Cheese Sandwiches Blog for Everyone!

Not a cloud in the sky and one of the most beautiful golf courses you’ll ever want to see…not a bad way to spend part of a work day.

It’s time for Lanphear’s Lessons, a series of golf lessons I’m taking, recording and blogging about with the help of Woodie Capron, PGA Golf Pro at Hickory Ridge Golf Course between Comstock and Galesburg.  As I mention in an earlier post, I haven’t picked up a golf club in more years than I can remember, so I’m excited about this opportunity to re-connect with golf with the kind of instruction I’ve never had before.

I assumed that we would take a, I guess, sequential approach to the lessons…drive, fairways, chipping and finally putting.  But, Woodie has opted to work with my putting first.  Everyone’s heard the phrase “drive for show, putt for dough”.  Well, I’m certainly not putting for dough, but as Woodie pointed out, being able to putt effectively makes the whole game of golf that much more fun.  You should work toward being able to have no more than two putts per green.

You’ll see in the accompanying video Woodie’s technique using a “pendulum” motion, stepping off the distance to the hole and translating that into the length of your backswing.  And, the part where he stands in front of me and we both hold the putter and swing it and the ball goes right in the hole…it’s legit!   No trick there.  Woodie says in his experience teaching, it happens often!

So, I hope you’ll take a moment to view the video because I know there are tips in there that anyone can take to the golf course to cut a few strokes off their game.  Let me know what you think!

Next time, Woodie and I tackle the single most frustrating part of the game of golf for me, maybe some of you, too….chipping.

See you again from Hickory Ridge Golf Course!

Another exhiliarating Borgess Run for the Health Of It.  Participation numbers for the half-marathon were really impressive, but so were the numbers for the 5K, which no doubt included many first-time runners.

I love hearing about the experiences of those running their first 5K.  This year, that group included my daughter, Kathleen.  Now that you have that firsyt experience behind you and have those running shoes broken in, what do I do next.

Well, the possibilities seem endless as there are more and more running events coming up each year around the area plus lots of old favorites.

For instance, this Saturday, Grand Rapids stages it's River Bank Run, most noted for the sheer numbers of people participating.  They used to serve popsicles at the end of the race, almost as good as the chocolate milk this past Sunday.

Also Saturday,Vicksburg hosts it's 25th Hearty Hustle.  I ran this once and totally misjudged the location of the finish line and put on my finishing "kick" way too early and was almost too gassed to finish.

On May 20th, it's the Komen Race for the Cure thru the streets of Downtown Kalamazoo.  I've always been the finish line announcer for this one, so I've never run it.  Marshall's Oaklawn Hospitality Classic is 30 this month and is a well run event.

For a "comfortable" course everyone enjoys, you can't beat the Kalamazoo Klassic in mid-June.  The 5K thru the Bronson neighborhood is almost all downhill and generates some great times.  The 10K however is another story...just try WALKING that Maple Street hill!

And, that's just a sampling of great running events locally this summer.  Check the entry form wall next time you're in Gazelle Sports. 

Congratulations and keep moving!

It's been a great yearforgolfers.  The unexpectedly mid winter meant many golfer got to dust off the clubs and hit the links in March, if not earlier.

Not for me, however.  I honestly can't remember how long it's been since I've been out on the course.  I was never a good golfer and I guess other things pushed if off my agenda over the years.

But, when I was asked to take a few lessons for a video series featuring PGA professional Woody Capron from Hickory Ridge Golf Course, a beautiful layout between Comstock and Galesburg, how could I refuse.  I've never actually had a real golf lesson in my life...I jiust bought clubs as a teen and started playing.  And, although the thought of seeing myself swinging a golf club on video accessible to everyone in the world is a little daunting, maybe someone will pick up a valuable tip for themselves along the way.

First things first, though.  Did I even own a set of golf clubs anymore?  Even I wasn't sure if I had kept my clubs all these years or donated them to a worthy cause.  A check of the garage attic..and, yup, there they were.

So, here we go.  Over the next couple of months, we'll be posting video golf lessons featuring Hickory Ridge Golf professional Woody Capron on our web site and it should be fun. 

Just pay attention to what the pro says and try to ignore the student in the picture. 

My wife and I dined at a local restaurant the other night and,as has been her custom, asked to substitute a salad for fries on her order.  Sure, but that'll be $1.50 extra.  I don't know if I said it or the waitress said it, but I heard "eating healthy ain't cheap." Not back breaking certainly, but if the idea is for all of us to eat healthier even once in awhile, why should it hit us harder in the pocketbook.

Looking for healthier alternatives at the grocery store?  Sure, but certainly you'll pay more.  And, at a time when many families are trying to stretch their food dollar, cheap and less healthy wins out.

Fast food outlets, McDonald's and the like, take an extraordinary amount of heat for their menus, even though the are making more of an effort to post healthier menu choices.But, they are what they are and there is certainly a place for fast food on America's menu.

Award winning French chef and creator of 27 restaurants aroiund the world, Alain Ducasse, said this in Time magazine when asked about American food: "A Big Mac is an approach at a modest price that allws for the greatest number of people to be fed.  We must not forget that food costs money and being able to feed yourself means the need to eat more economically."

And, when eating healthier is economic to everyone, then we'll make some progress.

In the news the past few days is the fact that our State Department of Transportation has taken notice of the frightening crashes that have taken place the past couple of years at the intersection of M-43 (West Main) and 9th Street.

There is, of course, a Meijer at that location which pre-dates the widening of West Main to five lanes.  What there isn't of course are turn lanes for traffic to turn into Meijer just north of the intersection and along 9th Street near the intersection. 

