Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Mt Banahaw during sunrise, as seen from Cavinti, Laguna.

This historic town in Laguna has more to offer than the waterfalls. Stone Arch Add caption This Spanish-style house has not been spared from the election campaign. Detail of the Stone Arch

Water from Lake Caliraya is used to run a hydroelectric plant. Although it's a man-made lake on top of the Sierra Madre, sunrise here is naturally inspiring.

No one deserves this US Masters win more than Phil Mickelson. This Masters began being about Tiger Woods. Then it became simply about golf. Then it became about Phil Mickelson. One of the best Masters of all time and the best thing that could happen to golf this year.

Gave my Yes! Nicky a break after I lost the putting touch during 3 days of golf. I bought this putter on a closeout sale (after Mizuno and Bettinardi parted ways) but it has been lying there waiting for its turn in the sun. The putterhead is made of carbon steel and nickel-plated, giving it a durable finish. The face has the characteristic Bettinardi honeycomb milling pattern. A real beauty. It is a face-balanced heel-toe weighted compact Anser style with a double bend shaft. For some reason, it looks good at address to me and the double bend disappears from sight and my eyes focus on the sightline. Perfect weight for a straight-back-straight-through stroke. This Mizuno Bettinardi C06H has great feel, the secret is to grip it loosely in the fingers and use the shoulders. Some putting tips from Dave Stockton (via YouTube) helped get the putting feel back. Tried it on the fairway over the weekend with promising results!

The best public course near Metro Manila, no more than half an hour from the city. Has the feel of a private golf club. Quite challenging too. Here are the greens of hole 13 and 14 (from the tee mound of hole 14). The 14th hole (elevated green on the right of the picture) has no fairway; a 170-yard shot over a ravine.