Practie Continued - Practice Versus Playing

Playing a round of golf is fun, challenging and a great way to spend the weekend with your buddies.

As a golfer I have a lot of fun playing with my friends, co-workers, business friends and acquaintances.  I think it is the most relaxing part of the game.  You get to have great conversations, tell jokes, cut up, even sometimes shoot off a firecracker in their backswings.  After the round you sit have a few drinks and tell stories of how you did for the day.  That is relaxing at its finest.  It helps take your mind off the troubles of your life and worries of work for a few hours during the day.  Unless, of course, you have to bring that phone with you and ruin your game altogether.

As a professional golfer I still have those days stated above, but spend most of my golfing time at the practice range, chipping and putting area perfecting my game.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy practicing also, because I make games out of what I am practicing on.  This way I don't get bored and can practice for hours.

You see the way you look at things in your mind determines what you are doing is boring or exciting.  I think that if you are bored at what you are doing then you are more than likely truly not interested in this endeavor.  So my recommendation is that if you are bored at whatever you are doing than you have two options: change your attitude and perception of why you are doing whatever you are doing or, stop doing it.

I have enjoyed golf my whole life.  I have played and had a lot of fun over the years. A lot of good memories and a lot more memories still to come.  The decision I made to play as a professional changed my outlook on the game I love.  I still have fun at it, I just have to work more at it instead of playing just on the weekend, or a couple times during the week.  I choose to practice for hours an on my free time to compete at this high level instead of playing rounds upon rounds of golf. 

Now, as far as playing, I have found that a lot of times you go to the course with your buddies you don't have time to hit the range to warm up.  I recommend to at least do some good stretching and swinging of one of your long irons to loosen up before you hit that first shot.  You do not want to pull anything on the first hole except the ball.  With that being said I want to give you some of the new rules of golf I heard:

• You can take as many drives off the first whole as you want until you get the one you want, because everyone knows you don't have time to warm up before you start
• If you loose your ball in the high rough, trees you shouldn't have to take a penalty stroke because, eventually someone will find the ball and then it becomes a stolen ball and why should we be penalized for someone stealing our ball
• On the putting green if the ball roles over the hole then it is considered to be holed, because everyone knows that the rules of Physics out rule the Rules of Golf.

I do believe that no matter what level of golfer you are that practice is an important part of your game.   The better golfer you want to become the more practice you should be doing.  As far as instruction to get better you have to do three things.

1. Gain more knowledge in the game
2. Get lessons from a qualified Professional
3. Practice what you have learned and have been taught

Along with practice the other big area of interest in improving the game of golf is course management.  I will be talking about that later on.

Until next time, If you find yourself getting frustrated in what you are doing, stop and do something else for awhile......

Rainy Days continued... Five Things You Can Do Indoors

Well it is another Rainy Day, I guess it really hasn't stopped.  Been raining now for about three days.  Fortunately, it has only been raining and not storming.

You just got your game the way you want it, or, close enough that you are feeling good about your swing and scoring.  You get a long delay for unknown reasons or it is just raining for several days that you cannot get on the course.

Here are five things you can do inside:

1. Keep stretching so you can stay flexible.
2. Practice putting on carpet or indoor putting pad.
3. If you have a room or garage that is safe to swing a 7 iron, you can practice your swing and work on your technique.
4. Chipping Drill Indoors
5. Work on Your Swing Balance.

Over the next few days we will go over all five of these tips.

So until you can get back on the course keep these in mind to once you do you won't miss a beat....

Tips on Golf Etiquette Hints

To Finish up on the segment on Golf Etiquette Making the Game More Enjoyable for Others I leave you with the following hints:

• Quiet Please!  Never talk during another player's swing.
• Do not yell out following a shot.  Even if boisterous behavior doesn't bother your playing partners, there are other people on the course who may be within earshot.

• Be aware of your shadow on the putting green.  Don't stand in a place that causes your shadow to be cast across another player or that player's putting line. Or seen in during their swing.

• Never walk through a playing partner's putting line  Your footprints might alter the path of a partner's putt.  Step over the putting line, or walk around (behind) the partner's ball.  Also, avoid stepping on the other side of the hole on the putting line because the putter may hit the ball long and this will also effect his next shot.

Well there are a lot more golf hints on etiquette put I think we captured the most common.

If anyone has any particular parts of their game they want talked about or want tips on what to do, I will be happy to give suggestions and tips.

