This vacation is certainly well-timed. I know I haven’t done a progress update in a little while, but a week ago at the driving range, I hit a shot, got into my follow-through and immediately felt something blow right along my ribs on my side (kind of more toward my back). It felt like someone sticking a knife between my ribs. Right now, coughing is very painful and sneezing makes me want to cry.

It’s not a back problem or anything like that (I’ve dealt with a herniated disk in the past), so I’m assuming it’s some kind of pulled muscle that just needs rest. Oddly, it doesn’t hurt to walk, sit, drive, or anything like that. So, at least I’ll be able to enjoy the next few weeks.

Healthy or not, I wasn’t planning on playing any golf the next few weeks anyway. I’m headed out on the open road for an epic road trip. On a similar trip in 2008, I only managed to play one round of golf and get to the driving range once, so I think I’m going to leave my clubs home altogether this time and just step away from everything for the whole three weeks. Physically, I need to recuperate and mentally, I can certainly use the break.

I’m leaving New Jersey early Saturday morning and headed through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, down to New Mexico and back, Nebraska, and then back from whence I came.

I’ll be hitting several of the major sites along the way: Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park. I’ll also be visiting an eclectic mix of other places. For instance, how can I pass through Iowa without seeing the Field of Dreams? I’m going to try and make a stop at the Minuteman Missile National Historical Site in South Dakota. A missile silo? You’re on drugs if you think I’m going to pass up visiting a missile silo.

I’ll be driving the Beartooth Highway, recognized as possibly the most scenic byway in the country. I’ll make a stop by the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. How’s this one: I’m going to head down to New Mexico to visit the town where they filmed Red Dawn. WOLVERINES! I might even stop by the set where they filmed Dances with Wolves in South Dakota (the Fort Hayes location).

That’s not enough to fill three weeks! So, I’ll take a day hike in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area in Montana (to Mystic Lake – maybe I actually will do a little fishing there). I’ll drive to the top of Pike’s Peak, ride the 1880 Train in South Dakota, and stop and see the Little Big Horn National Monument. I might even see the Cody Stampede Rodeo in Wyoming. Then, of course, there’s Triple-A baseball in Salt Lake City, Pictograph State Park near Billings, Montana, and the Strategic Air & Space museum in Nebraska.

And I’ll spend a lot of time staring out the window admiring the awe-inspiring scenery that the United States has to offer. Now, we’re talking.

Anyway, hold down the fort for the next three weeks and I’ll be back and all recharged. Hopefully this rib thing heals by then because I’m already missing playing golf and it’s only been a week. By the end of three more weeks, my hands are going to be shaking from withdrawal. I’ve been making nice progress too, but it’s going to have to wait a little longer.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Gone Fishin’

Winners will be determined over the weekend and I’ll contact each winner via e-mail and post the results shortly thereafter.

Don’t forget – eligible individuals may enter all four contests and winning any one will not disqualify you from winning any (or all) of the others.

Here are links to the four contests.  Be sure to get your entries in before the deadline for each.

Big May Golf Book Giveaway, Day 1 – Golf Courses of the World: 365 Days
Big May Golf Book Giveaway, Day 2 – GOLF Magazine Private Lessons
Big May Golf Book Giveaway, Day 3 – Bad Lies
Big May Golf Book Giveaway, Day 4 – Moment of Glory

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Last Call for the Big May Golf Book Giveaway

Every year the cream of the crop in the field of golf descends on Augusta for the Masters tournament.  The Augusta National Golf Club, first opened in January of 1933 for play, has hosted the Masters since 1934. Currently ranked the number one golf course in the United States by Golf Digest, it’s one of the top courses in the world. The course, known to be unforgiving, is the ultimate challenge to any golfer. But why? What makes the Augusta national golf course so tough?

Golfers who have had the chance to play Augusta, quite often talk of the “mystery” of the course.  It is said that knowledge of the course is just as important, or perhaps more important, than a player’s actual golf skill.  Players study the course, sometimes drawing diagrams to get a feel for it. Not understanding Augusta National Golf Course can result in disaster and a very poorly played game. And studying and getting a feel for the course isn’t easy: over the past few decades several changes have been made to the course, resulting in an additional 500 yards. So, what you learned about the course last year may not hold up this year.

