I played my first match in on the Open side of the match play events at Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. It was a head to head battle against one of, if not the, best player at my home course. Len is a great player who hits the ball very long, has a great touch around the green and is a strong putter. I had my work cut out for me if I was going to have any chance of winning this match. We decided to play the ball down and as a result, both of us found some very difficult lies as the round progressed. Regardless, it was the same for both of us and as such the fairest way to play our round. As it turned out, this match was a seesaw battle without a storybook ending.
Continue readingGrateful Golfer
Working At My Short Game To Lower My Golf Score
This season I have dedicated some time to improving my short game. I have adjusted my stance and ball position and feel that this major change has definitely helped with shots around 100 yards or closer. I still have a couple of struggles mishitting the ball, but that is to be expected when trying to create a new normal. I have a match today against Len, who is probably one of the top three players at the course. I am up there as well, so it should be a great match where nothing is conceded. With this in mind, I will put into use some of the things I practiced over the past few weeks.
Continue readingAnother Successful Step Towards Being The Club Champion
Yesterday, I played my second match in the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort’s Club Championship. This is fourth year I organized and ran this event for my home course and I am happy to say I snuck through to the third round. My tough opponent, JC, was not going to make it easy for me and right from our first tee shots the match was a back and forth battle. The best part of our round is that it was just fun. JC is a great golfer and even better playing partner. It was the total package of fun and excitement.
Continue readingPlaying Early In The Morning
One of the benefits of being a member of the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort is the ability to play early bird golf. This allows me to play a quick round of golf with no other players on the course. It usually takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to play two balls on the nine hole course. I love it because I have an entire day to do whatever with my time. There are other benefits that are often overlooked, yet I am reminded ever time I hit the links early.
Continue readingPlaying Winning Golf
As I watch the Open this weekend from the Dunluce Course, which refers to the championship course at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, I am trying to figure out the solution to playing winning golf. The professionals all have a plan on how to play this challenging course and I am sure it is tailormade to their game; execution of that plan will be the challenge. Many amateurs, including myself most of the time, do not develop a plan but play reactive golf. We determine our next move by the result of our previous shot. This is a fun way to play golf, but not necessarily conducive to low golf scores. We are not playing winning golf, but hope and prayer golf. And that needs to change.
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