Next blog, I will talk about what I did in my youth to help me understand the game and provide a challenge right in my own yard.

Until then, Always be courteous to the golfers around you and hope they provide the same......

Golf Tournament Goes Bad

Well I am back from my golf venture in Georgia.

Sorry I haven't written in a while but I am back.

It didn't go as I wanted.  I was attempting to qualify for a Champions Tour Event.

I was doing fairly well and then with 4 holes left I hit a nine iron which stopped when it hit the ground and ended up causing a hairline fracture in my right hand ring finger.  The pain was excruciating and as my wife stated, "You looked like you were going to fall to the ground you were in so much pain."

So I had to withdraw and not finish the tournament.  This was to be the first event for the year and now it might be the last.  We will see how long it will take to heal.  I have to wear a splint on my finger for at least a month.  Then depending on the healing I don't know when I will be able to swing again.

I had to withdraw from the US OPEN Qualifier May 7th, but am keeping myself signed up for the Senior US Open Qualifier in Nashville on June 20th for the time being.  I will know more by end of May if I will have an idea if my finger will be able to take it by that time.

Well, time to go.  I will continue my blog on Golf Etiquette on my next Posting.

Keep your tempo smooth and your swing easy.......

My Golf Dream

Hello.  I have just been led to start blogging about my dream from childhood of becoming a professional golfer, player, and teacher of the game I have found out that dreams do come true if you have patience, work hard and never give up.  I was told for many years in my childhood that I couldn't do this or that, that I wasn't good enough or smart enough by many different people. I listened to those people and began to believe it for many years,  instead of listening to myself and what God was leading me to do.  People are not always right!

I was five years old when I started learning the game of golf.  You see my dad was playing it quit a bit and bringing home trophies and I thought that was cool.  He watched the game on TV on the weekends after he returned from the golf course or if the weather was not cooperative.  We watched because he controlled the TV even when he was snoring (clearing his throat).  As children we didn't want to watch golf really and while he was clearing his throat we tried to change the channel.  Only to hear, hey I was watching that, turn it back.  We informed dad, your eyes were closed and you were snoring and he would reply, "I wasn't snoring, I was clearing my throat and my eyes were resting not closed."  My dad was a very talented golfer who loved the game and still does.  You see he is 83 years old and still loves and plays the game.  He is still tough to beat.  He told me at end of last year he shot his age which at the time was 82.  Wow, I hope I can do that at his age. 

I started playing with my Mom's clubs, I don't think she played much after I started using them.  I don't think she ever found her clubs again, because I had them all the time.  I started caddying during the summer months in between baseball and football.  I remember caddying for my dad at the local golf club pushing his cart.  Every now and then when the course wasn't busy we were allowed to play a hole or two.  I think I was 8 years old I had my first par on a par 4 golf hole.  My dad was a very patient and talented player in his own right.  When we were young kids we saw his trophies as play things and didn't understand their importance until later.  When I was older in High School I played a lot with my dad and found out that while he was in the military in the 50's he had played with Chi Chi Rodriquez and Gary Player down in Texas.  I also found out that I caddied at the same course my Dad did when he was a child.  That was another wow in my life.  Doing something that both my Dad and I enjoy has given me great memories throughout all my life. 

I have always loved he game.  Watching my Dad play, playing rounds with my Dad, watching Jack Nicklaus on TV.  Caddying in the Hawaiian Open in 1996 in the Pro-Am was delightful and awesome.  Watching Corey Pavin win, following Jack Nicklaus and listening to Andy Bean and Fuzzy Zoeller on the Practice tee with an amateur between them cutting on the amateurs on how they think they don't need to have a practice round for the amateurs and only for the pros because the amateurs always play well and then choke during the actual pro-am.  The amateur was listening to this and then asked the two pro's, " Why do you pick on us amateurs like that?",  Only to hear Fuzzy spout back "because your pay for this abuse".  They all laughed.  Even though I was 26 at the time and in the Military, wow, what a great opportunity that was seeing for the first time in person some of the greats in golf and played on a great course.  Of course now it is called the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Well it is time to get some practice in and spend some time with my fabulous wife.  I will write on how I started getting back to my dream on my next entries.   Take Care.

I will leave with two statements:  One I don't agree with because I enjoy good walks and that is Mark Twain who stated:  "Golf is a good walk ruined".  apparently Mark Twain never understood or played Golf.

The other is:  Walter Hagen stated, "Three bad shots and one good shot is still a 4".

Until next time....