20 Seconds of Insane Courage in Golf

May 10, 2016May 9, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

Golf is a challenging game. It offers the opportunity to be great and all that is needed is 20 seconds of insane courage! I am not talking about trying to hit a shot that impossible (and I have tried believe me) but, to make that shot when the entire round is on the line!

Yes, it is difficult to know what to do, but you will know when the opportunity arises. It is a time to throw caution into the wind for the big prize! For me the that prize is breaking par or winning a tournament. That is my goal every time I play and through the years the opportunities were few, but memorable. Continue reading →

Dude, Where’s my Ball!

October 17, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

Fall is an awesome time for golf! As golfers leisurely walk down a leaf filled fairway, the crunch of the fallen gems add to the ambiance of awesomeness on the course. Fall is my favorite time of the year to golf! The colours are spectacular, the air is crisp, and it beckons images of hope all the time. I am always grateful to be golfing in the fall!

However, the fall also poses challenges. The biggest drawback is the dead leaves all over the fairway and rough (I know, I am contradicting myself). They hide the ball as if it was the Treasure of the Knights Templar! I have lost balls in the fairway because of these dreadful offerings of mother nature. Normally, I would be annoyed at losing a ball in the fairway, however, at this time in the season, I am just grateful; so I just drop a ball and move on.

Now, looking for a ball in a jungle of leaves can be challenging; looking for a ball because the driver of a golf cart was not paying attention is another. On Tuesday last, we were playing an 18 hole scramble match play finals for our local intersection golf league. As we made our way down the 12th hole, I looked over at our competition and realized they were looking for their ball.

As a per normal, I made my way over and started to help search out their wayward ball. After about 4 minutes, they worked their way over to their cart. As they jumped in the cart from the passenger’s side I looked over and saw a ball sitting beside the back tire. I calmly asked if it was their ball and by the embarrassed look on the driver’s face, I knew it was.

It is interesting how the driver did not see the ball considering he almost ran it over. I think that it was covered by a leaf and as he drove up to the ball, the leaf was blow away. Regardless, after a quick chuckle (and a few jabs from the driver’s partner), we all went back to playing our match. The match was great fun, the company was excellent, and the results were awesome! Guess who won?

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

Winning at Match Play

September 23, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 19 Comments

Match Play events can be fun!

Yesterday I played in a 9-hole team Match Play event with no drama. The format was pretty straight forward; there were 2 teams of 2 from each unit, competing against another similar team from a different unit. (A typical unit is a homogeneous military organization where its administrative and command functions are self-contained) This inter-unit competition has lasted all summer and yesterday was the semi-finals.

The total team score was a combination of the total number of holes won by your two teams. As we started off the first tee, we felt confident that we would be victorious because of the skill level of our team. Mark and I started off par, birdie, par, birdie and were 4 up after 4. It did not get any better for the other team as we finished the nine holes with 7 wins and 2 ties. Our other team finished 6 wins, 2 ties, and one loss. As we only count wins and losses, our team won 13 to 1. On to the finals next week.

After playing in a Match Play contest, I did realize that the rules or etiquette are not really understood by most players.

The first was when to concede the hole. Our opponents did not understand when to tell us to pick up our ball. When playing a par 4, I concede their 3 foot putt because it was for a 7. We were sitting 15 ft from the hole, laying 3. Instead of conceding the hole, they waited until we putted the ball to within 6 inches to lie 4 before conceding the hole. I think they should have concede the hole given the circumstances.

The first time I conceded one of their putts, one of the players did not understand and tried to mark his ball. I explained that he could have the putt and he was still a bit confused. After his partner explained what was going on, it never happened again.

When the first team is in the hole, they should pick up the flag. On several occasions, when first in the hole, they walked toward their bag and left us to pick the flag up. This is not a really big deal, but to me it is an etiquette thing.

