Discussion

The Benefits of a Golf Club Fitting

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments
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Numbers from my club fitting.

Last fall I was fitted for my new Titleist AP2 irons and 915D, 915F, 915H. It was an awesome experience and the quality of my ball striking improved significantly once I received the right equipment. I can hardly wait for spring and to start-up where I left of last fall. The whole experience was very rewarding and I recommended it to the readers of this golf blog.

Understanding the entire fitting process is important to meet your expectations. There are many other ways to improve your game, however having the proper equipment is the most fundamental. Many amateurs, myself included before last fall, purchase equipment ‘off the rack’. It provides a 70% solution for most amateurs, but for the more avid player, buying ‘off the rack’ may not be the best solution to finding the proper equipment for their game. Continue reading →

Can You Predict a Winner in Golf?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Believe, Concieve, AchieveToday will be a two post day! The first is to let you know that I want to host your predictions on my golf blog. Later today, after work, I am going to ‘go live’ with this new page.

The intent is to generate some conversation and maybe a bit of good old golfing fun for all those golfing pundits out there! All you need to do is give your choices via:

  • email – thegratefulgolfer@hotmail.ca
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Comment on this Blog
  • send me the link to your blog

I will post your choices for The Masters, The Open, US Open and PGA Championship and link to your site or tweet if you want. The plan is for everyone to make their choices for all four Majors before the first tee off at The Masters!

At the end, someone will wear the crown as the greatest pundit of all time! Or at least within The Grateful Golfer Community!

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

Golf Stats – Strokes Gained

/ The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

This is my last installment on golf stats. As previously discussed in two different articles (1,2), golf stats are deceiving. As with all stats, the analyst can draw many different conclusions depending on the criteria that the data is measured against. The PGA Tour is trying to rectify the confusion by introducing a new set of statistics that measure the player’s performance against the field. Sounds interesting.

I decided to copy Mark Broadie’s explanation directly from this website. I thought by trying to simplify this new golf stat, I would just muddy the waters. So here it is in its entirety.

“Mark Broadie is at the forefront of a revolutionary new approach to the game of golf that uses analytics from the financial world to uncover the secrets of the game of golf. He crunches data to show both professional and amateur golfers how to make better decisions on the course.”
Continue reading →

GAO Growing the Game!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Walking around the Toronto Golf Show I was happy to see a variety of booths and kiosks. As we meandered down ‘demo alley’, I spied the area for the Golf Association of Ontario. As a current member, I was drawn to their location like a moth to light. I talked to many of the hosts and hostesses about the GAO and was impressed by what they had to offer. There were two ‘Grow the Game’ initiatives presented at the Toronto Golf Show I had never heard of and after some research realized there were more worth mentioning!

The first was a pledge to play golf in 2016! The GAO provided a unique way to challenge golfers to hit the links this summer. Like all goals when written down, most people become motivated and accountable to achieve them. In the 2016 golf season, I have committed to play 80 rounds of golf. Given I have 28 weeks to achieve my goal, I think it is achievable. I will let you know when the season is over. Continue reading →

Golf Stats vs Golf Stats – Pt 2

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments
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Scrambling for Par

My last post talked about four common stats track by amateur golfers. These stats are easy to record while playing, however if find that your playing partners are waiting for you to record you data, I suggest finding a quicker way to record the data (little slow play plug). These and other stats can provide valuable indicators on where to focus your practice to improve your game.

The four stats in question are driving percentage, GIR, # of Putts, and scramble percentage. These particular stats are enough for most players to understand their strengths and weaknesses in their game. However, it is important to properly interpret the results to find the root problem that causes a lower stat percentage. As I analyze the data I make try to determine the root-cause of my challenges, not just the obvious! Continue reading →