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3 Reasons You Stink at Golf

May 5, 2015 | By Greg D'Andrea | 1 Comment

3 reasons you stink at golf
You stink at golf…and that’s OK! (Photo by Angela Gray / CC BY 2.0)

Let’s face it, you stink at golf. Most golfers accept this – especially those who can’t break 100. But even if you come close to par once in a while, you still kinda stink. I mean sure, a 10 handicap is a much better player than a 20 handicap, but in the bigger scheme of things, that’s kind of like splitting hairs, don’t you think?

Whether you’re a 10 handicap, a 15, a 20 or even a 5 – the reality is, you’re probably not going to make the pro tour anytime soon. Why? Because you stink at golf. Now I realize some of you might take umbrage with this, so here are a few reasons to prove my point…

#1: You Most Likely Don’t Play Enough.
How much do you think you’d need to play/practice golf in order to be really good? Once a week? Sorry, not gonna cut it. Honestly, most average golfers play just a handful of times per year – so playing once a week would be fairly frequent, generally speaking. But in reality, once a week falls well short of what’s needed. Most aspiring tour players practice a minimum of 6 hours a day (and that’s not including the time they’re actually playing a round). For most of us, this is simply unrealistic. But even if we could spend hours a day working on our game, we’d have to know what we’re doing – which means we’d need a good teacher, because…

#2: You Probably Learned to Play the Wrong Way.
Most average golfers learned to play from other average golfers – friends and family members who played. Thus, we were messed up from the beginning. When you finally do go see a pro, you find the learning curve is much greater – even employing the correct grip will feel so uncomfortable, you’ll probably revert back to your old, incorrect grip before long. Practice only makes perfect if you’re practicing correctly – maybe you should invest in a complete instructional program, like Bird Golf, which has some of the best golf schools out there. Or start reading how to become better, by checking out the Bird Golf blog. In any event, learning to play golf correctly and playing way more frequently are two big steps to playing better. But then again, there’s also the fact that…

#3: You Just Might Not Have the Raw Talent.
Lessons and practice will only get you so far. In the end, you’ll have to have a bit of talent somewhere within those bones of yours in order to be truly good at golf. Consider the difference between your local club pro and a player on tour. Both have practiced their butts off over the years; both have learned the proper mechanics; and both are scratch golfers. Yet most club pros couldn’t make it on the tour because the raw talent that guys like Rory and Tiger possess greatly exceeds the talent of your average zero handicapper. And talent isn’t just athletic ability either – in golf, controlling your mental game is a talent in and of itself. Pro tour golfers are excellent managers of the space between their ears and this might be the greatest separation between a tour player and a club pro.

So now that I’ve pointed out just how virtually impossible it is to be a really good golfer, where does that leave us? Well, for most of us, it leaves us right back where we started…a stinky golfer, which based on my logic above is anyone who scores over par (which is most everyone). But that’s OK! Because if you can accept your place in the golf world, then you are ready to put this “good golfer” stuff behind you and move forward with just playing this game for fun. After all, that is why you play, isn’t it?

Filed Under: Stinky Golfer Paradise Tagged With: #enjoygolf, bird golf, birdgolf.com, golf lessons, rory mcilroy, tiger woods

Champagne Golf On A Domestic Draft Beer Budget

February 17, 2015 | By Pete Girotto | Leave a Comment

No Money, No Problems...
No Money, No Problems… (photo by Dan Moyle via Flickr)

When it comes to shelling out our hard earned money to play a round of golf it can sometimes feel like a hadouken right to the kiwis. No clue what hadouken is? Well, if you remember the video game Street Fighter, it’s that annoying sound you constantly heard when one of the characters (Ryu) would do a special move and knock the other guy on his ass. Anyway, after one too many of these expensive rounds I had to figure something out.

In all fairness, there are plenty of courses out there that are reasonable with their greens fees but I’m honing in on those courses that start to get up there a bit, say $50 and up. It all hit me back in the beginning of this past summer at my bachelor party. A friend of mine, who also happens to be a golf pro at a private club, donated 3 free golf lessons and a free round at his club for a raffle prize. That got my wheels spinning.

