Rory McIlroy – What Have You Done!

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

The announcement that Rory McIlroy tore the ligaments in his left ankle has caught the attention of all golfing fans! I am sure many of you have already heard that last year’s Open champion may not be raising the Claret Jug above his head in 2015. To many, this is devastating news; to some it is troubling; and to others, the news is met with apathy. I am not sure where you stand on the issue, but here is my take!

I will be disappointed that McIlroy may miss The Open because he makes the field stronger and the event more exciting. He adds a certain “je ne sais quoi” to any Major, and as defending champion, he would have been a strong favorite.

But, The Open is much bigger than one player. The field will be filled with the top players in the world and only 70 of those will be playing on the weekend. With so many first time winners on tour this year, it is impossible to eliminate any player before the first ball is struck. There are some favorites, but, the fact the McIlroy may miss the third Major of 2015 will not be the end of golf.

I am disappointed for Rory McIlroy. I hope he has a speedy recovery and is back hitting 300+ drives very soon. His accident is a life thing and could have happened to anyone.

What is your opinion Rory McIlroy’s situation?

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

Match Play In Golf

July 5, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Each year, my home course sponsors a Match Play event that lasts all season. This year, 32 men signed up to play head to head to determine who is the best. Because of work and, well life, each match is played over a week or two period until someone wins. Our event should be finished in about 10 weeks.

Today, was my first match and it did not go so well. It was a match against last years winner Apollo. He is a 15 handicap and I am 6. So I gave him a stroke on the nine toughest holes. This was a tall order, but I felt confident I could come through in the end.

Well after 9 holes, I was down 5! Apollo shot a 40 front nine and I shot a 42. He was playing below his handicap and I was playing above mine. So, it is not surprising that he had such a commanding lead. After pushing holes 10 and 11, I knew things were not looking good for The Grateful Golfer! Apollo closed my out on the 13th hole.

However, today was not lost. I ended up shooting a 39 on the back nine. I played better starting on the 8th hole, but I could not build up enough momentum to close Apollo’s 5-up lead Apollo.

It is not unusual for me to have different nines. And today was another day of some inconsistencies. I seem to be a slow starter lately, but I am playing pretty well. A couple of things that changed to make me play better today included:

a better putting stroke. It appeared smoother and softer;
closer chip shots from 40 yards out; and
most importantly, I was in play off the tee!

The difference between the first 7 holes and last 11 was amazing. I guess I could come up with many excuses, but that would just cheapen Apollo’s win and make me look like a sore loser. So congratulations to Apollo for coming through in the clutch.

The highlight of my game was my playing partners. Ted and Serge, the other two players in our foursome, were fun to be around. Our loop around the links was light, full of laughter, and focused on fun. I really enjoyed it and hope we get a chance to play together in the future.

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

Canada Day 2015!

July 1, 2015June 29, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

The first of July is special to all Canadians.

Its Canada’s birthday.

This year Canada is 148 years old! Still young as a country, but deep in history.

I believe that Canada is the best country in the world!

I am a grateful Canadian!

Golf – When to Say Uncle!

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 16 Comments

Today, was an unusual day for me. I was excited to have the opportunity to play in the afternoon after travelling for 3.5 hours home from helping my brother-in-law build his house. The forecast was for rain, but that does not stop me! With the Regional Military Competition in just 3 weeks, I need to hit the links as much as I can. So, I called my friend Jean and convinced him that it was only drizzling and it was suppose to clear up. After bribing him with coffee, he agreed to meet me at the course.

First green at Roundel Glen Golf Course! Just a little wet!

As we prepared to go out, our friends at the Proshop gave us the lazy eye and shook their heads in disbelief that we were heading out to play a round. I was still full of hope and confidence that the weather would quickly change and we would be playing in the sun and warm weather!

Well, the shroud of hope quickly turned to the realization that we would do well to finish the round! As the rain continue to pour down, it was like a boxer taking body blow after body blow!

