Controlling the Unknown in Golf

June 22, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

On any given day, we as amateur golfers really have no idea what our golf game will produce. Don’t get me wrong, the better golfers have a better understanding of what to expect and most of the time the surprises are limited. But for the amateur who plays infrequently or does not have the time to improve game, the unknown of golf can be a source of excitement or dread.

For those who have ever walked into a casino, the anticipation of winning big and walking out is always on your mind. As you pensively walk around looking for the ‘lucky’ machine, many thoughts of how to ‘beat the house’ surface. Finally, you pick a slot machine and in goes your money. As you pull the arm and watch the tumblers spin, your excitement grows! As the wheels stop spinning, you find yourself talking or yelling at the machine as if you influence the outcome. The machine gives you just enough back, thus providing a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation. The unknown of where the dials will stop continues until you walk away!

Golf is very much like your adventure into the casino. The player who is unprepared or has not played enough to develop a consistent swing creates a world of unknown possibilities in golf. They will repeatedly hit the ball unsuccessfully and wonder what is going on. Like the slot machine, the player will hit just enough good shots as to give the illusion that things are looking up; when actually their good golf shots was ultimately the result of the law of percentages.

Every shot in golf provides a plethora of options and the ability to control all the factors is impossible. We cannot control the wind, the ground, course layout, speed of the greens or the sand in the bunker! These things all play a role in golf and their unknowns are uncontrollable! However, for golfing fanatics they are what makes golf interesting and in some cases exciting. Just ask Brian at All About Golf who recently recorded his second hole in one!

Of course this is not all bad! There are many things in golf we can control that will significantly lower the unknowns and increase the percentage of making consistent, great shots. You can control how you putt, when to chip, driving the ball, and course management to name a few. Golf is a game that needs nurturing for players to reach their true potential!

Controlling the unknowns in golf is possible. It does take effort, that eventually will be rewarded.

Today, I am heading to play Glen Abbey Golf Course, the home of the Canadian Open! I hope I can control some of the unknowns, but regardless, today is going to be an awesome golfing experience!

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

2014 USGA Women’s Open Championship

June 18, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Do you play golf for fun or do you play to compete? This is a very important question to ask yourself as you set/manage your expectations about your golf game. Do you want to be a weekend player who spends quality time with friends in the great outdoors? Or do you want to invest the time to become the best golfer you can be? These are all great questions and will go a long way to determine what kind of golf game you want to develop.

Tomorrow is the start of the US Open Ladies Championship at Pinehurst, North Carolina. This is the first time in history that the Men’s and Women’s US Open Golf Championship is played at the same course on back to back weeks. All reasons that made it tough for the men; make it tough for the women! The only real difference lies in the set up of Pinehurst 2 – it is 1100 yards shorter – a mere 6500 yards. But, that is not the real story of the 2014 US Women’s Open.

The real story of the 2014 US Women’s Open is 11-year old amateur Lucy Li.

Can you remember what you were doing at 11 years old? I am sure it was not playing golf on the world stage! Not to diminish the skills of the great players trying to win this Major; the story of this young phenom will likely overshadow everything during the early stages of the event. If she makes the cut, well, it likely will be the story of the 2014 US Women’s Open.

I do not know much about the LPGA, so if you are curious check out the following links:

The US Women’s Open Championship will be an exciting tournament. As with all Majors, we will all be watching with interest to see who separates themselves from the field.

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

What’s Your Handicap?

June 16, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

Before you say your driver or 60 degree wedge, this is a valid question that most golfers overlook. This question popped up at work today and I thought it would make for an interesting topic.

Here is what Golf Canada has to say:

The purpose of the Golf Canada Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable for golfers by providing a means of measuring one’s performance and progress and to enable golfers of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis.

Through this system, each golfer establishes an “Golf Canada Handicap Factor” which is a numerical measurement of a player’s potential (not actual) scoring ability on a course of standard difficulty.

The Handicap Factor is calculated using the best 10 of the player’s last 20 rounds and updated with each new round played. The Handicap Factor travels with the golfer from course to course and is adjusted up or down depending on the length and difficulty of the course played, resulting in a “Course Handicap”. The Course Handicap is the number of strokes a golfer receives from a specific set of tees at the course played and represents the number of strokes he would require to play equitably against a “scratch” golfer (a golfer with a Handicap Factor of “0.0′). The more difficult the golf course, the more strokes the golfer receives and vice versa.

The real question dealt with what we considered to be a low, medium and high handicap. My friend suggested anyone with a 20+ score and I said 10+. Immediately we looked at each other and realized that something was amiss.

