GolfStinks

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Giving Golf A Second Chance

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The old second chance.  Many people deserve it.  Few get it.  But what about golf?  How many people do you think quit the game and leave it behind for good?  I’ll bet it’s a much higher number than the people who quit the game and come back.  But I recently read an article about a man who plans on doing just that. 

This particular gentleman gave up the game back in high school.  Now that in itself is kind of strange, being that it seems to be the time when many are being introduced to the game.  It was for me.  I didn’t start playing in high school, but I had a part-time job at a local golf course, which is where I first discovered the driving range.  But that’s about as deep into golf as I got until my mid-20’s. 

But as we’ve mentioned before, sometimes life gets in the way of golf.  It does for most of us.  There’s always something to do that keeps us away from this great game.  And once we get pulled away from the course for a significant amount of time, many of us never go back.  But thankfully, some of us do.  Our writer realized after several failed home improvement projects, that he needed something else to do with his free time.  So, looking for something more social, enter…or…re-enter golf.

So now, he’s faced with some of the the decisions with which many of us were faced when we first took up the game – taking lessons and purchasing clubs.  So if I could inject a bit of my own advice, I would like to say just a couple of things.

1.  Enjoy the game for what it is – a game.  If you take your game or your lessons too seriously, you’ll be missing out on some of the fun. 

2.  Use the time on the course for something more than just playing golf.  Make a day of it with your buddies.  Relax, talk, hang out, have a couple beers…make it a good social experience with your friends. 

3.  Understand that you will never be a pro.  And if you’re taking up the game later in life, understand that you will likely never even approach the point you think you will reach.  If you hit more bad shots than good…who gives a crap?!  Is it your job?  Are you blowing a million dollar purse?  Are you losing your chance at making the PGA Tour?  No!  You’re just out there having a good time.  Continue to do that.     

4.  As for your clubs, before you go out and dump an obscene amount of money into a driver and a set of irons, make sure you’re going to stick with the game first.  I bought a cheap set of clubs to start with and used them for a good twelve years before I got custom-fitted for a set.  And though they feel like they’re helping, my scores certainly don’t reflect it.

Point is, I’m glad to see someone returning to the game.  But I’d be happier if they were to stick with it.  And a few simple ideas with which to approach the game can make the experience all the better. 

Swing ’til you’re happy!      

"Are You Kidding, I Play For Fun!"

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The words above were the actual words spoken by a guy I work with during our last conversation about golf. Such a simple statement, but yet so appropriate for the stinky golfer attitude. And it’s funny because I thought I was a stinky golfer. But my co-worker has got me beat.

Now this guy, he’s a married father of two. Monday-Friday are wrapped up in a relatively demanding job. His weekends are pretty much occupied by his wife and kids. Free time for him, apparently, is a rarity. So when he gets the chance to play golf, it’s a luxury. It’s a treat. It’s his fun time, and he plans on having some fun!

He pretty much summed it up for me in that recent conversation. I was talking about the new golf shoes I had purchased, or more specifically, the reason I purchased them. “My shoes were terrible” I said. “My feet would be hurting by the 11th or 12th hole.” He gave me a look that I can only describe as confused astonishment. “You walk when you play?” he said to me. I said that I try to as much as I can because it’s good exercise. His response? “Are you kidding, I play for fun! Exercise! #$%& that!” I laugh, but for the most part I agree with him. He goes on to say, “I bust my ass and get tired all week! Why the hell would I want to do it when I’m supposed to be having fun?”

I started thinking about my answer to this question. Do I say that it’s better exercise? No, I’m not out there for exercise. Do I mention how I can get a better “feel” for the course if I walk it? What am I a PGA pro?! I couldn’t even explain how a course feels if I laid down naked in the middle of the 15th fairway. So I can think of no other response other than to agree with him. After all, I actually do agree with him!

So I begin to think to myself, how is this not my mentality? I want to play well, but I am also out there to have fun! Why am I exhausting myself? Why am I making stupid excuses? I work hard and get tired all week and it’s no fun. I don’t want to do the same things out on the golf course. I want to relax and enjoy myself. I don’t want to get tired of the game. But if the game turns into work, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

But now I wonder further, is this part of the reason I’ve had such a lax attitude toward the game this year? I didn’t play nearly as much as I could/should have this year. The opportunities to play were there, I just didn’t purse them. Is it because I’m looking at the game with the wrong attitude? Am I starting to look at the game with less fun than I used to? Did the idea of doing things to try to improve my game, such as the custom-fitted clubs and a balance bracelet, take some of the fun out of it for me and put more of a focus on improving my game? If so, then in my mind I’m heading in the wrong direction with this game.

