Random Thoughts - Scatter Shooting

It's a Friday night, I'm watching re-plays of the 2nd round of the Tour Championship, and now rolling into the Champions Tour Ally Challenge.  I've been been thinking about golf lately and realizing that it's been almost a year since I've posted.  So this post is going to be a little all over the place.

 Sam "Bogey" Johnson
Back in July of 2025 I read a post I wasn't expecting.  Sam had died in May 2025, and his family was kind enough to post on his Facebook page for those of us who found Sam through the internet.  I think we're coming up on 20 years since finding Tees2Greens.com (now defunct).  It was a message board and Sam was the weekly blogger.  I loved talking about golf, and my favorite golfers, so I engaged on his posts.  We didn't always agree, but I think we both enjoyed the banter.  Awhile later I got a message from "the webmaster" asking me if I'd like to have my own weekly blog.  Um, Yes, Please!!  I couldn't believe it.  My first blog post was in March 2009, and I'm remembering now how nervous I was putting my thoughts out in the world.  Sam and I bantered with each other in our weekly posts and continued on the message boards.  We also found each other on Facebook, and I loved getting messages and posts from him, especially when he gave props to Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar.   We talked often about meeting in person and he also said the welcome mat was waiting in Texas.  I can't tell you how many times I thought about going, and for any number of reasons I never made it   I had posted on his page on the 4th of July (2025) that was thinking about him and missing our connections.  I didn't know then that he had passed away in May.  If you knew Sam, then you know that my face has a smile on it and I'm thinking about so many funny things he wrote.  Sam also wrote about things other than golf.  He has 2 books on Amazon, and I would recommend both...and he also has a book on the best of Sam's blog posts which is also awesome.  I bring Sam's spirit with me now when I can get on the course, and he will be my inspiration as I (HOPE) to start blogging regularly again.  Miss You, Sam.  (PS - in my blog title, Scatter Shooting was sometimes Sam's Blog titles for the week)

What's in My Bag?
For the past several years being on the golf course has been few and far between.  To be honest, I don't think I've played my own ball for a round in 3 years.  Bring on the scrambles!!  I'm so thankful to golf pals who still let me join in on scramble here and there and this year has been fun!  I'm happy to report that I've got pretty much all new clubs in my bag!  It started last summer when a golf friend shared that she had a set of PXG irons that she wasn't going to play and she was willing to let me try them.  Graphite shafts - 6-W.  They felt pretty good so they replaced my 2010 Callaway Big Bertha Irons (I still LOVE my 10=iron!).  Next, came 3 Kirkland wedges (52, 56, 60).  I had 2 Vokey wedges that were older and I made the mistake of borrowing them to my brother and they never came back!  I had heard decent things about them and honestly, I hit them pretty good!  Fast forward to December 2025 and I'm not sleeping great - I find Maple Hill Golf (Michigan) online and a week or so later there is a new Callaway Rogue 12 degree driver on my doorstep.  I went with the senior flex (now called "lite" flex I guess) and it was painful to have to wait 6 months to hit it!  We needed a bit of couples counselling but as of last week I was starting to hit is pretty consistent.  Next up was a new putter!  I had a Ping Craz-E C putter in my bag for at least 10 years and I wasn't shopping for a new one, I won one!  I put in a Masters fantasy golf team in the Ase Golf contest and won!  They make wedges and putters and I got to pick any one thing on their web site.  I new mallet putter also showed up on my door step.  It's a bit taller than what I was used to but I'm getting in the groove with it.  Then I discovered WhatNot.  Oh boy.  In the past few months I've added Cobra Women's Aerojet 5-7 hybrids and Aerojet 3 & 5 woods.  I'm liking them, but trying to figure out yardages and making sure I don't have 2 or 4 clubs in my bag that go the same distance.  I'm happy to be playing a little better and I'm hoping to find some fall days to play them a little more.

PGA Tour Player of the Year?
​I've been on the road on and off lately and I've been listening to PGA Tour radio and the discussions about this year's player of the year.  The POY is decided by the players, so it will be interesting what the players decide what criteria raises the bar to receive the honor.  I've listened to the different considerations - most wins, Majors, strength of field, scoring average, etc.  I think most people would say the best player in the world right now is Scottie Scheffler.  But he only has 2 wins this season ( and 1 came 2 weeks ago), so there were many golf opinions on whether or not that was enough to keep Scheffler on top.  This past weekend, with Clark winning the BMW, I'll be interested in catching up on whether he has moved up the list.  And of course the Tour Championship would throw a curve ball in all of this, too.  Justin Thomas weighed in on social media and while he didn't name a name, he did share his thoughts on criteria.  For reference the past 6 years of POY were Keopka, McIlory, D Johnson, Cantlay, Schefller, Scheffler.

President's Cup
Illinois will be hosting the 2026 President's Cup at Medinah Country Club next month.  I wish I could say I love this event as much as I do the Ryder Cup (BTW - 2029 - MINNESOTA!) but I just haven't followed it as closely now that my favorite "old school" golfers are no longer on the team.  I will watch, and I think the US Team looks strong so far, so hopefully we'll see a win.

Thanks for reading this far!!  It felt good to get words on a screen.  I have more thoughts on more things, but I'll save that for the next post.  Golf makes me happy.  Blogging makes me happy.  Let's be happy!
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