GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Golf: A Life Long Journey

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Golf gets better with age
How many people over 60 can still play other sports? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Many of us have participated in different types sports on every level. Most of us in a recreational manner but some have been blessed with the opportunity to showcase their skills in “the show”. For those not familiar, “the show” refers to the big leagues – NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL…you get the picture. Personally, I’ve played on competitive levels. Granted, not in “the show” but had the chance to compete against some that did and let me tell you, they deserved to be there.

It’s easy for us to watch a game on the television and say this guys sucks or that guy is a bum. What we might be forgetting is that these athletes are the best of the best. Against their peers it might now be so evident but trust me, they got game! However, as good as they may be their days are numbered. Most pros call it quits in their 30’s, a handful make it to 40 or so and that’s it the gloves are hung up.

Coming back to real life and us average joes, the age of the recreational player probably extends another 10-15 years maybe 20 but there  is an exception. Golf. I really can’t think of any other sport or activity that can be a part of our entire life, health permitting. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are senior leagues that exist but when was the last time you saw a 65 year old whip a 25 year old’s ass other than on a golf course? Exactly. Golf is one of the few things we can enjoy throughout our life.

Not only can we enjoy the game, we can actually get better as we age. For example, a gentleman in his 60’s I know, who we can call Phil, is putting up some the best scores he’s ever had. Why? Wisdom through experience. He’s more concerned about keeping it in play then smashing the s*** out of the ball. Less is more as he likes to put it. Hitting it 175 or 200 yards down the middle is way more beneficial than spraying a bomb all over creation. I would insert a grasshopper quote here but unfortunately I don’t have one.

So, if there’s one thing we can take away from this is that as a hack, our better days are ahead.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Or just keep it in play…

Golf Takes A Backseat To…

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So it’s a Sunday afternoon, but not a lazy one.  I’m not having a big gathering for the Super Bowl, but there will be a few people at the house.  So preparations are in order.  Drinks, snacks, food, last minute running around for things I don’t have which I thought I did…it’s just so much more of a process than it should be, right?  There are just too many things on my mind at once that I’m bound to forget something.

But you know what’s not on my mind right now?  What’s not there to cloud my thinking?  Golf.  This is probably the only weekend of the off-season when I don’t miss being out on the course, or at the range at the very least.  But everyone knows that everything takes a back seat to the Super Bowl.  The NBA and NHL make sure their games are over by 3:00 or so.  The NCAA follows suit.  Everyone knows that all eyes will be on the big game, so it’s worthless to try to compete.  I haven’t done the research, and I’m not going to, but I would have to imagine that the Monday following the Super Bowl is one of the most popular “sick days” in the workplace throughout the country.  It’s only a matter of time before companies start closing their doors that day…much like New Year’s Day, which is not really a holiday – it’s just a day off because businesses realized that half their workforce wouldn’t show up.  And the half that did would be almost entirely unproductive.

So I follow suit as well.  When Super Bowl Sunday comes around, there’s no chance that I’m going to have golf on my mind at all.  As a matter of fact, the only reason I’m even taking the time to mention golf now is because I write (if you could call it that) for a golf blog.  Otherwise, my entire day would be dedicated to the Super Bowl.  But fear not!  By next weekend, my golf jones will be back.  Maybe a trip to the indoor range will be in order.  After all…the first day of spring is only 45 days away!  Wow, closer than you thought, right?  Now that I’m thinking about it…maybe golf is not taking as much of a backseat as I thought it would.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Is The Pro Golf Season Too Long?

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Does the pro tour need an off-season?
Does the pro tour need an off-season?

I’m watching some college football games on Saturday afternoon when across the bottom of the screen scrolls an update reading Tiger Woods leads in some golf tournament.  As I reach for the remote to rewind what I just saw (gotta love DVR), I’m thinking to myself that I couldn’t possibly have seen what I think I just saw.  They must have just been mentioning his name as part of some other story.  I mean, it’s December.  What golf tournament is still going on?

But sure enough, I was wrong.  Tiger, at the time, was leading the World Challenge in California.  So I know I’ve mentioned it before but, come on.  Doesn’t golf have an off-season?  If you take a look at the PGA Tour schedule, it sure doesn’t appear so.  Don’t get me wrong, golf is great.  But wouldn’t some down time make for more excitement when “golf season” came around?  Everyone has heard the expression “Too much of a good thing.”  Well, why wouldn’t that apply to golf also?  I love football, but I would lose some interest if it was on every weekend.  I need the off-season to keep me excited and interested.  But if there isn’t going to be an off-season, then why not add a wrinkle here and there?

