GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

It’s Hard Being a Stinky Golfer

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golfstinks-frustration-e1403026490424From the very start of this blog back in 2009, we here at GolfStinks were on a mission: To teach golf hacks that you don’t have to be good at golf to love it. This has been our mantra for the past five years and hopefully many more years to come.

But convincing golfers that it’s OK to stink isn’t easy. After all, we’ve been taught from a very young age to be good at whatever we do – and if we’re not good, we should keep at it until we are. So the notion of accepting that you are less-than-stellar at something is a difficult pill to swallow.

Some people just flat-out won’t accept it. One of my golfing buddies is like this – for more than 20 years he has been trying to be a “good” golfer and he is truly frustrated that he hasn’t been able to achieve this goal. Every time we play, he really takes his poor shots personally – yelling at himself, throwing his clubs, etc. But he keeps coming back for more – perhaps he would start to enjoy himself if he just played for fun. Or perhaps he’s just a glutton for punishment. In any event, it’s not like he’s trying to help himself – he rarely takes lessons or spends time on the range.

The mainstream golf media needs to accept much of the blame for this train of thought. They inundate us with a never-ending stream of tips and tricks: From magazine articles with pictures and drawings to swing demonstrations on TV,  they’ve got us convinced that a quick fix in our backswing or using some zany gadget will help us to be the next member of the pro tour…what nonsense. Even shaving just a few strokes off your game takes plenty of time, practice and money.

Meanwhile, frustrated golfers (especially beginners) are quitting before unlocking the true joys of golf. We shouldn’t quit this game because we stink. We shouldn’t focus on the bad (the duck-hook into the pond or one we sliced OB). Instead, we should embrace that rare birdie (or even par); that 20-foot putt that drops in; that chip next to the pin; that one drive that finds the middle of the fairway. There are many joys in golf: camaraderie, getting out in nature, and of course, playing a challenging game where being just one stroke better than your previous round will put a smile on your face.

I truly believe it’s about acceptance. First, accept that you will never make the pro tour. Next, accept that unless you have the raw talent and the time to practice constantly and money to pay for proper training, you’ll probably never get too much better than you are currently. If you can accept these things, then you will finally be able to enjoy (and I mean really enjoy) golf.

So while everyone else (the golf media, equipment companies; your playing partners) is telling you to focus on being a “good” golfer, we here at GolfStinks will continue to focus on having fun. I mean, why else are you out on the course? After all; Golf is a game, you should have fun playing it.

Join the Crappy Golfers Association

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crappy_golfers_association

Noting stinks more than a crappy golfer…And the Crappy Golfers Association has recently launched its Kickstarter campaign to drum-up interest for their golf apparel line.

I wish I could say this is a GolfStinks venture, but it’s not – founded by Gary Gologorsky after he retired to Myrtle Beach, Mr. Gologorsky took out an ad on Craig’s List to find new “crappy golfers” to play with. After piecing together a few talent-challenged players, he decided to trademark his logo and have some polo shirts made-up. The line has since expanded to now include additional apparel, such as hoodies and hats.

He made a video (see below) and is now on Kickstarter trying to raise $10,000. Regardless of if he achieves his goal, I say kudos to Mr. Gologorsky – There should be more folks out there proudly affiliated with organizations like this! And In fact, the Crappy Golfers Association isn’t alone – there’s also the Bad Golfers Association.

Both of these organizations are small, grass-roots operations, but demonstrate a spirit that more golfers should embrace: That golf is a game, you should have fun playing it.

Take a minute to watch Mr. Gologorsky’s Kickstarter video and if compelled, pledge your support. And at the very least, consider what you can do to get more enjoyment out of this game. After all, if every average golfer out there (which is about 90% of golfers) cared less about their score and more about having fun, many of the problems with the game (slow play, stress and frustration over poor play, etc.) would be a thing of the past.

Making Golf More Enjoyable?

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It's the little things that make golf more enjoyable...
It’s the little things that make golf more enjoyable… (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

What would make golf and golfing more enjoyable? In all the years I’ve played, that question might have surfaced a handful of times if that. Unfortunately, most of the answers we came up with mistakenly replaced “more enjoyable” with “more convenient for my lazy ass”. For example, we thought there should be an on-call delivery service from the pro shop or 19th hole to wherever we were. “Boy, those 3 hotdogs, 2 bags of chips and large soda didn’t quite cut it at the turn. A cheeseburger would do the trick but we’re already on the 10th hole. Oh wait, they deliver!” See what I mean?

We have to be careful with what we try to introduce into golf. You know the old saying, “If it isn’t broke…don’t fix it.” I could see adding little things here and there that won’t really change the game or how it’s played. Something like a vending machine that sells golf balls, tees, divot tools, etc. I think that would actually help, especially when it’s busy out there.

We shoot a round to enjoy golf and hopefully the people we’re with. I’m not really sure there’s much more that can be done to make it more enjoyable. We can have the newest clubs, a personal butler and a customized cart with a kegerator but all those amenities won’t matter if you’re playing like crap or your company sucks. Golf is all about balance and it encompasses every facet of the game from your swing to the 19th hole.