Augusta golf course is very topical, with lots of peaks and valleys. This in and of itself makes for a difficult course. The course designer, Alister MacKenzie, definitely knew what he was doing.  With a difficult topography, sometimes even standing correctly can be a challenge. A slope on the fairway can make balance an issue, greatly throwing off a player’s swing.

Placement of waterways, trees and other greenery also makes the course extremely difficult.  Add the tightness of the fairways and you can see why this is one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. It can get the best of even the most talented players in the field, as witnessed by Tiger Wood’s 4^th place standing at this year’s Masters.

Weather and wind can also change this course drastically, so players need to be completely on their game every time they attempt to play and get the best of the course. This means paying attention to the daily conditions and being extra careful in deciding which club to use for which stroke.

Ray Floyd, who played the Masters 45 times and announced his retirement this year at Augusta, says that when players discuss how well they think they will do at Augusta, they tend to talk in code.

“They say, ‘I have a good eye for the course,’ or ‘I feel confident with the golf course,’ ” Floyd said.  “What they’re saying is that they have enough knowledge to play it. They know where to hit the ball. They know when they can be aggressive and when they can’t.”

Players respect the course, and while they recognize its difficulty, they also treat it with reverence. It’s a stunningly beautiful course, and they know it. Augusta also isn’t for the faint of heart. A pro golfer can spend his whole career battling this golf course, never feeling like he won.

Some players and fans of the game of golf think that the course is actually too difficult and makes it almost impossible for someone to play his best. They argue that if a course is too difficult to play, it takes not only the fun, but the sport out of the game. But others, like golfer Kenny Perry, appreciate the difficulties associated with the course.

Perry sums it up nicely: “It’s an ingenious design. I don’t know why someone doesn’t design another course like it.” Someone may have, but I’ve never played it if it’s out there.

About the Author:

Dr. Eric Wilson is a PGA Master Professional in Instruction at the College of Golf, a Keiser University school in Port St. Lucie, FL. The College of Golf offers students the opportunity to study at a professional golfers career college.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Augusta National Golf Course: The Ultimate Test For Any Golfer

As the 2009 wore on, I got to be meticulous about keeping my handicap and learned a few things I didn’t know before.  If your only experience with the USGA handicap system is entering scores in a computer and affixing a new sticker to a card every couple weeks, then you’ve been missing out.

There’s a very complex system for computing handicaps which, in fact, takes up a whole book.  Don’t believe me?  I broke out my copy for this post.  Of course, an iPhone image of my manual doesn’t do you much good.  Luckily, the USGA has most, if not all, of that handicap information online.

I recommend digging in to understand the handicap system a little better, but here are nine things you might not know about USGA golf handicaps.  All of this information was compiled from Shortcut to the USGA Handicap System and from the USGA Handicap Manual.

