GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Golf Therapy 101

| By | 2 Comments

Golf got you down?
Golf got you down?

I mentioned in a recent post about the need for all non-pro golfers to take “I Stink at Golf” therapy – and I was being serious. Addressing some of your golfing problems will go a long way in helping your game.

But you don’t need to make an appointment with a shrink – no sir. Let me help you by posing some common golf problems and providing candid, life-changing advice!

Problem: I can’t hit the driver.
Advice: Yes you can. It may go straight only 10% of the time, but you can hit it. In fact, when you really get into one, it feels awesome. Well, that’s the feeling we want to hold onto – even if it only happens once a round. If you never take your driver out of your bag (or worse, if you’re like me and you went driverless for several years) you will never get that awesome feeling. Hey – it’s better to feel awesome once a round than never at all.

Problem: I’m inconsistent.
Advice: Of course you are – everyone is. Even pros are not consistent 100% of the time. The reality is something will always be off – If you’re hitting the driver decent, your irons will fail you. It’s going to happen – if you could put it all together most of the time, you’d be on tour. Accept inconsistency as a part of the game and play on.

Problem: I should play better than I do.
Advice: Bull shit. Your level of play is based on two things: Ability and effort. And your ability will only take you so far before you have to start putting in effort – and that’s usually when we start saying things like “I should play better than I do.” Could the real reason be that we’re all lazy? (See this post I penned last year).

Problem: But I can’t shoot anywhere near par.
Advice: You’re not alone. In fact, you’re in the majority. The best answer I’ve seen (which cites the reputable NGF) is this: A whopping 95% of golfers can’t break 80! More than 75% can’t break 90 and nearly 50% can’t even break 100!! So even if you can’t break 100, you have half the golfers of the world out there to help keep you company!

Don’t feel so bad now, do you? See, putting things in perspective like this really helps you go out and shoot 110 with a smile on your face – and let’s face it – enjoyment is what this game is all about!

Stinky Golfer Greg’s been playing wretched golf for more than 20 years and has come to terms with the fact that he stinks. Of course, in no way, shape or form does this make him qualified to give phycological advice. But then again, it’s probably more effective than if he were giving actual swing advice.

Do you want your Driver? No, he’s not my Type.

| By | 1 Comment

The last time I carried a driver in my golf bag: Bill Clinton was impeached, Titanic was number one at the box office and Seinfeld’s famed last episode had just aired. The year was 1998. I was a young, strapping 23-year-old and my driver was a Taylor Made Bubble Burner (see stock photo to the left).

I remember spending at least $300 on the club. I walked into the local golf store, pulled it off the rack, made sure it was right handed and walked to the checkout line. Hey, everybody knew Taylor Made produced quality clubs – that was all the justification I needed.

When I hit it correctly, I could launch one about 280 straight down the fairway (perhaps 300 with the wind at my back). The problem was, hitting “correctly” calculated out to about one shot in every ten. With those odds, I was losing balls by the boat-load.

After just one season, I sold it to an acquaintance…Come to think of it, I don’t even remember who it was. Anyway, for the next 11 years I teed-off with a myriad of clubs: 3-woods, 5-woods, 2-irons, 3-irons and most recently a 17-degree hybrid.

I’ve probably had the most success with the 5-wood and the hybrid. But both of those clubs left me with a long approach on many par 4’s and getting home in two on par 5’s was completely out of the question. So last season I realized I had enough…I was tired of handicapping myself. Thus, I decided that 2010 would be the year I went back to using a driver off the tee.

Spurred on in part by Stinky Golfer Chris’ custom club fitting, I decided to get fitted for a new driver. Unlike Chris however, I didn’t have a sweet deal to get fitted at a local pro shop gratis. Instead, I was going to take my chances on a major retail chain. But as soon I stepped in the simulator at Golf Galaxy*, the annoyance started. The 20-year-old employee doing swing analysis could care less about helping me – he just wanted me to buy his favorite club. After I hit a few balls at the screen, the kid moved me aside so he could show me HIS swing. Now, why would I care about HIS swing? Was I going to pay HIM to tee-off for me on the course? The fact that he was hitting it 330 down the middle was enticing, but more annoying than anything.

Needless to say, I left there and headed up the street to Dick’s Sporting Goods. That’s where I met Ralph. Ralph’s a PGA Professional and works in the golf department at Dick’s (now Dick’s is not paying me a cent for this, but it was really refreshing to learn there’s a PGA/LPGA Pro in all of their stores). Anyway, Ralph put me in the simulator and watched me hit a few balls. Soon, I was trying two or three different clubs and after about 10 minutes, Ralph prescribed a driver with a stiff-flex shaft and a 10.5 degree loft. And about 10 minutes after that, I had found my club.

Funny. The club I hit the best was a 2009 Taylor Made Tour Burner – I had come full-circle. But would it perform out on the course any better than my old Bubble Burner? Well, since it was last year’s model, it only cost me $150 (50% less than my previous driver), so I’ve got that going for me already.

