Author: The Grateful Golfer

Well Finally! It Happened!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

My home course opened last Friday. My golf season is officially underway! Due to life things, I am not able to head out until tomorrow. I have some coaching duties to finish up and lots of yard work still awaiting my attention. Regardless, once tomorrow hits, I will be in full swing and plan to play 3 or 4 times a week. In those periods, I will be using my hickory sticks. I also plan to track my scores separately between my modern and my vintage clubs. I am not expecting much at the beginning of the season, however this year I plan to play some new tracks just for fun. But that is not all!

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Every year I have great intentions to play different golf courses. This year, I plan to make it happen. I want to play at least 10 different tracks different from my home course. Due to the limited availability of some courses in my area, I will play some courses from the past, but different from the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. As I have mention in a recent article, I have played the Cambridge Golf Club this year, so now I am down to nine different courses.

Traditionally, I play most of my golf at my home course. This will not change this year, but I want to play other tracks to challenge my game. I find that my game becomes stagnate by playing the same course over and over. Anyway, it will be something I want to achieve this year.

I prepared my golf clubs two weeks ago in hopes that opening day would come sooner. But alas, the weather did not cooperate. With Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort opening, I can scoot out and play a quick nine holes at any time. Being only 10 minutes to the golf course is very convenient. This is the main reason I decided to change home courses two years ago. The extra time is great to have and I am thrilled that the course is open.

As I sit here writing this article, I am visualizing my round of golf tomorrow. It is standard to think about my round before playing, which pays off with lower golf scores. My golf season has started and if you cannot tell, I am excited to hit the links. More to follow on my first round….

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Slow Play and Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

The debate of slow play is on the rise as golf season launches into full swing. I am not talking about the professional level, but the average player who hits the links once or twice a week. These players are semi serious about their game and also venture to the links for the enjoyment of playing. Some have zero concept of time; unfortunately, that can lead to a whole course of disgruntled golfers. Many courses do not have Marshalls, so policing the pace of play is left to the individual. Again, depending on their mindset, slow play is not on their mind while enjoying time on the links. Therefore, I think it is a good time to remind all golfers about ‘ready golf’.

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My First Round Of Golf Is In The Books

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

On Sunday past, I played my first round of golf of my 2023 season. I had to travel to the Cambridge Golf Club about 4.5 hours away. To be fair, I could have played a more local course, but my trip had a twofold purpose. The first was to play golf in 2023, but more importantly, I played in the World Hickory Golf Day. Hosted by the Golf Historical Society of Canada (GHSC), this event was a culmination of efforts by Durel Billy first run back in 2016. (more on this event in future posts) As a member of the GHSC, I was excited to journey to Cambridge and play my first round of 2023. As a recap, my trip did not disappoint and I am now excited to hit the links now that my golf season has started.

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Three Golf Tips To Lower Your Score

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

I always look for tips to lower my golf score. Many times, I often stumble across nonhelpful explanations that are far to complicated for the average player to emulate. Therefore, they are of no use to our golf game. Today, I am going to talk about three easy, repeatable, and sustainable tips that will lower our golf score. Padraig Harrington talks about three quick ways that will improve your game and lower your golf scores. The first two are very straight forward, but the third will need a bit of explanation.

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Establishing A Handicap Index

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

I am a strong believer that every golfer should establish a handicap index. It is the benchmark that players can use as a starting point to improve their game. I definitely use it as such, but it is more than that. I helps manage expectations, level the playing field, and establish how many strokes I want to negotiate with players for a side game. I see no downside to having an accurate handicap index and recommend every golfer take the time to establish one.

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