It's coming up to that time of year when we think of shopping around for fathers day gifts. In fact, there are only a few days to go! It's pretty accepted that Dad's often like beer. It's not being stereotypical, they just seem to like it. How many of your Dads drink spritzers or cosmopolitans? Hmm? Not many, I bet. I found a Beer of the month club which sounds rather exciting. Did I say it was for me or for a present? Oops. There you have it. I have a confession to make. Yes, I like beer as well. This monthly beer club offers memberships ranging from 1 month to 12 months or ongoing. You can pay by the month ($21.95) or in full, providing you with a 12-pack of 4 distinctly different beers to try. The selection of beer is screened by a panel of beer tasters to make sure you get the best tasting beer. The various types of beer sound intriguing, too. Included in the selection have weird and wonderful names like Snake River's Lager and Devil's Elbow. If you purchase a 12 month membership you will receive a $25 bonus to use for further membership or merchandise.


Mmmm. Beer. The gift that keeps on giving!






















This post brought to you by GreatClubs.com

Hee hee. Ho ho. Hoo hoo!

Following are my most recent golf purchases. I have my Wilson Sunday Bag (update: the strap broke on the first round so my partner neatly fixed it up with black gaffer tape!)

The Elsternwick On Course Golf Shop just happened to have a sale on when I needed to buy a set of clubs. The discounts are incredible.


Precept 9 Iron - $10
This is my Stuart Appleby club. Why you ask? Because he wears that Precept cap, even in Playstation games! Maybe this club will help me play like him (hee hee!)

































Greg Norman 5 Iron - $5
I've always wanted a Greg Norman club. My partner has a Greg Norman SW ($3 at an op-shop!). I am a big fan of Greg Norman, he is an Australian (more of an international citizen now!) and a living legend. I hope to see him play more tournaments in the near future.


















PGF Spectrum Pitching Wedge - $10
This is so far my most versatile club. I use it for everything! Shots around the green, short approach shots, but I don't putt with it! Jack Nicklaus, in his book "The Best Way to Better Golf" refers to one golfer that became an expert with the Pitching Wedge almost exclusively. Perhaps I can learn from that.

















Taylor Made 6 Iron - $5

What a bargain! I know you can't normally find Taylor Made clubs for under $10 so I was extremely lucky here. Many of these clubs were recommended to me by the golf Professional from South Africa. This particular one I chose on my own. Why? I liked the heaviness of the clubhead.


















PGF Spectrum 7 Wood - $15
My saviour. If you are not quite so confident with your 3-iron, I recommend you try one of these. I used this for most of my second shots throughout the round. The distance is exciting and it is a little easier to hit than a long iron. It's also easy to for me hit a straight shot and it's nice to have the hole shortened a little bit!




















PGF Spectrum 3 Wood - $15
My other saviour. I loved using my partner's "Shark" driver but this club seems to fit me better. The length is great and it is so easy to hit the ball long and straight. It's almost as if the club was fitted for me before I bought it! (Note: I recognise the importance of club fitting and finding a club like this off the rack is no substitute for good advice from a golf professional). This club helps me to hit more fairways and get closer for my second shot. I remember searching for my ball in the fairway about a third of the distance to the hole. I heard my partner calling "it's over here!" I looked up and saw the ball over half way to the green. I had to stand back when I got to my ball just to marvel at how far I had actually hit it!!





















Wilson Green Machine
This is my ideal putter, and the one I am using at the moment - Wilson Green Machine. It is simple and easy to use. Recently I have begun to hanker for a Golden Bear putter because it is very similar. My lucky ball is a Golden Bear and I have achieved around 4 bogeys so far!

technorati tags: golf clubs shop sale bargain

If anybody has watched "Red Dwarf", you will understand the significance of this little hand puppet from Series V episode "Quarantine".

It looks cute, yes? The hand puppet is said to be exact in every way to the original. Except the original Mr Flibble was a homicidal killer penguin hand puppet with hex vision. A small detail!


The main thing to remember is that you do not argue with Mr Flibble.


"Who'd clear up the mess?"


BUY MR FLIBBLE

If you haven't seen the episode, here is the Mr Flibble scene from "Red Dwarf V - Quarantine". This my favourite Red Dwarf scene from my favourite Red Dwarf episode.

technorati tags: mr flibble puppet, red dwarf, quarantine, mr flibble, mr flibble hand puppet, scifi, scifi, mr flibble

Find Red Dwarf and other sci-fi merchandise at the BBC Shop.

The way this happened was like something out of another Stephen King book - "Needful Things", or perhaps "Rose Madder"

It was as if the book chose her.