Let’s get real for a minute; the guy that can afford the new clubs, butler and cart is more than likely the same rude pompous ass who is slamming their clubs and cursing after every other stroke. Balance my friends! It’s the simple things that makes golf enjoyable. A set of sticks, some good friends and a few hours to hack away.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Stay balanced…

New Year’s Golf Resolutions I Will Likely Ignore

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What New Year's golf resolutions will you make?
What New Year’s golf resolutions will you make?

It seems it never fails.  Every year I make a few golf-related New Year’s resolutions.  But when the time comes around to collect on them…I’ve done nothing about it.  I let myself down every year.

But, at the risk of doing the same thing once again, I’m still going to make some resolutions anyway.  Yes, I know…they’re pointless.  But I feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t make them.  So with that in mind, here goes…

The one I make most often is simply to play more.  Somehow, this is just always out of my control.  I try to make the time to play more often, but something is always getting in the way.  Be it work, family commitments, kids sports…whatever.  It’s like there’s always something going on.

But, I’ll still try to make the effort.  After all, if I can’t find a few hours out of every week or two, then obviously I need some help with my time-management skills.

Secondly, I resolve to purchase a new driver.  I once spent a good amount of money on a nice Callaway driver.  For a couple of seasons I was in love with it and hit it a ton.  But then, one year out of the blue, I lost the feel for it.  I could rarely hit it straight and every time I touched it, everything just felt wrong.  So after dealing with that for a season or two….it went to eBay.  I haven’t used a driver since.  Depending upon the hole, I’ll tee of with a 3 or 5-wood.  I realize this is a problem, so I’m going to do something about it…maybe.

Thirdly, and this is a new one.., I’m going to try to introduce someone to the game.  I’ve been working on a couple of people – one to give it a try, the other a former golfer to take it up again.  But I’m not trying to bring people to the game by teaching them the rules or telling them they need to practice, practice, practice.  I’m trying to explain that it’s a fun game and they should look at it from that standpoint.  Not like it’s something they have to constantly work at.  To me, that’s the wrong approach.

So only three.  All seem relatively attainable, right?  Of course there’s no guarantee I will follow through on them.  But this time of year is about making the resolutions.  The rest of the year is for follow-through.  So check with me again next December to see how things went.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Enjoyment the Key for Retaining New Golfers

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Stinky Golfers Pete (L) and Chris enjoying themselves on the course. (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

It may sound obvious: That in order to turn beginning golfers into lifetime golfers, they should enjoy themselves. But how often does that really happen? Think about it – the very fundamentals of golf can be extremely frustrating – especially to a golf newbie.

Take the golf swing for instance. Have you ever tried teaching someone how to swing a club? You’re at the driving range with someone who has never played – you show them the basics (grip, stance and swing), hand them the club and let them have at it. That can be pretty frustrating to both the golf newbie and to you.

Stinky Golfer Chris summed it up the best when he wrote in a post:

“Handing [my wife] a club was like handing a cell phone to my grandmother. Some things are better left in the hands of others…[Have] you ever see a baby just learning how to walk? It’s walking into things and falling down and you can’t help but to laugh. Picture that baby with a golf club in one hand, completely throwing off it’s balance even further, and a glass of Jack Daniels in the other. It was like that. But less graceful.“

What about golf etiquette? Remember going out to the course with a first timer? “Don’t step there; You can’t put your bag there; It’s not your turn yet; You can’t touch it until the green; Let this other group play through.” It’s (what must seem to them) an endless list of don’ts and can’ts.

And what about slow play? A new golfer will inevitably be slow – they are still learning how to get the ball in the air; still learning the rules; still learning the etiquette; but yet they are constantly being pushed through the course – golf newbie or not, no one forgives slow play.

I haven’t even mentioned the cost factor (equipment, apparel, greens fees) yet! It’s no wonder there are so many people out there that claim: “I tried golf, but it just wasn’t for me.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, golf isn’t for everybody, but I believe we can retain more golfers if the introduction to the game wasn’t so abrasive. Perhaps most importantly if you have a friend that wants to try golf, the best gift to give them is a lesson from a pro. Yes, you pay for the lesson – whenever something is free, people tend to appreciate it more.

And don’t stop there – the second most important thing is to make the game enjoyable. This means point out the rules and etiquette of the game but don’t always enforce them. In fact, their entire first season playing should be very informal. And prepare them upfront that as a newbie, it’s OK to pick up and move on sometimes.

Some other ideas: Allow Mulligans (multiple Mulligans if necessary); Tell them 95% of golfers can’t shoot anywhere near par so they should just have fun; Get them hand-me-down clubs; Don’t just talk golf – catch up on things in general – let them see the camaraderie this game offers.

So the next time you have an opportunity to introduce someone to golf, do right by them – make it an enjoyable experience and you might just end up with a golfing buddy for life.

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