We arrived at about 7:15am to get our credentials and get in line for the keynote, which was much better organized this year. Everyone was seated early and the Steve Show started right on time. After reading today’s story in the Wall Street Journal about the timing of Steve’s options, I was curious if he would spend as much time on the financial performance of the company as he usually does at WWDC. Nope–only a quick mention of retail store numbers and overall Mac unit and market share growth. Come to think of it, no mention of iPods at all today, either.

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Last weekend we traveled to Owatonna to play Hidden Creek Golf Club on yet another hot and humid day. I had not played the course for a few years, but I remembered it as being a challenging design that was a little different from your typical Minnesota farm country course. Opened in 1996, the Randy Nelson design brings serveral water features into play and has a few holes that are shaped by mature trees. The course had all bentgrass tees, fairways and greens when it opened–a relative rarity in Minnesota due to the cost of maintaining that much high-grade turf.

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It’s that time of the year again. Lots of speculation out there, but just like the blockbuster movies, I’m trying not to read the reviews ahead of time. My web developer is attending with me this year, so it should be a great trip. I even remembered to bring the list of restaurants I want to try this year: House of Nanking, Lefty O’Doul’s, Tommy’s Joint, Town Hall, Zuni Cafe and a return to Roy’s and Lori’s Diner. No golf this year, but I’ll bring the new Nike + stuff for a diversion. Watch for reports next week…DK

The new Nike + iPod kit is now available and I picked one up at the Mall of America Apple Store this week. At $29 (plus another $29 for a nano armband), it’s a great value when compared to the other options for tracking distance and pace. Others have said you don’t need to have Nike + shoes to use the kit, but I needed a new pair of running shoes anyway, so I picked up a pair of Nike + compatible Air Max 180s from Foot Locker. They are very comfortable, but the first pair I got split a seam after a five mile run the first night. So far the replacements have been fine.

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Why does my ball do that?

This one is my current ailment: the push.

Several recent stories in the Twin Cities media have Minnesota golf fans talking. KSTP-TV started things in June when they asked visitors to kstp.com to pick the top ten toughest golf holes in the Twin Cities. They followed that up with a series on the top 10 signature holes in the metro area. I was actually playing their #10 (the sixth hole at Willinger’s) when Chopper 5 flew over shooting footage.

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My wife says this website was turning into a golf blog and looking at the post count, she was right. So I have decided to limit golf posts on 7 Minute Miles and started posting on a new golf-only site:

Golfing in Minnesota

Not all of the sub-sections are ready, but the posting mechanism is in place and I have moved all of the old golf category posts from 7 Minute Miles to the new site (they remain in the archives here as well).

We own several Minnesota sports-related domains and are working on potential business models for a new Minnesota sports blog network. Golfing in Minnesota is our first foot in the water to explore what’s possible and we welcome feedback and suggestions…DK

Last week I had the opportunity to join former Pioneer Press golf writer Gregg Wong for a round of golf at Edina Country Club. It was a very hot day, but I had a great time listening to Gregg’s stories and playing a very enjoyable course. I finished with back-to-back pars and shot 93.

My last round at Edina was four years ago and I had forgotten much of the layout. The greens have been a concern in the past, but that appears to be resolved–all of them were in excellent shape. This was also the first time I really visited the clubhouse (pro shop, locker rooms and casual grill). It was one of the better private facilities I’ve seen and the staff was really friendly. Thanks again to Gregg for his kind hospitality.