Belly Putter Banned!

November 29, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Although Keegan Bradley has found success using a belly putter, the American is confident he will find a new way to putt should long putters be banned. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Let the games begin! The National Post ran a very good article about what is next in the process of banning the belly putter. Basically, there is a three-month period for input, then they make a decision and in 2016 no more belly putter. Yawn!

Actually, this is one of those topics I really don’t care about. I believe that a long putter, short putter, belly butter, hockey stick or pool cue makes no difference. Every player still has to hit the shot. I also believe that if the hinged belly putter was so great, everyone would be doing it. That is what happens; golfers adopt anything that will make their game better.

I have tried a belly putter and do not like it. I did not feel more comfortable and my putting stoke was not smooth or consistent. Overall, I think this is one of those rules that should not be a rule. Is there not something more important to worry about like a rule regarding the colour of clothes on tour or to many sponsor labels on your shirt!

Well you know how I feel about this topic; what do you think?

Golf References and Recommendations

November 25, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Today the temperature was -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) on my daily walk. I try to keep fit by exercising and stretching everyday as a way to prepare myself for the next season. As I soaked up the sunshine and cool air, I realized that it was time to expand my golf reference material.

I did a quick search on-line and WOW! There is everything. I quickly was overwhelmed (for now) and decided to get back to it later. Having said that, I figured I would ask other golf enthusiasts for recommendations. Besides with Christmas coming up one of your suggestions may end up under our tree.

So the question of the day – Can you recommend any golf book, DVD, video, tools, etc that help me expand my knowledge and understanding of this great game?

Seeing Past a Hazard

November 19, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

I was watching The Legend of Baggar Vance last night. It is a good golf movie about a war veteran who lost his game, control of his life and the desire to change anything. As he slowly gained back his golf game with the help of an odd caddy, he became empowered to gain control over his demons. Overall, it was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it.

In one scene, Rannulph Junuh was in the woods and was playing very poorly. He was struggling with his game and his grip on reality. He was going to reach down and move the ball when Baggar Vance started talking to him about how the game of golf was particularly odd. Baggar Vance was discussing how changing ones thoughts could change the outcome of events. Through this discussion, Rannulph Junuh changed his focus and concentrated on the shot at hand. Originally the hole through the trees looked like a baseball, but it slowly turned into an opening that he could drive a bus through. Junuh hit an amazing shot and turned his game around.

This story is an all too familiar one. We have all been in situations where we had to hit out the trees, hit over a pond or sand trap, not push the ball out-of-bounds, not hook the ball into a hazard or duff the ball off the tee because thought we needed a booming drive to be successful. Each one of these events has one thing in common – the player was focusing on the wrong thing. They focused on what not to do and what was in the way; instead of what to do and where they want the ball to land.

Positive Mental imagery of the entire shot is how a player sees past a hazard! Focusing on clearing the hazard and landing the ball safely does ensure success. Joan King has devoted a website to the power of positive mental imagery that may be worth a visit. As well, Mark Wright’s article “You Probably Already Know Golf Mental Imagery is the Key to Improving Your Golf” is another excellent article on golf imagery that will help anyone see past the hazard. Lastly, hititLonger.com has embedded video on this very important topic that is worth watching.

What you conceive and believe you can achieve! – Napoleon Hill

This famous quote applies was not intended for golf specifically, but it sure does apply. Seeing past a hazard is more than hitting and hoping. It starts with a positive mental image and ends with intended results. Golf is more than just a physical game!

See you on the links!

Power, Push or Carry

November 17, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

How do you enjoy your round of golf? Using a power cart, push cart or carrying your clubs? The great thing about golf is that any player, at anytime, can decide on how they want to enjoy their round. But, are there really any benefits to choosing the right mode of transportation when enjoying this awesome game.

As everyone knows, 18 holes of golf is about 4 miles. A carry back weights about 10 kg or 20 pounds depending on the size of your lunch and the number of golf balls in your bag. A cart back will weight more to the tune of about 20 kg or 40 pounds. This seems quite a bit of weight to be moving around for each round of golf. However, experience tells most golfers that it really is not that big of a deal.

