The Golfing Nun

September 20, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

I borrowed this from Funny and Interesting Stuff People Have Sent Me. It made me laugh and I thought it might make you laugh as well.

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

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A nun walks into Mother Superior’s office and plunks down into a chair. She lets out a sigh heavy with frustration.

‘What troubles you, Sister ?’ asked the Mother Superior. ‘I thought this was the day you spent with your family.’ ‘It was,’ sighed the Sister. ‘And I went to play golf with my brother. We try to play golf as often as we can.
You know I was quite a talented golfer before I devoted my life to Christ.’

‘I seem to recall that,’ said Mother Superior. ‘So I take it your day of recreation was not relaxing ?’

‘Far from it,’ snorted the Sister. ‘In fact, I even took the Lord’s name in vain today !’‘Goodness, Sister!’ gasped the Mother Superior, astonished. ‘You must tell me all about it !’

‘Well, we were on the fifth tee – and this hole is a monster, Mother -540 yard Par 5,
with a nasty dogleg right and a hidden green…and I hit the drive of my life. I creamed it. The sweetest swing I ever made.

And it’s flying straight and true, right along the line I wanted…and it hits a bird in mid-flight !’

‘Oh my !’ commiserated the Mother. ‘How unfortunate. But surely that didn’t make you blaspheme, Sister !’
‘No, that wasn’t it,’ admitted Sister. ‘While I was still trying to fathom what had happened, this squirrel runs out of the woods,
grabs my ball and runs off down the fairway !’

‘Oh, that would have made me blaspheme !’ sympathized the Mother.
‘But I didn’t, Mother !’ sobbed the Sister. ‘And I was so proud of myself, eh. And while I was pondering whether this was a sign from God, this hawk swoops
out of the sky and grabs the squirrel and flies off, with my ball still clutched in his paws.’

‘So that’s when you cursed,’ said the Mother with a knowing smile.
‘Nope, that wasn’t it either,’ cried the Sister, anguished, ‘because as the hawk started to fly out of sight,
the squirrel started struggling, and the hawk dropped him right there on the green,
and the ball popped out of his paws and rolled to about 18 inches from the cup !’

Mother Superior sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, fixed the Sister with a baleful stare and said . . .

‘You missed the darn putt, didn’t you ?’

2014 Payne Stewart Award

September 14, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Payne Stewart Award, which is presented annually to a player who exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. At the time, Southern Company was the sponsor of the event, and a year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award to honor his legacy. Southern Company, the Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR, has sponsored the award since its inception.” (PGATour.com)

Awarded on 9 September 2014, this year’s winner is Sir Nick Faldo. An accomplished golfer, Sir Nick won 39 times world-wide, which included six Major Championships. Additionally, Sir Nick holds the record for the most appearances and most points won at the Ryder Cup.

In 1996, Sir Nick launched the Faldo Series to offer opportunities to male and female golfers under the age of 21 from around the world. There are over 7,000 participants each year and this charity has produced some notable young players such as Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng, and Nick Dougherty.

“My main reason for starting the Faldo Series was to try and give something back to the game that has given me so much.”

In 1998, Sir Nick Faldo received the Order of the British Empire. In 2009, he was invested as a Knight Bachelor for his services to golf. These are just two of the many awards Sir Nick has received through the years.

Sir Nick Faldo joins the company of great men like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, and Tom Watson. All have dedicated their lives to improving the world around them and happened to use golf as their venue. However, something tells me that these great men would have used something else if golf was not available.

Congratulations to Sir Nick Faldo for being awarded the 2014 Payne Stewart Award!

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

PGA Tour Canada Golf Clinic for the Canadian Armed Forces

August 29, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

Earlier this week, I had the honor of attending a golf clinic hosted by the PGA Tour Canada for the Canadian Military. Only a day before they were to compete, eight young golfing phenoms spent 1.5 hours sharing their considerable knowledge with Canadian soldiers. For the fifth time this year, the PGA Tour Canada hosted serving members to teach them how to putt, chip and drive a golf ball. It was a day to remember for most of us golfing enthusiasts!

The Wildfire Golf Club is currently hosting a PGA Tour Canada event. Prior to the start on Thursday, Devin Daniels, Wills Smith, Drew Evans, Steve Carney, Adam Cornelson, Greg Machtaler, Peter Campbell and Daniel McCarthy stopped preparing for their professional event to help golfing wannabees improve their game!

