Who are the Bubble Guys?

March 26, 2014April 1, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

Who are the bubble guys? They are the players who stand between 40 and 60 in the world rankings. At any time, players behind them can easily leap-frog their position by playing well in a tournament. If you do not think it is that easy, look below and see what happened to last week’s winners and how they rocketed up the world rankings.

A couple of weeks back, I was discussing the world rankings with Brian Penn from All About Golf. We initially were talking about Adam Who are the bubble guys? They are the players who stand between 40 and 60 in the world rankings. At any time, players behind them can easily leap-frog their position by playing well in a tournament. If you do not think it is that easy, look below and see what happened to last week’s winners and how they rocketed up the world rankings.Scott taking over as world number one and Brian set me straight as to the real meaning of the rankings. He said:

“Jim, the odd thing about the world golf rankings is that it doesn’t matter who’s #1. Top guy has a nice feather in the cap but what it’s really about is winning majors. What’s very important is staying in the top 50 because of all the automatic invites to the big tournaments. Weird that the farther down you go the more meaning it has.”

The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that his view about the importance of the bubble guys is spot on! Additionally, his sage advice was behind the article I wrote for Pundit Arena called Valero Texas Open – The Most Important Tournament of the Year. It might be worth a read.

The bubble positions are especially critical so close to The Masters for one reason and one reason only – how a professional qualifies. There are many ways, but the one with the most impact is the 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament are invited to the show!

If Matthew Every can jump from 94 to 44 on the world rankings by winning one event, all the bubble players must be sweating as they tee it up over the next two weeks. Two weeks before any Major is always exciting as players jockey for position hoping to get that elusive invite. There will be many sleepless nights over the next two weeks as the bubble guys pray they are not ranked number 51!

No matter what happens – The Masters is a Tradition Like No Other! I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

What is Important in Golf?

March 25, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

The Boys at Voyageur Days Golf Tournament

What is important in golf? Most players immediately think of the mechanics of a golf swing, mental preparation, scoring low or going for scratch. All of these points are very important, but is that really what is important in golf…..to you?

Golf is bigger than a game. It offers the opportunity to for players to enhance their lives in many ways. But, it is important to note that golf offers something different for everyone. For me, golf offers many ways to be grateful; so today I thought I would share some of those. I am grateful because:

I have golfed with an astronaut – Colonel Robert Springer. He explained what it was like to be in a space shuttle – that was way cool;
I have golfed with a 73 year-old guy who schooled me on the importance of the short game (cost me three drinks for the lesson);
I have learned to control my emotions while working through adversity;
I have learned to be a gentlemen;
I have learned to be gracious whether I win or lose;
I am inspired every time I play in the morning when the sun peeks over the trees;
I have watched, then celebrated with others after they shot a hole-in-one; especially my mother;
I converse daily with like-minded golfers friends around the world through blogging and social media;
I continue to meet so many fantastic people on the golf course that I cannot count them all; and
Mostly, I share my most favorite game with the people I treasure the most!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point that golf provides some many opportunities to be grateful. I have played golf for most of my life, but it has only been the past five years that I really understand how it has helped shape the person I am today. Some may think that I am crazy for letting a game become so important to my life – they may have a valid point. I would counter to say that golf really is more than a game because it continues to teach me how to set goals, face adversity, support others, cherish friendships and share joyful experiences everyday!

What are you grateful for?

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

Which Golf Grip is Best for You?

March 23, 2014April 4, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 39 Comments

Holding a golf club is one of the most important fundamentals to a great golf swing. The slightest change to the position of the hands has a tremendous impact on whether the ball finishes in the woods or in the middle of the fairway. Focusing on how to hold a golf club is the first step to developing a great golf swing.

There are three basic golf swings: the baseball grip, the overlapping grip and the interlocking grip. Each grip has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. As each player evolves, many have experimented with each grip to suit their game. Continue reading →

New World Number One!

March 21, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Is it possible that Adam Scott will take over as world number one? His play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is nothing short of fantastic. After the second round, Scott will have an 7 shot lead and if he continues to play well, he should take over as the number one golfer in the world. But…..

ABC reports :” The complex world ranking system assigns points to an event based on the current world rankings of those playing and while official projections are not computed until all players begin the event it appears a win for Scott would still leave him fractionally short of Woods.

Had Day been able to play, a win for Scott in Woods’s absence would have most likely been enough to take the top spot.

Regardless, a win would at the very least get him close enough to pass Woods at the Masters with a higher finish than the American, even if he did not defend.”

Does this seem fair? It is very difficult to determine how the world rankings are calculated. I have tried to follow the process, but I am always tripped up by the ‘strength of the field’ and ‘head to head’ competition. I am sure the golfing experts use an algorithm that would stump Albert Einstein, but it seems to work for them. Regardless, Adam Scott is playing outstanding and if he stays focused, should cruise to a win at Palmer’s tournament.

On a side note, I wanted to point out a statement by Adam Scott posted by White Dragon Golf: ” I made a lot of putts today, and a lot of putts from considerable length. I hit a lot of nice shots, too, but it wasn’t like I was hitting it four feet. ….” Scott’s comment reinforces the recent discussion on focused putting and breaking 100 with consistency. An amateur’s and professional’s short game can be the difference between an average score and a great score.

As the this weekends event unfolds, Should Adam Scott be crowned world number one if the wins the Arnold Palmer invitational?

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

Focused Putting

March 19, 2014March 20, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Have you ever played a round of golf when you could not sink a putt? Most of you said ‘of course’! Have you ever played a round of golf when you seemed to drain your putts from everywhere? A few less ‘of course’ was just spoken. What was the difference between the two rounds? Most will say the mental game was the difference and that would be true, however I suggest it was your focus when putting.

On the days when they are putting awesome, most players will sink or lag their putts on their first two greens. Suddenly, the player is feeling ‘it’ (what ever it is) and they start to pay closer attention to the factors of the green that are important to making great putts. But, why do most golfers wait until they have a good start before practicing focused putting.

Other sports have the same moment during the game when the player must focus differently. In basketball – the free throw; in tennis – the serve; in darts – doubling out; and in volleyball – the serve; all of these sports require a focused effort to perform a specific skill; golf is no different.

Focused putting can be achieved by anyone at any time. It is a simple skill. It all starts on the practice range. I talked about the 3-6-9 putting drill in earlier posts and that will definitely help; but the skill for focused putting is a pre-shot routine! It is important to develop a pre-shot routine to trigger your entire body and mind that focused putting is required. This routine is yours alone and there is no wrong way to do it. Watch Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, two completely different styles with a similar result.

Like other sports, a pre-shot routine is very important to duplicate success. Do you have a pre-shot routine for putting? If not, why not?

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