The theory of fractions is a real thing. A millimeter (fraction of an inch) here and a millimeter there is the difference between a fantastic shot and, well, a mutter under our breath about our misfortune! Through the years, millimeters have changed the fortune of many rounds.
In golf, as opposed to any other sport, the slightest ‘anything’ will turn a poor shot into a magnificent one. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. Golf is such a game of fractions that it borders on the unbelievable. For those who are not really sure that the slightest movement in any direction makes a difference, then keep reading! Continue reading →
This question, “Are you a golf snob?” is making you think right now. Being called a golf snob is not good for our ego, but I think we can handle it! There are many types of golf snobs, but I have narrowed it down to four with the help of OOBGolf. I have modified some of their categories, but the real inspiration for this article came from a question I asked on twitter yesterday. (if you have a Twitter account don’t forget to vote)
How would you like to shoot a 78 in golf? #golfchat
Practicing to break 100 is something that causes most weekend golfers tremendous anxiety. Many believe that they have to practice for hours on the range perfecting a near impossible swing, when really all they want to do is play golf and have fun. The goal of breaking 100 is the first major milestone in most golfing careers. To accomplish this amazing feat, one will have to practice and focused practicing will save the most strokes. And the focused practicing area that will result in the best results is within 9 feet of the hole.
The Grateful Golfer believes that putts under 9 feet is where most high handicap players will save the most strokes and take their first step towards breaking 100. If you have never practiced putts within a 9 foot circle of the hole, you don’t know what your are missing!
An inexpensive way to practice this sure fire way of lower your score is to take 12 tees; stand beside the hole and take one step; place a tee. Take another step; place a tee. Finally, take a third step; place a tee. Now repeat this process three times at 90 degrees from the previous line. This will use up all 12 of the tees.
Star Putting Drill above places tees at 3,4,and 5 feet. The Grateful Golfer recommends same formation but with tees place at 3,6,and 9 feet.
Next take three balls. Putt all thee balls from the 12 o’clock position, from 3 feet, until you sink three. Then move to the 3 o’clock position and sink three; repeat at the 6 and 9 o’clock position. Now, move back to the 6 foot position. Instead of 3 balls sunk before moving, sink only two. Repeat for all four cardinal positions. Finally, move back to the 9 foot position. Sink one and move on until you have sunk a ball from all four positions. This process will likely take about 10-15 minutes max and that includes set up.
As your putting skill improves, increase the number of balls sunk from the 6 and 9 foot positions. Next, sink the balls consecutively before moving; thus increasing the difficulty of the drill. If a player can practice this easy drill once or twice a week they will be amazed on how many strokes they will save. Additionally, this skill will greatly improve their confidence, gain the awe of their friends and eliminate the dreaded 3-putt!
There are many variations of this drill. However, I have found this one to be the fastest and easiest drill to set up and perform. I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Golfers are fearless! Without hesitation, they face all natures elements because of an innate desire to finish 18 holes. Some would call this crazy, others compulsive, and others brave….well it is really hard to judge. Most golfers set their own limits and will decide to walk of the course when they have reached their fear factor.
Some will say “challenge the elements”; or “I will face whatever mother nature can throw at me!” Some like, the Bishop from Caddyshack, continue to challenge mother nature and even challenged God…..to his own peril.
On June 28, 1975, while playing in the 1975 Western Open, Lee Trevino was struck by lightning while playing golf. The odds of being hit by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 300,000 thousand. He has been struck by lightning 3 times while playing golf! His Western Open incident led to one of the most famous quotes in golf where Trevino stated that if he were out on the course and it began to storm again; he would take out his one iron and point it to the sky, “because not even God can hit the one-iron.”
Personally, I have played in rain, pouring rain, pelting rain, freezing rain, hail, snow, blistering heat, using a flashlight (to tee off at 5 am), wearing 3 outer sweatshirts and wearing long underwear. There is virtually no weather conditions that I will not play in except one: lightning! Nope, I do not care how good my game is going, I draw the line at lightning.
So how do we know when lightning is close enough that it is time to walk away? That is a very good question. For me, it is if I see the lightning or the the thunder is so loud that it makes me flinch.
While playing men’s night on Wednesday, we encountered one of those times when a decision had to be made about whether to continue playing or walk away. As we watched this storm cloud roll quickly across the golf course, we decided to carry on….mostly because there was no thunder or lightning associated with the cloud. As it turned out, it rained monsoon like for 5 minutes then cleared up! (I will not tell you where my umbrella was because you would all just laugh at me!) We were wet, but never in any danger…on a side note I found out that I am water tight because the rain just roll off me like water off a ducks back….who knew!
In all seriousness, it is important to know when to walk away from the links. Your health is more important than a low golf score! The golf course is a place to have fun, challenge yourself and meet new people. It is not a place to tempt fate by being foolish. So regardless of much fun you are having it is important to know when to walk away.
Recently, my golf ball is travelling 20 yards further off the tee. It only started two weeks ago and I am extremely grateful for the extra distance. Every reader will agree that being 20 yards closer on an approach shot is a gift from heaven. To accomplish this wonderful feat, I only changed one thing in my swing – the launch angle of my ball! Yup, that is it. Nope, nothing more complicated than that.
In an earlier post, I brushed over launch angle by discussion how high to tee my ball. But this is not the case this time. All I did was drop my right shoulder! I dropped my right shoulder and continued to swing the same way. The result was to catch the ball on the up side of my swing that results in 20 yards further….I am gob-smacked to say the least.
Stephen Salzberg at Forbes discusses launch angle and the optimum for the driver; Brent Kelly at About.com defines launch angle very well, Leaderboard.com also defines launch angle, but is slightly different, and Golf AcademyOne explains Golf Science and its relation to distance; all these articles are a great read if you want to see how a simple change can make a monstrous difference.
The video below is great to explain about launch angles and how they vary depending on swing speed, set up, etc. It was very helpful when I made my adjustment.
Hitting the ball further has really helped me enjoy the game of golf more….I wonder what else I can fix. I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 