Author: The Grateful Golfer

Tiger Woods is Back!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Tiger Woods PGATiger Woods  will tee it up this Thursday at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club for the 2014 Hero World Challenge. This tournament, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, will be Woods’ first competitive round since failing to make the cut at the PGA Championship last August. Plagued with injuries last year, Woods finished 201 on the money list with just under $110,000 and watched as his world ranking dropped to the lowest level in his entire career! After starting as the world number one in the 2014 professional golf season, he finished at number 24. Regardless, he is back and appears ready to challenge Rory McIlroy as the première player in professional golf.

As Tiger Woods steps back into the limelight, many experts are wondering if his choice of swing coach is a stroke of genius or not. In the big scheme of things, it really does not matter. If Jack Nicklaus himself was Woods’ swing coach, the same question would be asked. The golfing world has anxiously waited for Woods’ return to professional golf and this weekend will be the moment many have waited for!

Personally, I am indifferent to the whole situation. On one hand, I am very happy Tiger Woods is healthy and back playing. On the other hand, golf continued to grow in his absence. There are many superstars on tour today and the days of one dominant player driving professional golf is over. Make no mistake, Woods attracts plenty of publicity, but right now he has name recognition. If his play matches the hype surrounding his return, then the 2015 professional golf season just got more interesting.

Tiger Woods is back. I wish him the best upon his return. I hope he stays healthy and is able to regain his former swing. If he does, he will light up the PGA Tour. Even though he is back, the player I root for has not changed. I am still a big Phil Mickelson fan and look forward to some head to head battles between Phil, Rory and Tiger.

Now that you know what I think, what are your thoughts about Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf?

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

UK Golfing Adventure – Part 1

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments
Norwood Golf Course 3 Nov 14 (2)

Waiting in the Cold at Heathrow Airport!

Arriving at Heathrow Airport on 30 Oct at 7 am was the start of my thrilling four-day golfing adventure with my best friend, Kirk. The arrangements were made and he was at the airport (with coffee in hand), waiting to pick me up. Have you ever heard the saying,  “don’t change the plan!”, well if not, then let me explain!

Foolishly, I left the arrival area thinking I could help the situation by going to the car pick area. Yup, I left the arrivals and went…. I bet you can see where this is going! After two hours of standing in the cold, my phone rang and it was my buddy questioning where I was. He was in the lower level and I was at the upper level of the same terminal waiting for each other. There is little question I was to blame for “changing the plan” and everyone has had a great laugh at my expense since. I will again apologize to my friend for being dopey!

Hampton Court Palace_31 Oct 14 (4)

Borrow Clubs at the practice range!

After a rough start, things went famously. We quickly visited his darling wife to say hello, hit a few balls at a range and then headed to the Northwood Golf Club. I was borrowing his son’s clubs (and golf balls) while I was on my adventure which worked out better than expected.

The next day we headed to Hampton Court Palace Golf Course. After playing 18 holes on Henry the VIII old hunting grounds, I was a bit overwhelmed by the majestic nature of my surroundings! Having dreamed of playing in the UK (and other parts of Europe) for ever, I was finally crossing this off my bucket list! Kirk told me I was going to get the “royal treatment” and he was absolutely right!

The next two days were spent golfing and hanging out! Having been to London before, I enjoyed exploring the Middlesex area by looking at the old architecture and relishing in the local colour. We ate at the local restaurants, drove by places like Moor Park Golf Club, and just enjoyed hanging out!

The Royal Treatment!

The Royal Treatment!

On the last day it rained, but this did not stop the competition for the duck. I wrote about that earlier and will recount some of those adventures later. But, let’s just say I am still the holder of “the duck“!

Over the next few articles, I will provide more details of my UK Golf Adventure. These adventures will include a couple of course reviews and more tidbits of my awesome time in the UK.

Thanks Kirk for “the royal treatment”! I look forward to repaying your kindness very soon!

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

The off-season brings change

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

I have followed mindbodygolf for quite some time. I have found that Rick always provides unique views on the many and varied aspects of golf. He is one of the original followers of The Grateful Golfer blog and I am grateful for his continuing support. He has had a tough year, but always has time for fellow golfers. He is correct that the off-season does bring changes for everyone. So I am sending positive thoughts his way to support him after 3 knee surgeries. I hope you enjoy his blog as much as I do.

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

Happy Thanksgiving

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to celebrate the awesome things in our lives. Many people will travel long distances to share this fun holiday with family and friends. Personally, I like Thanksgiving because of the friendships, joy and love that is passed freely among best friends, family, old acquaintances and people you have not met yet.

By reflecting quietly, we realize how grateful we are for all those who have touched our lives. Some times it is an encouraging word from a stranger, that unexpected phone call, or the wanted call from someone you are missing. I especially like a tweet I received for Chris Squires, it about sums up how I feel:

I know that Thanksgiving is not solely a North American holiday. It is celebrated throughout the world and if you were wondering how, here are a couple of links to explain the significance of Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is a special day. I wish you and your family all the best on this day of thanks! And if all else fails, remember:

 

Embedded image permalink

I am a grateful golfer giving thanks!

Golf Report Card From 2014

/ The Grateful Golfer / 12 Comments

Back in April, I reaffirmed a plan for my 2014 golf season. The intent was to improve my overall game to help achieve my goal of being a scratch golfer. My plan was met with varying success; so I thought I would share the goods, bads and uglies with you.

I have four main focus areas that help guide every golf season. With a plan in place, I am usually ready for anything on the links. Here is my plan:

  • get fit – focus on exercises designed to improve my golf game;
  • research – the drills and techniques required to improve my game;
  • practice – dedicate time to practice to improve my game; and
  • compete – either formally or informally compete every time I hit the links.
The Grateful Golfer in 2014!

The Grateful Golfer in 2014!

Well I can say that my overall fitness for the golf season was pretty good. I felt strong during most rounds and rarely waned heading down the home stretch. I could have improved on my physical strength, but that is what this off-season is for. I would rate my fitness a B+.

My research on drills and techniques continued all season. I improved my chipping, widened my stance, and found better methods to score low. I have shared these tips and drills through the year in my blog, and they might be worth taking a look at. Interestingly, I improved more in the last two months of the season because I started hitting the ball farther off the tee. I will continue researching better ways to improve this area this winter. I would rate my research as a solid A.

Practicing was up and down this year. I started off extremely strong, but slowed during various times in the season. When I did practice, I felt rushed and unfocused. I write about practicing with intent all the time and should heed my own advice. I would rate my practice as a C+.

I did compete a bit this year, but mostly in fun tournaments. This type of competition is not good for my competitive edge, but it is competition. I played in 2 stroke events and was underwhelming. My competitive edge was not as sharp as in years past, but keep in mind that my criticism is relative to my handicap. I would rate my competitive edge as a B.

So overall, my season was about average for sticking to my plan. It is amazing how quickly the season passed and by not staying focused, I think that I missed some opportunities to improve. However, the most surprising aspect of my entire 2014 golf season is that I dropped my handicap from 4.7 to 2.8!

Wait, before you say not nice things to me, I cannot believe it either. I had a 4 week period where I could do nothing wrong and I actually broke par once. From a pure handicap perspective, 2014 was a fantastic season.

Hopefully, I will build on my successes from this year and achieve my overall goal of being a scratch golfer.

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