Golf Musings and Stuff

July 10, 2016July 11, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

The final round of the US Women’s Open golf championship is today. Due to life events, I have not watched a single stroke. Of course this is disappointing, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I have watched the scores and see the Lydia Ko is at the top of the leaderboard. This is not a big surprise, but I was disappointed to see that Brooke Henderson did not make the cut (actually she made the cut and I was mistaken – note added on 11 July 16). Henderson’s performance will be dissected by the pundits, but for we, I will suggest that she will be back soon vying for another championship. Continue reading →

#GolfChat – Think of the Children!

July 6, 2016July 5, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

For over 500 years, golf has waxed and waned in popularity. The exponential growth of golf in the 80s and 90s is being countered by the leaner years of the 21 st century. As a result, for the first time in modern history, the focus on growing golf is shifting to women and juniors. This article will focus on juniors, but does apply to women in many areas. The logic of most national organizations is to expose potential new players earlier in their lives in hopes of creating life-long converts.

The challenge faced by most golf organizations is to reach juniors to play golf. They offer golf camps, specials rates, and training opportunities to expose new players to the fun benefits of golf. They have on-line media campaigns and “at your touch” services to help the ill-informed understand how golf can help enrich their lives. These efforts are well received, but unfortunately, they miss the mark in these areas: cost and making the game fun! Continue reading →

The Benefits of a Golf Club Fitting

March 15, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Numbers from my club fitting.

Last fall I was fitted for my new Titleist AP2 irons and 915D, 915F, 915H. It was an awesome experience and the quality of my ball striking improved significantly once I received the right equipment. I can hardly wait for spring and to start-up where I left of last fall. The whole experience was very rewarding and I recommended it to the readers of this golf blog.

Understanding the entire fitting process is important to meet your expectations. There are many other ways to improve your game, however having the proper equipment is the most fundamental. Many amateurs, myself included before last fall, purchase equipment ‘off the rack’. It provides a 70% solution for most amateurs, but for the more avid player, buying ‘off the rack’ may not be the best solution to finding the proper equipment for their game. Continue reading →

Planning a Golf Trip

February 6, 2016February 6, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 14 Comments

Heading out for a golfing trip with ‘The Duck’

Are you planning an excursion to a golfing mecca in the next little while? If you are like me, you will have researched locales, checked prices, and planned your time to squeeze the most out of your upcoming adventure! Planning a golf trip can be both exciting and frustrating at the same time!

There are many hidden aspects to a golf trip that will make or break it. Staying at a hotel that does not meet your expectations; showing up to your tee time and waiting for an hour are just some unforeseen challenges that can affect the value of your trip. Regardless of the best laid plans, it is important to try and plan for the unexpected!

While planning my trips, I like to focus on the value of the golf. Am I getting my money’s worth for the four hours I am spending on their track? Does the customer service add or detract from my experience? Was the course in good shape? Was the course too challenging? These and many more questions help establish the value of golfing at specific courses on my trip.

Value means something different to everyone. The ‘cost versus experience’ formula is key to determining the value of a course. I have played on some highly rated courses in all parts of North America only to be disappointed; conversely, some unrated courses were diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered. Value is the prime factor for me when planning a golf trip or just heading out the links for a day.

To determine the courses I want to play, I have three factors I consider when determining the courses value. They are:

Cost. I do not mind paying to play golf. However, I am a player on a budget. I like to find 2-for-1 green fee deals or an all-inclusive package (meal, range balls, cart, and a round of golf) that helps reduce the cost of hitting the links.

Practice Area. I like to warm up and practice before I play. To increase the value of a course their practice area has to have a driving range, chipping green, a separate putting green, and a sand trap. The 30 minutes I spend at the practice area helps set the positive atmosphere for the loop around the course.

Customer Service. I check reviews of the customer service. I like to feel like that my business is valued, not that I am disturbing anyone. I understand that the smaller courses do not offer the same attention as big resorts, however when I am talking to a customer service representative, I expect them to focus on our conversation. It is the small things they do that can drastically increase the value of a golf course.

When planning any golf trip, there are certain things that add or detract from the value of the experience. Most golfers do not mind paying for golf; however they expect to have a worthwhile experience as well. I know what adds value to my golf trips, what areas add value to yours?

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

Finding Lost Golf Clubs!

October 31, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Another tradition to the end of my golf season is to rummage through all my golfing magazines, articles, mail, and, well, printed stuff I collected through the season. Losing myself in my thoughts of golf, I stumbled across identification stickers from Golf Canada. I remember receiving them at the beginning of the season and filed them for further use.

Of course, my filing system was to place these valuable stickers on my pile of golf stuff that I would get to in due time. Well, at the end of the golf season was due time.

Free Club Identification and Return Service from Golf Canada!

As a card-carrying member of Golf Canada, I am entitled to a free service where if I left my club on a hole, someone could find it and email me and let me know how to where to pick up my club. It is a great idea and so I decided to give it a whirl.

My first step was to place the stickers on my clubs. I actually gave it some thought and decided that just above the club head out of my field of view was the perfect place to place these little gems. I put them on all my clubs and my head covers.

Next, I emailed the service with my identification number and an auto-generated email was sent to my inbox in less than 15 seconds. (Yes, I timed it! Stop laughing)

This is what it said:

Now, I rarely lose my clubs. Actually, I cannot remember the last time that I did. However, after investing a sizeable sum on a full set of new Titleist AP2 irons, Titleist Driver, 3-wood, and 3-hybrid, I figured it was worth a try.

I think this is an excellent service provided by Golf Canada just for being a member of the Golf Association of Ontario. Hopefully I will never have to use this service, but if I do, the cost of a yearly membership will be paid for the first time!

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