1. Did you know that the USGA has had a handicap system in the United States since 1912? That’s right.  And until 1987, a golfer’s handicap was relative to what an expert would be expected to shoot on a course (par), and they would get the same number of strokes on every course.  After 1987, players began getting a handicap index which took course difficulty into account.
2. Do you really know what the Slope Rating is? The Slope Rating is the mystery factor that lets handicaps express how difficult a course is for golfers of varying abilities in relation to a scratch golfer. It considers aspects of a course’s layout that will affect a high-handicapper’s score more.  This might include forced-carries or significant water hazards.  Courses with more of these kinds of trouble will have a higher Slope Rating.  Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155 with 113 considered the standard Slope Rating.
3. Do you know that you don’t necessarily have to finish a round to post a score? The USGA states that there are two basic principles behind the practice of posting scores.  First, you must try to make the best score at each hole in every round (no sand bagging).  And, second, you are required to post every acceptable score.
4. Do you know what an acceptable score is? I thought you might not so here goes.  An acceptable score might be any of the following.  When at least seven holes are played, you have enough for an acceptable score.  Seven to 12 holes would be posted as a 9-hole score; 13 or more posted as an 18-hole score.  In addition, you should include: scores on all courses with a Course Rating and Slope Rating, scores in all forms of competition (match, stroke, and team competitions where a player plays his own ball), scores made under the Rules of Golf, scores made under the local rule of “preferred lies”, and scores made in an area observing an active season (no “winter rules”).
5. Did you know that if you skip a hole or don’t play it according to the Rules of Golf, it still counts? Before I knew any better, sometimes I would get frustrated while playing alone for fun and pick up the ball or I would play a mulligan or violate the Rules in some other way and assume that I couldn’t count the round.  Well, the handicap system takes those into account.  If you skip a hole, count the score as par plus any handicap strokes you would receive.  If you play a mulligan, you should do the same.  Don’t count the mulligan.  If you start a hole but don’t finish (like if you quit or are conceded a stroke in match play) you must record the score you most likely would have made if you finished the hole.  I’m betting most of you didn’t know that last part.
6. Do you know what a Course Handicap is? With all the talk of index this and rating that, it all becomes confusing.  Your Course Handicap is what many people think their Handicap Index is (which is partly true – the Index is portable and is used to compute the Course Handicap for a particular course).  It’s the number of strokes you need to play to scratch at a particular course.  When all is said and done in a round if you shot even par after your handicap strokes are applied, then you had a good day and your handicap was right on.  If you’re not in that neighborhood, then you either had a bad day or your index is not an accurate reflection of your ability.
7. Did you know that handicaps have been relatively stable for a long while? Despite the availability of instruction (personal, print, television), the accessibility of golf to people to play to their heart’s content, and the technology that goes into equipment, we’re not really getting all that much better at the amateur level.  In its February 2009 issue on pg. 102, Golf Digest printed a chart showing handicap average from 1990 to 2008 dropping sharply with a corresponding explosion in golf technology (they charted against the number of annual submissions to the USGA equipment test center).  However, this drop in handicaps amounted to around less than 2 strokes reduction in index in almost 20 years.  That may be statistically significant and is probably equipment related as Golf Digest hypothesizes (i.e. more distance and forgiveness), but overall, we’re not really becoming significantly better players.
8. We all hate blow-up holes, but did you know that your handicap is insulated from their effects? That’s what Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is designed to do.  You all know (or should, at least) that depending on your handicap, when you enter a score, you can’t use a score on a hole that is greater than the maximum allowed.  If your Course Handicap is nine or less, you can’t count anything over a double-bogey for handicap purposes.  If your handicap is 10-19, your maximum hole score is a 7.  And so on up through handicaps of 40+ whose maximum score is a ten.  This keeps an occasional big number from blowing up a player’s Handicap Index, so that it’s more representative of a player’s true scoring ability, not his worst case scenarios.
9. Did you know that there’s a Handicap Committee whose purpose is to ensure the integrity of handicaps it issues? The handicap system wouldn’t be much without some form of peer review process.  That’s where the Handicap Committee comes in.  You can read up on the details, but its basic purpose is to make sure the handicap system is run correctly at the club and to make sure that scores are entered accurately.  Typically, at a golf course, this might consist of the pro and/or the pro shop staff, but the club might not necessarily be a golf course, but a collection of people in an organization of some kind.  For instance, my handicap is issued by the New Jersey State Golf Association, not by my golf course directly.

There you have it.  You might have a handle on handicap stuff, but I bet most of you learned something new.

This, of course, only relates to the USGA handicap system.  Other parts of the world use different systems, though maybe those systems share some common aspects.  I’d love to hear from those of you outside the United States and Mexico to learn how the handicap systems you use differ from the USGA system.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Nine Things You Might Not Know About Golf Handicaps

I’ll get this party started and give you the five things I’m asking from Santa for Christmas.

Enough Tiger Drama

First and foremost, I want a return to normalcy in the world of PGA Tour golf.  The Tiger Woods story has been one of the biggest of the year, and I’m guilty of gossiping about all the ins and outs (no pun intended) of that whole mess.

For 2010, I want the elephant in the room to get up and walk away.  I want Tiger back on the course and I want to go back to the way things used to be, when I felt like I could root for him without thinking about all this controversy whenever his name is uttered.

Gimme Some Iron

I want a new set of irons.  I planned on getting a new set last year but because I was struggling with my ball striking for much of the year, I didn’t feel I had earned it.  Well, I’m pretty much over that hump, so it’s time to replace my worn Callaway X-16 Pros with something new.  I debated a few different new models last year, but I’m undecided now so Santa will have to use his judgment.