I believe that walking is the best way to go. The Walking Golfer talks about the benefits of walking and has started a database on rating the walkability of courses. About.com has an article on the benefits of golf. The Harvard Medical School says that golfing is very good for your overall health. Livestrong.com (quoting the Washington Post) says that walking 1 mile burns 322 calories; more if you carry or push your clubs. Needless to say, there are many benefits to walking and I believe that is the best way to enjoy a round of golf.

“So What?” many of you are asking. I have not really passed on anything new or unique. Well let’s think about this topic a bit deeper. I want to remove the discussion on the benefits of health and focus on the practicality of using a power cart, push cart or to carry your clubs. As I previously stated, I love to carry my clubs, however I do use all three modes of transport while playing golf.

Carrying clubs is faster and allows a player the opportunity acquire a better feel for the round they are playing. There are no restrictions on where you can walk and your clubs are always with you if you want to change your club selection. I carry my clubs early in the morning, on cool days and non-competitive rounds. This is the majority of the time I spend on the links and thus I carry my clubs more often than not.

Push carts offer some of the same benefits as carrying and allows you to carry more stuff. For example, when it may rain, I like to pull my clubs. I can carry my rain suit and umbrella, extra towel, etc. This is extra weight that I can carry if required, but would prefer not to. In addition, on really hot sunny days (generally in the middle of the afternoon) I like to push my clubs because of the heat and I can carry lots of water! I also use my push cart during tournaments. I have found that most amateur golfers think they are pros during tournaments and normal 4-hour rounds turn into 5 or 6 hour rounds. Additionally, I can carry food and water to get me through the long rounds. Lastly, I conserve my energy for when I need it by using a push cart.

Power carts are best during fun tournaments like 4 person scrambles. We can pick up balls from all over the fairway and return to one location to hit our next shot. It enables us to spend a bit more time together talking, joking and laughing about something. Also, I believe power carts are great for players how cannot physically walk 18 holes, but still want to play this awesome game.

Different modes of transporting your clubs during a round of golf has different benefits to each player. There is no wrong answer; it really depends on what you want to experience while on the links. Power, push, or carry really does not matter, what matters is that you are doing it. I am a grateful golfer.

Which mode of transporting your clubs do you prefer?

Importance of Marking Your Ball

November 16, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

I was playing a round with a mentor of mine, Bob Fortune, and he told me a story. Bob was one of the top golfers in Canadian Forces for years. He played in many international competitions and his story of the importance of marking your ball really hit home.

While playing in a tournament, Bob watched his competitor tee off 4 times on one hole. Each time the ball went to the same general location. After the 4th ball they decided that they should be able to find one of them. After a short search, they found a ball. Of course the first question was, “What were you shooting?” The competitor said, “Titleist 4.” His next question was, “What was your second ball?” The response, “Titleist 4.” Bob’s third question, “Your third ball?” Again the response, “Titleist 4.” The fourth question received the same response, “Titlest 4!”

Bob said he was shocked. His competitor had not marked his ball in order to specifically identify it as his own. Bob said, “I am sorry, but you are lying 7.” His competitor did not agree and challenged his interpretation of the rules. They agreed to ask the judge when they ended the round.

At the completion of the round, they brought their claim to the tournament judge and the ruling was in favor of Bob’s interpretation. At the time, I was not know rules and asked him why. According 2012 RCGA rules, it is the responsibility of each play to put an identification mark on your ball; many golfers play the same brand of ball and if you can’t identify your ball, it is considered lost (Rules 12-2 and 27-1). Thus 2 stroke penalty for each ball not found. In this case 6 strokes.

Since Bob’s story, I have always marked my ball. I use blue and read ink. I use blue for regular play and red for a provisional ball. I have never been caught by this rule, but I can easily see the average player could be quickly be assessed a two-stroke penalty.

Have you ever been caught by this rule?