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.
Continue readingChoosing The Right Club From 160 Yards
Many golfers have a challenge selecting the proper club from a mid iron distance. In my case, this distance ranges from 160 to 180 yards. I have clubs on either side of this distance that I can comfortably hit, however using a 6 or 5 iron in that distance range does not always produce the consistent results that I crave. I am not sure why this is the case, but I think it has something to do with my ball position. I will have to study that a bit more in the future, but for now, I have a quick fix that works for my game.
Continue readingUgly But Effective Golf Shots
How many times have we mishit a golf shot only to see that the results were awesome. This happens from time to time and I have had my share of ‘ugly but effective’ golf shots. The reason for the success of an ugly shot is that I prepared for success. Sometimes we have to accept that the results was suppose to happen regardless of how it happened. In golf, this is a constant during every round. There are lucky bounces and those are not what I mean in today’s posts, but other shots that have a positive result. Let me explain further.
Continue readingHow To Select The Proper Golf Shot
The decision to hit any golf club can be super easy or extremely difficult. These choices can apply to the same shot depending on what you decide to achieve. Many times poor results from a golf shot are not the result of a poor swing, but from a poor decision. I am guilty of this last instance many times over my career and I am hoping that I am learning not to repeat history. The question that keeps popping up is how to prevent a poor golf shot by making the proper shot at the right time. Well, I know I have a process that works for me and it is simple to execute, easily repeatable, and it works every time. I bet you are wondering what I am talking about right now, if so, keep reading!
Continue readingFocused Practice With My Hickory Sticks
With the Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship at Whirlpool Golf Course on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, 2025 it is time to hone my skills with my hickory sticks. In order to achieve this lofty goal, I am taking more time to practice. Specifically, I am writing my yardages down on my mismatched clubs in order to understand when to hit what club. Due to the manufacturers and age of the clubs, what might seem like a no-brainer 7 iron shot, is actually a challenge because of the different reactions to hitting a ball. Regardless, I have started my journey and I am excited to see what happens this year at the hickory event. Back to how I am approaching my practice times with my wooden shafted golf clubs.
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The Grateful Golfer 