As I walked up to my ball on the first hole, I realized that my dream of a great round continue to fade. But, ever the optimist, I refuse to give in. The fact the bunkers had 6 inches of water in them was nothing, I convinced myself that this was only one bunker and the rest would be fine.

Walking down the par 5, second fairway, we dodged a lake of puddles. I am not talking casual water, but standing water we could fish in! But, I was not to be deterred! It was going to get better….oh yeah, it started to rain harder!

Second green at Roundel Golf Course. Just a little wet!

When I reached the second green, I was convinced that my dream of a 18 holes today was still possible, but the probability of finishing was in question. As I saw the river flowing down the 2nd green, we realized that it might be time to look for an exit strategy!

With our course design, it was just as quick to play 3 and 4, then 8 and 9, then to just walk in. So that is what we did. We played six holes on a course that was actually unplayable. I was just fooling myself from the beginning. However, I am sure, if the rain had stopped I could have convinced my friend to play all 18 holes.

But since the rain has not stopped, and it is 2 hours since we left the course, it was a good decision to call ‘UNCLE’ and walk off the course! Having played 6 holes was fun and better than nothing, but tomorrow is another day and I am looking forward to hitting the links after work!

Have you ever left the course because of rain? Share your story!

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

The Grand Slam of Golf

June 25, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Does Jordan Spieth have the game to win a grand slam of golf? He is well on his way and as predicted after day three of the US Open, the golfing pundits are starting to pose the question. Given he is half way there, it might be a fair question.

A grand slam in golf consists of one person winning all four Majors (The Masters, US Open, The Open, and PGA Championship) in the same year. To date, only Bobby Jones has completed a Grand Slam of Golf. In the modern era, no man has ever achieved a Grand Slam. Although it is important to note that Tiger Woods won all four Majors consecutively, but over two calendar years.

The other milestone in golf is the Career Grand Slam. This consists of winning all four Majors at different times in a career. In the modern era only five golfers have a Career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. A special acknowledgment goes to Woods and Nicklaus because they have won each of the four majors at least three times in their career. We are still waiting for Phil Mickelson to join this élite group, but as each year passes, it becomes tougher and tougher.

Back to the original question: Does Jordan Spieth have the game to win a grand slam of golf?

I consider Spieth as the best golfer in the world at this moment. His three wins, three 2^nd place finishes and one 3^rd place finish out of 18 events, is very typical of Tiger Woods in his prime. The fact that he is first in the FED Ex Cup standings and is 1.75 points behind Rory McIlroy in the world rankings, only adds fuel to speculation of a grand slam in 2015.

Jordan Spieth is a great golfer, and at 21 years of age appears to have the golfing world in his hand. However, let us not forget Rory McIlroy. At 26 years of age, he is not to be taken lightly. He easily has the game to match Spieth and at any given time will rise to snatch victory from this young upstart! McIlroy has plenty of game and while he respectfully gives Spieth his due, is not quite ready to hand Spieth the keys to the mansion.

The rest of the top 10 in the world are no slouches either. At any time, players like Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose or Jason Day could knock off either Spieth or McIlroy. The current field in golf is the strongest ever and on any given day, anyone can win. Additionally, let’s not forget players like Louis Oosthuizen, who shot the best final three rounds in US Open history! There are many players who have the game to compete against Spieth and McIlroy; professional golf is extremely competitive at this moment.

Is it possible for Jordan Spieth to win the grand slam of golf? The short answer is yes; however, it is not very probable. With The Open just three weeks away, Spieth will have to finish his US Open congratulatory media events, play golf, and then mentally prepare to compete at The Old Course in St Andrews. That seems a bit to ask from a professional golfer, but I am sure Spieth will give it his best shot.

Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, watching Jordan Spieth try for the grand slam of golf will be very entertaining. The road ahead is challenging, but given he is playing better golf than anyone in the world, anything is possible. It would be exciting to see his name in the history books beside the immortal Bobby Jones, but to achieve such greatness; he must first go through Rory McIlroy and the rest of the golfing world.