Have you ever played a round of golf where nothing of interest every happens? You know, the rounds when you are hitting the ball okay, chipping, okay and putting okay. Your scoring is average and not matter what your thought processes are, no magic rears its head to be marveled at. It is a bland round and mentally, there is nothing you can do to prevent this mediocre round for unfolding any differently. It is as if you might as well as stayed home and cut the grass.
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Jumping On The Golf Bandwagon
Are you the type of sports fan who gets tired from jumping on and off the bandwagon. Do you shift your allegiance from one team to another depending on who is playing well at the time. I ask this question for a friend 😉 All joking aside, this is a favourite sport of many armchair athletes because the have a compulsion to be on the winning side. I have never felt that way, but from time to time will adjust the size of my cheerleading circle as I lose interest in the success of a player. I consider it an evolution in my support that happens slowly. How about you?
Continue readingTrip Down Memory Lane – 17th Hole Oyster Bay Golf Links
In the early 90s, my darling wife sent me on a golf trip to Myrtle Beach. One of the course I played was the Oyster Bay Golf Links Course. It was an great track and well worth the price of admission. The one hole that sticks out in my mind, even today, is the 17th hole island green. It was picturesque, challenging, and challenging. No, that was not a typo, let me explain.
Continue readingSkipping Your Golf Ball Across A Water Hazard
Have you ever been in the situation where skipping your ball across a water hazard was the wisest courses of action? I can honestly say that over all my years of playing, I have never needed this shot. I have skipped my ball across a hazard accidently the odd time, but to intentionally to attempt this shot would be considered pure folly. This would be poor course management to even try. I mean, why would we need this shot in our bag?
Continue readingAny New Ideas About How To Improve Our Golf Game?
It is time to innovate golf. I figure that the readers of The Grateful Golfer blog are about the smartest people on earth and can come up with something to change the face of golf. I mean, if you search ‘golf innovation” only 134 million possible websites show up in 0.42 seconds. So, if they can do it, than so can we. Stop holding out, share your big idea! Who knows, it might be worth something.
After playing for 45+ years, I can honestly tell you that I am tapped out. I have nothing that would remotely be considered innovative. I do alter drills and concepts slightly to adapt them to my game, but nothing that would change the face of golf. Although the task would be daunting, and IF we came up with something, how would we break through the white noise spewed everyday on virtually every topic.
I constantly look at possible avenues of success with respect to improving my game. It is a challenge and I rarely find anything substantive. Most of the ideas or concepts require a great deal of practice and patience if I want to follow their path. I do not have a problem with that, however blindly delving into the unknown is just not my style. I have to think things through before moving forward. If I cannot see a distinct advantage in my mind, I will never find one in my swing.
Having said that, I am not adverse to receiving advice on the finer aspects of my game. A friend of mine, Andre Martel who recently became TPI Certified and Precision Nutrition Certified (congrats again Andre), is a player I would listen to if he offered me advice. He and I have different games, but his new knowledge would make him a valuable resource to improve my game. Andre has offered some advice in the past on putting and increasing distance that I found helpful. It is sources like Andre that I find the most valuable in refining my game. On a side note, if you have any questions about the TPI program/certification, Andre says you can as questions directly to him at martelpi@gmail.com
Searching on the internet for solutions to your golf challenges is a great way to pass time. However, I would caution you that making wholesale changes in your swing without proper instruction can be much more damaging than one would think. My friend Brian Penn from All About Golf suggested I take an e-lesson and provided a website. I have yet to do this, but given the current COVID restrictions (and it is the dead of winter), it might be the only way to improve my swing in the off-season. Brian, I am still pondering – don’t give up hope on my yet.
Coming up with ideas to innovate golf (or our swing) is challenging. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication, openness, and foresight. I know for sure I am not the person to make this happen, but maybe you are the next Harvey Penick. If you are, please remember to share you brilliant ideas with the rest of us at The Grateful Golfer. Who knows maybe we can help. 😉
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 