What's in Your Bag?

I was putting together a list for this year's Jack Daniels Open in Mesquite, NV... a list of stuff to pack in my golf bag. You'd think the things to include in a golf bag would be fairly obvious, but it's been surprising over the years what I didn't have in my bag.

http://thesandtrap.com/columns/bag_drop/the_other_stuff_in_your_bag

My informal list:

• Tees - long and short
• Balls - 6-9 soft/feel, 6-9 hard/distance
• Tape (for fingers cracked raw after many rounds in the desert)
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Rain cover
• Rain gear - I keep a Microsoft Great Plains water resistant pullover
• Lighter, cigar punch, portable cigar case (with cigars, naturally)
• Ibuprofen / anti inflammatories / aspirin
• Eye drops. In case you have to play soggy ground and catch the ball fat -- and you get a blast of grit, grass, and mud in your eye.
• Ball mark repairer - and a spare one
• Ball markers / dimes
• Spare change-- be prepared - maybe keep a $20 bill stashed for emergencies
• Towel - maybe add a spare for rainy days
• Water - at least 28 oz/liter
• Energy bar - I carry an apple if it's hot or I had to jump out without proper breakfast
• Also great for high energy and protein is turkey jerky. Maybe some gum
• Whisky flask
• Um... clubs. I carry three wedges (Cleveland 56 sand, Cleve 60 lob, Titleist PW). My driver is a King Cobra, and my three-wood and five-wood are Callaway Steelhead Plus (love them).
• Spare pencils -- for scorecards
• Sharpie -- for marking balls
• Spare cleats and cleat tool... although in truth you should get any cleats replaced or changed at the pro shop prior to your round. And I have never had to replace cleats during a round.
• Glove and spare
• Bandages -to repair blisters
• Groove / club cleaner

Want golf balls with an image on them for a special occasion?
http://www.logoballz.com/golf_balls.html

Espresso and other links

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanespressomachine

"The grinder is an integral, necessary part of making good espresso in the home.
... a quality grinder to freshly grind the coffee to the very precise particle sizes necessary to good extraction. Often, the grinder is the rock star of their little espresso show."

I've often said that I can make a better shot of espresso with a $200 espresso machine and a $400 grinder than I can with a $2,000 espresso machine and no grinder (or a blade grinder)... and it's absolutely true."

[Later added: a good article on the size to grind for espresso, for anyone using a manual grinder or a cheap blade grinder: http://www.espressopeople.com/guides/grinders/grinderjob)

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/advancedguide

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/latteartguide
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/examples

http://www.coffeeresearch.org/espresso/potential.htm