Grateful Golfer

The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

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Vet has expanded on a blog from about a week ago. His view on breaking his putts into three distances is a great idea. It is worth the read! Thanks Vet!

vet4golfing51's avatarThe Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer

While there is still some golf left to be played in the Burgh, my game continues to flounder in the fall. This week, I am going to write about something I read in another blog, about how hard to hit putts. The Grateful Golfer asked the question, do you play your putts to die at the hole, or do you try to hit them 8 inches past the hole. Most of the respondents replied, that they play their putts to die at the hole. The Grateful Golfer also mentioned the Pelz philosophy of putting the ball 17 inches past the hole, which according to Pelz’s data, gives the ball the best chance of going in. I have a little different take on how you should think about the speed of the putt. I feel it depends on the length of the putt. I break my putts down into three arbitrary…

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A Grateful Golf Shot!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments
Hole In One from 208 Yards

Hole In One!

Periodically, I like to reminisce about all the awesome experiences I witnessed on the golf course. I was a walked down memory lane, I wondered which golf shot was the best! There were many to choose from and most of them were not mine! In my view, part of being a grateful golfer is to find happiness in the successes of others. One of my favorite experiences on the golf course occurred about 15 years ago.

I was fortunate to be golfing with my Mom, wife, and daughter because it was one of the few times we were all together on the course. We chose an executive course so it would fit all our games. And this is when the one of my most grateful golf shots occurred.

It was a beautiful summer day; the birds were chirping; and the course was in good shape. My Mom was the first on the tee of a 125 yard, downhill, hole with a sand trap guarding the left side of the hole. She grabbed her 11 wood (yes, 11 wood) and effortlessly made solid contact. The ball flight was pure and it tracked exactly where she aimed.

Suddenly, the world entered a Matrix slow-motion scene. In anticipation, we watch the ball land just short of the green, pop up and roll towards the hole! It was a magical moment as the ball ever so slowly trickled towards the cup.

If this shot was made on the 16th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the crowds would be yelling for the ball to get into the hole! Well, in an instant the ball disappeared! It was gone! In a shocked moment, the 4 four of us started to cheer. It was a moment of gratefulness for us all.

Yet, this exciting experience is only half the my grateful moment. The next to the tee marches my 10 year-old daughter. She grabs her driver and pounds her tee in the ground with her golf ball. Satisfied with the height, she went through her pre-shot routine and was ready to match her Nana’s fantastic shot.

As she drew her club back, I realized very quickly she intended crush the cover off her ball! Her backswing emulated John Daly’s over-swing perfectly! Launching into a perfectly timed….well, actually she topped the ball; it skipped a couple of times before dropping over the edge of the elevated tee box. Expecting to see her ball at the bottom of the hill, it suddenly rocketed into view and headed towards the green.

As the scene from “Tin Cup” where Don Johnson hit his 7-iron down the road, my daughter’s ball continued to bounce off every tufted of grass as it made its 125 yard journey towards to hole. Patiently, we watched her ball make the green and then we suddenly realized that it was on the same track as her Nana’s! While holding our breath, we watch the ball bounce off the pin and come to rest 6 inches from the hole! But wait, there is more!

The real delightful moment about this entire scene was may daughter’s reaction. My daughter was extremely disappointment that her ball did not drop in the hole like her Nana’s! We tried to explain the: “it is difficult to get a hole-in-one”, but she was not buying it! As she made her way to play her ball and make her first birdie, she mumbled about being disappointed! We all consoled my daughter and moved on!

Over the years, I have become more grateful for witnessing those golf shots. I can still close my eyes and see the whole scene unfolding as if it were yesterday. It is one of my most cherished moments the golf course! Being grateful for the success of others is an important tenant of being in part of The Grateful Golfer Community!

Do you have a cherished memory of someone else’s success on the links? If so, share it so we can all be grateful!

Golfing in a Haze

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments
teeing off!

The Golfing Haze!

