golf

A Grateful Golf Shot!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments
Hole In One from 208 Yards

Hole In One!

Periodically, I like to reminisce about all the awesome experiences I witnessed on the golf course. I was a walked down memory lane, I wondered which golf shot was the best! There were many to choose from and most of them were not mine! In my view, part of being a grateful golfer is to find happiness in the successes of others. One of my favorite experiences on the golf course occurred about 15 years ago.

I was fortunate to be golfing with my Mom, wife, and daughter because it was one of the few times we were all together on the course. We chose an executive course so it would fit all our games. And this is when the one of my most grateful golf shots occurred.

It was a beautiful summer day; the birds were chirping; and the course was in good shape. My Mom was the first on the tee of a 125 yard, downhill, hole with a sand trap guarding the left side of the hole. She grabbed her 11 wood (yes, 11 wood) and effortlessly made solid contact. The ball flight was pure and it tracked exactly where she aimed.

Suddenly, the world entered a Matrix slow-motion scene. In anticipation, we watch the ball land just short of the green, pop up and roll towards the hole! It was a magical moment as the ball ever so slowly trickled towards the cup.

If this shot was made on the 16th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the crowds would be yelling for the ball to get into the hole! Well, in an instant the ball disappeared! It was gone! In a shocked moment, the 4 four of us started to cheer. It was a moment of gratefulness for us all.

Yet, this exciting experience is only half the my grateful moment. The next to the tee marches my 10 year-old daughter. She grabs her driver and pounds her tee in the ground with her golf ball. Satisfied with the height, she went through her pre-shot routine and was ready to match her Nana’s fantastic shot.

As she drew her club back, I realized very quickly she intended crush the cover off her ball! Her backswing emulated John Daly’s over-swing perfectly! Launching into a perfectly timed….well, actually she topped the ball; it skipped a couple of times before dropping over the edge of the elevated tee box. Expecting to see her ball at the bottom of the hill, it suddenly rocketed into view and headed towards the green.

As the scene from “Tin Cup” where Don Johnson hit his 7-iron down the road, my daughter’s ball continued to bounce off every tufted of grass as it made its 125 yard journey towards to hole. Patiently, we watched her ball make the green and then we suddenly realized that it was on the same track as her Nana’s! While holding our breath, we watch the ball bounce off the pin and come to rest 6 inches from the hole! But wait, there is more!

The real delightful moment about this entire scene was may daughter’s reaction. My daughter was extremely disappointment that her ball did not drop in the hole like her Nana’s! We tried to explain the: “it is difficult to get a hole-in-one”, but she was not buying it! As she made her way to play her ball and make her first birdie, she mumbled about being disappointed! We all consoled my daughter and moved on!

Over the years, I have become more grateful for witnessing those golf shots. I can still close my eyes and see the whole scene unfolding as if it were yesterday. It is one of my most cherished moments the golf course! Being grateful for the success of others is an important tenant of being in part of The Grateful Golfer Community!

Do you have a cherished memory of someone else’s success on the links? If so, share it so we can all be grateful!

Making Confident Shots!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Are you confident with your golf shots?

Confidenence

Glen Abby Golf Course

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

I Will Putt That, Thank You.

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

I recently asked the question about being offered a guarantee two putt from 15 feet or further during your entire round. My intent was that you had to take the every time. I was wondering how many players would take the offer. There is the results:

I have to say that I am not really surprised. Most players, including myself, think that if you are putting, no matter the distance, we are confident that we can sink the putt. This poll brought an idea to mind that I would like to share.

Confidence is critical to low golf scores. You have heard me discuss this in the past, but it is a topic that warrants repeating. I still like David MacKenzie from Golf State of Mind views of how to build confidence in your golf game. (for a more detailed explanation click here) Here is what he has to say:

  • Don’t be Self Critical.
  • Don’t Give Yourself Technical Feedback on the Golf Course.
  • Visualize and Feel.
  • Develop a Strong Shot Routine.
  • React Indifferently to Bad Shots.
  • Take Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone.
  • Change Your Goals.
  • Focus On What You Did Well.
  • Recall pass success.
  • Believe in Yourself!

Confidence in your golf swing, course management, and the mental side of golf goes along way to being a scratch golfer. Every time I tee it up, I hope to shoot my best score ever and have the confidence in my game to do it! I continually work on my game in my perceived areas of weakness and in turn this builds my confidence to perform well on the course.

How confident are you in your game?

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

Golf Tip: Eliminating Trouble off the Tee

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

Roundel Glen 06 Jul 14 (4)In my earlier golfing career, my biggest challenge in my game was staying in play off the tee. I have always hit the ball straight, yet my game continued to be hindered by poor tee shots. This frustrating challenge actually prevented me from maintaining a single digit handicap. Not knowing what to do, I ask the Club Pro, Gary Corriveau at Circle Pines Golf Course in Borden, Ontario.

Gary was always a great resource of information. He was approachable and always had time for players who had questions about improving their golf game. I remember talking to him about a particular hole at Circle Pine and explained my challenges off the tee. After listening to my diatribe, he patiently explained about teeing up on the side of the potential hazard; to avoid the potential hazard.

Gary explained how I would naturally adjust my alignment to avoid the hazard. He took 5 minutes to show me how my set up changed without me thinking about the potential challenges that faced me off the tee.

I have used and expanded this lesson over the years. I expanded this tip to include how I am hitting the ball on any given day. If I am pushing the ball (for some unknown reason) I tee it up on the right side of the tee box. This, without thinking too much, forces me to aim left to allow for my swing flaw. It opposite applies if I am pulling the ball.

Here is what Hank Haney has to say:

Adjusting where you stand on the tee box to avoid potential hazards is one of fundamental steps to great course management. Taking the time to understand your natural swing and using the above tip will also help. Course management is not just about club selection; it also deals with how to avoid trouble before you start. Standing on the right side of the tee box to avoid the potential hazards on the course will help lower your scores and reduce your frustration while looping the links.

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

Golf Rules: Nearest Point of Relief

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

I cannot count the number of times I am asked about the rules of golf. What is really surprising is that most of those times, the requests happen during a tournament. Normally, I am not fussed about citing the rules, but when it comes to the “nearest point of relief”, I generally have to referee as well.

Most players do not mind taking relief, but they generally try to interpret the rule to gain an unfair advantage. I will always assume they are honestly misinterpreting the rule, but sometimes I am just not sure. So for those who are unsure, I thought it would be great to review this rule.

The “nearest point of relief” is the reference point for taking relief without penalty from interference by an immovable obstruction (Rule 24-2), an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1) or a wrong putting green (Rule 25-3).(Golf Canada)

It is the point on the course nearest to where the ball lies:

(i) that is not nearer the hole, and
(ii) where, if the ball were so positioned, no interference by the condition from which relief is sought would exist for the stroke the player would have made from the original position if the condition were not there.

Note: In order to determine the nearest point of relief accurately, the player should use the club with which he would have made his next stroke if the condition were not there to simulate the address position, direction of play and swing for such a stroke.

If you are still not sure, here is that diagram that might help.

Nearest Point of Relief

At last, I found a video that perfectly explains how to take relief:

The “nearest point of relief” is the most misunderstood rule in golf. This and all rules of golf can help or hurt your game. Understanding how to interpret rules properly will help your game and lower your scores!

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