Bad News for Martian Life Enthusiasts

In the past few years, the Mars Express orbiter scanned the Martian polar ice caps with radar and discovered evidence of liquid water in the form of super-salty lakes below the surface. In terms of finding life, that's a good thing. Where there's water, there's probably life. But there's a problem with that, according to a new study. In order for liquid water to exist at the poles, it would require a lot more energy than what Mars is capable of providing, at least as far as we know.

There's another problem, according to the study, in that there's a type of clay, abundant on Mars, that can give the same radar signature as water. So, let's consider the evidence; either the radar signature came from something known to exist on Mars in significant quantities or there are lakes down there which defy the laws of physics and thermodynamics. Perhaps there is still life on Mars, but the polar lakes theory is a dead end.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Tmavé Pivo

Brewed by: Port City Brewing Company, Alexandria, Virginia

Description (from the website): "Port City’s example of a Tmavé Pivo is brewed with all Czech malt and hops, lagered for 6 weeks, and served unfiltered. The malt was grown in Bohemia and is floor malted, and the hops are the famous 'Zatec' or Saaz hops. This dark lager finds the perfect balance between malt roastiness, spicy aromatic hoppiness, and a slight caramel sweetness."

Would I buy it again?: Probably not. It's not a bad beer, but there's a lot of good beers out there, and this particular beer tasted a bit plain. I don't think it did enough to distinguish itself to make it worth seeking out.

Review: Rock Spring Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Rock Spring, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a short par 4, but not one you can think about driving. It's 330 yards and most of that is straight up the hill. The best way to play this hole is to go down the left side, clearing the pair of fairway bunkers and skirting along the trees. That leaves a favorable angle into the green, which is small, guarded by a cluster of three small bunkers to the right, and has a dramatic false front. If you hit driver and end up on the right side, you'll have a very awkward half wedge over those bunkers to a very shallow target. It's the shortest par 4 on the course, but it's definitely not the easiest.

The tenth hole.

This is the better place to approach the tenth green.

The tenth green, with its false front.

The eleventh hole is 430 yards, but it plays downhill the whole way. It's a very wide hole, and the three bunkers on the right side are fairly easy to carry completely. They were made for golfers in an era when the ball went a lot shorter. The trees are more of an issue, and they can get in the way if you stray a little too far right. The green is long and very narrow, falls away at the back, and there are bunkers to the right and short left, with the bunker left being pretty deep. The back left hole location I saw was an especially tough one, since you couldn't even effectively bail out short, since you'd have to chip over the bunker. 

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is another short but not quite driveable par 4 that plays a bit uphill. The bunker in the middle of the fairway catches the eye, but it's pretty close to the tee. The bunker further up and to the right is much more of a threat, since that's where the eye is naturally drawn, and that's the direction you'll probably want to hit, so you can get close to the green. That would be a mistake, however. Going right means you'll have a wedge over a very deep bunker to a shallow green that has another bunker behind it. If you lay back on the left side, you'll have a much simpler shot. Just be aware that the front of the green is pretty severely sloped, and when the hole is cut there, putts from above are extremely tough. Yes, this happens a few times at Rock Spring.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 415 yards, but since it's uphill it effectively plays longer than the eleventh. The fairway is pretty wide open, with just a single small bunker on the left side. So while you can hit it anywhere, you'll have a better angle going down the left, as the green is protected by a bunker on the right side. But that will lengthen the hole, so the choice is yours. There's another fairly sharp dropoff on the front of the green, but for once the hole wasn't placed there. Otherwise, this isn't the most exciting hole on the course.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

Looking back down the thirteenth.

The fourteenth hole is the only par 5 on the back nine, and while it's not hugely long at 530 yards, it requires two big shots to get to the green in two. There's a lot of space to the right, and two bunkers left, along with O.B. that runs down the entirety of the hole. Overall though, this is a pretty open fairway, so you can feel free to swing away with the driver. It won't matter how far you get though, since you'll be able to see only the very top of the flag. If you're laying up, the big objective is to get the second at least to the top of that little hill, so you can have a full view of the green, which is flanked by sand and sloped from back right to front left. 

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays along the side of a hill, so the fairway's got quite a bit of right-to-left slope to it. Like the eighth, drives that draw are normally at risk for rolling through the fairway into one of those bunkers left, but that risk is lessened when the course is waterlogged. You're better off hitting a fade that stays on the right side. You'll have a better angle into the green, which has bunkers left and right; that left bunker is particularly deep. I think this is the last time, but the front of the green is very severely tilted, so it's best not to be above the hole.

