Who the hell is Dry Heat Hacker?

I absolutely love to play golf and I want to write about it. I don’t consider myself to be good. My best score ever for a par 72 course is 88. My average has been in the low 90s, lately, which I am tickled pink about. But, I would imagine that people who write for golf magazines and websites have to be much better than that….right? I am writing for the fun of it. I have a couple of days off during the week, instead of the weekend. This allows me to get out and play while others are at work. Have you ever played a course where there are no groups ahead or behind you? It’s heaven! If no one is holding me up, I can play 18 holes in just over 2 hours. I do like to play with others. My father is retired and we try to get a round in every other week. But during the summer in Phoenix, I play as much as possible. There aren’t many people teeing off at 1pm on a Tuesday. The heat is worth it for the rates and the solitude. Trust me: sunblock, ice water, and a good sun hat is all you need to beat the heat.

My blog will be about playing golf and reviews of courses here in Phoenix and beyond. I have played golf in other places (Texas and England in the last couple of years) and plan on traveling to do so again. I originally intended to do a golf ‘vlog’ and post them on YouTube. The idea was to film myself playing on various courses and review each course. There have been times when I was interested in a course, but couldn’t find any content on YouTube regarding what I was looking for. I thought it would be a good idea to show 3 holes on the course: 1 par 3, one par 4, and one par 5.  I did some test footage but I ran into a few problems:

1. I’m not much of an ‘attention’ person. I’m personable and enjoy life, but I’m not the one to be having their picture taken or having the focus towards me. Also, I hate my voice! I cannot stand the sound of my recorded voice. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to my ears! That should kill the idea right there, but there’s more……………
2. Capturing video by yourself isn’t easy when there are others playing behind you. I am a very courteous golfer. I let people play through and I wouldn’t think of holding anyone up that is playing behind me. Even during the summer when I have the course to myself, filming seemed to interrupt the flow of my game. Also, every score card has the rule of ‘keeping pace with the group in front of you’. When you have the course to yourself, this isn’t an issue, but you get the idea of how difficult this could be during the fall, winter, or spring.
3. I was using my cell phone as a video camera. It took good quality video, but you had to be very close to the phone for the video to sound good.
4. I. Am. Not. Good. At. Video. Editing!!!!!!! I became frustrated and gave up on the video idea.

But, I still want to review courses and write about the sport I love! I want to have a web presence and blog about golf. If maybe a couple of people decide to play a course because of something I’ve written, this will be 100% worth the time it took to write it.

So who is this ‘Dry Heat Hacker’ character? I grew up in a small city/large town in the Midwest. A place where people could leave their homes unlocked and not worry. As a kid, I played golf. My dad played and would take me to walk along when I was 6. He would put my kids clubs in his bag and if we weren’t going to hold anyone up, he’d let me play along. I loved playing in my young teens, we used to sling our junior sets over our shoulders and ride our bikes to the local course which had an 18 hole course, a 9 hole course, and a par 3 course. We were there most days during summer break from school. After I graduated I still played. Keep in mind, when I said Midwest that also means winter. I wasn’t much of a cold weather person. I didn’t do much during the winter months. I didn’t hunt, fish, ski, snow mobile, etc., so winters weren’t that much fun. I went to college during the fall and winter. I had a small pickup truck with a camper shell that locked. From spring to late fall, I kept my golf clubs back there. I remember taking an Algebra class that went winter to spring. Right outside of my class was a practice Par 3 hole that the golf team and golf class used. I took night classes. When the days started to get longer and the snow melted, I was always looking at this golf hole. We had a 20 minute break during class and I would tell myself I am going to go chip a few or putt a few then come back. Next thing I knew I’d see people leaving class for the night and realize I was lost in the moment and had forgotten to go back to class. Yes, I failed algebra that semester. Fast forward a couple of years and I moved to Arizona. Remember-I’m not a cold weather person. I brought my clubs with me and played here and there. I got a job that I really enjoyed, though, and worked a lot. Then I went back to school, seriously this time, and focused. Next was work and a girlfriend and I got away from golf for many years except for the occasional round.

Let’s fast forward to 2014. My career was going well. I had been dating for 2 years. What I mean is I had been on 18 first dates in 24 months! And…it wasn’t going well. I have always preferred to work odd shifts like graveyard shift or a weekend shift with days off during the week. This does not gel with 90% of the working public. Most people work Monday through Friday 8-5 and love having a 2 day weekend. If you’re still reading, understand that bankers hours=a living hell for me. I met many nice people while dating, but my schedule was a hindrance to facilitating a relationship. I just gave up. Around this time, my dad asked me if I had any interest in going to the Waste Management Open. It’s one of the biggest golf tournaments held each January in Scottsdale, Az. I said yes and the following Wednesday we were at the pro/am day of the open. Right there and then I fell for the sport again. The feelings of playing 15 years before came back to me and a part of me was rekindled. The next day, I dusted off my clubs and headed to the local driving range. I’ve never been a great golfer. I’m on the low spectrum of good, in my opinion. I want a lower final score and handicap. I want to drive the ball further. I want my irons to be more accurate. I do enjoy every round. I honestly believe golf is a game against yourself and the course.

After a few range sessions and getting used to hitting the ball again, I played my local par 3 course. Why would I do that, you ask? As I’ve mentioned a couple of times, I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. I do not want to delay anyone’s round. I played the par 3 a few times then moved on to executive courses. After a few more rounds, I was back to a full course. Now almost 4 years later, here we are. My game might improve, my handicap may drop, or it may not. All I know is I never want to stop playing and I want to write about it. I hope you keep reading.