Golf Drill: Making Solid Contact

/ The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Solid, consistent contact between the ball and the club face is paramount to great golf. I am always looking for new and innovative drills to share with The Grateful Golfer Community! Additionally, I think it is important that the drills are easy to duplicate and provide immediate feedback to the player.

At Golfshake.com, Steve Astle of the East Midlands Golf Academy talks though a drill that you can use on the practice ground to help you improve your ball striking. This drill improves the consistency of your ball striking making sure create a quality contact with the ball every time.

This is a great drill for me to use during my practice sessions in the spring of 2016. I have never used impact tape before and for the life of me cannot understand why! Before I rush out and buy some, have anyone of you used impact tape before? If so, are you pro or con?

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

The Biggest Dilemma in Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

There is an age-old dilemma in golf! It is on every players mind every time the stand next to their ball wondering which club to hit next. They are at 175 yards, hitting over water, with a wide open, yet tricky green to land on. The dilemma has arrived; play safe or go for it!

I asked this very question a short time ago, and was surprised by the response.

81% of the respondents had enough confidence in their game that they felt going for it was the answer! Personally, I would go for it as well, but I would have to admit, I would not go for it every time. @cencalhack added a qualifier to his comments below and most golfers would agree that “going for it” depends on many factors.

Hitting a long shot over water is difficult at best. There are so many factors that must be considered, that I am not sure we amateurs actually consider them all! So, I thought I would make my list and see if I am forgetting something. If I am forgetting something, please let me know! Here is what I look at when hitting the ball 175 yards, over water, to an open, tricky green:

  1. Lie. My lie will have to be relatively flat and in the first cut or fairway for my next shot to be an automatic go shot.
  2. Wind. Which way is the wind blowing and how strong is the wind are definitely.
  3. Hazards. The water hazard is the most obvious hazard, but what about the hazards by the green. What happens if I hit long, left or right? Are there out-of-bounds markers near the green?
  4. Feel. How am I playing to this point? If I am playing poorly, well a lay up shot might be the best course management approach. If I am playing well, then pin hunting might be the solution.

My list is fairly generic, but covers most situations. Again, if you have any suggestions, I am all ears!

One final note, ego does play a part of golf. Some players (myself included sometimes) automatically reach for a club when we get to a specific distance or think “that difficult shot” is in our bag. Playing automatically is not good course management and will cost us strokes over 18 holes. So beware of that dreaded ego!

It is important to remember that risk – reward is part of every golf shot!

Regardless of your decision, commit to the shot because anything can happen on the golf course!

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

Bring On 2016

/ The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment
Norwood Golf Course 3 Nov 14 (12)

2016 is going to be an awesome golfing year! I am a grateful golfer!

2016 is going to be an awesome year! The first day of any new adventure brings the hope and confidence of something great to come! I am excited to renew my quests and to commence many new ones. 2016 will be a year of change; changes that I embrace and will meet will a positive, focused, and grateful attitude!

2016 is going to an awesome year!  It is a year full of hope and endless possibilities.  I believe that our destiny is in our own hands.  We all have the ability to create the future we want.  The only thing that stops us form achieving our goals is ourselves. Golf is but one avenue for us all to achieve greatness!

As 2016 unfolds, I am looking forward to all the exciting adventures coming my way. I am anxiously anticipating working through all the challenges, sharing positive experiences and hearing from The Grateful Golfer community!

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

The Grateful Golfer – 2015 Year in Review

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

As 2015 comes to a close, I like to take the time and review my golf year. I like to objectively look at all the factors that attributed to the various ups and downs of my season. In the past, my introspective look at the past helps develop my plan for the future. In some cases, I want history to repeat itself; in other cases, lets just say that a change is needed.

To start my critical assessment, lets review my goals for 2015:

This year, I am trying something different. My goals will be tangible, realistic, achievable and results oriented. Here is what I am going to accomplish this year:

  • Win 1 golf tournament; – Achieved
  • Make the Ontario Military Regional Golf Team; – Missed by 2 spots (3 strokes)
  • Place in the top 10 at the Military National Golf Tournament;- Missed
  • Help someone become a better golfer; – Achieved
  • Play 60+ rounds of golf; and – Achieved
  • Become a scratch golfer! – Missed – Lowest handicap was 2.8

According to my direct goals, I was 50%. But as we all know, stats can lie and this is not the real story. Let me explain!

DSCF4745

The Duck Stays in Europe!

My 2015 golf season started off very slow. I missed the first month for work and a vacation to Europe. Neither I would change, but this slow start did have some lingering effects as the season wore on. On a positive note, The Duck stayed in Europe and I look forward to another match this year against my good buddy, Kirk!

Hopewell Rocks 2015 (55)

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada

Additionally, I missed about 1 month of golf in September due to work and a vacation to Quebec, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada. Neither I would change as both were fun and I spent some quality time with my wife and best friend. These excursions definitely had an impact on my golf game this year, but not something I would have changed; special time with the people I love and sharing awesome experiences with them reminds me to why I a grateful for everything in my life!