Have you ever played a round of golf and when you were finished could not really remember how the round went? You perform each stroke like a robot; basically going through the motions with no real intent! The slightest things distract you and you actually welcome the distraction. This scenario happens a couple of times a year; I am all excited to play, yet my mind is now where near the course.

This is what my golf haze is like:

  • I walk up to the tee and immediately grab my driver where it is needed or not. Go to the middle of the tee box and tee up my ball. Go through the motions of lining up my shot, but not really focus on anything. The I hit the ball (hoping it goes down the middle).
  • I walk up to my ball, grab a club about 20 yards before I get there and decide what shot I am going to hit. Regardless of the lie or position of the pin, stand over the ball and hit!
  • As I walk towards the green, I grab a wedge thinking it is the right club. I walk up to my ball and hit it without looking at the break, grain, or if my ball is above or below the hole.
  • I grab my putter and pretend to line up my ball; and intentionally lag putt to reduce my high scores and feel grateful if the ball actually sinks.
  • As I walk to the next tee, my mind wanders to many topics except golf!
  • This process lasts for most of the round. Basically going through the motions without any real intent to play well. Most players would leave after 9-holes, but being ever the optimist I push through to 18. I am not happy or sad, just indifferent. This is my golfing haze!

Golfing in a haze is caused by many reasons! It could be caused by a lack of coffee, too much work, your favorite sports team lost, the sun is shining, or your playing partner is a non-stop chatter! Everyone has a different intensity of haze, but ultimately it the effects on their golf game is the same.

The haze is not a bad thing, it just happens. I think ever golfer experiences the golfing haze at one time. The trick is to respond in a positive way next time you hit the links! Have you ever played golf in a haze?

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

 

Chip, Pitch or Putt for Lower Golf Scores

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Choosing the right club at the right time is critical to lower golf scores. It haunts all golfers because club selection is the holy grail of knowledge only gained through years of practice and playing lots and lots of golf. (the second part of gaining knowledge is my favorite)

IMG_20140506_165520

Chip, Pitch or Putt, what is your call?

A while back, I wrote an article about a situation where the ball was on the fringe and I was left with a choice to chip or putt.  There was many opinions and for the most part, choosing between putting or chipping was about 50/50.

Recently, I asked the same question without the picture and the response was different. I am not sure whether it was because the picture was not present, but the 25% increase for players wanting to putt was not really surprising.

Apart from the qualifying remarks such as: is the ball above the hole, is there a mound between the ball and the hole, what time of day is it, is the green freshly cut or how am I playing, most amateurs seem to agree that putting the ball when possible is the best option.

I generally agree, however it is important to have other shots in your bag for those times when either chipping, pitching or putting is required. My years of experience have taught me that relying on just one type of shot is not conducive to consistent low scores.

As someone who likes to always move forward, I like trying new methods to lower my score. My constant pursuit for improvement does not always meet my overall expectations.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘3 steps forward, 2 steps back’? That is what happened to me when I decided to putt more from the fringe. I focused all my attention on the flat stick and as a result, my chipping and pitching started to atrophy.

Although I had developed a new skill by putting more often, I lost my touch with my chipping and putting irons. Fortunately, with a little practice, my “feel” returned and now I have 3 solid types of shots when the ball is on the fringe. I am happy now at the end of the journey, but during the transition, I found it frustrating and sometimes wondered if I was on the right path.

Generally, when the a player is developing a new skill, there is a point of frustration when the new skill is not meeting expectations and their old skills are starting to rust. It is usually at this time when players stop learning the new skill and revert back to their old ways. As a result, the player concludes that the new skill is not worth the effort.

Golf is a challenging sport. It provides the opportunity for a player to be as good as they want. I believe that being a great golfer, we amateurs must find our own path to success. What works for me, may not work for you. I also believe that being a grateful golfer we need to keep trying to improve and be thankful for the journey to lower golf scores.

How do you handle learning a new skill? How much practice time do you devote to it?

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