What do you Listen to on the Golf Course?

December 12, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

What do you listen to on the golf course? As silly as it sounds, this is a very important question. What you hear sets your attitude, focus and mental state. No really, it has a tremendous impact on your game. So what exactly do I mean?

You are on the first green and lining up your putt. The people on the tee box near by are laughing, joking and making lots of noise. You step away and start over. Your inner voice is saying how inconsiderate they are and you miss your putt because you lost your focus. You were listening to your inner voice and went to a dark place.

You are on the first green, the birds are singing, the sun is shining and you are totally focused on your game. Your inner voice is saying “WOW! What a great day!” You feel comfortable and your inner voice is sending you to a great place. You listen, play well and stay totally in the grove.

I know when I am losing my focus while playing. I talk to myself about what is going on, what I am going to do after the game, I wonder what is for supper…etc. When I catch myself, and believe me sometimes I don’t, I tell myself to focus and get my head in the game. I start to talk about my pre-shot routine and how successful I am going to be on the next how. The power of positive thought works for me most of the time, but sometimes…

Ultimately, your inner voice is something that we listen to all the time. It sets the stage for success or can lead us down into a deep dark hole. So the next time you are playing, think positive, listen to your positive inner voice and enjoy your time on the links! I am a grateful golfer.

The Total Collapse of Your Game!

December 10, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Image from: http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/top-10-photo-galleries-meltdowns/

Adam Scott at the 2012 British Open

Playing golf is tough! Anyone who says that golf is easy has never really experienced the total collapse of their game. I mean a the complete inability to make any stroke; you have a case of the yips; or you are not sure where the ball is going!

I am sure everyone reading this right now is saying, yup been there done that. I was playing in a tournament last year and was even par after 13 holes. I was hitting the ball extremely well, the hole looked like a garbage can lid, and my focus was razor-sharp. Then walking down 13 something changed. I have no idea what it was, but it was something. What started my downfall was a pulled 6 iron into a green side bunker. Lying two, I thought up and down and away we go. After a smooth double bogey and six more over par, I finished my round with round with an 80. Needless to say I started to second guess everything about my swing and finished sixth in the tournament and struggled for 2 weeks after.

After the tournament I thought about what went wrong with my swing. And I finally came to the conclusion that nothing happened. It was all mental. I realized that I had convinced myself that something was wrong. Once I figured that out, my game went back to normal, but what a lesson.

After reading the top 10 collapses of 2012 from the Golf Channel, my little collapse is paltry at best! You can read them all, but I bet you can guess which were the top two were. At number two – Adam Scott at the British Open and at number one – The US Team at the Ryder Cup.

My point of all this is that golf games collapse, golf games thrive and golf games….well you can add your own statement here. Golf is a tough game and it does take quite a bit of skill to be successful, however a positive mental attitude is just as important as physical prowess. Having confident in yourself will bring rich rewards on and off the course. I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links.

Next Ryder Cup Captain – Tom Watson?

December 9, 2012December 9, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

At GOLF.com Tom Watson stated he is open to be the USA Ryder Cup Team Captain in 2014. Watson says “It would be a great honor if I got tapped on the shoulder … `93 was the last time I’ve been to a Ryder Cup. I’d like to go back as captain. That would be cool.” Watson played on Ryder Cup teams in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1989 and successfully captained the Americans to victory over Europe at The Belfry in England in 1993.

Tom Watson? Well why not? There are other great players who are qualified to be the USA Ryder Cup Captain and USGolfTV.com throws out many names. They include Scott Verplank, Steve Stricker, Fred Couples, Justin Leonard, David Toms, and Larry Nelson. All of these players would do a good job. Each provides a unique style and intensity to the mix, but what is really needed to be a US Ryder Cup Captaincy.

Overall, I believe the greatest attribute a Ryder Cup Captain is: presence! Yup, presence! When the world is falling apart – like this year at Medinah – the Captain has to be someone that all others can gravitate towards for inspiration, resolve and moxy. Davis Love III was almost there, but just did not have the enough to help his team win.

For me, the name to that first comes to mind is Seve Ballesteros – Mr Ryder Cup. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us and I am sure would not have wanted the job as the US Ryder Cup Team Captain. Seve is the epitome of presence.

So does the US have a leader in their midst to step up and lead their team to the promise land? My personal choice is Fred Couples or Tom Watson. I believe they both have the presence that players would look too in times of adversity. They are both proven winners and would be huge fan favorites.

So who do you think should be the next US Ryder Cup Team Captain?

Can I Play Through?

December 6, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Experienced golfer understand that a round of golf should be played in 4 to 4.5 hours. This works out to be about 15 minutes per hole. This is not a written rule, but more of an etiquette thing. Playing behind a group who are taking their time….I mean taking their time is frustrating, tiring and hard to keep up your concentration.

I remember playing in a tournament about 5 years ago. It was the first round and the positions were not racked and stacked so strong players were playing with more inexperienced players. The group in front had two players who sauntered up the course, read their putt from 4 angles, waited until others played before even starting their shot routine, marked their score on the green by looking back at the hole and counting where their ball went and my favorite…..marking their ball on the green after each shot no matter how close the ball was to the hole. Our group, and the 6 groups behind us, were extremely frustrated when we finished. The group ahead was three holes back when they finished….aargh!!!

It was the first time in a tournament I asked to play through. I know…bad form…but I just could not help myself. And no they did not let us go through. What all the players did was lodge a complaint that a 6 hour round was unacceptable! Then asked where the marshall was during the round. The next day these two players (who shot in the high 90s) were warned to keep up or be assessed a slow play penalty. The next day they sped up to 5 hours….still to slow in my opinion.

After a bit of research I found three (of many sites) that talk about speed of play. They offer advice on how to speed up your play and how to play around in 4 to 4.5 hours that I think you may find useful.

TheGolfExpert.com says to not wait for others to hit their shots and then decide it might be time for you to find and prepare to hit your ball.

pgalinks.com advises to watch your ball land and select a spot in the distance to use as a visual marker when looking for your ball. Have others in your group watch each player’s shots. This helps speed up the time to find a ball that is not in the fairway.

Golflink.com suggests to take the clubs that you need for subsequent shots, including your putter, when you leave the cart for an approach (to the green) shot. You can then walk directly to the green, without having to return to the cart, while the other player moves the cart to the greenside parking area.

To answer your question – I like to play at 6 am. I can 18 holes by myself in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I aim to play a round as a four-some in under 4 hours all the time.

Ultimately speed of play is important for the everyone to enjoy a game of golf. So I ask you – is speed of play important?

Living the Dream!

December 5, 2012December 5, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. – Arnold Palmer

Truer words have never been spoken. Golf is truly a wonderful game. I have many fond memories on the golf course. Making three hole-in-one; golfing with an astronaut; playing a private outside Sacramento, California; watching my mom get a hole-in-one; and being taught how to play by my dad.

But these highlights are sometimes overshadowed by more down to earth things like my weekly game with my friends; shopping for golf stuff the week after Christmas with my buddy; having my wife and daughter walk the course with me while playing; a beautiful sunrise or sunset; watching your friends hit a milestone; and congratulating a stranger for doing an awesome shot!

Golf has provided me the opportunity to experience many wonderful things in life! I am fortunate to be living the dream. I am a grateful golfer!

Do you have any memorable moments to share?