The fifteenth hole. 

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a bit of a mystery. On the surface, it bears a passing resemblance to the Eden, being the right length (185 yards is a bit long, but it's downhill) and having a green that slopes sharply from back to front with a hazard beyond, but the bunkers left and right aren't quite right. Maybe this was an Eden but has evolved through the years into something else. The bunker right is shallower, but it wraps all the way beyond the green. The bunker left is deeper, so neither is a good place to be. The green is decently sized at least.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is about the same length as the thirteenth, and it also plays uphill the whole way. Also like the thirteenth, the tee shot is pretty wide open, though O.B. in the form of a road is in play if you hit a big hook. The green is bunkerless, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. For one thing, it's really big, and it's got a false front big enough to be its own green at some other golf courses. The rest of the green has lots and lots of undulation to it, so even hitting the green is no guarantee of a two putt.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

This is only half of the very large seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is yet another shortish par 4 that goes uphill to an elevated landing area. There are no fairway bunkers, but there is O.B. left and a couple of pine trees right that will catch out slices. The second shot, provided you've made it to the top of the hill, is over level ground to a small green protected in the front by two bunkers. It's not an easy wedge shot, but the hole is nice and short, so you still have the opportunity to finish with a birdie.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I don't think Rock Spring was ever Seth Raynor's best work, but it's still a pretty solid course. Some restoration work was undertaken in the past 20 years, but only for parts of the course. For example, the fourth green had shrunk but has been reexpanded to its original size, and the hole is better for it. There are a few too many trees in awkward places though, and the course could use the removal of a couple hundred. Will it happen at a municipal course? Probably not. For the moment, I think it's more important that the course continues as is for the future. While it's not the best Raynor course in the world, the fact is it exists in roughly original form and is available to the public. The third hole is a very good Redan and writing this review made me look more favorably on a few of the par 4s, such as the fourth, tenth, and eleventh. I wasn't in the best mood immediately after the round; I finished with a triple, the round took about an hour too long, and it was pouring rain for the last four holes. Looking back now, I can see that Rock Spring is a step above a place like Triggs or Mark Twain and is closer in quality to a course like Shennecossett. It's a worthy addition to the world of municipal golf.

As for value, it's not the cheapest course in the world. Even in the offseason, you'll pay $35 to walk during the week, and it goes up to $65 on weekends. Keep in mind that this course is only 15 miles from Manhattan, and that's obviously going to drive up the price. The weekend price is a bit steep, but $35 is perfectly fine for what you get. Not a steal, but not bad. And the golfers of the New York metropolitan area have clearly responded: On a Tuesday that was admittedly warm but was otherwise cloudy and then rainy, Rock Spring was still completely full. It made for slow going, but the course's bottom line has to be solid thanks to all those golfers. I'm sure it's making money for the town, and I'm confident Rock Spring will continue on for years to come.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Summa Vitis

Brewed by: The Bruery Terreux, Anaheim, California

Description (from Untappd): "Here’s a beer that sums up summer in a sip. Summa Vitis is a refreshing combination of our tart wheat beer with the crisp, delicate character from white wine, imparted from brewing with Gewürztraminer grapes. This special recipe showcases both the spritzy, mineralic side of white wine and the funky, fruity notes of a racy Berliner Weisse-style beer, further accentuated from aging in oak foeders. We’re passionate about wine and beer. This is the total experience."

Would I buy it again?: No, I would not. It's a lot more sour than I was expecting, and I'm not a fan of sour beers. So I'm kind of disappointed, because I do generally like white wine, and I thought this would be a good combination.

Review: Rock Spring Golf Club (Part 1)

When I wrote my review of Keney Park back in 2018, I mentioned how rare affordable Raynor-style golf courses were. Keney Park is not a Raynor course, but it has several template holes and has that distinctive Raynor look, plus it costs $40. At that time, if you wanted to play a Redan, a Biarritz, a Road, or some of the other classic templates for less than three figures, Keney Park was really your only option.