I was walking past an op-shop when something big and white caught my eye. In the days preceding this I had wanted to find a Stephen King book to read, as I had finished "The Dead Zone" in under four days. I first read "Insomnia" ages ago and it was one of my favourites. It has been enough time that I have forgotten the details of the book although I do remember some of the story.

The book peered out at me from the front window of the op-shop. It seemed to be whispering "Buy me. Buy me." I found that I couldn't walk past the shop, even though I was in a hurry.

So I did the only thing I could do, I walked inside. The shop smelt of dust and mothballs. I asked the man "how much for the Stephen King book in the window?" He escorted me to the display and pointed at a bronze cup.

"This one?"

I was perplexed. I was sure I said 'book', what was he playing at?

Then he pointed at a set of handkerchiefs.

"This one?"

"No, this one." I put my hand on the book.

He tapped his hand on a set of glassware.

"This?"

"No, this." I kept showing him the book but it was like he couldn't see it. I thought perhaps his eyesight wasn't good.

"This one?" he put his hand on a stuffed toy.

Either that or he was having a lend of me.

"This one." I tapped the huge, hardback white book in the window for the last time. He finally got it.

"How much is it?" I asked, knowing full well I would pay whatever he said just to get out of there.

"Three dollars."

"I'll take it."

The book is amazing, very compelling and fast paced.

The irony is the title: Insomnia. When I read it last night I fell asleep immediately!

technorati tags: stephen king book insomnia shopping

For some reason it has become increasingly difficult to find a Sunday Bag in Australia. Unfortunate, as these bags can be used for the driving range and proper rounds of golf, not just par 3s. At present I do not have fourteen clubs so I have no need for a large bag. Sunday Bags can be carried easily and are convenient for walking the course without a buggy.

The Sunday Bag also has a rich history, as this Art Deco representation of St Andrew shows. The larger stand-alone bags seem to have become more popular but some (like myself!) prefer the Sunday Bag for convenience.




















The Sunday Bags vary in price and features. Here are a few examples:

Women's Mulholland Sunday Bag Endurance $599.00
All leather, holds up to 10 clubs
















Clearly, this is a top of the range, quality leather item. This actually reminds me of expensive luggage. The kind you would be scared to run over cobblestones or gutters. Impractical for my own purposes but perhaps more suited to someone with a warm car and golf cart.

Golf is a messy game - the last few times I have played I ended up with soaked feet, socks and shoes, muddy cuffs on my jeans and a rogue splash of mud on my cheek that I didn't notice until I entered the bathrooms at the 19th hole. Another memorable time was when nobody graced the golf course except for my partner and me. Why? Because rain, hail and lightning were forecast. We knew this, but our enthusiasm overpowered the weather. I remember teeing off on the second tee with hailstones the size of marbles peppering the back of my head. The second green was so covered with hail that it was completely white. Do you know, it's actually surprisingly easy to putt over hail. Or it was that day, anyway!

When we returned the pro shop, we met a golf professional who is a childhood friend of Trevor Immelman, winner of the green jacket at the 2008 US Masters at Augusta. He gave me some advice he learned in South Africa. "If there is lightning and thunder, put your bag under a tree, get away from the water and lie down flat in the middle of the fairway." Good advice.

Or you could do what we actually did when the thunder and lightning rolled in. Just played faster.



Palm Springs Sunday Bag $14.99-$39.00
















2 way divider. Web handle for carrying short distances. 2-point adjustable single harness strap. Balls/Accessories pocket plus a full-length clothing pocket. The bag doesn't specify how many clubs the bags will hold but one would assume it to be around 7-10. Comes in five colours.



Nike Skinny Range Bag $49.95 -$69.95
















Three pockets, holds around 7 clubs. Lightweight and compact. Fits a substantial number of clubs despite the small size.



Titleist X80 Carry Bag $49.95-$59.95





















The bag features 2-point adjustable sling, 7.5" molded top with divider, Velour lined zippered accessory pocket and pen holder, amongst other things.


Personally, I had a hankering for a Wilson Sunday bag to match my Wilson Staff cap (see previous post "my new favourite accessory"). For some reason when I tried Ebay, the only Sunday Bags available were from the US. I was in a hurry because I wanted to play the following week and I didn't want to hire clubs and a buggy again. I just had to put faith in US mail.

Fortunately I found the perfect match in Maryland:

























Wilson Deluxe Sunday Golf Bag in black. Light weight, weighs less than a pound. Convenient zippered pouch for balls and accessories. Adjustible shoulder strap. Easily holds up to 7 clubs.

Price: wouldjabelieve... $23.50 (including postage)

And my wonderful seller sent the bag First Class mail, allowing it to arrive on the Tuesday before my round.

No more club hire for me!!

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