Golfers and Their Toys!

January 8, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

This is my 100 Post. Thanks for reading.

Golfers love to talk about their clubs and equipment. I believe the most interesting pastime for Canadian golfers in the month of January is talking about the new stuff they received for Christmas.

Between Christmas and New Years, a friend and I went to Golf Town on our yearly pilgrimage. While in Golf Town, I bought a Callaway Razr Fit drive and 3 wood. It was a deal I could not pass up. My friend bought a PING cart bag and four-wheeled push cart. We were very happy with our purchases and are anxiously waiting for spring to try them out.

Today in the gym, another golfing friend asked me about my new “weapons”. I never told him about my purchase, but through our conversation I found out that my friend had told him. We excitedly talked about our purchases after he told me about his great deal on shoes.

Another time while waiting for a meeting to start, I had time to discuss my Golf Town trip with usual playing partner. He was unable go with us and I as I went through all the details he expressed joy for our success and disappointment he missed a trip to the golf store. We agreed to make a trip in the next month or so in search of some more deals.

I could go on and on, however I believe you get the picture. We Canadian Golfers love to tell stories during the winter months. We dream about the good times to come and the excitement of hitting the links for the first time. The more I think about it, the more grateful I am to be a golfer. Life is fantastic!

Do you have an stories to share about your recent golf purchases?

Golf vs Basketball – Is There a Comparison?

January 7, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

I have played golf and basketball most of my life. In my early years, basketball dominated most of my time, but as I slowly aged; golf started to take over as my number one sport. At 51, I ache way more after a basketball practice than I do after a game of golf. But can the two sports really be comparable? I say absolutely and here is how:

Both are played with round balls.
The goal is to put the ball in a hole.
Both take coordination to play. (unlike football and hockey – just kidding)
Both require practice to achieve success.
Both require intellect to play.
They are played before crowds (the pros anyway).
You can give advice on how to play (well maybe this is not a good idea).
You have to leave the couch to play them.
They are great ways to meet people.
They both are lots and lots of fun to play.

Okay, all joking aside, golf is really about having fun. We always talk about how to improve our game, what we could have done better during our round, but ultimately, if we were not having fun playing, than why would we play!

Golf and basketball have been my favorite sports through my life and I am grateful to have been able to enjoy them both.

How about you? See you on the links.

Can I Play Through?

December 6, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Experienced golfer understand that a round of golf should be played in 4 to 4.5 hours. This works out to be about 15 minutes per hole. This is not a written rule, but more of an etiquette thing. Playing behind a group who are taking their time….I mean taking their time is frustrating, tiring and hard to keep up your concentration.

I remember playing in a tournament about 5 years ago. It was the first round and the positions were not racked and stacked so strong players were playing with more inexperienced players. The group in front had two players who sauntered up the course, read their putt from 4 angles, waited until others played before even starting their shot routine, marked their score on the green by looking back at the hole and counting where their ball went and my favorite…..marking their ball on the green after each shot no matter how close the ball was to the hole. Our group, and the 6 groups behind us, were extremely frustrated when we finished. The group ahead was three holes back when they finished….aargh!!!

It was the first time in a tournament I asked to play through. I know…bad form…but I just could not help myself. And no they did not let us go through. What all the players did was lodge a complaint that a 6 hour round was unacceptable! Then asked where the marshall was during the round. The next day these two players (who shot in the high 90s) were warned to keep up or be assessed a slow play penalty. The next day they sped up to 5 hours….still to slow in my opinion.

After a bit of research I found three (of many sites) that talk about speed of play. They offer advice on how to speed up your play and how to play around in 4 to 4.5 hours that I think you may find useful.

TheGolfExpert.com says to not wait for others to hit their shots and then decide it might be time for you to find and prepare to hit your ball.

pgalinks.com advises to watch your ball land and select a spot in the distance to use as a visual marker when looking for your ball. Have others in your group watch each player’s shots. This helps speed up the time to find a ball that is not in the fairway.

Golflink.com suggests to take the clubs that you need for subsequent shots, including your putter, when you leave the cart for an approach (to the green) shot. You can then walk directly to the green, without having to return to the cart, while the other player moves the cart to the greenside parking area.

To answer your question – I like to play at 6 am. I can 18 holes by myself in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I aim to play a round as a four-some in under 4 hours all the time.

Ultimately speed of play is important for the everyone to enjoy a game of golf. So I ask you – is speed of play important?

Living the Dream!

December 5, 2012December 5, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. – Arnold Palmer

Truer words have never been spoken. Golf is truly a wonderful game. I have many fond memories on the golf course. Making three hole-in-one; golfing with an astronaut; playing a private outside Sacramento, California; watching my mom get a hole-in-one; and being taught how to play by my dad.

But these highlights are sometimes overshadowed by more down to earth things like my weekly game with my friends; shopping for golf stuff the week after Christmas with my buddy; having my wife and daughter walk the course with me while playing; a beautiful sunrise or sunset; watching your friends hit a milestone; and congratulating a stranger for doing an awesome shot!

Golf has provided me the opportunity to experience many wonderful things in life! I am fortunate to be living the dream. I am a grateful golfer!

Do you have any memorable moments to share?

Grateful For Golf

November 4, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

When I was young, my father introduced me to golf. It is one of the more fond moments of my childhood. I have enjoyed this gift for 35 years. Little did I know that his act of kindness would help shape my way of thinking about the world.

I remember my first set of clubs – Spalding Rebels. I bought them with my own money and paid $99. My first ball was a Canada Cup. If I found one of those I hit pay dirt! Before I worked for the summer, I would golf every day and my Dad would take me out every week or so to give me tips! Those were the days.

My Mom took up golf at 44. The very first time she swung a club, she was hooked! She loved to play, plan their vacations around golf, and beat the people she played with. Yup, she was very competitive – something you would never know unless you played a round with her. I remember when she was 67 years young and she called me to ask for advice on how to hit the ball further! I said that you need to exercise and become more flexible – she laughed and said, “I think I hit the ball far enough!”

I remember playing golf with my best friend from high school just before his wedding. This was about 30 years ago and I still remember looking at the Rocky Mountains talking about our lives and our futures. We played a couple more rounds before I had to go back to work and to this day I can still recall many of the holes we played.

I have won a few tournaments, have 3 holes-in-one, and have had many eagles. I am still looking for the elusive albatross – I guess it gives me something to shot for. Mostly, I am grateful for golf because of all the people I have met. This game has allowed me to meet like-minded people I would never have normally met. It truly has been a blessing.

Lastly, I have a friend who loves to golf. Whenever we get together, off we go to the links. We laugh, joke, poke fun and most of all just enjoy the time we spend on the links. He is in the UK right now, but no matter when we meet, we will grab our clubs and off we will go. By the way, if he is reading this – I want strokes the next time we play!.

I believe it is important to be grateful for the awesome things in my life. I am grateful for many things and at the top of the list are my wife, daughter and friends. However, golf is definitely up there. I am grateful to my father for introducing me to golf and all the joys I have experienced through the years. I am a grateful golfer!

What are you grateful for?