A Little Range Work Goes A Long Way

August 10, 2015August 9, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Yesterday my wife and I hit the range to improve our ball striking abilities. We both understand the value of taking time to practice the finer points of our swing and to refine areas that will help lower our score.

My session at the range was prompted by my friend, Mac Adams, who dropped me a note about his recent practice session. Mac and I talk about ways to improve our game and we try to play at least one home and home at our local courses. Here is what Mac had to say:

I decided to go to the driving range today instead of playing. I played 18 Mon, Thur, and Friday (Timber Ridge) and I/S Tues. I thought that the range would be a better benefit. Shot 88 twice last week and had too many doubles.

I found most of my strokes were lost by my tee shots wandering and not having a chance to hit the green on the 2nd shot. So I went to Trillium to figure out my drive. I used a dry erase marker and covered the face of my driver to show where I was hitting the ball. I had a lot of shots off the heel. Half way through the bucket, with some adjustments, I found that if I kept my hands and wrists soft and let loose coming into the ball I was hitting straight and fairly long.

I just wanted to figure out what I needed to do for the good drives. I know they won’t all be golden, but I didn’t want to be thinking and changing things on the course. Hopefully I can get a few rounds under 85 in the near future.

Mac’s assessment of his challenges were spot on and he made some positive adjustments on the range to lower his score. I am looking forward to hearing how his efforts translate into lower scores.

Low and Left

Perfect Location!

A Little Low

The range closest to my house is a newly opened course and things are a bit rough around the edges. However, the range is reasonable and the range balls have red paint on them. This may seem a bit strange, but I use the red line to help determine where I am making contact on the ball.

After about 75 balls and several adjustments, I started making the contact I was looking for. At first I was hitting the ball to thin, low on the club face and a bit on the inside. But, at the end I was making solid consistent contact in the proper position on the club face.

To achieve the contact I was looking for, I had to make a couple small adjustments.

First, I was playing the ball to far forward in my stance. My adjustment was only an inch, but it made a tremendous difference.
Second, my back foot was slightly set up behind my front foot. This caused me to push the ball or have an uncontrollable draw.
Last, my attack angle was too steep. This was caused by my over aggressive forward weight shift.

These three adjustments seem like quite a bit, but one thing led to another and I was able to make quick changes that will hopefully translate into lower scores on the links.

Inspiration to improve your golf game can come in all forms. In this case, my success on the range was a result of a conversation with a friend about our favorite sport: golf.

Thanks Mac!

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

Winning the Two Man Scramble

August 9, 2015August 10, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 11 Comments

Jim and Jean posing with Canadian Open Trophy at the Toronto Golf Show in April 2015.

Yesterday, Jean and I tied for first in the 2-man scramble golf tournament at Roundel Glen Golf Course. There were 21 teams (42 players total) who competed in this event in attempts to walk away with the first prize and more importantly bragging rights! This is the second year in a row that Jean and I competed in this fun event and the second time we walked away with prizes! We improved our standing of second place last year and look to be clear winners next year!

Our goal this year was to shoot lower than our last year’s score of 66. I am happy to report we shot an eight under, 64 before subtracting our handicap of 1 stroke. Overall, we shot a handicapped score of 63. This beats our last year’s handicap by 3 strokes. We played very well and only left three strokes on the course.

We started the round with 3 straight birdies and lipped out for birdie on the 4th hole. It was the strong start we were looking for and it set us up for success for the rest of the round. After a birdie on the 9th hole, we finish the front 9 with a score of 32. The back nine was really no different. With four birdies we shot a 32 again for a score of 64.

Our round may sound a bit routine given our handicap, however it was anything but routine. We made hit 15 of 18 greens. We made 8 of 15 putts for birdie, we were up and down 3 for 3 from off the green (hit the pin on one chip), we lipped out 3 times, and were never in trouble at all during the round. This is atypical for us; today our games were very complimentary and as a result we played very well.

Jean’s short game was on fire. He was closest on most approach shots and his putting was the best I had seen in quite some time. He was straight off the tee and as a result, I was able press some shots by cutting corners and shortening our approach shots. In a 2-man scramble, it is critical the lead player hit the ball in play and today Jean was that guy!

We had plenty of fun today. We want to thank Mike Clare, the GM of Roundel Glen Golf Course and host of this fun event, for organizing a great time for all. The chicken wings, pizza, and libations were a great touch and much appreciated by all!

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

Golf Strategy: A Two Man Scramble

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Last year’s 2-Man Scramble on the first tee. Jean is happy to playing in the rain!

Tomorrow is the second time (last year was the first) my friend Jean and I will play in a two-man scramble. It is a low-key event with 20+ teams and handicaps will be applied. Our second place finish last year is something Jean and I will build on to see if we can win it all. The big prize in this event is the bragging rights as most of the players are regulars at my home course of Roundel Glen.

