Saving One Stroke on a Penalty

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

While watching The Masters on the weekend, it was very obvious that caddies make a concerted effort not to leave the players bags anywhere in their line of sight. Originally, I thought it was a mental thing, but there appears to be a practical reason for their efforts.

According to the RCGA, rule 19-2. Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment states:

If a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by himself, his partner or either of their caddies or equipment, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke. The ball must be played as it lies, except when it comes to rest in or on the player’s, his partner’s or either of their caddies’ clothes or equipment, in which case the ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in or on the article, but not nearer the hole.

After reading this rule, golfers will receive a one-stroke penalty for saving steps. I knew the rule (actually thought it was a two-stroke penalty) and never paid attention during my regular games. How many golfers leave their bag in the field of play, then grab a driver and walk to the tee? How many golfers hit out of the woods or a hazard towards the general direction of their equipment because they were saving time and steps? If you are like me, I do this every round. At the Laurentide Golf Course in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada, it is easy to leave your bag in the next holes fairway.

I was told a funny story many years back by a friend in this similar situation. He was in a foursome playing their Saturday morning game and the leader of that game was up to hit. Of course the jokes were flying and they were pestering each other as all good friends do. Well, the leader of the group hit a line drive off the tee towards all their bags (about 75 yards out). As the ball made contact, each of the players looked at each other with concern because they could not determine whose bag it actually hit. After the others hit with no incident, the four friends walked towards their equipment. The first guy there started to laugh out loud. As the others approached, he pointed to the leaders bag and showed him a hole in the side of his bag of where the ball went right through. To make it more painful, the group assessed him a two-stroke penalty instead of one. The leader was obviously upset and went on to lose their Saturday’s game. Talk about putting salt in one’s wounds! I am not sure if that extra penalty stroked caused him to loose the match, but if it did, this situation would be a great reason to read the rules of golf every year!

I have left my bag in the field of play for years and never came close to hitting it. However, while playing in a tournament I can honestly tell you that my friends story 20 years ago has prompted me to I make sure my equipment is brought to every tee, place my bag well away from the green, and not is any where close when hitting out of the woods. I am not sure if it ever saved me strokes, however I can tell you for certain it has never cost me any.

Reading the rules is important every year. Already I have saved myself a one-penalty stroke by reading rule 19-2. Anybody out there ever hit their golf equipment?

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

Is a Caddy Important in Golf?

April 13, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

The influence of the media, referees, and non-athletes in sports is well documented. They seem able to set the stage for success and failures. Each year conspiracy theorists examine, dissect, and over-analyze sporting events to determine if they can find an hints of wrong doing. I guess this years Masters will be the same!

The penalty for slow play against the Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old, grade 8 player from China, who made the cut anyway, has caught the attention of everyone. A statement, in The Guardian, by rules officials stated that his age did not matter. I would have to agree with that statement. He obviously has the game to play at the Masters, so he must play by all the rules. Whether the rules are applied equally is the real topic of conversation of most analysts.

At Dimplehead.com, David Duval took a swing a quite a few slow players who never get assessed slow play penalties. Additionally the article suggests; “in the often chummy relationship between golf announcers and players there is no identifying slow players on broadcasts. Often slow players are termed “deliberate” as if they are more thoughtful because they take their time in playing their shot.”

The Vancouver Sun, The Independent, and Golf.com at Sports Illustrated all have interesting views on the situation. Ultimately, the one-stroke penalty was assessed and Guan made the cut. Like it or not, although the commentators will talk about this all weekend, it is in the books and we can move on…..or can we?

Professional golf is a team sport. Yes, you heard me, a team sport. Of course the golfer is the focal point, but there is always that guy in the background providing advice, clubs, water, telling the crowd to calm down or just encouraging his player to succeed. Of course, like a pit crew in auto racing, they are the behind the scene masters who are extremely important to ant pro golfers success.

