On A Train Bound for Nowhere!

January 20, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Are you a gambler?

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers is stuck in my head. For some reason I keep saying the words and humming the tune. After a short while, I realize that there is a lesson to be learned if I decide listen to what Rogers has to say. The chorus particularly applies to golf. Take a look:

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done

How many times are we faced with a risk/reward shot? We walk up to our ball and weigh all the possibilities for success. Then a small voices starts to point out a small percentage shot that would advance the ball towards the green. Suddenly, we are more focused on a ‘losing hand’ then making the smart shot. Tunnel vision sets in and now the only option available is to make the impossible shot.

Enter stage right – The Gambler! Instead knowing when to make the safe shot and invoking proper course management, we attempt the impossible. Most of the time, it does not work. We attempt another crazy shot, then the score counting starts. The pressure mounts and low and behold, a bogey turns into a triple! Ouch! We walk to the next hole mumbling to ourselves how foolish we played the last hole!

Course management is critical in golf! It helps players navigate around the links in the most efficient way possible. It helps players decide when to ‘take their medicine’ or to press a difficult situation. Course management is extremely important if a player wants to lower their golf score. Want to learn more, check out one of my previous articles on course management.

Next time, before you hit the links, think about the chorus from The Gambler! I bet it will change your mental approach to your game and positive things will happen!

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

Travelling With Golf Clubs

December 26, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Ice Storm – I need a golfing vacation!

Another Christmas Day is in the books! I hope everyone enjoyed their time with their special someone and had time to relax, eat, and laugh until your belly hurt. For most of us, winter is still limiting our ability to hit the links. With cold temperatures limit our activities, thoughts of sugar plums in our heads has shifted to golf trips to warmer climates. If you are planning on travelling to play golf anytime soon, it is important to pack your clubs with care.

Packing golf clubs properly makes a tremendous difference to their well-being. Additionally, identifying them with a unique tag, cloth, or ribbon is a must to prevent confusion at your destination. But, these are just a few things that every golfer could do to make sure their golf vacation an overwhelming success. Mark Aumann at the PGA has even more great tips. Here is he has to say:

Try to get a non-stop flight, if possible.

Get a durable, well-made travel bag.

If you use a soft-sided bag, don’t forget to pack a golf club protection device.

Don’t forget that golf bags are considered “oversized check-in”.

Add some personal ID marking to your bag.

Don’t wind up with more luggage than you need.

Think about a cab or car service (or ride to airport).

Pack your clubs so they won’t move around in the travel bag.

Use your travel bag for additional storage.

Don’t leave your expensive electronics in your golf bag.

If you’re still leery of putting your equipment on a plane, do use a shipping service.

For more details, you can read his entire article at PGA.com.

Planning a golf trip anywhere warm is always fun. Proper care of your golf clubs only enhances the experience. I am not planning a golf trip this year, but if you are, I would like to hear about it. So drop me a line and let me know where you are going! It is always fun to share golfing stories when snowbound for 4 months!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links

Golfing In Cold Weather

December 23, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Golfing in cold weather is a challenge for many of us living north of the 49th parallel. Our golfing season can last up to 8 months, but during 3 of those months, we had better be ready for turbulent weather. Excluding rain, cold weather is the greatest challenge for avid golfers in the north. It is not unusual to play golf in single digit (Celsius) conditions early and late in the northern golfing season.

Many players will shrug and say to dress in layers and lets hit the links. Well, that is the simple solution and works most of the time. However, dressing in layers is not as simple as one may think. Generally, I recommend three layers. A dry-fit long-sleeved turtleneck, a cotton golf shirt, and a gortex-type wind breaker for outer wear. I recommend single layer wind pants. As a player starts to walk the course, they will warm up. The trick to playing in cold weather is not to sweat, but stay warm enough to swing the club comfortably. Layers focuses on keeping most of your body warm, but for those who have played in cold weather, they know this is only a partial solution.

Here are some other things to consider when playing in cold weather.

A toque is a must. It will keep your head warm and as most of us cold weather dwellers know, your head is where you lose a large portion of your warmth.
Gloves are a benefit. Personally, I wear mittens in between shots. There are gloves a player can wear all the time, but I have never been able to comfortably swing a club wearing gloves. This is where mitts are a must for me!
Keeping hydrated is critical. Most players forget this important point. During cold weather, dehydration is a very distinct possibility. People forget to drink water and find they lack energy during the last 3 holes.
Choosing the correct golf ball! Balls with lower compression work better in the cooler temperatures. Higher compression golf balls feel like rocks. Lower compression balls with travel farther and not hurt your hands as your round progresses.
Lastly, avoid getting wet. This is an obvious statement, however being wet is not your friend. Whether a player gets wet through sweating too much, walking over dew covered grass, trudging through the snow or digging your ball out of a water hazard, the affect is the same. If you are wet, you get cold. I would recommend carrying an extra pair of socks and mittens just in case.

