Breaking 90 is a major milestone for most golfers. I broke 90 a long time ago, but it took a great deal of time to break 80. During my transition years, I struggled with skills I needed to hone in order to consistently break 90. I have my own view, but I found a video that might be more helpful. Regardless of the advice you decide to follow or make up your own, consistency of effort is very important.
Continue readingAuthor: The Grateful Golfer
How To Hit The Ball In Play Off The Tee
Hitting the ball in play off the tee needs to be balanced hitting for distance. Recently, I have adjusted my set up with my driver in order to hit the ball a bit farther with a slight draw. This change has not come with its challenges, but mostly when I swing too fast I come over the top and pull the ball farther left than I intend. This wayward shooting happened during the back nine of my round yesterday.
Continue readingA Big Surprise At My Local Golf Course
I recently arrived at the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort to a big surprise. I figure I will just show you instead of trying to give a big blurb.
Yup, I am the proud owner of a reserved parking spot at my golf course. It was not a large competition that I won last year, but it was enough to have a parking spot right in front of the clubhouse.
I want to thank Mike and Brenda, Owner Operators, for providing the prize for the club championship. This ‘bragging rights’ prize is an awesome incentive for me to hone my skills. For those members of the Mattawa Golf and Ski Club who read The Grateful Golfer, the sign up sheets are in the proshop.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The 2023 US Open – Final Thoughts
Congratulations to Wyndham Clark for winning the 2023 US Open Championship; it is always a great feeling to win and the national championship is icing on the cake. It was a tremendous round by him and Rory McIlroy as they battled for golf supremacy.
Watching all the great players navigate the Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) under perfect conditions was exciting. Like two heavy weights, Clark and McIlroy traded great shot for great shot. Neither wanting to blink. The deciding factor for the final results was Clark’s tremendous ability to recover again and again.
The two notable points that every golfer should take away from watching the final round was the importance of a great short game and hitting the ball in play off the tee. Clark demonstrated that a great short game is the ultimate equalizer when missing the green. His touch around the deadly LACC landscape proved that all golfers should focus on their short game if they ever want to shoot lower golf scores. Every time Clark looked like he was in trouble, he made a seemingly miraculous shot to save par. McIlroy’s short game was not quite as sharp, but amazing nonetheless. Having a strong short game is vital to those players wanting to consistently shoot low golf scores.
The second and equally important takeaway was keeping the ball in play off the tee. Clark and McIlroy demonstrated that playing off the short grass allowed for multiple opportunities to play different shots into the challenging greens. Each time they missed the fairway (which was rare) they opened the door for their opponent to press the error. Unfortunately, neither was able to take advantage of the opportunity. Looking at the scorecards, Clark played a roller coaster round and McIlroy was steady as it goes. Both had chances to pull away, but the USGA setup and the LACC conditions did allow for any amazingly low scores….except for one.
I wanted to give a shout out to Tommy Fleetwood who shot an amazing seven under 63. This score is crazy low considering most players struggled to shoot par. Congrats to Tommy!
The 2023 US Open Golf Championship was fun to watch. It was a nailbiter for the fans. I appreciated all the stellar golf and wish all the players good fortune moving forward.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The 2023 US Open and Father’s Day
What a great combination – Father’s Day and the US Open Championship. For most men, this is a fantastic combination. Many, I presume will take advantage of both by golfing in the morning and watching the action in the afternoon.
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