Soaring to New Highs

Obviously, I want my game improvement to continue.  I made some really good progress last year (despite some hurdles) and I feel like I’m ready to continue breaking through.  I can’t wait to get out there in the spring, work hard, and break through all the barriers that I can.

I learned an awful lot last year.  Not only did I make strides in my game, but I learned a lot about the mechanics of the golf swing in general and how those nuances apply directly to my specific swing.  I feel like I’m actually getting to the point where I understand what’s going on under the hood.  That’s a good feeling and I want it to continue next year.

Take Me Away

It’s been a long while since I did a golf getaway, so I’d like to do a mini golf vacation in 2010.  The dream vacation to Scotland is pretty much off the table for 2010, but if I can get to Myrtle Beach or Florida or Arizona for a long weekend of golf, that would be ideal.

And My Gift To You

You didn’t expect me to use all five things on my list for myself, did you?

I’m asking Santa to bring you everything you desire in the realm of golf for 2010 (I can’t influence anything outside of the universe of golf, so you’re on your own with that other stuff).  You had better take advantage and tell Santa everything you want because Christmas is only a couple of days away.

Leave your list for Santa in the comments and if you’ve been good this year, you never know, your wish may come true!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Even if Christmas isn’t your thing, I still wish all the best for you and yours for 2010.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Come Sit on Santa’s Lap!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

As I was saying yesterday: Until…

Starting With a Job

In March of 1994, I was in college and was looking for a job for the summer.  The same group of friends that went out there a year or two earlier (including the two clubless deadbeats – sorry, dude…) decided that we should go down to the “country club” and apply for jobs.

I put “country club” in quotes because at the time, we were so naive, we assumed it was a club for the elite like Bushwood from Caddyshack with doctors and lawyers and executives out there playing for serious bucks.  In hindsight, it was an average public course with a decent sized membership.  Though, to their credit, it was a more traditional place where dress code and etiquette and those sorts of things mattered.

Within a week, my three friends were hired.  I waited and waited and heard nothing.  I was getting stiffed!  By fortuitous coincidence, my aunt happened to know a man who was a bigwig at the club and who was in tight with the ownership.  She phoned in a favor for me and I was enthusiastically hired before she even finished hanging up the phone.  On a side note – coincidentally, while that ownership regime was there I was treated very well.  Hmm, my first and only experience with nepotism, I think.

I worked there throughout the rest of my college days and even a little bit after.  Since I went to college for almost eight years (I got to consecutive bachelor’s degrees – cut me some slack) I spent about 5 years working out there.  My first year, I was a cart attendant (we were called cart boys in those days – not sure if that’s a PC violation now), then I worked in maintenance for three years.  After that, I worked part time on weekends for a season or two as a course ranger.

As an aside, I really do believe that those five years have given me enough material to write a book.  You wouldn’t believe a lot of it if I told you, but those are stories for another day (and most of them will never be recounted in this space).

Learning from the Learned

Those were definitely my formative years in the game of golf.  I was then working for that salty old pro that wanted to bounce us out the door a year or two earlier.  His name was Bob.  He worked a non-golf job for something like 25 years, retired, and became a golf pro, something he had wanted to do early in life.  He had a somewhat gruff exterior, but after getting to know him, he was funny, generous, and had a lot to teach.  He passed away a couple of years after I finished up my tour of duty at the course.

His love of the game was similar to mine, I think. He instilled a lot of appreciation for the traditions of golf.  He demanded players dress appropriate to the dress code.  He was always dressed sharply himself.  We used to joke that he never wore the same shirt twice and it wasn’t that much of an exaggeration.  At one point, he hired a waitress from the restaurant to do laundry for him on the side.  He brought five full Hefty garbage bags full of clothes for her to wash (I know because I moved them from his car to hers).  And he said that was just the shirts.  He would bring the pants after she got those done.

I still miss him.  I think he would be supportive of my effort to become a pro and I would definitely value his advice.

I also worked for an up and coming young pro named Brian.  He was an excellent player and really nice guy.  I learned a lot from him too.  He was well on his way to a career in golf, working through the PGA certification process at the time.  Soon after I started working there, he got a job at a course in Florida and I haven’t heard anything since.  But I owe him too for sparking my love for the game.