Our 1.5 hours was broken into three 30 minute segments. Each segment consisted of putting, iron play and driving. Two of the pros, Drew Evans and Peter Campbell shared their expertise on the putting green. The rest was spread throughout the driving range. The most exciting aspect of the entire event was the close and personal attention each pro gave the player.

I was fortunate to have Drew Evans provide some putting tips. As he watched me putt, he indicated that I had a very good putting stroke. He emphasized the importance of keeping my triangle while putting. When I asked about my view of following through twice as far as the back swing, he indicated that it was a good drill for mid to high handicap players, but for lower handicappers, a smoother even putting stroke is preferred. Lastly, he suggested that I move my hands out from my body about 2 inches to keep my shoulders, wrists and putter head in a straight line…man did that make a positive difference! Thanks Drew I appreciate the help. Here are some other tips by Drew and Peter.

My next station was the driving range. I started with my 7 iron and both Adam Cornelson and Steve Carney liked what I was doing. My follow through was excellent and my contact consistent. The only thing they suggested was that I slow my back swing down to produce a smoother tempo throughout the entire swing. This will have to happen at the range as changing my tempo with my 7 iron will be difficult. I was encouraged to hear that my 7 iron was in pretty good shape.

Moving on to my driver was a slightly different story. I hit my driver 240 yards straight, 7 times out of 10. Of course, being a golfing freak, I asked how to gain 20 more yards. Drew Evans looked at my swing and told me what I already knew…no power was generated from the lower part of my body. To date I have been unable to correct this problem. Drew suggested I widen my stance. At first it felt very uncomfortable, but the results were unmistakable. I immediately gained some distance on my driver with the same consistency.

After hitting about 20 drives, Devin Daniels approached me and suggested I should slow my back swing down. He noticed that when I was trying to hit the ball hard, everything sped up and became out of sync. Additionally, he reminded me that less is more. Something I have said over and over. Swinging at 80% strength is the key to have the ball go farther! Of course it worked and now I have two things to work on at the range.

The entire day was incredible. Everyone who attended the golf clinic was very impressed by the Wildfire Golf Club, the pros knowledge and infinite patience while answering questions and the PGA Tour Canada for continuing to host the Canadian Military! After talking to the PGA Tour Canada staff, I found out that there are opportunities to caddy next year and I think I am going to give it a go!

Thank you PGA Tour Canada for continuing to support the Canadian Armed Forces!

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

Gain the upper hand on your hold of the club

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

I do not wear a golf glove and I am not affiliated with FootJoy, however the information about a well fitting glove was worth sharing!

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

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The Grateful Golfer!

August 24, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

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

After a week off from golf, I had time to reflect about my season and my golf experiences. I have to say, that I am a grateful golfer! For the past 10 years my game has improved both in score and experience. However, since starting The Grateful Golfer Blog in May 2012, all aspects of my golf game have improved! A year ago, I wrote a blog titled “What is Important in Golf” and that list has not changed. But I have a few new things to be grateful for:

The continued support from my beautiful wife! She keeps me grounded and focused on what is important in life and golf.
The new friends I have met at the Roundel Glen Golf Course. Their positive attitude keeps me motivated!
The awesome golf tips I receive from White Dragon Golf, All About Golf, the Crunchy Golfer, and MindBodyGolf. Also, their continued support for the past two years; they make it fun to talk about golf!
Connecting with hundreds of people from around the world who share the same passion I have for golf!
The support from strangers when things are not going well. The always extend words of encouragement!
Learning how to control my ego – this resulted in fewer errors in course management and lower scores!
How golf continues to teach me things about myself and others! It is a gentlemen’s game and by keeping that philosophy, it has helped shape some of the positive aspects of my life!
For my best scoring season ever! The conversations, tips, hits, drills and positive support from everyone has helped lower my handicap to 2.8. The lowest ever!
The laughs, joys, jokes, and camaraderie I have with my regular golfing group. I look forward to our weekend games and appreciate their company every time!

As you can see, my being grateful is not completely tied to how I score on the golf course. This year, I did play well, but I attribute much of my success to those around me. The have all helped reshape how I approach my golf game and as a result, I have experienced many great things on and off the course. There is no question that Norman Vincent Peale was correct when he said “Change your thoughts and you change your world!”

Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, supports, advises, and passes on my ramblings! Golf is a fantastic sport, but the real treasure is in the connections we make with other golfing fanatics!

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