Kentuck hasn't had the best of times - the course never recovered from a broken dike a few years ago, and could be sold in the future to create wetlands as part of a liquefied natural gas project - but golfers still make their way out East Bay Drive to play the 18-hole layout.

The fairways are wide open, which is usually very good for me - although on this day I struck the ball better than I have in years (just ask John, he's seen me do my imitation of the Bay Area Butcher on more than one occasion).

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.