That hasn't stopped many motorists from simply crossing the double yellow line in the path of oncoming traffic to make a turn.  I remember learning this was wrong in Drivers Ed back in the day.

But, the real issue seems to be motorists trying to turn left out of Meijer on to West Main Northbound.

Common sense certainly should tell you it's earlier and safer to go down to the intersection and safely turn at the light rather than try to turn left across FIVE lanes of traffic near one of the busiest intersections in the county.

Granted, the intersection is as poorly designed as any around, but a little common sense would be preferable to hundreds of thousands in additional construction.

When it comes to chocolate, we like what we like and that's what we like and and we just don't change.

A list of America's Top 10 favorite chocolates that came out just before Easter found that 8 out of the top 10 brands are more than 50 years old.  Reese's, in fact, dates back to the 1930's and Number One on the list, Snickers, dates back to 1930.

The newest brand on the list is almost 20 years old. Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme came out in 1994.

Two things we've learned after the first weekend of the Detroit Tigers 2012 season:

One, we're just a little worried about the pitching.  Doug Fister hurt in his first start, less than stellar performances from some in the bullpen..

Two, NEVER leave the room when the Tigers are at bat!

Enjoy the season!

In what may be a case of life imitating art, the popularity of the 1960’s era series Mad Men is being cited as a possible reason for the increase in administrative professionals who have “secretary” in their job titles.

To mark this month’s 60th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Day, the International Association of Administrative Professionals conducted a survey and discovered the number of workers with “secretary” in their titles has nearly doubled in the past two years, going from eight percent to almost 15 percent.

Even though the top two job titles for IAAP members are “executive assistant” at 29 percent, and “administrative assistant” with 25 percent, “administrative secretary” has made it to the top three for the first time in years.

The organization says it’s not totally clear why there are more workers with the title "secretary" but suggests it may be due to a “Mad Men Effect.”  The IAAP theorizes the popular AMC series “may stroke nostalgia for the classic image of the American corporate secretary.”

The International Association of Administrative Professionals survey involved more than 3,300 workers.

I had the pleasure to emcee the 5th annual Parchment Stars Dance event at Parchment High School this past Saturday night.  It's a fund-raiser to benefit the summertime Kindleberger Festival and for the 5th straight year, the community turned out to fill the Parchment High School gym for the event.

I'm from Parchment and a Parchment High graduate as most who follow the morning show know, so it's a kick for me to be asked to come back and host the event again this year.

The idea is to pair community members with professtional dancers from the area and the audience casts votes for their favorites.  Since the dancers are from the community, they all have strong contengents of family and friends on hand for support.

There are a lot of great stories among the dancers, like Katie Ballman, who in addition to being an outstanding dancer is an top student at Western Michigan University, where she was Homecoming Queen last fall.  She paired with Al Gibson, a Parchment High School senior who is a Private First Class in the Michigan Army National Guard.  And, Amy Dunham, who was accepted into the Rockette Summer Intensive in New York City last year and never fails to ask me to pose for a picture with her. And, Sharon Fisher, who has taught dancing of all styles for over 25 years.  And, Parchment and WMU grad Danielle Clarke, who paired with pro Art Downey to blow away the audience with a samba that earned them the Mirror Ball trophy (yes, just like on TV!). Everyone was outstanding Saturday night.

And, there's Kris Jordan, who took her idea of a "Dancing With The Stars"-type event and persuaded and cajoled and begged and borrowed and made this all happen with an army of volunteers and supporters.  The only thing Kris has failed at is presuading me to be one of the dancers!

To everyone connected with the Parchment Stars Dance Event, you done good!

The long-awaited arrival of the musical "Jesey Boys" at Miller Auditorium is a must-see for music fans.

It's the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from the street corners of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all the obstacles along the way.  It features no less than 32 songs and that barely covers a portion of the great songs genrated by the group thru the 60's and 70's.

It also containes a lot of what the signs posted at Miller Auditorium call "Jersey vocabulary", so careful taking the kids to see it.

But, it's a compelling, fast-paced production and the talent on-stage, many playing multiple roles in the production, does a superb job with sometimes difficult musical material.

The show runs roughly two and a half hours for those who need to alert baby sitters and Jersey Boys is at Miller Auditorium thru Sunday, April 1.  Details and millerauditorium.com.

And, be sure to check your program for details on the REAL Frankie Valli, coming to Miller Auditorium May 31!

Davy Jones, member of the legendary 60's group The Monkees, suffered a fatal heart attack Wednesday at the age of 66.

The Monkees, of course, were born of another era of television, created to ride the popularity coattails of The Beatles.  The NBC series aired Monday nights and featured music and various "hijinks" of the boys.

Of course, Davy and the other Monkees desperately wanted to prove they were serious musicians and not just cartooish TV characters which lef to conflicts with the network and producers.  And, they did prove themselves to be credible performers above and beyond the limits of the 60's TV screen.

Upon Davy's death, the social network sites lit up, mostly with women who remembered their teenage crush on Davy and so many instantly rememberd when Davy asked Marsha Brady to the prom on the "Brady Bunch" TV series, sending You Tube into a spin.

It's also fascinating to read how many saw this group perform live, if not during the 60's, then at events years later.  I'm one of them..seeing the Monkees minus Michael Nesmith, perform at Candlestick Park in San Francisco before a Giants-Dodgers baseball game maybe 15 years ago or more.

And, while women swoon over the Davy they idolized in the 60's, I thought he was much more handsome as a mature adult...don't you think so?