That is no longer the case, thanks to Rock Spring Golf Club in West Orange, New Jersey, just a few miles outside of New York City. Unlike Keney Park, which is a compelling homage to Raynor, Rock Spring is the genuine article, designed by Seth Raynor in the mid 1920s and completed by his associate Charles Banks after Raynor passed away. That's an impressive pedigree, but Rock Spring is in a neighborhood full of courses with even more impressive histories. In a 30-mile circle, you've got Somerset Hills, Plainfield, Ridgewood, Mountain Ridge, and a little place called Baltusrol, all five represented on Golf.com's top 100 U.S. golf course list. If you approach Rock Spring from the north, you'll pass Essex County Country Club, another Raynor course that's not quite in that top 100, but it's close.

The plethora of great golf courses so close by was a big reason Rock Spring struggled as a private club in the 21st century. It was bought by another nearby private club in 2016, but they thankfully offloaded it to the town of West Orange in 2019 rather than selling to a developer. The town agreed to run the course for 2 years as a municipal facility, making it the only municipal Raynor course in the country. That 2 year aspect had me a bit concerned, as I absolutely wanted to play Rock Spring, but I wasn't sure the course would be around past May 2021. That's why my brother and I ended up there on an unseasonably warm but incredibly dreary day in November last year, just to make sure we could see the place in case some bureaucratic shenanigans took place. Considering the very real threat of incoming rain and the fact that the course was full, even on a weekday in mid-November, I shouldn't have worried for the financial safety of the course, but you can never be too careful.

The first hole is a pretty straightforward drive and pitch par 4. The big pond is an obvious feature, but it doesn't go far enough to come into play. The bunker right of the fairway is more of a threat, but a good solid driver will get you past that. The second shot is a wedge off of a slightly downhill lie to a green guarded by bunkers front left and right. There's also a big dropoff behind the green, so I wouldn't recommend missing there either.

The first hole. It wasn't the best day for golf or photography, but at least it was in the 60s.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole isn't hugely long at 385, but the drive goes straight up a hill, so that adds a bit of distance. The other thing that makes the hole play longer is the pond from the first hole, which shows up again here. It cuts in about 225 yards from the tee and narrows the playing corridor by half. You stay short of that pond, you'll have a short or mid iron into the green, which is small and very well defended with two large bunkers and a false front. I don't know if it's worth the risk of hitting a driver into the narrow section of fairway between the water and trees, especially when that water is blind from the tee, but it's a tough second shot from further back. The invisible pond is also not great, but at the very least you know it's there since you walked past it on the first hole.

A very informative view from the second tee.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is our first template hole, and it's the big one: a Redan. It's not quite as dramatic as the one at Keney Park, but there is a former quarry short and left of the green, all overgrown with bushes. That's something to avoid, as is the deep bunker also left of the green. The hole location I saw was an easy one, at least when it came to avoiding the hazards. No need for a fancy draw taking the slope from right to left, especially considering how wet the course was. However, that front portion of the green is very sharply tilted, and putts from above the hole are slippery at best, downright impossible at worst. And that's with slow, wet greens.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the longest par 4 at Rock Spring, and when it's into the wind on a waterlogged golf course, its 445 yards are formidable. There's O.B. left, which you'll obviously want to avoid. Cutting the dogleg is preferable, but a bunker guards the corner, and a big tree will block out any overly ambitious or sliced drives, turning the hole into a three shot affair. Playing this as a par 5 isn't actually the worst idea in the world, because this green is also a template: the Double Plateau. That means that, while the surface is massive, the green is separated into three distinct sections, all at different levels, and putting between sections is a difficult task. Hitting the correct area with a mid or long iron is very difficult, but it's a lot easier with a little wedge. I'm willing to bet there are a lot of three putts after hitting the green in regulation. I won't say to definitely play the fourth as a par 5, but it's going to be a very tough 4.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is also a fairly long par 4 at 430 yards, and it has a slightly uphill and semiblind drive. There are bunkers on both sides of the fairway and O.B. fairly close to the left, but the right bunker is pretty easy to carry. You'll be tempted to bail out right, but that leaves a more difficult second shot, as you'll have to carry a deep greenside bunker to get to the green, which is large but shallower from the right. It has a fair amount of undulation to it, and there's also a bunker and O.B. past the green as well.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the shortest hole at Rock Spring, which is appropriate, considering this is a Short hole. The hole is 145 yards, so it's no more than a wedge or short iron, but there are bunkers covering two-thirds of the green. It's a big green, but there's plenty of slope there that'll make long putts tough. There was no horseshoe-shaped ridge that usually accompanies Short holes, and I'm not sure if it was a casualty of a design change or was never built.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 4 that swings left and down the hill. The fairway narrows in the landing area, thanks to a bunker on the right side that eats up about half of the fairway. It's not a place you want to be. The second shot is a downhill wedge or short iron to a small green with bunkers left and right and a steep dropoff behind.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 415 yards, but it plays uphill, so it feels longer than that. The tee shot isn't so much up the hill as it is across the hill, so if you hit a draw, you may find your drive running away into the left rough. I admit, that wasn't a problem in November when nothing was rolling at all, but in normal circumstances I imagine this fairway is pretty tough to stay in. A bunker also cuts into the fairway about 275 yards from the tee, so it may be worth hitting a 3 wood if you're a long hitter. The second is up the hill to a green that's nestled in a little bowl, so if you're a bit wayward the ball will bounce back in toward the green. But if you're not so lucky, the ball will bounce away and you'll have a very tough chip shot into a narrow little green. 

