USGA

The 2023 US Open – Final Thoughts

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments
The 2023 US Open Champion – Wyndham Clark

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark for winning the 2023 US Open Championship; it is always a great feeling to win and the national championship is icing on the cake. It was a tremendous round by him and Rory McIlroy as they battled for golf supremacy.

Watching all the great players navigate the Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) under perfect conditions was exciting. Like two heavy weights, Clark and McIlroy traded great shot for great shot. Neither wanting to blink. The deciding factor for the final results was Clark’s tremendous ability to recover again and again.

The two notable points that every golfer should take away from watching the final round was the importance of a great short game and hitting the ball in play off the tee. Clark demonstrated that a great short game is the ultimate equalizer when missing the green. His touch around the deadly LACC landscape proved that all golfers should focus on their short game if they ever want to shoot lower golf scores. Every time Clark looked like he was in trouble, he made a seemingly miraculous shot to save par. McIlroy’s short game was not quite as sharp, but amazing nonetheless. Having a strong short game is vital to those players wanting to consistently shoot low golf scores.

The second and equally important takeaway was keeping the ball in play off the tee. Clark and McIlroy demonstrated that playing off the short grass allowed for multiple opportunities to play different shots into the challenging greens. Each time they missed the fairway (which was rare) they opened the door for their opponent to press the error. Unfortunately, neither was able to take advantage of the opportunity. Looking at the scorecards, Clark played a roller coaster round and McIlroy was steady as it goes. Both had chances to pull away, but the USGA setup and the LACC conditions did allow for any amazingly low scores….except for one.

I wanted to give a shout out to Tommy Fleetwood who shot an amazing seven under 63. This score is crazy low considering most players struggled to shoot par. Congrats to Tommy!

The 2023 US Open Golf Championship was fun to watch. It was a nailbiter for the fans. I appreciated all the stellar golf and wish all the players good fortune moving forward.

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

Does The Speed Of The Green Actually Matter?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

I do not know of any golfer who does not comment on the speed of the green during their round of golf. I know over the years I have discussed (actually complained) about the speed of the green from time to time. Looking back, I understand my frustration at the time, but have to remind myself that I have to play the conditions of the day and complaining is a waste of breath. Since I have to play the conditions of the day, I ask again: Does the speed of the green actually matter?

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COVID-19 and Temporary Golf Rules

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

I purposely have refrained from talking about COVID-19 because I believe there are way more qualified people who should be heard from. All I can say is that I am doing my part by staying home as much as possible and practicing social distancing. Having said that, golf season is quickly approaching and courses in my area might be open as early as three weeks. If that is the case, I will have to make some decisions on whether to hit the links or wait it out. We will call that a game day decision.

In the meantime, the R&A and USGA have temporarily modified some of the rules to address the COVID-19 challenges from playing golf to level out the playing field during competition. Before I give my opinion on these efforts, I thought it important to outline the modifications.

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The 20 New Rules of Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Actually, the changes to the rules of golf extend past 20. In 17 days, golf as we know it will never be the same because the new rules will allow for players to be penalized less for poor play. Overall, I think this is a good idea for the casual player looking for an outing on the links that is not wrought with frustration. However, for the lower handicap player, I think that the new rules allow a higher handicap player to compete better without playing better. Continue reading →

“Dumbing Down” Golf to Level the Playing Field

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

I am mystified by the USGA’s decision to disallow the use of an elementary compass by any golfer. This simple device (the bane of many middle schoolers’ lives) is a fundamental tool used when studying geometry. There are no major secrets to its use and in the hands of a skilled mathematician, can produce amazing information. However, for most of us it is a simple tool and, in my opinion, there is nothing unusual about it. So why has the USGA decided to ban the compass from the game of golf after Bryson DeChambeau used one at the Travelers Championship? Continue reading →