But the best news is I’ve played about 72 holes with it so far and I’m hitting the damn thing pretty good! I’m in the fairway about 30% of the time and just missing (short rough) about 40% of the time. That means I’m in play about 70% of the time – and that’s saying allot for me! I’ve lost some distance over the years (knocking it out there about 265-275, depending on the wind) but I’ll take accuracy over distance any day.

So after years of saying “no” to my driver, It seems I’ve got a renewed relationship with one. But like all romances, only time will tell if it’s a keeper. Thanks to Ralph over at Dick’s Sporting Goods for the advice and patience – while I still stink at this game, he’s helped me stink just a tad bit less.

*It should be noted that Golf Stinks was once an affiliate of Golf Galaxy. This does not change the fact that we here at Golf Stinks call it like we see it. This one particular employee of this one particular Golf Galaxy store was a complete douche. However, in no way does Stinky Golfer Greg mean to imply that all Golf Galaxy employees are douches.

A Real "Grip It and Rip It"

| By | 1 Comment

I’m a huge football fan. By far my favorite sport. The NFL especially. I can give or take college football. Between too many mismatches, way too many meaningless bowl games, no playoff system in FBS, the whole BCS system, the pansy overtime rules…there’s just so much to dislike. But hey, it’s still football, so that makes it OK.

But on Sunday afternoons, I don’t want to know anything from anyone. I want to plant my ass on the couch for the next ten hours and not be disturbed. Don’t call my phone because I won’t answer. Don’t send me an email because I’m not checking it. And for heaven’s sake, between the months of September and early February, if you want me to show up to your birthday parties, kids birthday parties, social gatherings and various other events, plan to have them on Saturdays. If that’s not possible, then you’d better plan on having a TV somewhere in the general vicinity. Otherwise, you’ll get my card and/or gift either in the mail or the next time I see you.

I like football. But something strange happened just a few recent weeks ago. I was in the midst of my usual Sunday afternoon routine when, for some still unknown reason (maybe I was stuck watching the Jets), I changed the channel and found myself strangely drawn to what I had stumbled upon. At first I tried to resist and return to football, but every time a commercial was on, I went right back to my new found attraction.

What was it you ask? What was it that could possibly pull me away from my beloved NFL? It was an exhibition. An exhibition of accuracy, power and skill. It was the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship and quite simply, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. They say “Chicks dig the long ball.” Well guess what…so do I. And so do most other golfers and golf fans. Think about when you’re on the course with your buddies. When someone sinks a nice putt or makes a great chip…that’s all that’s said – “Nice putt man” or “great up-and-down” – that’s it. But when a member of your foursome rips into a drive that sails about 320 down the pipe…now there’s a reaction from the other guys in the area! We all know it’s only part of the game, but people love to see it. It’s like the home run in baseball. Sometimes it may be completely meaningless…but people still love to oooh and aaah when it happens.

This gets me thinking; Why is the PGA not capitalizing on the potential popularity of this by creating their own exhibition? Think about it. MLB has the immensely popular Home Run Derby. The NBA has two popular exhibitions with the slam-dunk contest and the three-point shootout. These leagues have figured out this is what fans love to see. So they give it to them! Why not have some of the long drivers on the PGA tour take on some of the guys from the LDA on the Wednesday before one (or more) of the majors? Not only could they possibly gain some TV time, but they could sure make some extra money at the gate with an extra day for the fans to get in!

Wouldn’t you like to see John Daly grab hold of one of those custom 50″ drivers and just tear into one? Wouldn’t it be great to see him go up against five-time long drive champ Jason Zuback who is more than capable of 400+ yard drives on an almost regular basis?! Now that’s a show! Another benefit for the PGA would be to get fans more familiar with some of the golfers most of us have never heard of.

Anyone know who Robert Garrigus is? No? That’s because he was #127 on the money list. But he led the tour in driving distance at 312 yards. How about Charley Hoffman? He was #41 on the money list, certainly off the radar for many fans. But did you know he hit a 467-yard drive at the Valero Open in 2009? That’s right, I just said 4-6-7! Dustin Johnson was 15th on the money list, so he’s more recognizable. But did you know he hit five drives last year over 400 yards? Take any one of these three guys, put a custom long-drive club in their hands, and you have a damn good show!

I feel, especially with the #1 golfer temporarily out of the picture, now is the time to experiment with some things that may help to draw the fans that will undoubtedly be missing from some of the tournaments. Hey if the Home Run Derby can go from a tape-delayed exhibition in the mid-80’s (inspired by a TV series which ran for a few months in 1960) to what it is today, then why can’t the PGA do the same? For crying out loud, take your noses out of the air, stop taking the sport so serious and give the fans something to watch simply because it’s fun. The fans will thank you for it.

For more information on the Long Drivers of America and the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, check out http://www.longdrivers.com/.

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here