Rory McIlroy – What Have You Done!

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

The announcement that Rory McIlroy tore the ligaments in his left ankle has caught the attention of all golfing fans! I am sure many of you have already heard that last year’s Open champion may not be raising the Claret Jug above his head in 2015. To many, this is devastating news; to some it is troubling; and to others, the news is met with apathy. I am not sure where you stand on the issue, but here is my take!

I will be disappointed that McIlroy may miss The Open because he makes the field stronger and the event more exciting. He adds a certain “je ne sais quoi” to any Major, and as defending champion, he would have been a strong favorite.

But, The Open is much bigger than one player. The field will be filled with the top players in the world and only 70 of those will be playing on the weekend. With so many first time winners on tour this year, it is impossible to eliminate any player before the first ball is struck. There are some favorites, but, the fact the McIlroy may miss the third Major of 2015 will not be the end of golf.

I am disappointed for Rory McIlroy. I hope he has a speedy recovery and is back hitting 300+ drives very soon. His accident is a life thing and could have happened to anyone.

What is your opinion Rory McIlroy’s situation?

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

The Grand Slam of Golf

June 25, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Does Jordan Spieth have the game to win a grand slam of golf? He is well on his way and as predicted after day three of the US Open, the golfing pundits are starting to pose the question. Given he is half way there, it might be a fair question.

A grand slam in golf consists of one person winning all four Majors (The Masters, US Open, The Open, and PGA Championship) in the same year. To date, only Bobby Jones has completed a Grand Slam of Golf. In the modern era, no man has ever achieved a Grand Slam. Although it is important to note that Tiger Woods won all four Majors consecutively, but over two calendar years.

The other milestone in golf is the Career Grand Slam. This consists of winning all four Majors at different times in a career. In the modern era only five golfers have a Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. A special acknowledgment goes to Woods and Nicklaus because they have won each of the four majors at least three times in their career. We are still waiting for Phil Mickelson to join this élite group, but as each year passes, it becomes tougher and tougher.

Back to the original question: Does Jordan Spieth have the game to win a grand slam of golf?

I consider Spieth as the best golfer in the world at this moment. His three wins, three 2^nd place finishes and one 3^rd place finish out of 18 events, is very typical of Tiger Woods in his prime. The fact that he is first in the FED Ex Cup standings and is 1.75 points behind Rory McIlroy in the world rankings, only adds fuel to speculation of a grand slam in 2015.

Jordan Spieth is a great golfer, and at 21 years of age appears to have the golfing world in his hand. However, let us not forget Rory McIlroy. At 26 years of age, he is not to be taken lightly. He easily has the game to match Spieth and at any given time will rise to snatch victory from this young upstart! McIlroy has plenty of game and while he respectfully gives Spieth his due, is not quite ready to hand Spieth the keys to the mansion.

The rest of the top 10 in the world are no slouches either. At any time, players like Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose or Jason Day could knock off either Spieth or McIlroy. The current field in golf is the strongest ever and on any given day, anyone can win. Additionally, let’s not forget players like Louis Oosthuizen, who shot the best final three rounds in US Open history! There are many players who have the game to compete against Spieth and McIlroy; professional golf is extremely competitive at this moment.

Is it possible for Jordan Spieth to win the grand slam of golf? The short answer is yes; however, it is not very probable. With The Open just three weeks away, Spieth will have to finish his US Open congratulatory media events, play golf, and then mentally prepare to compete at The Old Course in St Andrews. That seems a bit to ask from a professional golfer, but I am sure Spieth will give it his best shot.

Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, watching Jordan Spieth try for the grand slam of golf will be very entertaining. The road ahead is challenging, but given he is playing better golf than anyone in the world, anything is possible. It would be exciting to see his name in the history books beside the immortal Bobby Jones, but to achieve such greatness; he must first go through Rory McIlroy and the rest of the golfing world.

The Tale of Two Nines

May 13, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

Random Golf Statue outside a wood carving shop in Oberammergau, Germany. (April 2015)

Yesterday was a unique experience at my home course of Roundel Glen. The back nine is temporarily closed, so I played two rounds on the front. It was a cold, windy day, but it was still fun to hit the links. Interestingly, I played two completely different rounds of golf in the space of 3 hours!

The first nine holes was a struggle. I shot a 43 with 2 doubles, 3 bogies and 4 pars. I had zero putts for birdie and every swing seemed out of sync. Granted, I did not warm up properly (or at all) and I was rushing from the car to the first tee because I was still in work mode. The only highlight of this round was that my friend Jean was there to share in my misery.

After the first nine, I considered stopping. However, in true “can’t get enough golf” fashion, we pressed on and played another 9 holes. As I walked to the first tee, again, I started my internal self-talk. If I change my thoughts, I can change my results! Additionally, I only needed one good shot and I was sure things would turn around.

The first hole on my course is a par 3, 150 yard beauty. Last year, this hole was a 210 yard, par 3 monster. However, due to construction, the hole was shortened. Playing into a strong left to right wind, I selected one club more than usual (7 iron), aimed 10 yards to the left of the green and swung with confidence. My ball landed on the left fringe and bounced on the green. This shot helped boost my confidence, but was not the shot that changed my round. It was the next shot.

After reading the uphill, left to right breaking putt, I took careful aim and made the 20 foot ‘fall in the side door’ putt! It was my first birdie of the year on my home course and I suddenly felt relieved and confident walking to the number 2 tee box!