Getting a job at a golf course was key because golf was free.  Practice was free, too.  If the seed was going to be planted, it definitely had all the water and sunshine it could use.

Working on the course was a great learning experience because it gave me plenty of time to observe the way experienced players played.  I started to pick up the finer points of etiquette.  I learned where carts were allowed to be driven.  I learned about pace of play.  I saw some good swings and an awful lot of bad ones and started to sort of intuitively recognize some of the differences between them.

Equipment Upgrades

I played golf here and there, and at some point, Brian examined my beat-up old set of clubs and said, “come with me.”  He took me to the shed where the range balls were stored and there was a giant container filled with clubs.  These were the ones that had been in the lost and found for multiple years (current ones were kept inside the pro-shop).  He said, “let’s build you a better set,” and proceeded to pluck me out a complete set of clubs, including a putter.

Spalding Executive was a popular model at the time and he managed to put together an almost completely matching set for me.  Which begs the question:  how many frickin’ clubs do people lose?!  The math is mind boggling, that he could put together almost a complete set of Executives just out of the lost and found.

But, I digress.

My First “Lessons”

I was charged up about the “new” clubs so I started practicing more.  I signed up for a clinic that Brian ran one afternoon early that summer.  He started me out with some waist-high 7-iron swings and showed me some other basics.  There was a trash can full of range balls for the students to hit and I was out there hitting balls with my 7-iron until dark.

As time went on, I started to play more.  Some of my fondest memories are the evenings I spent out on the course playing alone.  I kept practicing, too.  Despite the fact that I worked at the course, I didn’t take a personal lesson from any of the pros for several years.

I did get lots of tips and casual information over the years, but aside from that clinic my first summer, I didn’t get much other instruction.  I just learned by doing.

Well, that’s sort of true.

One evening, I was at the range pounding balls.  The driveway of the course ran parallel to the range tee, so it was common for cars to be passing by all the time.  At one point, I heard a car slowing down behind me so I hit my shot and turned to look, and it was Bob watching me.

He yelled, “What the f*** are you doing, big man?!!”  You had to know Bob – if he liked you, he would give you a hard time.  I turned and said, “hitting balls?”  He shot back, “You see that sign up there on the road?!”

The road ran up the right side of the range (yes, I did put balls out there on occasion).  There was a sign up maybe 150 yards up and on the opposite side of the  road.  It was probably 20-30 degrees to the right my target which was straight up the range.

I kind of sheepishly said, “yeah” because I thought he might be having some fun with me but wasn’t sure and didn’t want to seem like an idiot.  He yelled, “You should be swinging your club at that g**d*** sign!!”  I started to turn and aim at the sign and he shot back, “Nooooooooo! Dammit!  Aim down the range at your target, but when you swing the club down, swing it out toward that sign!!”

I hit a few shots like that and he was satisfied.  In a much calmer tone he said, “Good.  Keep working.”  He rolled up his window and drove on.

That was my first lesson on hitting from the inside.  Over the next few years, I received other impromptu lessons like that and learned a lot in the process, without really knowing what I was learning.

Brian taught me how to build putting feel by mentally associating a specific length putting stroke with a specific distance.  It wasn’t about a scientific measurement of putt length and back swing length.  It was about knowing that I have a ten-foot putt and being able to have my muscles recall my ten-foot putt stroke, whatever that happens to look like.

In my first year there, I started to play more and more.  When I got done work, I would run home, change in to proper attire, and then run back and hit the course and play until dark.  By this time, I was becoming a reasonably decent player.  After a couple of years, I had no trouble averaging in the low 40′s and would go through stretches where I could consistently shoot in the upper 30′s.  I was playing probably four or five days per week and even went through a stretch where I played 21 days straight.

Defining Me

It’s funny how circumstances define us.

As you can infer from all this, I played a lot of 9-hole rounds.  We were allowed to play whenever we wanted, but we couldn’t play at busy times when we might take a spot from a paying customer. So, I played in the evenings almost all the time.  And that behavior became so ingrained that it continues to this day.  I am most happy on the course in the evenings, playing until dark.  I like to play against someone else because it helps me focus my game, but I rarely play in a foursome.

