GolfStinks

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4 Reasons To Take Golf Lessons

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smiling-golfNormally it is not our thing to give tips, advice or promote some crappy game improvement gadget. In fact we have been known to poke a few light hearted jokes at that sort of stuff. That said, we do want everyone to enjoy their round of golf and speak positively about the game. Through the years of hacking up these courses, I’ve noticed a good 95% or more of the people I’ve played with could use a lesson or two, myself included.

After doing some research, I’ve taken the liberty and compiled 5 reasons why we should take golf lessons. When I speak to other golfers about taking lessons the general sentiment is they’re expensive and not necessary. These two reasons are obvious indicators that no research was done. I would suggest taking a few moments and look into finding a good golf pro in your area that offers his or her services. So here we go…

  1. It’s an investment – Think of it this way, the money spent now will have a good ROI in the many years ahead. You can always refer back to what was learned to help shoot a better round.
  2. Short game techniques – Learning how to perform approach shots, chipping and pitching is perhaps the most important part to your game besides…
  3. Putting – Let’s face it, a 3 putt sucks and is very frustrating. Getting some insight on this boosts our confidence and could put a couple extra dollars in our pockets…but I never said that.
  4. Makes our round more enjoyable – As with anything, knowledge and experience gives us the advantage to do whatever task is at hand. And whenever we are prepared it’s a lot easier to have fun.

There you have it. Don’t be afraid to to spend a little of your hard earned money on something that will keep giving back to you. The object is to have a good time on the course. Even if you only take a couple lessons it’s worth it. Heading to the 19th hole in a good mood because we played well and not because they serve alcohol is a great feeling. Now go get learned!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

How to Avoid Slow Play in Golf

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I always know which tee-box I belong on.
I always know which tee-box I belong on. (Photo by Sonny Vega)

OK, let me rephrase that headline: How to not hold others up on the golf course so you yourself can have a more enjoyable round.

See it’s not really about anyone else out on the course – it’s about you. I stopped trying to hustle through my round years ago and learned how to play at my own pace without annoying the group(s) behind me.

Now if it were up to me, I would take 5 or 6 hours to play 18 holes. Unfortunately, I don’t have my own personal golf course, so leisurely lollygagging down the fairway isn’t going to work when there’s a few foursomes backed up behind me. Don’t get me wrong, I still take my time – sometimes even up to 5 hours to finish 18-holes. But I’m rarely holding anyone up…

Here’s 3 reasons why:

1. I know which tee box I belong on
This is perhaps the most important thing golfers need to understand. Nothing gets me more frustrated than watching a group of clowns skulling, slicing and duffing their drives from the championship tees. Now I realize there’s a machismo thing going on here but if you can’t reach the damn fairway from the back tees, perhaps it might be a good idea to move up a bit? I also realize not all golf courses are the same – which is what a slope rating is for. Learn what a slope rating is and use it to decide how hard the course will be and subsequently which tee box you belong on. A good rule of thumb is if you can’t break 90 on a consistent basis, play from the forward tees (typically the “white” tees). Plus you’ll enjoy your round more since you’ll avoid the hazards that would come into play from the back tees.

2. I don’t mind bending the rules
For recreational golfers, the USGA rules are really more like guidelines than actual rules. In fact, I’ve written about how the USGA should come up with a simpler set of rules for non-tournament play. Learning which rules to bend will help you move along faster without actually having to hurry. For example, agree amongst your foursome that you can improve your lie (roll the ball over); or that any putt less than a foot is a gimme; or play “ready golf” instead of waiting for the farthest person away to hit (or instead of waiting on the tee for someone in the restroom just because they won the previous hole – if they need a bathroom break, then they tee-off last). Another time saver is to only look for lost balls for 2 minutes, instead of the USGA-allotted 5 minutes (think of it as your two-minute warning). Finally, don’t hesitate to “pick up” on a hole. A good rule is if you’ve reached 10 strokes but haven’t reached the green yet, it’s time to pick up and move on to the next hole.

3. I let faster groups play through
Letting others play through is sometimes a tough pill to swallow because many golfers don’t think (or realize) they are playing slow – so when the group behind is catching up, it’s easier to become annoyed than it is accommodating. But not me. As soon as I notice the group behind me getting close, I consider letting them go ahead of me. Now obviously if we’re right behind the group in front of us, then my group isn’t the problem. But if there’s an open hole ahead of us, it’s time to swallow our pride and let them through. Not only does it appease the group behind you, but it puts less stress on you and your group to play hastily (which will not only make your round more enjoyable, but will also allow you to play more relaxed and most likely better).

