GolfStinks

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Chip Shots: Turkey Day

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Thanksgiving is here and I have a few things to be thankful for:

  1. I’m thankful I did not make the PGA Tour this year. All that time away from my family, friends and job would be too much.
  2. I’m thankful that there’s Cyber Monday because going to the store is such a pain. I mean, you have to get up off the couch and stuff…
  3. Most importantly and in all seriousness, I’m thankful that I have something to be thankful for! Whatever it may be. It’s not how you count your blessings, it’s how you use them.

On behalf of GolfStinks, we wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Golfing Thanks

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November 20, 2011 - Leaner, Hairier and Thankful.
November 20, 2011 – Leaner,
Hairier and Thankful.

I was eating dinner at a restaurant in Cancún, México one Thanksgiving (I know…of all the sacrilegious things an American can do) when a middle-aged English chap at the next table blurted-out in my direction; “I can tell by your accent that you’re American, right?”

When I responded in the affirmative, he proceeded to ask the following question: “What’s this whole Thanksgiving thing about anyway?” My tongue-in-cheek response was that we (Americans) were celebrating getting away from you (the British). On that note, we all had a quick chuckle, another sip of our Mojitos and then promptly got into an argument over turkey.

You see, he claimed that turkeys were native to England since (obviously and logically) “people have been eating turkey dinner on Christmas in England for hundreds of years.” I, on the other hand, explained that turkeys were from the Americas and were brought over to England in the early 16th-century. On that point, we agreed to disagree.

But being away for Thanksgiving that year got me thinking about what this holiday really means. Sure, we all are thankful for our health, our family and the ability to put food on the table – these are all obvious things to be thankful for. But I’m not sure it really hits home until your health, someone in your family or that steady job goes away.

This year I’ve had some (albeit minor) health issues, to which I’ve taken steps to correct. But those issues kept me off the links for good amount of time – enough time to realize that golf (for me anyway) is a little bit of therapy – It’s a reminder of all that’s good in this world and if you can get yourself back out on the course, the healing process is complete (I’m sure Stinky Golfer Pete, whose health issues this season were far more serious than mine, would agree).

This past weekend, my healing process finished – I played golf for the first time in months. I played with my father, who at 76, hadn’t hit the links in two years and wasn’t sure he’d even be able to finish our 9-hole round (he would have been content to quit when he got tired and follow me in the cart for the rest of the round). Well, I’m happy to report he not only finished all 9-holes, but played better than expected to boot. As for me, I walked all 9 sans any gout pain in my foot. And I too shot better than expected (not my best round ever, but it could have been far worse).

So, as I settle in tomorrow to eat, drink and watch the Packers crush the Lions (and hopefully my Dolphins sneak past the Cowboys); I’ll be thankful. Not just for my health or my family or even for golf. I’ll be thankful for all of it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

And to our readers in the UK: Turkeys are as American as Pumpkin Pie (yes, pumpkins are from here too…).

Thank You!

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Every so often it helps to look back and reflect upon what you have accomplished or how you have gotten to certain point in life (good or bad I might add).

It’s pretty cool to think how roughly a year and 4 months ago we started this blog and thankfully had the opportunity to watch it develop. Speaking of being thankful, there’s a few thanks I would like to give.

First and foremost, all of our viewers because without anybody reading this we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves and probably resort to our old ways of mugging people on golf courses. Seriously, it is an honor to have such a great bunch of people following our blog and words definitely can not express my gratitude. Thank you!

I want to thank my fellow stinky golfer brethren, Greg, Chris and Tom with whom I have embarked on this voyage. I figured I would make it official and put it in writing. So, thanks guys! It’s almost unreal to think how long we’ve been at this thing of ours (that would be referring to golfstinks and not cosa nostra if anyone was wondering).

Lastly, I want to thank all of those in the golf community that give me material to write about. Especially the ones that really mess up or do something stupid and give me a chance to poke at it. Hey, it’s all for entertainment, no hard feelings.

Hit’em long, yell FORE! Thanks again!

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgolfing

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I love Thanksgiving. I love spending time with the family. I love stuffing my face so much that I struggle to keep my eyes open at the dinner table. I love no longer struggling to keep my eyes open on the couch after dinner. I love having turkey sandwiches for the next couple of days. It’s an all around great time of year. The time of year to give thanks and appreciation to your friends and family.

But today I want to take the time to give more specific thanks. I want to take a moment to give thanks to everyone in my golfing life. I’ll start with my wife.

I have many things for which I should give thanks to my wife. First off, thanks for using your work hook-ups to get me my new golf clubs! I’m looking forward to the chance to use them more often than I did this year.

Second, thanks again for using your hook-ups to get me and my buddies on to a few courses for some sweet discounts! There’s nothing like playing a nice course for less than half price!

And third, thanks for not busting my stones when I golf rather than clean out the garage, mow the lawn or any other household chore that I should get done.

Thanks to Josh, my oldest, for using his birthday money to purchase his own set of clubs. By doing this, it gave me the chance to take him out for his first round. I hope it’s the first of many.

A long overdue thanks to stinky golfers Greg and Tom for introducing me to this game all those years ago. If it wasn’t for you guys, I may have never taken up golf and consequently, I would never have known what I was missing!

And last but not least, thanks to everyone who takes the time to read the ramblings we post here. Whether it’s serious, comical or just downright nonsense, we thank you for appreciating and/or understanding exactly what we here at golfstinks are trying to do. Without you, there is no us.

This will be my last post before the holiday, so Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and thanks again for your much appreciated support.

Turkey on the Table and Clubs in the Attic

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Sleeping Giant Golf Course, Connecticut
One last round before golf season is over… (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

So it’s Thanksgiving. Of all the holidays, this one leaves me with mixed emotions – I appreciate the “giving thanks” aspect…the food, the family, etc., but this time of year also marks the official end to my golf season.

I feel like I’m a late-season golfer. Many of my golf buddies stow the old battle-sticks in the basement or attic by the end of October. Heck, here in the States, the start of (American) football in early September usually brings and end to many Saturday and Sunday tee-times. But I carry on, playing through the first few weeks in November.

The end-all for me is when I have to put on more than a windbreaker or sweater. When that happens (and my swing is subsequently compromised), I’m done till Spring – and usually that means the week of Thanksgiving – in fact, I can’t remember the last time I played a round in December here in New England.

So I’ll settle-in tomorrow after stuffing myself similar to which the bird I devoured was stuffed; watch the Packers demolish the Lions; re-watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the 472nd time; and fall asleep on the couch.

Yet there are memories to give thanks for beyond the ordinary: The thought of walking 18-holes on a warm summer day; the thud the ball makes when landing on a soft green in regulation; the feeling you get when everything clicks on a drive; to make the turkey gobble on a long putt…

Yes, if you’re in my boat, where golf lays dormant till April…take a second tomorrow – gaze out the window, across the carpet of auburn leaves and remember all the things you can give thanks for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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