REEDSPORT - For 45 years Forest Hills Country Club, a 9-hole course that's not lacking in charm or charisma, has enticed golfers to leave U.S. Highway 101 at the south end of Reedsport and drive a mile through the neighborhoods until you get to a small valley where golf is king.

REEDSPORT - There's a saying in golf that every round you hit a shot that makes you want to come back.

I never imagined it would come from a bunker.

I wanted to play Forest Hills Country Club just after the annual Four Man Scramble, because that's when Rick Miska, the superintendent at the course, has it in its best playing shape, with greens as fast as the PGA players sometimes face.

We have all felt the anguish of three-putting a green after hitting a very good approach shot. Not only do we have to deal with the inner voice shouting quietly at ourselves, but we might have to endure the feeling of letting down a partner, or unwillingly accept those infamous ribbings from playing companions, or worse, maybe the loss of a few dollars.

Stop to think for a moment, when was the last time you had new grips put on your clubs? Have the grips ever been changed?

How about the last time you cleaned your clubs? When you did clean them, did you clean the grips as well as the club heads?

In golf, whenever a player intends to make a full swing the rule of thumb is that you should stand with your feet, knees, hips and shoulders on a line that is parallel to the line of shot - a position described as being "square" to the target.

Bunker play is an important part of scoring on the golf course. Better players would rather be in the sand than in the rough, because it is easier to judge a bunker shot than the thickness of the rough.