I learned to enjoy the solitude of the practice tee and green and of the course late in the evenings.  I learned to like practice because I didn’t want to be the 17 year old fool that went out there to play golf without even understanding anything beyond the basic purpose of the game.  Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but instead of asking, I just figured I knew it all and went from there.

Those were my formative years and gave me my love for the game.  I owe people like Bob for teaching me the tradition and character of the game.  And I owe several people for taking the time to teach me a little about the swing and how to play the game.  But, somewhere the game got into my soul.  I don’t know if the solitude just matches my personality or if the challenge of the game is a perfect match for my innate desire to learn and improve.

Either way, that was a wonderful time in my life and it was a pleasure to relive it in these two posts.  I hope you’ll share your own introduction to the game in the comments below.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

How it All Began, Part II

Now on to the beginning…

I had gone to driving ranges here and there while growing up.  I always used the house drivers that they loan out to people who don’t own clubs, but I never had any concept of the game.  All I knew was whacking balls as far as I could and laughing at people who whiffed (I wasn’t really laughing the time I slipped and threw the borrowed driver 100 yards down range though).  I didn’t know anything about The Masters, Arnold Palmer, the difference between a hook and a slice, or what a Nassau is.  Nor did I know that there were dress codes and etiquette.

Etiquette might have been nice to know because my first attempt at real golf wasn’t pretty.

I was maybe 17 years old and grew up in a fairly rural area in New Jersey (no, really), but there happened to be a golf course a few miles from home.  It had never occurred to me to play until a friend of mine convinced me that it would be fun because he had played with his father a couple of times.

I saved up a little money and went and bought an old beat-up set of clubs. They came with a bag and everything.  This was probably 1992 or 1993, a little before metal woods were fully ingrained in the game, so I got my start with persimmon.

I was happy as a pig in – well, let’s just say I was happy.  My friend and I decided to play.  He would borrow his dad’s clubs, and I’d bring mine – I was in the big time now.  A golfer!  We decided that real golfers played in a foursome, so we invited two other friends.

This is where the etiquette part would have come in handy.  We made a tee time and showed up at the course.  Four people, two sets of clubs.  What’s wrong with sharing, right?  Yeah.  Embarrassing is a good word to describe the fact that they weren’t going to let four of us play with two sets of clubs and that we had totally tipped our hand, demonstrating that we were utterly clueless about the game of golf.

We were given a choice by the salty old pro giving us the evil eye: we had to either all pack up our remaining dignity and get out of there or send our two clubless friends over the hill.  Needless to say, two of us we were preparing to tee off within a few minutes.  Humorously, one of the guys that got the boot  that day might even read this.  Sorry, dude.

I don’t remember much from that round other than the fact that golf was harder than I thought and that we were totally clueless about the whole affair.  We had no idea where we were allowed to drive the carts.  We didn’t know about fixing ball marks.  We didn’t know when it was safe to tee off.  Perhaps most embarrassing – or funny, depending on your point of view – was that we played approach shots to a directional flag on the long, dogleg-right par-five first hole.

A maintenance guy on a rough mower was shouting at us that the green was still 300 yards away, but we couldn’t hear him over the sound of the machine. We just nodded, smiled, and waved and looked at each other with dumbfounded “what is he yelling about” expressions.  He was kind enough to eventually ride over and convey the message in a way that was clear enough for us to understand, so, thanks Buzzy for that compassionate understanding all those years ago.

Those were the most notable moments.  I have no idea what my score was and I don’t recall any individual shots, good or bad.  I went home and didn’t touch my clubs for a while, except maybe to go to the driving range for fun once in a while.

Honestly, my golfing life was almost over before it started.  I didn’t try to play again.  Until…

Tune in tomorrow for Part II of this riveting cliff-hanger.  OK, riveting is not the right word and maybe cliff-hanger is a bit strong, but I really do want to hear the stories about how you came to appreciate/love/be addicted to golf.  Leave a comment and stop back tomorrow for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

How it All Began, Part I

Sometimes it’s best just to leave it alone for a while when things don’t go well.  Otherwise strong commitment can degrade into unbearable burden.  When golf stops being fun, then something’s wrong.  Well, I took a month-long breath and I think that did the trick.  I can tell you that when I hit balls again, I’m going to be fearful of the shanks, but I know how to work through it, so I’ll get that resolved eventually.

