My Golf Season Is Coming To An End

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

It is always a challenge during the fall season to get out on the links to play a round of golf. Most of the time, I am engaged in other activities, but once in a while I hit the links in order to play that one last fantastic round with friends. Yesterday was one of those days. I had not swung a club in a bit and was a bit rusty which is to be a expected. However, no matter how I hit the ball, nothing replaced the great time I had with my friend Mike as we looped the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort.

Mike does not live in the area, so we try to play a round or two when he visits. We met about 8 years ago at the Osprey Links Golf Course and have become good friends every since. Over the years, we developed a little match play game where the winner can receive the maximum of three dollars, but the real prize is the bragging rights. I have to admit that before yesterday Mike has dominated the matches over the past three years. Well, yesterday is a different story.

When we hit the links yesterday it was sunny and 20° C (68° F). The course was in good shape, it was empty and it felt like we owned the place. Overall, the conditions were fantastic to play a round of golf.

We both started off rough that led to me being up one after the first hole. It took a couple more swings for the both of us to start hitting some decent shots. We trade points (and jabs at each other) so that we were tied heading into the 9th hole. This is where Mike’s wheels fell off. Normally a very consistent player, Mike struggled for three holes and that was enough for me to step on the gas and win the match. Interestingly, we still were trading blows for the rest of the round, but not enough to Mike to make a dent in the score. The final tally was that I won three dollars and all the bragging rights!

The golf was secondary to the great time I had on the links. We laughed, joked, told stories and just enjoyed the moment of playing golf with friends. We scooted around the course as if we did not have a care in the world. And at the end of the round we went into the golf course for Brenda’s world famous turkey club sandwich. I raved about this sandwich to Mike for years and I am happy to say that the meal did not disappoint. Mike loved the turkey club and agreed that it was on of the best he ever tasted. What a fantastic way to top of our round.

Hitting a white ball around a huge open space is always fun. What makes the round fantastic is playing golf with friends. That is what happened yesterday as Mike and I had the chance to enjoy on of the final days of my golf season for 2025. I hope I can get a couple more rounds in before the snow flies, but for now, if my season was to end, I am grateful it ended on a high note.

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

Scramble Vs Best Ball Format

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Often confused terms are scramble vs best ball format. Most amateurs have the opposite views on these formats and as such mix up the meanings. I thought it would be a good idea to explain these two formats as they are the usual playing methods of charity or team golf tournaments. It really is counterintuitive, but not hard to understand.

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Why Do We Hit Behind A Golf Ball?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Do you hit behind the ball often during a round of golf? The ‘chunk’ shot is so frustrating that it literally causes fits in many players. Bottoming out your swing plane at the wrong position is a constant theme of an unsuccessful golf swing. This challenge is very prevalent in beginner golfers, some mid handicap golfers and sometimes in elite players. It is something that all golfers are wary off when playing and fortunately there are a few fixes after you identify your swing challenge. Lets delve into why we hit behind the ball and potential fixes.

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Finding Your Aim Point When Putting

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

There takes a bit of imagination to be a great putter in golf. Understanding who our ball will react to the conditions of the green is something gleaned through experience. I have played golf for 50 years and I still find it challenging sometimes on the short grass. I often wonder why after all this time I still find it challenging to hit my ball into the hole from a relatively short distance. Often my misses are a result of choosing the wrong aim point. I make solid contact and my ball rolls over where I chose, but it still misses the hole. Why is that and can it please stop!

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Hitting Your Ball By Mistake

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Have you ever hit a ball during a practice swing? Of course it was unintentional and besides the embarrassment, there should be no penalty for this faux pas. Over the years I was asked about this mistake and since the rules changed in 2019, the embarrassment would be compounded by extra strokes on your scorecard. As I think about this scary scenario, I often wonder if people understand rule that the rule has changed and there is still a chance to be assessed a penalty stroke depending on where the incident happened. Let me explain further.

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