Shot of the Day!

February 16, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

I like to go on various sites and watch the shot of the day. It is exciting to see these exciting and rare shots. But are these shots really rare? Some would say that the pros (and amateurs) make these remarkable shots all the time. I would say, that media has allowed the average golfer to watch special shots without having sift through countless mundane shots.

Take for instance Phil Mickelson’s putt at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The 56 foot 7 inch putt was awesome. It was considered the shot of the day. I am sure there were other great shots, but this one was clutch and led to him winning the tournament.

Well, to put this into perspective: there were 74 players, 5089 shots in the final round with a scoring average of 68.77. Out of all those strokes, Phil’s putt was the selected shot of the day. That is 0.00019652 percent of a chance to have his shot selected. I would say that is pretty impressive. Additionally, he was under tremendous pressure because Brandt Snedeker was making a late charge and Phil’s putt closed the door.

My point today is that anyone can have a shot of the day. The perfect shot is in everyone at any time. But, the pros (or even extremely capable amateurs) seem to make it look easy. It is something to aspire too! 57 days before the courses open….see you on the links!

Short Game – So Many Choices

July 26, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Well fellow golfers, today I had a dilemma! I was in front of the green in a gully 10 feet below the hole. As I examined my shot, three selections came to mind. First, to hit my 60 degree wedge and flop the ball up. Second, to hit my 52 degree wedge and bump and run it up to the hole. The last option was to use my 8 iron and hit it into the bank and let the ball bounce to the hole. All three shots were positive options, but really only one shot was the way to go. Any guesses?

The 60 degree wedge was the way to go. As I set up for the shot I had to remember to keep my hands in line with the ball to make sure the ball would pop up onto the green. I was about 20 yards from the hole, but had to play the shot as if I was 25 yards away. The reason for the extra distance is that the ball was not going to travel as far in the air because of the height difference between the hole and the ball. As it turned out it was the right choice because the ball landed 5 feet short of the hole and released to 2 feet past. I made the putt for par and moved to the next hole.

On a side note, I actually dropped two balls to try my other choices. (the course was empty today so I had the time) Each shot provided its own challenges, but the 8 iron was the second best option and the 52 degree was the worst. Regardless, I now have options next time I presented with a similar situation.

It was awesome on the course today and I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links.

Pitching with a 52 Degree Wedge

July 2, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Within 8 inches from 50 yards!

What a fantastic day for golf! At Laurentide Golf Course, it was bright, warm and sunny. As I approached the first tee, I decided to focus on my wedge play during today’s round. Each non-tournament round, I try to focus on a specific part of my game and make sure that I perform this skill the way I practice it. Well today’s wedge play produced my shot of the day.

I have read many articles from Golf Digest with mixed results. My suggestion is to focus on the big muscles when executing a pitch shot. The wrists stay locked, forward of the ball on contact and your shoulder movement creates the speed of the club head. These three simple things are all I focus upon when using my wedges from within 60 yards. It can be duplicated and consistently results in a reasonable putt. Today, my shot of the day was a 50 yard pitched that stopped within in 8 inches of the hole!

My time on the links today was awesome. I was successful on focusing on my wedge play and relaxed enough to absorb the beauty of my surroundings. I am a grateful golfer!