Similar to last year, the rules for this tournament are pretty simple. The handicap of the two players are added together, divided by two and multiplied by 25% (was .75% last year). The multiplying factor is a slight change from last year.

What this means is: my handicap is 3.8, Jean’s handicap is 10.8, combined 14.6, divided by 2 is 7.30, multiplied by 25% is 1.8; everything is rounded down to the nearest whole number. Therefore, our handicap for this tournament is 1. For those non golfers, this means we are awarded one stroke on the toughest hole on the course. So if we shoot a 4 on the toughest hole, we would record a 3 on our scorecard. All things being equal and everyone is honest, this method of using our handicap is golf’s way of leveling the playing field.

Our strategy was straight forward last year. This is how it unfolded:

Jean tees off first on all par 5s and short par 3s.
Jim tees off first on all par 4s and long par 3s.
Jean is first to hit our second shot inside 175 yards.
Jim is first to hit our second shot outside of 175 yards.
Jean chips first by all green.
Jean putts first on all greens.

This year, things will be a bit different. We will play to our strengths. Jean hits the ball farther off the tee than I do, however my short game is a bit stronger. So, I will hit first on all par 5s. Jean will hit first off the tee all other times except for two short par 4s that Jean can reach, so I will put us in play on those holes. Jean will hit first for all second shots, chips and putts. This strategy will be modified as the day goes on to ensure we make the most out of every opportunity to score low.

We are looking forward to improving our score from last year. With a change in the handicap system, the scores might be a bit higher this year, so our goal will be shot a 66 again and see what happens.

Regardless of the outcome, this event is a great time to hang out with my fellow grateful golfers doing what we like to do most – play golf.

Our strategy is set, what do you think? What would you do?

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

Golfing for Fun

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

You never know what you will find in a golf hole!

The past month or so, I have focused on preparing for a 54-hole golf tournament and lowering my score. All of this preparation was driven by focused intent and my desire to be a scratch golfer. Over the past week, I consciously took my foot off the gas pedal in order to relax and have a bit of fun before making the final push at the end of my golfing season.

The last three rounds demonstrated that having fun (a more relaxed type of fun) on the course is just as important as remaining focused during every shot. The result is two-fold.

First, I really enjoy walking around the course with my playing partners because we light-heartedly poke fun at each other.

During this time, my score raises slightly, but it is of little consequence. Additionally, I try different shots. Ones that I would not normally try, but should have in my bag in case I really need it.

For example, trying to hit over a bush when the smart play is to go under. Or, hitting my 3-hybrid from 220 yards out over a creek. Or, hitting my driver on holes that only require a 3-wood off the tee. Trying these shots go against my normal focus on course management, but the risk/reward makes my rounds a bit more enjoyable.

The second change is my wife’s interest in golfing more. This aspect of my game that excites me the most. We casually play 9 holes or hit the range for a large bucket of balls. My wife knows the fundamentals and is implementing each aspect of her swing at her own speed. If she asks for help, I am there to offer a suggestion. The part I like the most is spending time together in a relaxed and fun environment. This is my idea of fun in golf.

It is important to change things once in a while. There are times to be serious, but just as importantly, there are times to just have fun. Right now, I am doing the latter. This mid-season pause usually lasts about two weeks, however the fun of playing golf with my wife will last a lifetime.

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

Golf Etiquette – Playing Through

August 3, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

Slow play is no fun on the golf course!

Today was a fantastic day on the golf course. The Bay of Quinte Golf and Country Club was in great shape, the greens were fast, and my foursome was first-rate! Although I did not adjust to the speed of the greens at all, playing a new course is always fun and exciting.

During the round, it rained, the wind picked up, my push cart broke, and I could not adjust to the speed of the greens (oh yeah, covered that already). Some would look at my round and suggest that I might have been able to do something better with my time, but I would unequivocally disagree with that suggestion. Today was a great round because of our group. Everyone played like gentlemen and the stories were funny and numerous!

Working our way round the links did pose a bit of an etiquette dilemma. On a side note, as most of you know, I am adamantly against slow play. As a foursome, we strive to finish our round in approximately 4 hours give or take 15 minutes. Today, we finished in 4 hours and 10 minutes. So, we were right on our target time and the recommended time by the course. After the fourth hole, we let a twosome in a cart go through and merrily went on our way. On the fifth hole, a foursome showed up behind us. The did wait for some shots, but for the most part, I think, they did not have to wait that much. Behind this foursome was two, twosomes who did not join up.

The foursome was always about 3/4 of hole behind us. They never really got closer, but were rarely out of our sight line. They likely matched our speed and carried on their way. Unfortunately, I felt as if they were pushing us quite often. It was nothing they did, but as a rule I do not like to hold anyone up if they are playing faster.

At the end of the day, we did not let the foursome through because they were never that close where the opportunity arose. I think we made the right decision by not waiting for 15 minutes for them to catch us then play through, but it has been a long time where I have felt like I was holding up the course.

So my question to you is: should we have waited the 15 minutes to allow this group to play through?

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