Grateful Golfer

How Is Your Golf Game This Season?

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Well, we are in mid season up north and it is time to take stock of our golf games. If you are playing better this year than last, then congrats and keep going. If you are struggling a bit…..well, keeping working at your game. With such a short golf season, it is a challenge for most players to balance the life, work, golf thing in order to satisfy all aspects of their lives. Personally, I am luck as I have struck a great balance and with the support of my loving wife, I get to play lots of golf. To accomplish the itch to play more, I generally head to the course for early birds (before 7 am) in order to play 18 holes and still have accomplish other life events. Overall, all is going fairly well.

This year I decided to focus as much on my modern clubs as with my hickory sticks. With the Northern Hickory Golf Tour (more on that in a later post) and the Ontario Open Hickory Championship (Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship, 2-day hickory golf event, Whirpool GC (Saturday, Oct 3 – Sunday, Oct 4); 9-hole hickory event at Niagara-on-the-Lake GC (Friday, Oct 2 or Monday, Oct 5)– contact George Supol (supolconsultancy@gmail.com), I felt I needed to dedicate more time to playing with my hickories in order to be able to compete with the other golf enthusiasts. This does not mean to say I am not playing with my modern clubs, but that I am sharing the time between the two.

My mid season game is improving. I am hitting the ball better and I am putting well. I still need work on my approach shots, but how does not….right? My current challenges are the same for both sets and I am working through everything. Regardless of the results, I am truly grateful to be able to play as much as I do and with some amazing friends.

A couple of days ago, I hit the links early with my hickories. It was quite foggy and cool. I enjoyed my round and hit some wonderful shots. I also hit some stinkers, but that is the way with my hickories. The leading edge of all my irons is very sharp and I have a tendency to dig in to the ground if I mishit the ball. Yet, another thing to work on.

In the picture below, you can see how foggy the conditions were early in my round. I am standing on the third green about 50 feet from the pin. You can also see the amount of due on the green and that posed a bit of putting challenge as I had to hit the ball quite hard to reach the hole.

Having suggested that the due was a challenge, the image below shows how to track the ball into the hole from 40 feet away. It was a great putt and it saved my par! I guess there is some learning value to plenty of dew on the green.

My golf season is going as expected. As I play and practice more, my game is getting sharper. To test my progress, I am playing in a few more tournaments in August and September. This is quite normal and I am looking forward to the competition. As for now, it is steady as it goes.

Additionally, I am planning to write more articles as I have slacked off due to life things. So stay tuned for some more musing and tips in the future.

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

When The Wheels Fall Off Your Golf Game

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Today started off amazingly on the golf course. The Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort is in great shape, the sun was shining, the bugs were almost non-existent and my playing partner was fantastic. Overall, my round started off great and I was playing very well on the front nine. Actually, Blair and I were both playing great until we hit the back nine and the wheels fell off. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for our poor play…..it just happened. I am not sure what happened and yet it did. Such is golf and I am still trying to find the reason for the change and I think I have the solution.

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Making More Adjustments To My Golf Swing

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Every golfer I know works on their golf swing. They try different aspects or make small changes in order to gain the advantage they need to lower their golf score. Well, I am no different. Over the past six months of playing (about a year due to our winter layoff) I have tried to change my golf swing. I can honestly tell you that it my efforts have not produced the changes expected, so it is time to change back and start fresh. It has been a fun, frustrating and fruitful adventure and I will explain how my journey produced all three, yet differing results.

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Happy Father’s Day 2026

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JimDad

30 years ago. How time flies!

I have the best Dad in the world! I am sure this statement is being lauded around the world again and again. Of course, we think our father was the greatest because of the positive impact he had on our lives, but really, my Dad was the best. Unfortunately, our time together was far too short and over the past 25 years, I sure could have used some of his sage wisdom to get me through some tough times. Fortunately, my father-in-law was there to help fill some of the void and I am grateful for his advice, wisdom, and love along the way.

My Dad taught me so much that it is difficult to list it all. He demonstrated how to be a father through kindness and love that he showed towards my Mom everyday, how to stand up and be accountable for my actions, when to sacrifice for the good of the family, and how to have fun on life’s journey. He taught me that friendship is more important than money and to treat everyone as if they were your friend. His life lessons are the core of my being and for that I am ever grateful to my Dad

He taught me how to fish, the importance of tipping your barber, how to build a cottage, how to play horseshoes, how to hang a picture straight (well I am still learning that lesson), how to ride a bike, and why it is important to spend time with the ones you love. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

My Dad was always around for us. His greatest gift to my siblings and I was time. He played games with us, took us places, and understood when to give us our space. He always made the time for everyone and never demonstrated frustration or disappointment when asked for help. My Dad showed me the value of personal discipline in all areas of my life. Looking back, he always seemed to know what to do at the right time.

Also, my Dad taught me how to play golf! He taught me how to swing and how to use of the different clubs. He taught me the importance of etiquette, fixing your ball marks, and where to stand on the green when someone was putting. He showed me all the fundamentals that are essential to being a good golfer. These lessons and more, I have used repeatedly for 40 years. I have taken my Dad’s knowledge and passed them on to many people as his lessons were valuable both on and off the course.

I have the greatest Dad in the world. Although he is gone, he is in my heart and I talk to him everyday! Today is a special day for all Dads. It is a day to express how grateful we are for everything they did to make our lives better.

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

Ottawa Hickory Open Championship – Another Must Attend Event

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If you have read some of my previous posts, you will start to see a bit of a trend going on. For the first time, I attended the Ottawa Hickory Open Championship. Organized by Chris Hawes, the Hickory Open Championship is in its third year and has grown to 50 players across 4 divisions. The championship uses the Stableford system of scoring in order to eliminate the high hole errors most hickory stick players experience. Held at the Stonebridge Golf Course in Nepean, this course was perfect and the 5100 yard distance fit well for the Open category of the Hickory Open Championship.

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