golf

A Million Dollar View

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Golfing is a wonderful sport.  It affords anyone the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, be as competitive as they want and to see things in a whole new perspective.  Walking around each course and truly looking around can produce some amazing sights.  They range from wild life; to people; to a million dollar view!

This year, The Grateful Golfer will try to share some of these wonderful sights.  The images captured are from an amateurs eyes and will try to capture your imagination.  (On a side note, Art Borghi has a blog with awesome images; the six shots of the bees is one of my favorites!)

Number 11 at Osprey Links Golf Course, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.

This is one of my favorite views on Osprey Links Golf Course!  The way the hole is surrounded by rock walls, a large pond and a narrow landing area.  The reflection of the scenery off the pond really is spectacular.  What do you think?

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

Baseball Hands!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

A friend of mine is a very athletic.  She plays multiple sports and has recently taken up golf.  One of her best sports is baseball.  Her technique to play baseball is fundamentally sound and she has enjoyed much success playing the sport.  This is where the challenge begins.

Image from: http://www.qcbaseball.com/skills/hitting_grip1.aspx

I have watched her play golf and her address to the ball is very good.  Her stance is good.  She has a deliberate lower body motion, although sometimes she likes to take a step like in baseball. She has good hip rotation and a strong follow through.  Unfortunately, she always hits the ball right.  I mean right, about 45 degrees off the tee.  It is not a slice, but travels straight right.

I have watched her hands and according to winnbaseball she loads her hands and delays contact through the ball….just like baseball players should.  “It is EXTREMELY important not to let the hands come forward in the process of the stride.  The knob of the bat should remain over the back foot  until after the stride foot has landed.”  Well, her golf swing definitely has this delay component in it.

Interestingly QC Bseball says, “Remember relaxed muscles will react quicker than tense muscles. So if you want to have a quick bat, relax those hands which in turn will help you relax at the plate.”  This is similar in golf and is a positive aspect when comparing the baseball and golf swing.

Well back to the problem.  I have suggested that my friend rotate her grip to the right to allow the club face to close during contact.  This has helped some and she hit a few balls straight and long.  But, this is not a permanent fix.  She loves golf and is trying to improve all the time, so this is where I need some help.

Before anyone asks, my first suggestion was to take lessons from one of the local pros and she has, but she wants to work on this current problem a bit before going back for another.

Therefore, does anyone have any suggestions, tips, or drills that will help fix my friends baseball hands?

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

Modified Scramble

/ The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

Out of the Sand Like A Pro

I played Men’s Night at Osprey Links golf course and had a blast.  As most players know, men’s night is a great time to meet new people and play fun golf games.  Yesterday, I played a modified 4-man scramble that I have never heard of before.  Here is how it went:

It was a 9-hole 4- man scramble.  Each player teed off at every hole.  After the drive, the team decided which player would play their own ball alone while the other three played a scramble format.

Side note: for those who do not know, scramble format is where everyone hits off the tee, you pick the best shot, everyone else picks up their ball and goes the the best shot location and hits again.  Continue until holed out.

After the singleton and scramble team holed out, we added both scores together for our total score.  Each player had to play by themselves for two holes.  The ninth hole could be played by anyone.  For a par 36, we scored 35 for the scramble and 42 for the singleton.  I tell you it was loads of fun!  It was interesting because of the strategy we were trying to use to outsmart the game, but it all came down to playing your own ball under pressure.

The weather was great, the course was great and the company was fantastic.  I am a grateful golfer!  See you on the links!

Dogs On the Golf Course

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Today was interesting on Osprey Links.  As I walked around the mosquito infested course, I tried to focus on making good contact.  The weather and course conditions have prevented me from playing much to date, however that is soon to change.  While playing today I had 14 good holes.  (I changed my thinking from 4 bad holes – thanks Norman Vincent Peale)  I hit the ball relatively well, but nothing fantastic yet.  Well I digress.

On the 16th tee box, a gentlemen and Bella asked if they could join my friend and I for the last three holes.  Of course, we let him because I am always grateful to meet new people. The interesting thing about this request is Bella is a dog.  She is quite beautiful, quiet, and very well behaved.  My friend and I are both animal lovers and enjoyed both their company.  Bella did not cause any problems, nor her master, during the rest of the round.  I know some may be thinking that a golf course is no place for a dog, however it is a tough call.

So here is my question, should dogs be allowed on a leash on the golf course?

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

The World Of Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

 

On the Way to the First Tee at Laurentide Golf Course, Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada

On the Way to the First Tee

Golf is truly a universal sport.  Created on the coast of Scotland in the 15th century, this sport has stood the test of time.  Through the last 600 years, there have been many innovations to the sport that ensures new players continue to flock to this frustrating and yet exhilarating game.  Kings, heads of state, Bob who lives down the block, and Fred who you just met yesterday on the course, have played it.  Golf appears to be everywhere, but is golf really a sport played around the world or is it a game for the rich that is losing touch with the masses?

Recently, The Economist printed an article that the Cuban government has authorized the development of an 18-hole golf course.  This is the first time golf has been authorized in Cuba since the 1959 revolution!  The article suggests that this political move is purely economical to draw rich tourists, however if they are trying to increase tourism; why golf?

Iran has a 12-hole course!  Yes, a 12-hole course.  This country is extremely mountainous, very desert like and considers the game of golf very bourgeoisie.  Yet according to thetop100golfcourses.co.uk golf is rather popular with the young women of Tehran.  Iran has a rich history that does not include golf, but perhaps times are changing.

Kabul, Afghanistan, has a golf course.  It has been de-mined and you require close protection to play there, but golf is still being played.  One of the hazards is the road that goes through the center of a fairway.  Ultimately, it is not a golf course in the true convention; however, the BBC has a video that will open your eyes.

How about golfing in the land of the midnight sun?  Each summer the Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament is held in the third week of July on a 9-hole course. This 4-day Arctic golf tournament is the ultimate golf holiday. Golf all day and all night.  This winter wonderland of golf is at the Ulukhaktok Golf Course. Ulukhaktok is a small hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.  Golfing for 24 hours straight in daylight would be something that everyone should experience.

Not to be out done, The World Ice Golf Championships in Uummannaq, Greenland, was last played in 2009.  “Playing golf on a frozen seascape is not the only task at hand. Coping with extreme temperatures, which can fall to minus 50º C with the wind-chill factor, challenges players both physically and mentally. Special kit is absolute essential. Other factors to consider are that the ‘green’ is white, the ball is fluorescent orange and there is the unlikely risk of losing a ball to a polar bear.”  The rugged conditions would definitely challenge the most avid golfer.

There are many examples of how golf has touched the most remote and politically challenging places in the world.  Golf is a challenging game that truly transcends age, ethnicity, and economic status.  It is a universal sport that continues to grow and continues to bring people and perhaps nations together.  If you have never golfed, it may be time to try; the opportunities are boundless.  Golf is a sport played around the world and enjoyed by many!

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