Remember, the aforementioned tips are not just so other people on the course can play faster, but also for your round to be more enjoyable. All you need to do is recognize that golf is supposed to be fun and that your score is secondary. Once you accept that, it’s easy to play from the right tee-box; bend some rules; and let others play through.

Does Golf Get Better With Age?

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The dads of Stinky Golfer Tom (left) and Stinky Golfer Greg (right).

They say wine gets better with age, but what about golf?

I’ve stated many times on this blog that my game hasn’t improved much since my teens. When I first started keeping my handicap about 20 years ago, it was an 18. Today I’m still an 18. Despite this though, golf, for me anyway, has gotten better. In fact, it’s gotten much better. OK, I know what you’re thinking; “How could it have gotten better if you’re still playing at the same level?”

Well, the simple answer is; the experience has gotten better. It’s true. The experience of golfing has become more enjoyable for me even though my scorecard reads pretty much the same. I think this is true (if you’re honest with yourself) for many golfers and it’s a fundamental reason why so many of us continue to play throughout our lifetimes without actually playing any better.

When was the last time you heard someone say: “I’d been playing golf for 40 years, but wasn’t getting any better at it so I finally gave up.” It’s almost comical because you never, ever hear anyone say that! Why? Because you don’t have to be good at golf to love it. And the older you get, the more you enjoy and appreciate just being out on the course.

When I started golfing in my early teens (and up through probably my late 20’s), I thought I was enjoying myself out there – and technically I was. I would play every weekend – up to 50 or more rounds a year. But now in my late 30’s with two young kids, I’m lucky if I play five times annually. But you know what? I really enjoy those few times out.

I imagine as people get older – especially after retirement, they experience a similar enjoyment out on the links. Older folks might have a different appreciation than someone my age, but it’s that appreciation – the gratification of just being out on a golf course – that makes the game more enjoyable over time.

Best of all, this enjoyment is out there for every golfer to experience – you just have to stop worrying about your score and have fun instead. And because golf is one of those sports you can continue to play late into life, this game can be an invaluable source of enjoyment for years to come.

So, does golf get better with age? You bet your ass it does.

Is Golf a Dying Sport?

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Empty Golf Range
Empty driving range (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

I love golf. And I know many, many people who also love golf. But even those of us who love it admit there are a few issues that tend to drag it down: It’s too slow; too hard; and too expensive. These are inherent to the game – always have been and probably always will be.

But recently, there have been a few additional red flags run up golf’s proverbial flag pole: First, there was the Chinese government enforcing its ban on building new courses, effectively halting industry growth in what was a promising emerging market; Then there was the alarming NGF (National Golf Foundation) report that 400,000 people quit golf last year, supporting the idea that golf participation is shrinking, not growing; and finally, there was the mass layoffs of golf pros at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores last week, suggesting golf (as it stacks up to other recreational activities) is no longer worth investing in.

If all that isn’t grim enough, there’s always the pesky issue of growing the game to the younger generation. I recently put in my two cents on how to do that properly, because many Millennials (or younger) simply don’t/can’t relate to golf. Take a recent comment we received from a 25 year-old:

“I just don’t have time to learn [golf].  I can get to the range to practice once a week, and play once a week, usually the day after I get to the range.  It’s just not enough, I quit today because after months of effort I’ve gotten nowhere.  I feel bad abandoning my dad, because I was golfing with him, but I refuse to embaress [sic] myself anymore out there and he has friends he golfs with as well. I should add that I’m 25, and I don’t see many young people on the course, mostly grey haired guys 50+.  This sport is dying anyway, I don’t see the point in putting a ton of effort into learning a dead game walking, it won’t exist by 2040.”

Granted, this is just one person’s opinion, but it sounds all too familiar. The younger generation only wants to play to win. And if they can’t excel at golf it’s not worth playing at all. Lost on them is that you don’t have to be good at something to love it. The comments from the 25-year-old above help prove this point – that he quit because he wasn’t good at golf – even if it meant spending less time with his father.

