough. I hit a provisional ball a country mile but wanted to see if I could find my first ball and play it out of the woods.

After a few minutes of looking, I spotted 2 balls buried under some leaves, neither of which was my own. I traded the lost Slazenger for a Titelist and a TiTech and played my 2nd tee shot.

Cut to 2 days later, about halfway through my round at Oyster Reef. I hit an errant tee shot on #6, a gorgeous par 3 overlooking a lake butting up against the harbor. I managed to find my ball and as I looked down, I realized that it was that same Ti Tech that I had found at Barony. Some 18 holes later, I was still playing with the same ball!

I resolved to finish the Oyster Reef round with this scuffed mess of a ball. On the 8th (we played the back first, so this was the next to last hole of the day), I hit my 3 hybrid about 200 yards to the right, and headed towards trees. I yelled “no” and desperately wanted my new favorite ball of all time to bounce back from the forest. To my shock, the ball came bounding off a tree and landed on the green!

I knew I had a special ball, one that was going to do whatever it had to in order to stick with me, unlike those ungrateful Slazengers. Jerks.

In any case, I 3-putted my friend for a bogey 5 (no one said the ball you have become attached to will actually go in the hole in less shots!) and headed to my last hole of the day.

After somnething like 32 holes, I teed up a ball that I had strangely become quite emotionally attached to. My tee shot was again errant, this time slicing sharply to the left behind a tree jutting out into the fairway. I saw it bounce and I was elated. I was going to find it!

I drove up and found my ball laying in a deep bed of leaves and had only one shot - a safe play back to the fairway. Unfortunately, I thinned it and flew it over the fairway into a bunker. I tried to play a 7 iron out and thinned it again - my best friend ever landed back in the bunker, unwilling at this point to even leave my side.

A quick chip shot landed me in the fairway where I hit a beautiful 3 wood about 220 yards to the front of the green. I chipped it close and 2-putted for a triple bogey 8… but had managed to finish the round with this beautiful, mess of a ball that I might take home and put away forever.

Either that or I’ll tee it up and see how much magic is left!

http://youtu.be/-8S339KWXCM

Where you put the golf ball turns out is quite important… who knew! Golf is Hard Episode 58 takes a closer look at why an inch here or there makes a difference.

http://youtu.be/-aaM1Ct33W4

Does your swing have tempo? Why do you even need tempo? What is the right rhythm for your swing? Check out Golf is Hard Episode 45 to learn more in our first episode on tempo.

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Hey there GIH fans…during an earlier episode, we talked about the fact that not only will your golf game get a heckuva lot better here, but so will your lawn. NOW is the time to put down Step 1. This prevents the germination of crabgrass and gives it a jump start with some fertilizer too. Also, now is the time to put down lime to neutralize the soil. You can put them down together and should do it before it rains so it can get washed in.

I just picked up all four steps of the “Scotts Best " program, 15,000 sq. ft. bags were approx $215 (the price has gone up this year, and smaller bags are obviously less money), plus I will get a $35 mail in rebate (net cost $180). Not bad for the best fert you can get. So get out there, clean up the twigs and leaves and put down Step 1 (no need to completely dethatch the lawn prior to step1, you can do that later on).

Check out the link http://www.scotts.com/smg/ (no they don’t pay us….yet)…Good luck! Send me any questions and I will be sure to answer.

Green grass is what golf is all about right? How do you feel when you pay your greens (pun intended) fees and walk onto a course that is not so green? Now…take that feeling home…how do you feel about your own lawn? I am really into having nice, healthy, green grass (no green weeds and no green crabgrass).

Yeah…I know it’s still frigidly cold here in the Northeast & Midwest, however if you are into your grass, there are things you must know and things you must do if you have northern-cool-season grass…and very soon.

Bottom line this is…step 1 needs to go down no later than mid march (if you live in upper NE), if you live in CT or south, you must put it down in mid-late Feb. This is earlier than you may have done in the past…but it will prevent crabgrass. Did you have crabgrass in May/June? then you put it down too late. Step 1 has no fertilizer, meaning you can’t put down too much.

Go get step 1 now and better yet, buy all 4 of the “Scotts Best” program from your local garden shop (not Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, etc. because they do not sell the best Scotts stuff), have your garden shop person explain. You will get a rebate check from Scotts and your local folks should give you another 10% off for buying it all now.

By being a Golf is Hard fan, your golf game will get better and your grass will be greener. Wait til we talk about grilling and Italian cooking…