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the only par 5 on the front nine, and at just under 500 yards it's very reachable in two. But there's a couple of problems with that. One, the bunker that eats into the right side of the fairway, which wouldn't be such a concern if it weren't for the group of trees on the left side of the fairway that overhang and block out quite a bit of the green. Plus, there's a deep bunker front left that you'd have to carry with a low shot, and that's a tall order. You're better off taking the chance with the fairway bunker. You get a better angle and there are no trees. The green is sloped from back left to front right, with the front section of the green falling off dramatically. When the hole is in the front, putts from above the hole are extremely difficult.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Sue

Brewed by: Yazoo Brewing Company, Madison, Tennessee

Description (from the website): "The South is famous for smoking everything – so why not beer? Sue is a big, rich, smoky malt bomb of a beer, with mellow smokiness coming from barley malts smoked with cherrywood, and assertive bitterness from Galena and Perle hops to cleanse the finish."

Would I buy it again?: First off, this is the shortest and simplest beer name I've ever seen, and probably always will be. Secondly, the advertising of this beer is completely accurate. The smokiness of the porter is truly something to behold. I've never tasted a beer quite like it, though I have had a scotch with a similar amount of smokiness. I did enjoy this, and I wouldn't be opposed to drinking it again, but it's not the most approachable beer in the world, and I could see people really disliking it.

Why Am I Dreaming About Crappy Beer?

I wrote this for my actual job, and I like it, so I'm reposting it here because why not.

I dream of our corporate overlords

Advertisements are quite literally everywhere. On billboards, in commercials, in videos, in movies, the list goes on and on. Still, at least you can shut your eyes and be mercifully free of corporate interference inside your own head, right? Right?

Early in 2021, Coors (maker of cheap, mediocre beer) launched a ad campaign which seemed a bit of a gimmick and a joke. Watch an ad before bed, listen to an 8-hour soundscape while sleeping, and your dreams would be filled with Coors and their “refreshing drinks.” Now, the campaign didn’t really take off or go viral, but someone was paying attention: a group of 35 leading sleep and dream researchers, who published an open letter on the subject of corporate dream manipulation in June.

While people have tried to manipulate their dreams for countless years, it’s only been in the recent past that scientists have attempted to specifically target or manipulate behavior through dreams. For example, in a 2014 study, smokers exposed to tobacco smoke and rotten egg smell while sleeping reduced their cigarette consumption by 30%.

Most research into dream manipulation have been aimed at positive results, but the experts warn that there’s no reason corporations couldn’t use it for their own purposes, especially given the widespread usage of devices such as Alexa. They gave an example of a company playing a certain sound during a commercial, then replaying that sound through a device while people are sleeping to trigger a dream about that product.

The experts noted that the Federal Trade Commission could intervene to prevent companies from attempting dream manipulation, and have done so in the past to stop subliminal advertising, but as of right now, there’s nothing stopping big business from messing with your dreams. But hey, at least they’re not directly beaming commercials into our heads with gamma radiation. Yet.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Chesapeake Wheat

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "If you’re looking for a beer with a big impact, look no further. This deliciously crisp wheat ale offers complex fruity and citrus flavors and aromas, all while supporting oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay."

Would I buy it again?: Well, since I've already bought it multiple times, yes, I would buy it again. It's very drinkable, but it's got a nice juiciness I don't often get from wheat beers, or summer-style beers in general. Not something I'd want all the time, but it's a refreshing change of pace, and it's definitely something I'll buy every now and then. Plus it helps restore oysters in the Chesapeake, so you're doing the environment a favor as well.