GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Kids These Days…

| By | Leave a Comment

Little snot nose brats make me laugh, but their parents who let them get away with it are even better. I was at a local golf shop putzing around recently and stumbled across a young kid and his mother. This little punk’s snappy attitude towards his mother made me want to slap him…but, not my kid, not my job.

Apparently the young’un wanted to take-up golf and was looking for a set of clubs. So, the sales person had him hitting balls to warm up. It was obvious the kid had never really played and after a few swings the salesperson suggested a starter set and went to grabs a few clubs from it. This spoiled kid takes one look at the clubs asks how much they cost and tells his mother “I can’t play with those pieces of junk! I want the Nike’s…”

The salesperson calmly explained to the mother that the Nike’s cost a lot more…about $600 more. And to start with those clubs, especially if the kid might not end up playing a whole lot, doesn’t really make sense. He could have easily pushed those clubs on them and made his commission, but he did what he should have done and (from what I saw) advised them properly.

The kid persisted that the starter set was not for him. So, the sales person (who looked like he had been through this before) tells the kid that they’re going to run a few tests to see what would be best. He took a 7 iron from both the starter and Nike set and tapes the bottom and back of the head (so you couldn’t really see which was which). He had the kid swing both and then asked him which one felt better. Just as suspected, the kid had no clue.

Now that the point had been proven, the kid started making a big stink and demanded he get the Nike set. He said something along the lines of “I will never speak to you again and you don’t love me…blah blah blah…if I don’t get these Nike clubs.” Are you f#$@ing kidding me?!?! If I ever spoke like that to my parents as a kid, it would have been knuckle sandwiches for dinner (maybe not that bad but not that far off either). That’s when I left the area, I couldn’t deal with this kid anymore. And if I stayed any longer I probably would have thrown my 2 cents in…

I’ll tel ya’…the lack of respect these days is heart breaking. And then you wonder why the course is littered with morons acting like they’re Jack Nicklaus but playing like a bunch of Jack Asses.

Hit’em long, yell FORE!! Respect your parents…

Happy New Year Golfers! Here’s 50 Bucks…

| By | 1 Comment

From time to time throughout the year, we here at the Golf Stinks blog will take a moment to thank our fans for all their support – and this is another such occasion.

This time around, we’d like to express our gratitude by running a $50/$50 New Year’s Eve giveaway through our Facebook page! Here’s how it works:

On New Year’s Eve at 11:59 PM, we will pick one NEW fan (anyone who became a Golfstinks Facebook fan since 12/1/10) to win a $50 gift card to Golf Galaxy!

But what about all of you who were fans before December? Well, that’s where the 50/50 part comes in! Whoever referred the first winner will ALSO win a $50 gift card to Golf Galaxy!

That’s right, we’re giving away TWO $50 gift cards! We thought this would be a great way to welcome new fans while rewarding our long-time fans! So start telling your golfing buddies to “like” the Golfstinks Facebook page ASAP – the more friends you refer, the greater your chances of winning! But hurry, we’ll be posting the winners on our Facebook page on December 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST!

Click HERE to become a new fan (hit “like”) or start referring your friends (hit “suggest to friends”)!

Thanks again, good luck and Happy New Year!
-Golfstinks Team

Victory Redefined

| By | 2 Comments

Normally, I do not foray into the personal life of pro golfers or non golfers for that matter but thanks to Newsweek they brought it to me. You see Mr. Woods has kindly written a little somethin’ somethin’ called “How I’ve Redefined Victory” – Right, and this is because he had a winless 2010 so he had to “redefine” victory?

Below are the first three paragraphs from his editorial. My issue is that he says golf is a self-centered game and that he thought he was invincible but now realizes that you need to depend on others as well…blah blah blah. So, why did he write “How I’ve Redefined Victory” – To let us know he’s a winner?

“Last November, everything I thought I knew about myself changed abruptly, and what others perceived about me shifted, too. I had been conducting my personal life in an artificial way—as if detached from the values my upbringing had taught, and that I should have embraced.

The physical pain from that car accident has long healed. But the pain in my soul is more complex and unsettling; it has been far more difficult to ease—and to understand. But this much is obvious now: my life was out of balance, and my priorities were out of order. I made terrible choices and repeated mistakes. I hurt the people whom I loved the most. And even beyond accepting the consequences and responsibility, there is the ongoing struggle to learn from my failings.

At first, I didn’t want to look inward. Frankly, I was scared of what I would find—what I had become. But I’m grateful that I did examine my life because it has made me more grounded than I’ve ever been; I hope that with reflection will come wisdom. Golf is a self-centered game, in ways good and bad. So much depends on one’s own abilities. But for me, that self-reliance made me think I could tackle the world by myself. It made me think that if I was successful in golf, then I was invincible. Now I know that, no matter how tough or strong we are, we all need to rely on others.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking anything away from his accomplishments on the golf course or in the bedroom…Ohhhh! Badum! I just think that this editorial was more an attempt to keep his name in the media in a positive light. It’s not like he said anything different than his last swing at damage control. I don’t know…I guess if you put your personal stuff out there, people (like me) will take shots at you.

I do want to add that this is all done in humor and there is no ill intention. Tiger Woods does a lot for the community through his Tiger Woods Foundation.

Hit’em long…yell FORE! Don’t hate the player, hate the game…

To read Tiger Woods’ editorial click here.

