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Using Golf As Leverage

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I remember when I first introduced my boys to golf – I honestly thought I may have been wasting my time.  They were both into sports such as football, baseball, basketball and soccer…more active, team sports.  But I was wrong.  They both enjoyed it.  And while I wouldn’t say either of them has developed a love for it, they certainly do like to get out and play if I ask them.

But yesterday I discovered, now that I’ve begun to suck them into this addictive sport, I can use it to my advantage.  I can use golf as a weapon of sorts.  I can leverage their enjoyment of the sport to get things done.  How you ask?  Well, they enjoy golf just enough for me to get them to accomplish things around the house so they can hit the links with me!  Example:

I awoke yesterday morning to find that one of my boys was off to Six Flags with a friend of his.  The other was up early, already with his face buried in a video game.  But I had plans to end that.  I asked him what he planned on doing for the day since the weather was so beautiful.  He tells me, “I think I’m going shopping with mom,” to which I replied “Do you really want to do that?”  He replied to me with a look of intrigue that he didn’t have anything else to do.  So I said, “How about a little golf?”   His response, “Yeah!”, confirmed that I had him right where I wanted him.

See, his bedroom was a disaster.  He has this habit of hiding his dirty laundry anywhere that it will fit – under his bed, in his closet, behind his door…anywhere.  That, along with anything else that doesn’t belong where he has it, was all over his room.  So I put his want to play golf to my advantage.  “You want to play golf, you have until I get out of the shower to have this room clean or we’re not going.”  And you know what?  It worked!  I wish I started him playing golf sooner, because nothing seemed to work that well previously!

My point here is, I found another use for golf.  Besides just being a form of entertainment for me, it’s also a tool to get my kids to get their chores done!  So if you have kids, and you have yet to pass the game down to them, what are you waiting for?  You could have a cleaner house, your kids could have cleaner rooms and it all works out to you spending time with them out on the golf course!  It’s a win-win situation!  Well, that is until they figure out that I’m going to take them anyway…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Every Golf Tournament Could Be An All-Star Game

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So we all know by now that the NFL’s Pro Bowl has become more of a side-show than an actual competitive game.  Defenses haven’t really shown up since 1998.  Star players opt out.  Super Bowl players don’t participate.  The rules are changed to make the game “safer.”  It’s a sham really.  It’s bad football, but it’s still football nonetheless, so I usually watch.

Like any all-star game in any sport, the potential is there.  It has the chance to be such a great game!  How could a game featuring all of the league’s best players at their respective positions not be fantastic if played as hard as the game should be played?  But with the risk of injury, the changes in rules and lazy play, it becomes just the exhibition game that it actually is.  But all of the pieces are there…it’s just missing that meaningful game feel.

But this is an area where the PGA Tour has a leg up on every other major sport.  They have the ability to put together an “all-star” lineup at every tournament if they would simply shake-up their tournament schedule a bit. 

I’ve said it several times before, but the PGA Tour needs a real championship at the end of their season.  Enough of the money leader.  Enough of the ranking system that no one understands.  The players need to battle it out on the course.  And if there was a smaller, more streamlined schedule in which players were required to play in order to qualify for the championship, then every required tour stop would result in a star-studded field.  If this was the case you’d have to imagine the TV ratings would rise, as would the gate.   

But you can’t expect every player to play all of the tournaments, right?  Of course not.  Only a certain amount of the stops would be required – maybe in the 15-20 area.  The rest would be their choice to play either for a shot at the purse, the chance to make some more money or just to keep the competitive juices flowing.  But certain stops would be required to qualify.  Play all of the required stops and you play in the championship.

The point is, the PGA Tour has the ability to field an all-star game every time out.  What if every meaningful tournament featured all of the top players on the tour?  No one skipping out on tournaments because if they did, they wouldn’t qualify for the championship.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t watch golf on TV very much…but an idea like this would certainly get me more interested.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

No Loitering. No Skateboarding. No Golfing?

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So I was at my son’s soccer game this past weekend – a playoff game which they won on their way to a win in the league championship game, thank you.  But upon entry to the field, I walk past the sign to the left.  Take a look at #2 on the list under “Prohibited.”  Yup…golfing.

Where have I been?  When did it become criminal to practice your golf game?  I mean, I can understand that this is school grounds.  But the fact that they have gone out of the way to specify golf seems a little funny to me.  What I’m saying is, according to this sign, I can bring in guns, knives and fireworks…but I can’t practice my short game.

OK, I understand that they don’t want golf balls being left laying around a football or soccer field due to the risk of injury.  And of course they don’t want divots in the field or any windows broken in the building.  Further, I’m sure they obviously don’t want any errant projectiles being rocketed in all directions. But to specify golf in particular still strikes me as a little odd. 