It was ironic that I played a Match Play event this week, but I can easily see both sides of the recent conversation about the mishap at the Solheim Cup. But, for me that issue is over. Unfortunately, I cannot play in the finals next week, but I am confident our unit will prevail.

Do you like playing in a Match Play event? If so, singles or team?

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!

31 Annual Veteran’s Day of Golf

June 14, 2015June 15, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

On 04 June, I was given the outstanding opportunity to play golf with military veterans. These amazing gentlemen and women were well into their 80s and 90s, but demonstrated the heart of a teenager. As serving members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, I and three other friends, proudly made our way to The Country Club, at Woodbridge, Ontario, to talk, listen and rub elbows with heroes of yesteryear. The golf was just a bonus.

As we arrived at the event, we were met by the energetic staff of The Country Club. They were extremely well-organized and courteous from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. The course was in fantastic shape. Its rug-like fairways, beach sand bunkers, to the sculpted greens; nothing was out-of-place and The Country Club was the perfect place to honour these veterans. I will say, thank goodness for golf carts, as this course can be walked, but the constant changes in elevation were similar to a rollercoaster! Lots of fun and sometimes breathtaking!

The opening ceremony was hosted by Peter Mansbridge. He is a famous news caster in Canada and was known by everyone. He spoke eloquently about the sacrifices of these amazing veterans and thanked them on behalf of all Canadians for their service. Additionally, he thanked the current members of the Canadian Armed Forces who were currently serving domestically and abroad. His speech was heartfelt and conveyed the respect held for all veterans.

As we moved to the golf course, we realized that the RCAF foursome was sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP. His generosity was greatly appreciated. As with all events, it takes many sponsors to make it a success. ClubLink, the main sponsor, always steps up to help with this event. The respect shown by all the sponsors was overwhelming and greatly appreciated. The list was long and their generosity appeared boundless.

The day of golf was just that, a day of golf. Play any game you want and enjoy the course. Our foursome decided to play best ball, match play, cart against cart. As we manoeuvred around this amazing course, the one aspect that stood out the most was the greens. They were always elevated, very slick and definitely not flat. Initially, we had trouble reading them and except for one player (not me) that did not change all day. After slashing our way around the course for 11 holes, my partner and I found ourselves down 3 with 7 holes to go.

Well the jokes were flying, but not to be dismayed, my partner and I decided it was time to play. The next three holes, 12-14, my partner played one over. He was on fire and actually saved our round. Heading to 15, we were only one down! During the last 4 holes, I was 2 under – Birdie, Birdie, Par, Par. It was a great stretch of golf and we closed our opponents out 2 and 1. It was quite a change of events and earned us a libation in the club house. But, that is golf. Sometimes things change quickly and we were happy it changed to the good!

After we changed into our uniforms, we headed to the main event of the day. The banquet was fantastic. The food was delicious, the prizes amazing and the venue first-rate. However, the best part of the entire day was talking to the veterans. The two gentlemen I talked too was Walter and Angus. Walter served in England during WWII as an air observer on Lancaster Bombers and helped in the medical corps at a base in England. He talked about the difficult conditions, the sad loss of his friends, and how at 90 years old, still loves to play golf and hanging out with his friends. Angus designed and helped build The Country Club. He talked about using the available land to sculpt the course. He said his vision was to keep the tradition of a links style course within the geography of Canada. The course has changed over the years, but he says it is still very similar to its original design!

Talking to these two gentlemen, and many more, was amazing. The stories they told makes us realize how lucky we are to be living in Canada. They honoured their friends by remembering their sacrifice and spoke with reverence every time they recounted their past. It truly was a fantastic day.

This entire day could not have been the success it was without a committee to make it happen. The chairperson to make the Annual Veteran’s Day of Golf a success was Joe Hutter. His enthusiasm and pride was demonstrated every time we talked. His efforts, and that of his team, were amazing and well appreciated by everyone who attended! The players who attended and the RCAF want to thank Joe for the invite and look forward to next year and the opportunity to do it all over again.

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