What if You Could Play Every Round with a Pro?

| By | 4 Comments

So I’m hitting balls into the simulator at Dick’s Sporting Goods a few months ago, trying to find a new driver (see story HERE). Anyway, the pro helping me (yes, Dick’s hires PGA pros for their golf department) is named Ralph.

Ralph is a down-to-earth kinda guy and is completely amused that I write for a blog called Golf Stinks. After a few minutes of chatting, he begins telling me about an idea for an app he has – one where he can be (sort of) on the course giving advice to thousands of golfers all over the world at the same time.

This idea intrigued me and I told Ralph he should get busy developing said app. He agreed, I purchased my new driver and went on my merry way. Of course, I completely forgot about Ralph’s app idea – until about two weeks later when I received an email from Ralph explaining he had gotten a developer and Golf Pro To Go was about to become reality.

You’ve gotta hand it to old Ralphie-boy. Not many people would be inspired by talking to someone who claims they stink at golf, but it appears I had some effect on Ralph to realize his dream app – and he didn’t waste any time getting started.

Fast forward just a few short months and the Golf Pro To Go app is developed and on the iPhone app store – ripe for downloading at just $0.99 cents (Droid version is in development). But how does it work? Here’s the deal: Golf Pro To Go asks you a series of questions, which, when answered, will explain exactly how you should play whatever shot you’re faced with.

Let’s say you’re on the tee with the wind blowing right-to-left. There’s a water hazard on the left side of the fairway and grass conditions are wet. A few taps taking less than 30 seconds will give you a text-book approach to hitting your shot: “Tee up on the left side of the tee box and aim down the right center. The right to left wind will push the ball left. With trouble to the left, choose your target far enough right to allow for the wind. Wet conditions will eliminate roll.”

More complex shots are also covered (e.g. if the ball is above or below your feet or what the specific slope of the terrain is). You can also save shots – so, like me, when you’re faced with the same approach (side-hill lie, from the rough) again on the next hole, you can easily tap right over and get a refresher on how to play from that position.

Sounds simple enough, but with golf, sometimes all you need is to regroup and refocus, and Golf Pro To Go helps you to do just that. Ralph is still tweaking some things though – there’s no putting, chipping or trap play included in this version, but he assures me they’re working on it for future versions. But for a buck, you really can’t go wrong – it’s worth the dollar alone just to give you a chance to breath and mentally prepare – all just by tapping through the shot you’re faced with before you actually take it.

As a thank you for inspiring him to develop his idea into a reality, Ralph has agreed to give five Golf Stinks readers the app for free! Just email us HERE – first 5 to do so win!

You Know that Local Course You Love So Much?

| By | 3 Comments

I’m a public course man – my golf “high” comes from playing different places every week. But when you’ve played as many as I have, they all tend to blend together – fairways, greens and traps meld with each other as if they were all part of some impressionist painting – only when I step back and take-in the big picture do courses’ most striking features reveal themselves.

But this time of year in the northeastern U.S., the golf season is winding down. Some of my golfing buddies have already stowed their clubs till spring. Even I find myself scaling back; playing 9-holes more frequently. And usually when I play 9-holes, it’s at one place that I never forget about: Sleeping Giant Golf Course.

I think every town or region has a Sleeping Giant Golf Course. If it doesn’t, it should. Sleeping Giant is the quintessential local 9-hole golf track: it’s short, but not an executive layout. It’s well-groomed but not Augusta. It’s a confidence booster but taking risks can hurt you. The price is nice, but not pathetically nice.

Perhaps one asset the course has over some of its 18-hole brethren is its scenery. The course is nestled in the shadows of, well…the Sleeping Giant – a formation of hills that “resemble” a person sleeping on their back. Native tribes of the area used to call the Giant “Hobbomock” and thought it to be an evil spirit. Coupled with the Native American folklore, the Giant sets a dramatic backdrop to the course – especially this time of year, when he is ablaze with oranges, reds and yellows (see photo at top).

Despite being pretty close to civilization, Sleeping Giant Golf Course gives you the feeling that you’re miles away from anywhere. Usually I’ll arrive with one other playing partner (many times my dad, who’s in his 70’s and still playing) and we’ll be paired up with other father/son or father/daughter combos. It seems no matter who you’re paired with, or if you run into a wait on a particular hole (typically the 7th – a short par-4 where everyone goes for the green but ends up in the left woods) you still find yourself completely enjoying the round.

I had my first eagle at Sleeping Giant (dropped a wedge-shot from 125 yards); played the last two holes in the dark multiple times; and almost parred the course…twice – only to miss the same 4-foot putt both damn times on the 9th (a brief aside – typically I don’t shoot anywhere near par, but I know this course so well, not-to-mention it’s a relatively easy track, that if I’m on my game, I have a chance).

Sleeping Giant Golf Course embodies so many great little tracks out there. The PGA Tour (or even the Hooters Tour) will laugh at the notion of playing there; the Golf Digest or Golf Magazine top course lists will never give it a second thought (or even an initial thought); but you know it exists. And you love it. And that’s all that matters.

If you reside where it’s about to get cold; get in the car and go play that course (you know the one I’m talking about). Oh, and forget about your score and just enjoy – take a step back and take it all in…remember, this is why we play golf.

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here