Discussion

Bring On 2016

/ The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment
Norwood Golf Course 3 Nov 14 (12)

2016 is going to be an awesome golfing year! I am a grateful golfer!

2016 is going to be an awesome year! The first day of any new adventure brings the hope and confidence of something great to come! I am excited to renew my quests and to commence many new ones. 2016 will be a year of change; changes that I embrace and will meet will a positive, focused, and grateful attitude!

2016 is going to an awesome year!  It is a year full of hope and endless possibilities.  I believe that our destiny is in our own hands.  We all have the ability to create the future we want.  The only thing that stops us form achieving our goals is ourselves. Golf is but one avenue for us all to achieve greatness!

As 2016 unfolds, I am looking forward to all the exciting adventures coming my way. I am anxiously anticipating working through all the challenges, sharing positive experiences and hearing from The Grateful Golfer community!

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

Golf is All About Time

/ The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments
time-management

Time is precious for a golfer!

Time is a valuable commodity for a golfer. Whether we have time to practice, get in a quick 18 or 9, time to research or time just to enjoy our favorite Major on TV. Time, Time, Time – it is so precious!

Golfers talk about time in the form of pace of play, swing tempo, lining up shots, time on the green, or the time it takes a player to make a decision about their next shot! No matter, time plays an important part of every players game.

Even the great players have discussed time on the course, towards growing the game, giving back to their community, or just having the time to make the need changes to score well on Tour. Time effects all aspects of their lives. The great Ben Hogan summed up time the best when he quipped:

Daylight Ben Hogan

Worrying about time can have some detrimental effects to our game! It can cause us to speed up our swing, make poor decisions, disregard course management and just plain give up on a shot. Time has the power to destroy your round and conversely make your round the best ever!

Now, lets stop and think about this for a minute. Does time really have the power over us or doe we let power control our lives to some extent? I believe that we have to power to control time! Time can be an irrelevant factor with respect to our golf game; only if we allow ourselves to make it so!

It is difficult to put into words, but one of my views of golf is that time is not a factor in my game. My pace of play is always good, so the rest of the effects of time is controlled by one thing…..me. I like routine and consistency in my approach to golf; every shot takes a certain amount of time and I use it all, every time. It is important to develop the proper habits that work for you so time does not have a negative affect on your game. Over the coming months, I will use time as the basis for discussion. I hope you have the time to read them!

During the off-season, I make the time to learn, train, and imagine about my upcoming success in my 2016 golf season. I leverage time to do all the fun things in my life – golf is just one – and ensure my time is spent in the best way possible! As your off-season unfolds (and golf season for some) keep in mind that time is only as relevant as you make it!

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

Golf Simulators: Pro or Con?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 11 Comments
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Golf Simulator at Rhino Sports in Belleville, Ontario.

With the long off-season in Canada (with this year being the exception so far), golfing fanatics will try just about anything to keep our game in tune. We hit balls in the snow, use a dome, and where possible, use a golf simulator. I have only used a golf simulator twice before and never really gave it much thought about their value to my golf game. This year, at the prompting of my wife, I joined the indoor golf league with some friends and we have a standing game on Wednesday nights for 8 weeks starting in January.

The indoor golf league is hosted by Rhino Sports in Belleville, Ontario.  It is a new business and Martin, the owner operator, decided to start the league to try to fill a void for us golfing fanatics. For $226 (tax included), can play 10 rounds of golf on world-class courses between now and 01 April. I met Martin for the first time last Wednesday and he is very up beat and his staff focus on customer service. So far, my experience at Rhino Sports has been very positive.

The simulator is basically a big video game. However, it offers different dimensions that are of value for most golfers looking to improve their game. Check it out:

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Practicing before round

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Spraying all over the place during warm up!

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Some Stats that can help identify areas to work on.

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Interesting stats for research area. Back Spin….Ouch!

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I would take a drive like this all the time.

At this time, using the golf simulator is going to be fun and educational. As the season unfolds, I will drop in my stats and areas where I think I need to focus on in the 2016 season. If you notice anything, don’t be shy!

Have you ever used a golf simulator? Are you in the Pro or Con category?

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

Pre-Shot Routine: Do You Have One?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Golf is a game of exciting opportunities! It is the only sport that requires a meticulous process to result in a near perfect swing; hoping for spectacular results; with a plethora of opportunities to make a mistake. Golf is awesome!

Through the years, I have learned on lesson over and over again: a pre-shot routine is critical to consistent golf!

There are an infinite number of variations to the pre-shot routine. Most are unique, but there is one I noticed that most professional golfers use; it is the waggle before they hit their driver. You know, that 3 seconds before starting your swing when you wag the club head at the ball. It is the last indicator for a player that it is time to hit the ball long and straight.

Recently, I asked the question if you had a waggle before striking your driver. Here is what the masses said:

I did receive an interesting response from one of the #golfchat attendees. (#golfchat happens on Twitter every Tuesday night at 8pm EST. If you are interest in golf, it is worth your while to check it out) From the sounds of things, she took the waggle a bit too seriously. She said that:

Obviously, the intent of the waggle is to calm all aspects of thought and movement before striking the ball. It is a visual and mental cue for players that it is time to perform their perfect swing. I have tried the waggle, but found it too distracting; so I am in the minority given the results of my poll.

Regardless, having a pre-shot routine is very important to a consistent golfer. It is something that most professionals perform before striking the ball. Chances are that if the élite players are using the waggle in their pre-shot routine, it is worth a try. What do you think?

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

Golfing In Formation

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

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This is a typical sight on a golf course. Everyone moves along at a steady place and as happenstance has it, we are all aligned in a golfing formation the would rival the RCAF Snowbirds or the USAF Thunderbirds!

When playing in a foursome, where people stand during someone’s shot is very important. It is critical to great golf etiquette and has a direct impact to the shooter. When waiting for someone to play it is important to understand field of view, proximity, and respecting their personal space.

Field of view is pretty self explanatory. It is important that the waiting player not stand in a sport where the player can see them during their shot. So, those players who stand directing behind the player during a swing should move off the side to stay out of the field of view of the player. Everyone golfer is different and it is important to know where to stand. Personally, I am not usually fussed where people stand, but I would prefer if they stood at a 45 degree angle,   about 10 feet away. However, that is not always possible, so I have learned to be flexible.

Proximity is important for noise. If you are close enough for a player to hear you doing anything, you are too close. I have played with many players who fidget with things while waiting, they end up breaking the ambient noise of the golf course. All I can suggest is that the person waiting stop fidgeting or move further away from the person making the shot.

Last is personal space. I enjoy talking to my fiends on the golf course. That usually means that we stand nearer to each other when playing. Unfortunately, some strangers like to stand to close and quietly chat when someone is talking. I do not like this, actually I suggest most golfers feel the same way. I recommend that a 5 foot ring when talking to someone you do not know well is a good distance. If you have to get closer because you a have to whisper something during someone’s shot, maybe it can wait.

Golfing in formation is important. Proper etiquette is important so everyone can enjoy their precious time on the links. What do you think? Do you have other formation tips?

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