At SandTrap.com they suggest:

Low: Handicaps 8 and under (typically shooting in 70’s)
Mid: Handicaps 9-24 (low 80’s to mid 90’s)
High: Handicaps 25+ (high-90’s and up)

At Golfsmith.com, they suggest:

Low: Handicaps 9 and under (typically shooting in 70’s)
Mid: Handicaps 10-18 (low 80’s to mid 90’s)
High: Handicaps 19+ (high-90’s and up)

The last bit of information that is important is the average handicap for men and women. After checking many sites, the consensus is that the average male golfer has a handicap of 16.1 and the average female has a handicap of 28.9. So using this information, most golfers would be considered medium handicap players. Additionally, the definition of low, medium, and high handicap does vary, but the reasons for establishing a handicap do not.

To enter in some tournaments, handicaps are used to place players in flights against others of their own caliber. It is also used to calculate foursome handicaps for “Scramble” tournaments. And lastly, it determines how many strokes a higher handicap player will receive in a match-play event. Most players do not have an official handicap and for the most part it really does not matter.

Personally, I am a member of the Golf Association of Ontario. My handicap index is 5.4 or a 5 handicap with a scoring average of 79.2 over 20 games. For the golfer who plays many rounds a year, establishing a handicap is a good thing. It is part of the game and helps promote an often overlooked aspect of golf – fair play.

Do you have an official handicap?

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

The US Open Final Round

June 14, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

The final day of the 114th US Open is upon us! The varying scores were as expected, however the leaderboard…not so much. There are very few pundits who would have bet on a Martin Kaymer and Rickie Fowler final paring at Pinehurst #2. The media frenzy surrounding the usual Championship favorites quickly fell to the wayside with a pair of 65s by Kaymer after the first two rounds. As like the earlier part of 2014, the US Open is nothing like anyone expected.

If we were to poll 1000 avid golfers, asked them to think outside the box, none would have predicted the current top three players of Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, and Erik Compton! We have heard of the top two, but nothing about Compton.

Erik Compton is currently ranked 189th in the world and 89th on the FedEx standings, he is considered a journeyman player who for the past 5 years has worked his way up from the Canadian PGA Tour to the WEB.com Tour to the PGA Tour. He has not won a tournament to date, but has earned enough to keep his card. Before you pass judgement, there is more to Mr. Compton than meets the eye!

Recently, Erik Compton was honored with the 2013 PGA TOUR Courage Award by the Player Director’s Panel and PGA TOUR Commissioner. The PGA TOUR Courage Award is a new acknowledgment this year. Previously known as the Comeback Player of the Year Award, which has not been awarded since 2010, it is now aimed to honor a player who has overcome adversity. “We made it for someone who has overcome severe adversity, away from someone that is coming back from something that wasn’t career threatening.” He is a young guy, but has not really made a name for himself, until today!

The last round of the 114th US Open should be very exciting. What I find extremely interesting about this Major is it parallels the 2014 season to date. Many young players are playing their way to the top, if only for a little while, as the aging veterans are slowly losing ground. I had discussed this earlier this year and thought that the old lions would defend their territory, but it seems that the changing of the guard may be happening sooner than I thought.

With Tiger Woods is out indefinitely; with him gone who will be the standard-bearer for the PGA? It may be time for the PGA Tour to embrace the shift of a total tour concept instead of a one-on-one competition they have ridden for years to generate hype! I am not sure if the current shift is good for the economic side of the tour, but I believe the changes are for the good of the game!

What do you think? I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links!

Playing Golf Well

June 6, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

“Playing Golf Well” is a standard line used by many who are trying to catch your attention. However, have you ever really examined the words to see if they really mean anything. As I dissect those three little words, several things strike me as peculiar, interesting and funny all at the same time. Here is what I mean:

Playing – is to exercise or an activity for amusement or recreation. This definition of playing strikes me as something to be enjoyed, to have fun, or to experience in a positive way. Additionally, playing with something allows the taking of chances and trying new variations of the same game. Overall, playing suggests taking chances during an activity for fun and/or enjoyment.

Golf – a game in which clubs are used; to hit a ball in succession for varying distances; to place in a hole with as few strokes as possible! Well that sounds like a fun activity to me! It is a sport, a verb, a business, a highlight or the bane of someone’s existence all in one. Golf can be….well, just about anything to anyone.

Well – is a noun, adverb, interjection, adjective, and a descriptor! This word can be used in so many ways that to try and describe them all would take longer than this article! In this case it is a comparative word to describe performance measurement. It is not a great word to imbue excitement or extreme joy, but a mediocre word that has a sliding scale of subjectivity!

So what does the journey into the examination of three little words actually mean to anyone?

Golf is a game that is meant to be played just for fun; Golf is a game that allows us to take chances with the intent of getting better or just having fun; Golf is a game where only the player can determine how well they played in relation to their own expectations; finally, Golf is a game that is to be enjoyed by the player at their own pace, skill level and desire of execution!

Playing Golf Well is only determined by one person….YOU!

Personally, I am grateful for the game of golf. I love to play just for the fun of it!

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