So, now what?  The first step is to evaluate the year.  It wasn’t all bad, even though it didn’t end well.  I got my handicap down to around 13 officially, but I was playing better than that by the end of summer.  As you probably know, once there are a lot of scores in the system, it’s hard to move the number quickly, but that’s OK.

I made improvements in every aspect of the game this year.  I was especially happy with the way I was hitting my irons near the end (prior to my October melt-down – in fact, let’s pretend October never happened.  From here out, I’m referring to the period up to that, unless otherwise specified).

My stats show that I need work in most of the statistical categories, but driving was a sore spot for me near the end.  I was having trouble hitting fairways and on my course, that’s a big problem because of the difficulty of the rough.  Putting also got a little hairy near the end, but that’s just a matter of putting time in to keep my touch sharp. I was spending a lot of time trying to iron out some of my shot-making problems and kind of let my short game coast along at the end.

In a physical sense, it wasn’t a bad year.  The only injury of note was that weird muscle problem near my hip in the middle of the summer.  I do feel like that robbed me of some momentum, but it went away after a while, so that’s good, at least.

That leads me to the plan moving forward.  Almost.

I did something different this year than what I did the first two years.  When I started this adventure, I obviously knew the importance of fitness in improving my golf game.  My problem was, I tried to do too much at the same time.  This year, I switched things up.  I worked on my fitness last winter and then when golf season arrived, I pretty much went to sporadic gym sessions and focused 99% of my energy directly on golf.

That actually worked really well for me.  I got my strength, flexibility, and endurance up and it served me well all season.  Aside from that one muscle tweak, I felt better physically than I had in previous years and I was able to play and practice more this year than I did in either of the first two years.

Where it really helped was with the mental grind.  I didn’t force myself to choose between practice/play and working out.  I wasn’t stretching myself thin time-wise, trying to fit it all in.

I like the way it worked out so much, that I’m going to do that again.  I just started working out again, and I’m feeling pretty good.  I have some work to do with my endurance, but strength-wise, I’m just about where I want to be.

Speaking of strength, remember when I told you about the Max Golf Workout?  That thing is the real deal.  I was using the “max contraction” method last winter and when the season kicked in, I was strong, and I was happy with my strength all summer long.

Now, I just started working out again.  I’ve done exactly two workouts, and my strength is at or above where it was at the beginning of the year.  Keep in mind that a strength exercise with that method is one 30-60 second rep with a 7-14 day rest period between workouts targeting a specific area.  I did my strength training two Sundays ago and again last Sunday.  When I worked out the second time, I had already maxed the curl machine, the bench press machine, the fly machine, and several others.  I can probably progress further with heavier free weights, but there isn’t much point.  I’m happy to just maintain a certain plateau and concentrate on endurance.  It really does feel like cheating to build strength so easily.

With respect to golf, I’m going to try and play and practice whenever I can, weather permitting, through the winter.  I’m signed up for a scramble on Thanksgiving morning for fun, so hopefully I can beat back the shanks before then.

Beyond that, I’ll continue to do the indoor things I typically do in the off-season.  I’ll spend time with my Pelz Putting Track and Elk’s Key working on my putting stroke.  I’ll also keep a few clubs inside to work on my grip, stance, posture, etc.  I can’t do much with full swings in here, but I think I’ll be able to get enough outdoor practice and that won’t be a problem.

So that’s it.  Well, I’d also like to crank out a little more content here too, since I should have more free time for a few months.  I have some book reviews in the works and I haven’t done a lot of technical posts lately, which I’d like to do more often.

I’m interested to know how all of you will be spending your off seasons, as well.  Those of you in places with no real off-season – keep the bragging to a minimum.  I won’t be able to contain my jealousy.

I think I’m pumped again.  Ahh, I needed that.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

So, Now What?

Here are ten things that you don’t ever want to hear (or possibly say).