Back to my season! As the year unfolded, I found it difficult to find a groove. I was not comfortable over the ball for most of the season and only found sparks of great play. My usual streak of 6-8 weeks of great golf did not materialize this year. I can attribute my inconsistency to lack of practice at the beginning of the year. Normally, I spend the first 2-3 weeks practicing my short game and getting my “feel” back. Unfortunately, this year it did not happen. I would rate my preparation for my golf season as poor in 2015.

As the season unfolded, my game did improve. Before I continue, I think it is important to note that all my assessments are relative to my own expectations and perceived capabilities and not meant to be compared against anyone, but myself. I shot several rounds at par and several from 2-4 over. For some reason, I found shooting a low score was not the problem, consistency was really the challenge. My scoring to 2015 would be rated as average.

ap2_714I changed equipment in July. I was fitted for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I purchased Titleist AP2 Irons and 915 D2 driver, 3-wood, and 3-hybrid. I am completely happy with the new equipment. I am still getting used to how they feel and the different distances each club can produce, but I am close. Overall, my satisfaction with my change of equipment is outstanding; however, when I decide to make a wholesale change of equipment in the future, I would do it at the beginning or end of a golfing season.

There were very few low points in my golfing season this year other than missing 2 months of golf. I played some ugly golf from time to time (as we all do) but I never shot in the 90s, I never lost my sense of humor, and I never lost my gratitude for being able to play golf….period!

On a more positive note, here are some highlights of my 2015 golf season:

I played more golf with my wife than ever before. We made it to the range and links on a regular basis and it made a great difference in both our games. More importantly, I was spending time doing two of my favorite things – hanging with my best friend and hitting the links.

I was part of a team that won a 2 man scramble golf tournament. My friend Jean played very well and he was tired at the end of round from carrying me for 18 holes. It was great fun and walking away with some hardware always makes things seem better.

I played golf at some pretty nice courses in the local area – Wildfire Golf and Country Club, Keystone Links, Black Bear Ridge, Trillium Woods, Bay of Quinte Golf Club, and of course my home track of Roundel Glen Golf Course. This year Roundel Glen was in its best shape for years. A big shout out to our superintendent, Jeremy Sizer, and his team for doing a fantastic job with the course. I played some great courses this year, but the best part was the people I played with! They made playing at these courses a more enjoyable experience.

My three rounds at the Ontario Regional Golf Championship. I finished 7th and missed making the Ontario team by 2 positions (3 strokes). Over the 54 hole event, I shot 79 on all three days. Now many would think that missing the team would prevent this experience from being a highlight of 2015, but I think we need to look at what really happened. I learned more from just coming up short, than if I had made the team. I was very happy with the way I fought for every stroke and kept in the mix throughout the entire event! Playing at Regionals was a definite highlight of the year.

Lastly, the best aspect of my 2015 golf season was the people. I met some fantastic people on and off the course due to golf. My old friends are awesome! They are always there with a positive comment, to pick me up and to help correct my wayward game – I am always grateful for their friendship.

Also, I had the opportunity to interact with new positive, like-minded people who enriched my life in some way. Golf is definitely a contact sport, and each year I am grateful for the awesome people I meet and eventually call my friends.

My 2015 golf season is definitely in the books. As the snow has finally arrived, I am sitting in my house taking this opportunity to really examine my season. I met some great people and played some fantastic courses.  Keeping everything in perspective, my low points were minor bumps in the road that do not need any further attention! It is time to look to the future and start preparing for another awesome golf season in 2016.

Overall, I would rate my 2015 golf season as a resounding success!

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

Golfing in Cooler Weather

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments
DSCF4783

Golf in cooler weather is a challenge.

Golf is not a sport for fair-weather players. Well actually, many golfers are fair-weather players, but I am not one. I play in the rain, wind, heat, and cold. Of all these conditions, I find playing in the cold the most difficult.

Playing in the cold is a given in Canada. Unlike this year, the cold weather starts to set in around October and does not leave until April. However, if the brave are willing to embrace the cooler weather, the off-season can be shortened by a couple of months.

I have written about playing in the cold weather before and I touched on 5 main topics to consider when playing fall or spring golf in the northern climates. For more details on the 5 topics below, click here:

  • A toque is a must.
  • Gloves are a benefit.
  • Keeping hydrated is critical.
  • Choosing the correct golf ball!
  • Lastly, avoid getting wet.

I recently did a poll on about golfing in cold weather and wondered what the golfing community considered what to keep warm when playing in cooler temperatures. Not surprisingly, here is what the masses had to say:

Keeping our hands warm is the most important thing for me aswell. When my hands get cold, I loose my feel, strength, and flexibility. Also, every miss hit feels like I am holding a giant frozen tuning fork that will not stop vibrating! Playing with cold hands is extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful.

As many of you venture out to play golf in cooler temperatures, remember to keep your hands warm; warm hands will help you shoot lower scores and have fun as you loop the links enjoying the great outdoors!

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