It's getting hotter here, and more humid along with it.

But I am making the effort to get out and walk, and today I did it on the golf course. I spent about two hours lugging a bag on my back as I played nine holes. Of course that makes it tougher for me to concentrate on the golf, but it's good exercise.

If I hit a shot 200 yards off the tee, that means I carry a bag of golf clubs on my back for the equivalent of two football fields. On a hot day, that's actually pretty good exercise.

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A long walk."]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/20101210_28.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1016" title="20101210_28" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/20101210_28-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

One thing that has been a pleasant surprise to me lately is that for whatever reason -- partly the fact that there are a number of downhill holes and partly just a better swing -- I have been hitting my tee shots farther and farther.

Today on the fifth hole, which about 180 yards out slopes downhill, I actually found my shot in the middle of the fairway, 270 yards from the tee. I think that might be the longest tee shot I've ever hit.

I've had a couple of others, particularly on 15, that have gone 250-260 yards.

But what's nicest for me anyway, is that where a good shot for me used to be 200 yards, now I'm hitting at least half of my good tee shots nearly 225 yards.

I'm learning something I figured for a long time.

The more frequently I play, the better I get. I'd say at least 75 percent of the time now, I'm pretty happy with the shots I hit.

But what really makes me happy is that I'm actually playing pretty well when I walk and carry my bag. Yesterday I shot 38 on the front nine en route to a 79, and today after eight holes I was in exactly the same place as yesterday -- three over par.

Today at least, the ninth hole didn't go as well. Yesterday I rolled in an 11-footer for birdie and a 38. Today I didn't put my tee shot on the green, and it took me a chip and two putts for a bogey 4 and a nine-hole score of 40.

It actually says something that for the second best score I ever had, I was disappointed.