It is about that time of year when my golf juices really get flowing. We just had two days of double digit highs and the snow has receded by at least half. This generally means that it is time for me to start looking at the season ahead. But hold on a moment, it is still at least 4 to 5 weeks before golf courses in my area will be open for business. This timeline leads me to wonder what I should do that will slowly prepare me for my first hit of the season!
Continue readingAuthor: The Grateful Golfer
Eliminating Silly Golf Mistakes
Every once in a while my round of golf is nothing but a comedy of errors. I seem to lose focus and make silly mistakes that I should definitely avoid. As a lower handicapper, I should have command of my game such that making pointless avoidable mistakes should be second nature. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and my frustration level rises every time I add strokes to my round. Interestingly, there are a few very avoidable mistakes that are more common than most; Rick Shiels brings these to light for us so that we can improve our scores and lessen our frustration.
Continue readingToe Chipping With Success
We have all heard of life hacks that make our lives easier. Well, golf is no different as there are a few tricks and tips to help you shoot better scores. And this is one of them. I use this technique often and it is something I learned about 20 years ago. It is such and integral part of my game, I actually overlooked talking about it earlier. Today we rectify that oversight. It is time to talk about the benefits of chipping with the toe of our club.
Continue readingDropping In Golf’s World Ranking
I debated about writing this article because it is so subjective that I was not sure I had a defined point of view. As I plunk away at the keyboard, I muse about if dropping in the world ranking is really a valuable subject or not. After some deliberation, I decided to give this topic a try and see where we end up. If you are wondering what sparked my sudden interest in golf’s world ranking (which I normally do not focus too much attention on), well I read that Phil Mickelson dropped to 101 and Rory McIlroy dropped to 11 in the world rankings. Neither of these players slide is surprising or is it?
Continue readingFinding Drills To Improve Our Golf Game
It is the time of year where I actively look for now (and sometimes old) drills to improve my golf game. My intentional effort to improve my knowledge is important to building the proper foundation for my 2021 golf season. Sometimes, my research reinforces my current habits and today’s drill from Phil Mickelson does just that; it improves my short game. Not surprisingly, Mickelson’s drill is an extension of my star drill, however his explanation is exactly what I have been trying to articulate for years. I think this is a game changer for many players who struggle with how to confidently finish a golf hole.
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The Grateful Golfer 