The best gift that I can give my Blog followers is not about how to hit a golf ball better. The Ultimate Golf Gift to me is a perspective/attitude about the game of golf.
I have recently challenged my playing partners to recall their favorite shot of the day after the round as we are sitting down for a drink. My favorite shot is usually not a drive. Although the drive is one of the easiest and most important shot of each hole. If you lay 2 hitting your 3rd shot from the tee (OB or lost) than the rest of the hole is most likely going to be a double or higher. My favorite shot is where I was challenged by a tough lie or hit a great long putt that just rolled by the hole or basically anything I visualized, felt and trusted and then I somewhat achieved the type of shot I was attempting. This is what is fun about golf to me. The reason I ask players what was your favorite shot today is because I get tired of hearing all the negative self -destructive recounts of all the failures of the day. Golf is not about failures, it is about successes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The facts are: the game of golf is difficult.
This is givin that you understand what it is you are trying to do in a golf swing. Most people do not even know that. One of my favorite sayings from my old boss at Tedesco CC goes like this. "Most golf information is transferred from player to player and the problem with this transfer of supposed golf knowledge although well intended is that they don't really know what they are talking about and they don't really care." You would think that your golf knowledge at the Country Club level would start from the golf pro and that it branches outward but it does not.
I hear people talking about how many birdie putts they missed that day and how they
should of ' could of' may have' and must of. Here are the facts on putting. The best putters in the world on the PGA Tour make about half of their 6 ft putts in competition on Thursday thru Sunday and the conversion rates get worse the further you get from the hole. We can thank Mr. Pelz for these great statistics. So if the best putters in the world convert only half of their 6 footers as a group average than why would you expect to make all of your 10 footers for birdies. If the best ball strikers in the world who all they do all the time is play and practice golf, hit on the average 14 greens in regulation then why do you beat yourself up if you miss a green.
The facts are that golf is a difficult game chocked full of challenge and this is assuming that you know how to hit a golf ball: most of you do not. I'm not trying to be mean in saying this. The good news is the bad news is wrong. It is not that difficult to learn the basics of grip, posture, alignment, and then creating motion in your clubhead. The problem is very few people are asking, thus condemned to their own swing thoughts. 10 percent of my golf lessons are people telling me how to hit golf ball and I question their motivations for a lesson. Thus, the quote in my favorite quotes blog. "If you are paying someone for their opinion then shut up and listen".
Golf is not a game of rush-rush and and hurry-hurry and finish. It's not about worrying about what the group in front of you or behind you is doing or not doing. Pace of play is incredible over-focused on at the Country Club level. One perspective I would like my blog followers to embrace is: Enjoy your round, enjoy your playing partners and enjoy the challenges that this day of golf will present. Don't get lost in the mentality of why is this group ahead of us so slow or what are they doing and why don't they let us play through. I suggest that if you fall prey to this mentality each time you go to a golf course that you are playing too much golf and need to take a break. Get in pace! Whatever it is, play the game.
Carpe diem
