As I watch the Open this weekend from the Dunluce Course, which refers to the championship course at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, I am trying to figure out the solution to playing winning golf. The professionals all have a plan on how to play this challenging course and I am sure it is tailormade to their game; execution of that plan will be the challenge. Many amateurs, including myself most of the time, do not develop a plan but play reactive golf. We determine our next move by the result of our previous shot. This is a fun way to play golf, but not necessarily conducive to low golf scores. We are not playing winning golf, but hope and prayer golf. And that needs to change.
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Regaining My Golf Swing After A Month Off
In the middle of June I had an operation that put me out of commission until just recently. It is nothing serious, but something that needed to be taken care of sooner than later. Yesterday, I went and played 12 holes and felt very good after finishing. I purposely have been taking my time getting back into a full round in order not to reinjure myself and delay my full return. As I was swinging away, right from the first tee, I noticed that my ball direction was not as consistent as normal. Sometimes I would tug the ball left or slice the ball right. Overall, the first few holes was definitely not as smooth as normal. That is okay, because I realized what I was doing and was able to straighten out my swing errors by the end of the 12 holes.
Continue readingThe Match Play Tournaments Have Started
For the past four years, I have organized a small match play tournament at the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. With and Open and Club Champion events, I am always hoping to add more players. This year, under a straight match play format, the numbers are smaller than last year, but alas that is the nature of the event. Regardless of the numbers, I am hoping that the field continues to be have fun and at least have a chance at playing some competitive golf.
Continue readingReading The Break On The Green
One of the greatest challenges faced my golfers happens on the green. Reading the break is a challenge at the best of times and understanding how the ball breaks in relation to your putting style and speed is vital to a great short game. When playing with others, we always watch their putt (or at least we should) in order to garner any information of what happens around the hole. Unfortunately, many players do not process this information well because they are not processing the proper data in order to apply it to their golf game. It is this oversight that causes players to misread their putt on a consistent basis. I know this this is a challenge for many amateurs and I think I can help.
Continue readingWhat Putt Distance Do You Struggle With The Most
I sometimes am asked what putting distance I struggle with the most. This is a legit question and many amateurs, as I did, seem to find 4 to 6 feet the most challenging. Have you ever wondered why this relatively short distance is the most challenging. I have some thoughts on this and a sure fire way to stop worrying about these knee knocker putts.
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The Grateful Golfer 