Fast forward a month, part of his wedding gift to my wife and I were, you guessed it, free lessons and golf. Hmmmm, being friends with a golf pro can be beneficial. Now, if you are not friends or acquaintances with a pro I have another avenue. Befriend a liquor or beer sales rep. Why? Every year one or more of his accounts will probably have a ridiculous tournament. So in order for the sales rep to stay on the bar/restaurant/liquor store owners good side, he or she will probably splurge and buy a foursome. Seeing you are friends with him and just happen to golf, chances are you will get the nod to fill in a spot. Don’t worry about the entry fees, it’s a write off for the company. Unless your buddy is a cheap s.o.b., you know what I mean?

This also works for any other company as well – it doesn’t just have to be alcohol. Do some due diligence with your friends and poke around a little. You never know who’s sponsoring what. The goal here is to play as much golf as possible without really having to pay. Be creative and check back here and let me know what you came up with. If all else fails, charge it to the Underhills.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: #freegolf, golf lessons, golf pro, hadouken, street fighter, under hills

Paralysis Of Analysis

February 10, 2015 | By Pete Girotto | 3 Comments

Golf Driving Range
Are we all just wasting our time on the driving range? (photo by Max Nathan via Flickr)

By definition this means over-analyzing or over-thinking a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. In an effort to seek the perfect answer or solution to something, we fear making any decision that could lead to failure. In a recent Golf Channel story, they discussed Tiger Woods’ mission to perfect his swing as the reason of his downfall.

After reading the article, they made a good case as to why his recent less-than-spectacular performance was due to his search for swing perfection. Now, we normally do not delve into the realm of giving swing advice nor any other tips or lessons on how to be a better golfer. However, there are some exceptions and here is one of them…

So you want to be a better golfer? Join the club. I’m certain 99% of the 26 million or so non-professional golfers in the U.S. feel the same way. I know I do. The important thing to take away from this is to “play our game”.  Obviously we see what Mr. Woods is going through and he does this everyday. A key factor to progress is learning from mistakes, whether they’re ours or someone else’s.

As a hack, the priority list of every round we play is a bit different than a pro’s. Our number one is to have fun compared to their number one which is to win and make money. That said, todays lesson is quite basic – forget about perfecting our swing and just swing the friggin’ club.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Filed Under: Stinky Golfer Paradise Tagged With: golf channel, golf lessons, swing tips, tiger woods

Dummies For Golf

January 26, 2015 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

untitledLast week I was at a friends house.  On our way out, I notice a pile of books.  Right on top is a copy of Golf For Dummies.  I know my friend doesn’t golf, but the roommate does.  So I jokingly announce they should stop reading that book, to which “Why?” is the reply.  I said, “if he’s reading that book, then he must stink at golf.  And the sooner he comes to grips with the fact that he, along with everyone else out on the course, stinks….the more fun he’ll have out there.”  Not being a golfer, that statement was a bit lost on my friend.

But seeing that For Dummies book makes me think about all of the golf self-help books out there…and there are plenty!  I guess until then, I never really realized how many people read these books.  But being that there are so many, I guess there must be a pretty decent sized market for them.  Being that I have never picked up any of these books for myself, I wonder what people are looking to gain from them.

I learned the game from my current golfing buddies.  We went to the range, I borrowed some of their clubs and they taught me the basics of the swing.  After a couple of trips and when they felt I was ready, they took me out to an inexpensive, local nine-hole course.  I’ve been enjoying the game ever since.  I’ve never taken a formal lesson and never picked up a self-help book.  And I honestly feel I enjoy the game more because of it.

I’ve seen many people spend countless dollars on lessons and absurd amounts on clubs and equipment that will supposedly improve their games.  However, I’ve seen very few that have turned any of this into significantly better play.  Many are not much better than me, if at all…and I stink!

But most importantly, I can’t help but notice that these very same people are simply not having as much fun out there as I am.  Once you start sinking too much money into the game, you start to expect something more from it.  Thus, you become more easily frustrated and begin to have less fun.  For me, on the other hand, it’s just plain fun from start to finish.

If you feel you need to buy books and get magazine subscriptions to help you become a better golfer, then go for it!  I only ask that you take all of these with a grain of salt.  The sooner you come to grips with the fact that you will never be on a pro tour, the sooner you will have more fun out on the course.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Filed Under: Stinky Golfer Paradise Tagged With: golf books, golf equipment, golf for dummies, golf lessons

4 Reasons To Take Golf Lessons

November 1, 2014 | By Pete Girotto | 2 Comments

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!!!

Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: #enjoygolf, enjoying golf, golf lessons, golf pro

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