Playing golf in the cold poses a unique set of challenges. Keeping warm and dry is very important to enjoying a round of golf. Planning your attire, before the round, will help make sure your are comfortable and ready to shoot a low score.

Do you have any suggestions to having fun on the links in cold weather ?

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

A Golf Tip For Everyone

December 19, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

Universal golf tips are difficult to find. Depending on the skill level of the player, a golf tip could be too difficult or too simple. Focusing on more than one movement during a golf swing is often overwhelming for amateur golfers. Therefore, it is very difficult to find that one universal tip that fits the needs of every golfer. Well, for two years I have searched for the elusive tip and I think I have found it!

This drill is so simple, I think everyone can do it! It helps meets the criteria of focusing on one aspect of a golf swing and can be performed by any golfer. It takes only 5 minutes a day and can be practiced anywhere! It is called active visualization. I know we have discussed visualization at length (Visualization for Success, A Growth Mindset, and Visualizing a Shot) and I have finally figured out what was missing.

What was missing was the active part! Normally, when visualizing my golf swing, I think my way through the shot. I try to picture my swing in my mind’s eye through my pre-shot to post-shot routine. I try to keep my concentration on the moment and have achieved relative success. However, I found that I am sometimes easily distracted by other thoughts creeping in, noises, or falling asleep! Ok, now that you have stopped laughing…..

Active visualization is nothing new. My idea actually comes from the movie “Seven Days in Utopia“. The seasoned golf coach in Utopia was helping a struggling golf professional. The first step to improvement was to write out his golf swing. It made the player concentrate on how and why he swung a golf club in a particular way. After some reflection, I think this approach is brilliant.

Active visualization does start with writing out your golf swing. If you are having difficulty, there are many sites that will help. However, it is important to focus on your swing. As you go through the step by step process of writing out your swing, you are in fact analysing your mechanics. This is an important step towards understanding your golf game and is critical to improving your overall game. Once you are done writing, read it out loud to yourself several times.

After reading your Pulitzer prize article aloud, you will remember it step by step. Now, close your eyes and recite your swing to yourself. You will be surprised to see images form within your mind’s eye! You will also see your swing in all its glory!

The cool thing about this process is the ability to make changes. After you have written your swing out in detail, it is easy to identify that part of your swing that is causing you the most difficulty. Once identified, change that part until you are satisfied – watching videos of professional golfers may help if you are experiencing challenges. An important aspect of active visualization is being engaged in the entire process. For 5 minutes (once you have written out your script) anyone can visualize their golf swing and as a result build confidence in their game. Visualization does help lower your golf score, active visualization will provide the foundation to a great golf game.

In future articles, I will share what I have written for my active visualization. But, before I do, what do you think? Do you think this will work? Or am I just crazy?

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

The Golf Swing Basics

December 11, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

The golf swing basics….the golf swing basics….hmmm….. I was thinking and thinking about what this statement actually means. A quick search on the internet produced 7,340,000 hits!!! I could not believe it myself. Feeling like I was hit by a truck carrying a whole library of information, I decided to not look at any of the search results and to think about the answers myself.

The basic golf swing is the key to low scores in golf. If you really think about it, if you could repeat a basic golf swing again and again, your scores would drop dramatically. Through the years it has become very clear to me that as soon as I try to complicate my basic golf swing, my game gets worse! My experience tells me that keeping my approach to golf as basic as possible is when good things happen.

Recently, I read an article at The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer where the author, Vet, provided an answer to many difficult questions. It is very interesting and well worth further research. His answer definitely fits into my approach of trying to use a basic golf swing! This is what he has to say:

THE ANSWER TO PLAYING THE BEST GOLF THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY PLAY, IS TO FIND YOUR “THAT DAY GOLF SWING, YOUR THAT DAY SHORT GAME METHOD, AND YOUR THAT DAY PUTTING STROKE” AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

What is a basic golf swing? I would define it as the natural motion of your body swinging a golf club. It is completely different for everyone. There are aspects of a good basic golf swing that players try to emulate, but they can only copy these movements within the confines of their physical limitations. However, these limitations can be adjusted, changed, and improved.

The most important point of my article, is that a basic golf swing is both innate and modifiable. There is always a natural aspect to everyone’s golf swing and this tenant never changes. However, with a slow determined approach of making improvements will improve any players basic golf swing.

Personally, I used a four pronged approach to improve my basic golf swing because it has proved to be 100% effective. It is pretty straight forward, I use my idea, planning,. execution, and maintenance. This process has never let me down! The one thing that has not really changed is my basic golf swing. Is this making sense?

The basic golf swing is ever-evolving. As I practice and make minor adjustments, a new basic golf swing emerges! The trick is to duplicate my new swing on the course. When I can, I score very low. I have confidence. I have focused course management! When my overall game is so in tune; my swing is simple, basic, and something I can easily repeat on the course.

Do you have a basic golf swing?

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