I never wanted it to be this way. I just wanted to have fun. I didn’t want it to become work. I didn’t want it to become anything more than a good time with my buddies. I think I’m going to have to rethink my feelings toward this game. Is it possible that I’ve begun to take this game too seriously? No, that’s not it. Maybe just a little more serious than I ever wanted to.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Judging My Custom-Fit Clubs

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Finally. For the first time since I received my new custom-fit clubs, I actually got out and played a round of 18! So now the new clubs have 27 holes, plus some range time, logged on them. I still don’t think it’s quite enough, but I’m going to try to make a fair judgement as to the added value of a custom fitting. You asked for it, so here it is.

Firstly, in fairness to my clubs, I stink at golf. I understand there are many golfers who are worse-off then me, but I’m still pretty freakin’ bad. No club is going to make a real significant impact on my game. Stinky Golfer Greg has pointed out previously that the way to get better at golf is to play…constantly. Well, I don’t have that kind of time. So I play as often as I can, which is not nearly as much as I would like, and nowhere near enough to show any real improvement. The point I’m trying to make here is, I don’t get to use the clubs as much as I should.

That being said, let’s move along to the clubs themselves. Obviously being custom-fit, the clubs are tailored around my swing. So one would have to imagine there would be immediate benefits to having a club built to strike the ball where it should be struck and hit the ground where it should be hit…And one would be correct. Thing is though, I didn’t realize how much it would affect the result of the swing. Due to the new found distance these clubs seem to provide, it looks like I’m going to need a bit more range time. After overshooting a couple of greens which I had no business overshooting, along with reaching a few traps I had no business reaching…this became quite clear.

So I need to work on my distances. But what about accuracy? Well, that’s another thing I’m going to need to get used to. I’ve spent the past twelve or so years with a swing that, I didn’t realize at the time, was compensating for my clubs. But now that the clubs are in order…my swing isn’t. I can feel when I hit the ball correctly. And when I do, the shots are great. However, right now, those don’t come as often as I would like. But once I get used to the clubs and stop swinging like it was my cheap, old, off-the-shelf set, I think I’ll be fine. But in the meantime…it looks like I’ll be spending a little while at the range working on that also.

In the end, I can tell the idea and the process of custom-fitting will be time and money well spent. Obviously I have some work to do and adjustments to make. But I know once I work out the kinks and get used to them, the new clubs will make a noticeable difference in my game – even though this past weekend produced one of the worst golf scores I have posted in my life, there were upsides and, even better…legitimate excuses!

So if you’re in the market for new clubs, I definitely recommend the custom-fitting process. I already can’t wait until next year when I can spend an entire golf season with the new sticks! If you’ve never done it before, but you’re going to spend the money on a new set, then you might as well spend the extra time (and cash if necessary) to make sure the clubs you’re getting will be of some benefit to you rather than just some shiny new showpieces. Just be prepared for the adjustments you’ll have to make.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Process Of My Custom Club Fitting

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About two months ago I talked about getting fitted for clubs. Well, I did it. And after quite a bit of a delay from a certain club manufacturer, I received them. Further, I’ve even played with them! But one nine-hole round certainly doesn’t constitute enough playing time to make a proper judgement as far as the difference between my old “off-the-shelf’s” and the newbies. So I’ll have to get out a few more times before I can really make a fair comparison.

But in the meantime, many have asked me about the actual process of the club fitting. Was it hi-tech? Did they video your swing? Did they measure your swing speed? Did they hook you up to computers? Well, the answer to all of those questions is, simply, no.

Rather, the pro and I went outside. Can you believe that? We actually went outside…where golf is actually played! He took me over to the driving range, handed me a 6-iron and had me smack a few balls. After watching me hit a few, he threw some tape on the bottom of the club head, dropped a board on the ground and had me hit a few more off of that. After about three or four swings, he took the club and showed me the tape. Ah-ha! Now I see part of the reason I stink at this sport! I could see which part of the club-head was hitting the ground….and it was not the part that’s supposed to be hitting.

So we swapped some differently angled club heads, taped those up and hit a few more. We combined the club head swaps with some different types of shafts (steel, graphite, stiff, regular) and before you know it, I had something in my hand that felt quite comfortable.

I say “before you know it,” but that’s not how it felt at the time. This process went on for about an hour or so. After non-stop swinging (for the most part) on the range for that long…I was wiped! I mean, it felt like I took more swings on that range than I would possibly take in two rounds! But, even though I have yet to have enough time to see if it was beneficial, I feel this was well worth it.

See, I could have watched my swing on video. I could have measured my club-head speed. I could have been hooked up to a computer and I could have stayed inside and hit balls into a net eight feet in front of me like in the picture above. Thing is, I’ve done all of those things before. And other than a recent swing video analysis, which you can read about here, they’ve gotten me next to nowhere. I could have done them all again, but what would that have gotten me had I not seen the end result of my swing?