So where was Guan’s caddie, Brian Tam, during this whole affair? There is a reason professional caddies are paid well; they are relied upon to bring so much to the game. It affords the professional, or in this case the amateur, the time to focus on shot making, not worrying about their clubs, trying to figure out distances, helping with the player’s swing, reading the course conditions or worrying about being on the clock! Is it possible that Guan’s caddie lost track of time as well? Is it possible that both were so focused on the wind conditions that everything else was irrelevant? Nonetheless, I would suggest that Guan’s caddie may have to take some responsibility for the slow play penalty.

A professional golf caddie is critical to the success of a professional golfer. They offer so many facets to the game that are not measurable. If you think they are not important, ask players like Phil Mickelson who have hand the same caddie since 1992. I am sure Phil would say he owes much of his success to long time caddie and friend Jim “Bones” Mackay. The professional caddie is a friend, peer, mentor, swing analyst, body-guard and sometimes butt-kicker. A importance does enter the spotlight each year at the HSBC Caddie of the Year awards. It is a fun night every year where caddies place votes to recognize their peers. Overall, caddies are an integral part of professional golf and should be recognized for their contributions to the game.

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

A Tradition Like No Other

April 10, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

What makes The Masters more than just a golf tournament! Is it that Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are the youngest first time and two-time champions respectively! That Jack Nicklaus has won 6 green jackets. That in 1935, Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on 15^th hole coined “the shot heard ‘round the world”! There are only four wire-to-wire champions. That the oldest Masters champion is golf’s great Jack Nicklaus at age 46. Phil Mickelson’s shot from behind a tree on the 13^th hole to 5 feet from the pin. Regardless of the event, it is easy to see why this tournament captures the eye of the golfing world, as millions of viewers will be glued to the TV waiting for history to unfold!

What else makes The Masters great?

Announced on 07 April 2013, the new initiative of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship that will conclude at Augusta National Golf Club in 2014 will that create excitement for all junior golfers. This year-long event will provide young men and woman golfers between the ages of 7-15 an opportunity to play at one of the world’s most prestigious course.

How will the spot light shine on the 14-year-old Chinese golfing prodigy Tianlang Guan? He is the youngest player ever to qualify for the Masters. This week he played with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Ben Crenshaw, and Tom Watson; what a fantastic opportunity for this young man!

The Masters has donated over 18 million dollars to the Augusta, Georgia, area! A portion of the donation goes to charities selected by Augusta National Golf Club employees. Talk about giving back.

The Masters Tournament captures the golfing world for 4 days like no other. It provides hopes, dreams, heartaches, and triumphs in the space of seconds. Competing in The Masters is a dream for many golfers. In this year’s Masters, 6 amateurs are fulfilling their hopes and dreams. Regardless, all players will relish in this rare opportunity and are psyched and ready to claim the green jacket.

So, who are the favorites, the dark horses or the up-and-comers ready to break out. Many websites cover such a topic and if your interested check out some of my favorites: Lets Talk Golf, AdamSarson.com, Golf Dweeb, and White Dragon Golf.

Not to be left out, the following are the The Grateful Golfer’s picks for this year’s Masters:

Rory McIlroy – he is the best golfer in the world regardless of the world rankings and is ready for his first Green Jacket.
Phil Mickelson – you can never count out Lefty. The Masters is a tournament made for his game.
Keegan Bradley – if his putter gets hot – look out!
Brent Snedeker – he has the game to challenge all pros! A very streaky player. Good Dark horse pick.
Mike Weir – Because he is Canadian!

“A Tradition Like No Other”, coined by Jim Nantz of CBS Sports, definitely sums up all aspects of The Masters. It is a tournament rich in tradition and is the most anticipated sporting event in the world! Enjoy the weekend!

Mental Wellness and Golf

April 9, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 11 Comments

Today is a glorious day! My four-year battle with non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma has come to a turning point. After 28 months of treatment I am finished! This struggle presented many ups and downs, but thanks to my awesome wife who pushed, pulled, dragged, listened, lead, followed, and loved me every step of the way, I am turning the corner and running towards the “thrive zone”.