And what of golf being a thing of the past in just a short quarter century? Sounds a bit far-fetched…Or is it? I mean, the notion of every course being gone in 25 years is obviously ridiculous. But that doesn’t mean golf couldn’t be a shell of what it is now…especially if current trends continue. It’s not impossible to imagine a future where golf has regressed back into a small, elitist game – golf pre-1960 if you will – back before Arnie and Jack and television and new equipment technology opened golf to the masses – and more recently before Tiger and the new course explosion that grew this game to what it is today (over grew it, according to many industry sources).

As much as we don’t want to consider that outcome, it would be foolish to ignore it. More courses are closing than opening; hundreds of thousands are quitting and big retail seems to be giving up on the game. Perhaps NGF is right – that this is just market correction from several years of over-growth. But if that’s the case (and the economy continues to struggle), at what point does the market correction end? And perhaps more importantly, what can/should we do about it in the meantime?

Maybe we shouldn’t do anything? Maybe we should just let the market correct itself and hope that when the dust settles, golf will be problem-free. Or maybe we should act now to ensure golf actually has a future once that dust settles?

I truly believe the solution is to market the fun aspect of this game, rather than being so focused on making people play better. From the teaching pros, to the equipment and apparel companies, to (and perhaps most importantly) the media – there needs to be this fundamental shift in our approach to golf. Here’s the thing – not everyone is going to be good at golf. In fact, most of us are going to stink. So let’s embrace that. It’s our job to show the younger generation how fun golf is regardless of what your score is. And it’s time we veterans of the game learn that lesson too – Isn’t walking the fairways on a beautiful day with your friends at least slightly more important than the final number you write down on your scorecard?

If you said no, perhaps this game truly is dying.

Most Golfers are Consistently Inconsistent

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stinkygolfercrossingStatistically, my average score has stayed pretty much the same over the past 20 years. Why? Because I’m consistently inconsistent. The problem of inconsistency afflicts nearly every golf hack out there and as a result, we don’t really improve our games much – at least not without a good amount of practice and/or lessons.

My handicap has been around an 18 since I started keeping track back in the mid-90’s. Sure I may have a decent round every once in a while, but I’ll still have a wretched round thrown in there too.

Many times, I’m inconsistent within a round! Take this past Saturday for example; I parred 3 holes on the front but also took two 9’s! Two of them!! I finished with a 52. Meanwhile, I caught fire on the back – parring 3 more holes and even dropping a 20-foot putt for bird! And no nines (or 8’s) either!  So I shot 42 on the back, which made a 94 for the full 18-hole round. Which, when you think about it, is pretty in-line with my 18 handicap. You see? I’m consistently inconsistent.

Typically during a round, one part of my game is “on” while another part is “off.” Today I can putt but not drive. Tomorrow I can hit it off the tee but my chipping has gone to hell…It seems like I can never put it all together. Saturday, my irons were terrible on the front but then “something” happened and they improved on the back – leading to my 42. That “something” is a frustrating anomaly better left to discuss on another day.

How about this: You hit an awesome drive (best one of the round) only to flub your shot from the fairway. Happens to me all the time – especially on par 5’s where I need a good drive to put me in good position to make the green in regulation. Of course, instead of that happening, my inconsistency causes me to knock my second shot down ultimately leading to a double-bogey seven.

What also kills me is the inconsistency of the same shot back-to-back. Let’s say you hit one off the tee OB and decide to hit another. Nine times out of ten, that second shot will be straight down the middle. Why couldn’t you have done that the first time?!? This is why golfers invented the Mulligan.

So, we average golfers are consistently inconsistent. But what are we going to do about it?

Well, unless you’re ready to practice 10 hours a week and/or plunk-down tons of cash on lessons from a pro, there’s probably not much you can do about it. Gimmicks and gadgets don’t work; books and magazine articles are helpful but not really practical when you have to translate the lesson on the page to your swing on the course; and buying new equipment rarely solves anything (unless your clubs are actually falling apart).

So where does that leave us? Well, for many of us (who have jobs, families and other responsibilities) it leaves us right back where we started: Being consistently inconsistent. But that’s OK! If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it 1,000 times – Golf isn’t just about playing well (if that were the case, most of us would have quit a long time ago).

It’s also about camaraderie; being out in nature; taking the time to do something you love! If you happen to play well that day, fantastic! If not – will you regret playing at all? Of course not. Chances are even if you did play wretchedly, there was something positive you will remember – a long putt perhaps, or a great drive? Consistently inconsistent or not, I love playing this game.

And that’s all that really matters.

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