1. “Wow, your club went further than the ball.“  Might be time for new grips.  Or anger management classes.
2. “Uh oh, that’s in the fairway on the next hole.“  The fact that the ball is in the short grass is little consolation when it comes time to perform the Walk of Shame.
3. “Fore!“  Obviously, we hate having to shout this one, but hearing it means that someone might be saying #10 next, where you’re “that guy”.
4. “I think I saw a splash.” I bet you never thought you could slice it that far.
5. “You’re still away.“  Following a four foot putt with a ten foot comeback putt probably isn’t ideal for scoring.
6. “Do you mind if we put a little something on the match?” If you hear this from a stranger, you might want to decline.  Unless you’re a Tour pro ranked in the top 125.
7. “It’s going to be really slow out there today.“  Really? Maybe you should have told me that before taking my money.
8. “You didn’t make it past the forward tee.  Drop ‘em.“  Maybe this just happens with the guys I play with?
9. “Was that lightning?“  And look at you, holding a 3 1/2 foot metal rod in your hands.
10. “Holy @&%$, I think you killed that guy!” Is your homeowners insurance up to date?

These are my top ten.  What are some of yours?

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

Things You Don’t Want to Hear (or Say) on a Golf Course

1. I don’t care about the new groove regulations because I would still love the game if I had to hit featheries with persimmon woods across six holes of sheep pasture.
2. If I owned a golf course, alcohol would be forbidden on the course, but would be allowed in the awesome 19th hole bar that would be on the premises.
3. I cannot explain why, but I firmly believe in dress codes on golf courses. If there isn’t one, then fine, but if a course is going to have one, it should be enforced in a draconian manner, even if it means sacrificing revenue.
4. As a fan, I prefer watching golf on TV.  As a student of the game, there is absolutely no alternative to being there on the premises during a tournament.
5. The length of time Sam Snead played at a high level is amazing to me. Tom Watson is performing well at his age, but isn’t even on the same planet with respect to total wins.
6. The LPGA Tour has some great players, cool personalities, and good golf, but given the choice, I prefer watching a PGA Tour event 99% of the time.
7. My dream foursome:  David Feherty, Gary McCord, John Daly.  THAT would be a fun day.
8. Why do people refuse to fix ball marks and rake bunkers?  I bet those same people complain when their ball lands in a foot print or their putt rolls like a game of Plinko.
9. I love how people will spend $400 for the newest driver for its “forgiveness” but won’t spend $50 on a lesson with a pro. With a good swing, there’s not much to forgive.
10. Attention golf course operators:  I appreciate the guy who is there to help get carts loaded and unloaded and shine up clubs, but I would be infinitely more happy if you would have him riding around as a course ranger – and not just during weekend mornings.
11. There are some great golf blogs out there.  To anyone thinking of starting one: if you’re just doing it for money, your heart won’t be in it and it will show.  And, it probably won’t last for long.
12. I believe I will make every putt within ten feet. I don’t just tell myself I’ll make it, and of course I don’t make every one, but I believe that I will before I make the stroke.
13. If you’ve ever mowed fairways on a golf course, then you know that when you finish one and the striping is nearly perfect, it’s a very rewarding feeling.
14. I’ve done just about every task a golf maintenance worker can do and the one I hated most was changing hole locations.
15. I’m still waiting for the wonderful day when I get matched up on the course with some stranger and he says, “Do you mind if we play a match for honor, not money, and can we strictly enforce the rules?”
16. I’m not sure how I feel about long putters. I could see outlawing them and forcing a traditional-type stroke, but at the same time, they don’t really bother me that much to push the issue.
17. I’m a fan of using a little gamesmanship, but I’m afraid that in a serious tournament, I might cross the line, so I would probably not even try to play any mind games.
18. Since I started my journey to become a pro, I’ve been working with my pro to develop my game, but I haven’t played any competitive tournaments, partly because of poorly-timed injuries.  My club championship is this Sunday and it occurs to me that I don’t really know how to prepare effectively for a tournament. Both in the days leading up, and on the day itself.  I need to develop my own routine.
19. I have Hogan’s famous 1-iron photo hanging up in my dining room in my apartment, or my “golffice” as I like to call it.  It provides great inspiration on a daily basis.
20. I prefer match play to stroke play in a one-on-one situation. In stroke play, it’s too easy for a player just to zone out and shoot a number.  In match play, the opponent matters a lot more and there’s a lot more opportunity to get inside a player’s head. Especially since in match play, when the match is mathematically decided, it’s over, but in stroke play, a huge lead just means the need to grind out the final holes.

© 2007-2010 Life in the Rough. All Rights Reserved.

20 Random Thoughts About Golf