Has anyone else ever seen these signs anywhere?  I don’t mean just at a school.., I mean anywhere.  The bad news here is that this is one fewer place where your golf game can be practiced for free. Everything about this game costs money.  If I can’t practice my game in an open field, then I’m becoming even more limited to going only to driving ranges and indoor facilities which, of course, cost money. 

That’s an advantage to some other sports.  I can go play or practice basketball at any outdoor court.  I can go hit baseballs at just about any field.  But golf?  Unless I pay, then there aren’t alot of places I can just go practice. 

But hey, I guess if it’s a game you enjoy then you do whatever you have to do.  Even if that includes going broke.

Swing ’til you’re happy!                  

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME…Golf?

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The start of the NFL bodes well for golfers... (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
The start of the NFL bodes well for golfers… (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

So today marks the start of the 2012 NFL season – are you excited? Perhaps I should rephrase that: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!? I know I’m excited!

Here in the United States, football (not to be confused with fútbol) is all the rage. It’s quite physical, requires extreme athletic ability and fits perfectly into neat little 3-hour programming blocks for TV networks.

What’s more, legions of football fans (myself included) also partake in fantasy football – a betting game involving pretend teams of real NFL players – so for many, there’s double the reason to get lost in this pigskin-mania that sweeps the nation every autumn.

That being said, every Sunday from September through January, millions of Americans plop down in front of the big screen – snacks and beers in hand – to watch the football games. That’s games with an ‘s’ – not just one game, but typically several games throughout the day.

In fact, many people get so lost in gridiron-gaga, that time typically dedicated to “other things” gets diverted to watching football. One of these “other things” of course, is golf. Last year, Stinky Golfer Chris explained how the start of the NFL season marks the end of his golfing season.

And this is where I break from the normal football fan/golfer. Remember when I said I was excited the football season was starting? Well I am. But not because football is on every Sunday. You see, the reality is I don’t really watch football!

Now don’t get me wrong – I like football, but these days I don’t sit in front of the TV all day going from game-to-game whenever a commercial comes on. I may watch 10 minutes here or 5 minutes there – but that’s it.

Yep, I won the Super Bowl in my fantasy league last year and never even watched one entire game! But what’s even cooler is how empty the golf course is on Sunday afternoons here in the Fall. I can make a 1PM tee-time and zip right through 9 holes on a course where it would normally take two and a half hours to play during non-football season!

And autumn in New England is the best time to play golf to boot! You have perfect weather and an empty course – how much better can it get? So to all you football fans who are also golfers – please, please, please keep packing on the pounds in front of the tube all Sunday while I’m out enjoying a perfect day on the links – I wouldn’t want the course to start getting crowded again!

OK, I should admit that I do check my fantasy football app on every tee-box. Hey after all, I’m still an American.

Why Don’t We Tailgate For Golf?

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I don’t know about you, but to me, going to a football game goes hand-in-hand with tailgating. I almost feel that if I go to a game and I don’t tailgate, somehow I’ve missed out on something. As a matter of fact, it’s been a good five or six years since I went to a game and I didn’t tailgate.

But to clarify, I don’t get the chance to go to many games, so it’s not like I’m a tailgating pro. On the contrary, a few times my buddies and I have managed to turn our big day into a comedy of errors! But, it’s still a good time nonetheless.

But it’s strange how tailgating seems to go only with football. For instance, I’ve never tailgated at any baseball game I’ve ever been to. Same for basketball, hockey,etc… Why is that? Is it a parking situation? I think that might have alot to do with it. It seems for football games,I’ve parked in lots. But for all other sports, I’ve been in a parking garage, took a train to the game or parked on the street somewhere. None of these are really conducive to tailgating. But you know what sport is? Golf.

Think about it. When you go to a golf tournament, the opportunity to tailgate is tremendous! Here in the northeast, golf season occurs during grilling season anyway, so the weather is probably on the nicer side. Also, I’d say that chances are you’re not parking in a garage, taking a train in, or parking on a busy city street. Any golf tournament I’ve ever attended had me parked in a large field/lot…perfect for tailgating!

So why has tailgating never taken off with golf? If it’s such a fun tradition for football, then why not find the time to do it during a summer sport as well? I think I may try to start up a little something new next year. The Travelers Championship will be taking place in the area next June. Maybe instead of my buddies and I bringing just a pair of comfortable sneakers, we’ll pack up some burgers, dogs, a grill and a few brews!

Maybe we can start a new tailgating tradition. A summer tailgating tradition. Maybe we can start up a whole new trend! And hey, even if it turns out to be not all that great, it sure beats being stuck inside paying $7 for a beer and $6 for a pathetic looking burger wrapped in aluminum foil, right?

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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