As the round unfolded, I smoothly ended up with 7 putts for birdie! I was one under until the sixth hole and ended even after that. I finished strong and was not in any trouble for the entire 9 holes. My drives were in the fairway (except for the sixth hole), my approach shots were accurate, and my putting was good. Overall, this 9 holes was exactly what I was expecting after the birdie on the first hole.

For those doing the math, I shot a 79 – 43 / 36. This early in the season, I happily accept both results. However, the lesson from yesterday is to never panic, stay focused, and know that one good shot has the potential to change your entire game.

As I have stated in the past, I never worry about my score in May. It is unrealistic to think I am in mid-season form and as such, I curtail my expectations until I have had a chance to practice and play more. The 2015 season is well under way. I have 6 rounds completed and will be hitting the links tomorrow. I hope to better my round of 79, but if not, I will be grateful to be playing!

How is your 2015 golf season going?

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

Opening Golf’s Pandora’s Box

April 28, 2015April 16, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

Golf’s Pandora’s Box

It is time to open Pandora’s Box! Based in Greek Mythology and morphing through the years, the present day meaning of “to open Pandora’s Box” is to perform an action that may seem small or innocent, but that turns out to have severely detrimental and far-reaching consequences. In the case of a golf swing, this statement is quite profound.

After much research and thought, last year I decided that hitting the ball further off the tee was the key to lowering my golf score. I felt confident that my short and mid game was strong enough to carry me most days, but by adding that extra 10-15 yards off the tee would exponentially reap the gains I sought.

After my quick lesson at the PGA Tour Canada Golf Clinic at Wildfire Golf Course, widening my stance seem to be the key to achieving my goal of hitting the ball further off the tee. Well, the domino effect of making this small change was unforeseen. By widening my stance, my alignment, set-up, swing plane and follow through all changed! I could not believe the dramatic effect this slight change had on the rest of my game.

Not to be defeated, I made my way to the range (many times) and worked on this minor change. Initially, I had success with my wider stance, but the challenge was that the rest of my swing was grooved to my old way of standing. Hence, my swing and stance were competing for dominance!

As I became frustrated with the early results, I kept reminding myself of the end goal of hitting the ball further and without degrading the rest of my game. I am still working on this change and my continued focused practice increases my confidence.

An important note about the entire process is to work on one thing at a time. Understanding the 80/20 rule and how the domino effect works will speed up the overall success of your focused change. Too many changes can spell disaster because of the uncertainty of which change impacted which part of your swing.

I know I will eventually conquer everything and close Pandora’s Box. At that time, my entire swing will feel natural again. I will be able to think less of the mechanics and actually not think at all during my swing. That day is just around the corner and I can hardly wait.

When you plan “to open Pandora’s Box”, be ready for some frustration, but keep focused on the end goal. Before you start, try to envision the domino effect of the change and to work on one thing at a time. It is not an exact science, but keeping your eyes on the prize will help improve your game and lower your scores.

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

The New Normal in Golf

March 18, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

The new normal in professional golf is here. The younger players have forced their way to the top of the golfing world with no regrets. The fear of competing against players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is long gone. The only thing left for these aging superstars is a healthy respect from for the path they blazed in helping to create the new normal.

It is all over the news that Tiger Woods is not playing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend. Much to the chagrin of legend Arnold Palmer, Woods admits that his game is not ready for the PGA Tour. Only Woods knows for sure, but something tells me that he is right. Woods’ focus is on the Masters in a couple of weeks and I for one believe that is where his focus should be; I hope he is healthy and ready to compete in the first Major of 2015.

Phil Mickelson has not played well for over a year. He has sparks of greatness, but the consistency is just not there. I am a huge Mickelson fan and I am not sure if his game is in as bad a shape as Woods, but he is definitely not the Mickelson of old. I guess I cannot expect him to play like he is 25, but old thoughts die slow.

Not a year ago, I wrote that the old guard were not ready to relinquish the top spots in golf. I am here to say that times have changed; and changed quickly. The new younger players have come out from the shadows of the aging veterans quicker than expected. Each week, a new player rises to the top of the leaderboard to claim the top prize. Maybe this is what we have to look forward too; a different winner each week.

I will have to say that the last nine holes and the four hole playoff last week at the Valspar Golf Championship was extremely exciting. Just when everyone thought Spieth, Reed or O’Hair was out of contention, they made a fantastic shot to recover. It truly was exciting and hopefully we will see more finishes like that one in the future!

It seems every week, there is a new player popping up on the leaderboard. The return of Dustin Johnson is another example of a great young player standing up to be heard. His play since returning to golf has been outstanding and he is now considered a top contender at all the Majors this year. Is it possible that this trend of resurging players can continue through the entire 2015 professional golf season?

Let’s not forget about Rory McIlroy. With a slow start on the PGA Tour this year, he is too talented not be step-up and slay all comers! With only three weeks left before the Masters, the golfing world will see the real McIlroy return to form. I predict it will not happen this weekend at Bay Hill, but within the next three weeks he will start to peak at the right time for Augusta. As per my predictions at the beginning of the year, Rory McIlroy will win the 2015 Masters!

The new normal has arrived in professional golf. Although a few players will continue to win more than most, the days of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson crushing the field for years is over. We can expect to see many new winners and even greater challenges for professional golfers to stay at the top of the world rankings.

Personally, I’m excited about the recent changes in golf. Although I will always cheer for Phil Mickelson, I cannot help but embrace the new normal in professional golf!

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