So what does any of this have to do with golf! Mental wellness when fighting any serious incident in your life is critical to success. Fighting a disease is no different. Many experts state that meditation, stress relief and focusing on a positive goal are important to strong mental wellness. I can tell you from personal experience this is absolutely true!

Throughout my entire ordeal, I used golf as my focused goal of healthy living. I would sit and think about how to improve my game, how awesome it feels to walk down a fairway at 6 am, I would feel the joys of chipping in, or the joys of shooting my best score ever. I would dream of opening day (which is still delayed this year, but I still dream), and I focused on the fantastic feelings of being successful on the golf course. On those dark days, and there were a few, golf was my mental shining light to which I would run to with gusto!

Additionally, golf has help me focus on the four pillars of wellness – healthy eating, moderate exercise, stress relief and good quality sleep. These guidelines are nothing new and their importance was reaffirmed from a support group that I am a member. By adopting these important life-changing tenets, I was able to expand my mental wellness into areas of happiness, health, and joy. Although I use this new life style to help address my medical challenge, it is something that would be beneficial for everyone.

Today is a fantastic day! The love of my wife, daughter, friends and family have been nothing short of heroic! I count my blessings everyday that they are in my life!

Golf is instrumental in my battle. It provides focused goals that help my mental wellness. Golf is a game of hopes and dreams for everyone.

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

May I Play Through!

April 7, 2013April 7, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Ever hear the words, “Excuse me, May I Play Through!” Most courses want foursomes to play their round in approximately 4 hours. This is a reasonable pace and it allows everyone to enjoy his or her time on the links. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and golf etiquette suggests that when a hole behind, either speed up or let the group behind play through.

There are many definitions of playing through. A reasonable definition is allowing a faster group to proceed through a slower group if the hole ahead of the slower group is open (having no golfers playing it). The USGA suggests that it is best if the slower group invites the faster group to play through; however it is not uncommon for the faster group to politely ask the play through.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club talks about the pace of play and how to move quicker around the links and is a very good ready, but that discussion is for another day.

How exactly does a faster group play through. Of course, there are no written rules, but after discussion with many amateur golfers (who live this experience routinely), the following seems to be a consensus.

The first thing is to identity that your group is playing slowly and it is time to let the group behind play through. This may seem like an obvious statement, but some amateur players, to the chagrin of those waiting, just do not get it. I suggest your read the stories at about.com / golf about poor etiquette and slow play if you think that the first step is too obvious!

Second, once the decision is made to let them go through, which hole is best to expedite the passing. Many players say a par 3 is best; others suggest a par 4 or 5. I recommend a par 5 because it allows for the two groups and the groups behind to keep moving. If a par 5 is not possible, then a par 4 is your next best option. Lastly, a par 3.

Third, the best place is at the tee box. While waiting for the other group to arrive, the slow group should all tee off. Then, the fater group should tee off as well. I know, most of you are saying that there are 8 ball is play, but not for long.

Fourth, everyone walks to his or her ball. This is important; everyone walks to his or her ball. The slow group will wait at their ball until the faster group hits and gets out of range. Then the slow group will proceed as normal. This important step is often overlooked and if not followed, usually causes congestion for the groups coming up behind.

If on a par 3 and already in play, the slow group should wave the faster group forward. After the faster group has hit, the slow group should putt out until the faster group arrives. Then, the slow group should stop; allow the faster group to finish. Once finished, the slow group should finish and proceed to the next tee box. Usually, the faster group is gone and the slow group has a very short, if any, wait on the tee box.

A couple of questions that are continually asked about lower handicappers and professionals. If the round of golf is supposed to be 4 hours, why does it take “the good players” 5-6 hours to play around of golf? When “the good players” are taking their time, they never seem hurried by the Marshall; why is that? How come “the good players” are less likely to let faster amateurs play through…ego maybe?

It is important to understand the allowing faster groups to pass through is golf etiquette for everyone! It does not mean that things have gone wrong with your game, but it does suggest that learning to play a little faster may be in your future. Additionally, the above simple process will ensure that everyone enjoys their round of golf and within a reasonable time.

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