Any of us can hit a ball straight for eight feet. What does that tell me? What matters is what the ball is doing 170 yards down the fairway. And by being out on an actual range, I can see exactly what that ball is doing. After all…do you really give a crap how fast you swing? You shouldn’t. What you should care about is having the proper club for that swing and the end result. I don’t care if I swing 95 mph or 125 mph, as long as I have the right club for the job.

One of the questions I am also asked is, “How much did it cost?” Thanks to the hook-up from my wonderful wife, I didn’t pay a cent. So I have no idea what it would have cost. However, upon doing some research, I see people pay as little as $20-$30 for a fitting. For that price, it’s well worth it. But there’s always that other end of the spectrum.

As I may have mentioned before, one thing I will never understand about golfers is the amount of money many are willing to spend in order to try to make themselves better players. Doing that same research, I have seen that some are willing to fork over $400 for a club fitting! $400?! How much more are you getting than what your local pro can offer you for a small fraction of that price, if not free? Some people just take this game way too seriously. But, I guess if you have the money, then good for you.

So like I said earlier, I’m going to need a few more rounds before I can make an accurate judgement as to how beneficial a custom fitting really is. But as of now, I’m going to say I’m quite satisfied so far. My new clubs feel nice in my hands and nice during my swing. During my first time out with them, I felt like I hit the ball more solidly. My score didn’t reflect it, but it feels like I’m headed down the right path. We’ll see if that keeps up a few rounds from now.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Custom Fitting Golf Clubs: Worth It?

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golfstinks, golf stinksI’m approaching a very special time in the career of a golfer, and I want to share it with everyone. It wouldn’t be fair to keep such a joyous occasion to myself. I need to tell everyone about the next step in my golfing life.

You see, I’m finally putting down my off-the-shelf clubs (the same set I’ve been playing with since I took up the game), and getting myself fitted for a new set!

Once again, I have my wife to thank. For the umpteenth time, via the benefits of her place of employment, she has come through with something to benefit me. You see, I’ve mentioned previously that she works for a company that manages or owns several golf courses throughout the state. So I’ll be headed to their top course to meet up with the pro who will promptly measure me up! It’s a combination Fathers Day/Birthday gift…and a damn good one at that!

Now, as excited as I am for this, I also have no idea what to expect or what to look for. I’m sure the pro is going to help me understand those things, but it’s still a funny feeling. So I have a few questions with which some of you in the golf blogosphere may be able to help me out?

1. What exactly am I looking for? What I mean by this is, how do I want to feel with these clubs in hand? Should I feel like I’m holding something as light as a feather or something of significant mass? Should I feel like I’m holding anything at all or should I feel as if it’s simply an extension of my arms?

2. In my club shopping, swinging and testing-out of clubs, I’ve become a bit partial to a brand or two. But what happens if I’ve tried out a few and decide on one, but once it’s custom fit to my specs, I no longer like the feel of it? Is there a possibility of that happening? One would have to think so. It’s like if I was to test-drive a new car, decide I like it, and have something on it customized. Then, once I get it out on the road, it feels different due to the customization and I don’t like it as much. Has anyone ever heard of this happening or experienced it for themselves?

3. Is it worth it to do this at all? I mean, I’m getting a relatively large break on the cost of all of this, but it’s still not going to be cheap. Is a nice set of custom-fit clubs that much better than a nice set of off-the-shelf clubs? Especially considering I’m a stinky golfer? It’s something to think about.

Keep in mind, if not for my wife’s connection, this is something I likely would never do. I honestly never really cared about getting custom-fit clubs. As a matter of fact, I find it quite humorous that so many people who are not professional players, and never will be, spend the money to do this. So for a player of my caliber…I find it to be absolutely absurd!

I suppose I don’t understand it because I don’t take the game as seriously as many others do. Now don’t take that statement the wrong way. I very much enjoy playing the game. I also very much enjoy playing softball every Tuesday night, but I’m not about to go spend several hundred dollars on a custom bat, or have a custom glove tailored to my hand! So why do it for golf?

Well, the answer is, I wouldn’t. But I have the chance to do it now for less than what I was planning on paying for a nice set of off-the-shelf clubs. So that puts me in a different position. I would almost be foolish to NOT do this, right?

So next weekend holds the big day. Provided I can find a bit of free time, I’ll be in the pro shop, likely asking these same questions. If anyone can give me any insight before going in, it would be very much appreciated!

Afterward, give me some time with the new clubs and give me a chance to see how much difference they make and if they are, in fact, worth it. I’m sure I’ll then follow up with my verdict.

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