What do I mean by a wrinkle?  How about we see more of a connection between the pros and the hacks like us?  If they’re going to play in December, lets see them play somewhere other than southern California where the temperature is still 70 degrees.  Head a little more north and play where the temperature is hovering around the 45-50 degree mark.  Myself and three other stinky golfers played a nine-hole round last month on a shoreline course.  The temperature topped out around 45 degrees and the wind was blowing/gusting from start to finish.  I’d like to see the pros play in that once in a while.

Did anyone happen to see the Eagles-Lions game this weekend?  They played that game in blizzard conditions with 4-6″ of snow on the ground.  Now I don’t want or expect to see golf played in that weather.  However, let’s do something other than the “challenge of playing by the ocean breeze of Pebble Beach.”  I mean, please.

The problem I’m getting at is, I enjoy golf, but I had absolutely no idea that a golf tournament was taking place this weekend.  I truly believe the sport could be helped by simply creating a more condensed season.  I mean, December?  The NFL is into the final few weeks of the regular season.  The NBA is now in full swing, as is the NHL.  There’s simply too much competition for viewers.  Shorten the season to April through early November (at the latest).  The only competition through a good part of the season is baseball.

If it seems like I’ve said this before, it’s because I have.  But I’m truly only trying to help!  The whole point is, if I as a golf fan had no idea that a golf tournament was even happening this weekend, then there may be a problem.  Not that I would have been watching anyway with football going on…but you see my point.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

What Is It About The Masters?

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In most sports, the most important or biggest game of the year usually happens at the end of the season.  The NFL puts the Super Bowl at the end of the year.  The NBA Championship, the Stanley Cup, March Madness…they all come at the end of the season.  OK, so there was a point during the 90’s when the NFC Championship was considered to be the “real” Super Bowl.  Those games between the Cowboys and 49ers were epic.  But in golf where, for some reason there is no actual championship, they’ve decided to do things differently.

Instead of a championship game, golf does majors – four tournaments that are “more important” than other tournaments.  And still…none of the four is an actual title match.  Oh sure, many of these tournaments are called the “Blah-blah-blah” championship.  But that’s nothing more than a title.  However, there is one tournament that gets more press and more attention than any other tournament – The Masters.  And yet in still, it’s not a championship match, nor is it at the end of the season.

So what is it about The Masters?  What is it that makes this one tournament stand out above the rest?  Now right here, I’m sure you’re expecting a history lesson on The Masters, but no way.  I actually want to ask and learn.  When did The Masters become the big deal that it is and why?  Is it because of the exclusive private country club?  Is it the course itself?  Maybe the traditions such as the green jacket, the honorary tee shot or the par-3 contest?  Is it because of the international flavor that started in the 80’s?  Or was it because there was only one player from outside of the U.S. to win it prior which at the time made it a truly American tournament?

See, I honestly don’t know.  And no matter what I do, I can’t wrap my head around the idea that a sport which has no actual championship match, has the most hyped tournament of the year right in the beginning of its season.  That tells me that it’s all downhill from there.  Sure, there are still three other majors along with numerous other tournaments throughout the rest of the season.  But that’s like putting the Super Bowl in October and then playing a bunch of playoff games throughout the rest of the season.

But, I guess we’ve all grown used to that now.  Golf just seems to do things differently than most other sports.  No actual championship, biggest match comes practically at the beginning of the season, leaders are based on money…I guess I just don’t get it.  But hey, that’s OK.  I’m not here to figure it all out.  I’m not here to say what’s right and wrong, although I’ll try.  But for the most part, I don’t care about any of that stuff.  I just want to play.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

What Would a Melee Do For Golf?

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So if it hasn’t been shoved down every sports fans throat by now, there was a fight last weekend after a NASCAR race between a driver and a pit crew member for another driving team.  Really now?  Have you seen the video?  Of course you have…you can’t escape it.  Of course, in every angle of the video, you can’t see a thing worthwhile happen.  You can’t see a punch thrown or contact made.  Nothing.  But I’ll tell you what, NASCAR and they’re fans are eating it up. 

Me, I couldn’t possibly care less about NASCAR.  How anyone can sit for hours watching cars drive around in a circle (yes…I understand it’s an oval, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it) blows my mind.  So to me, that’s why NASCAR fans are eating it up.  It’s because something that could possibly be exciting, other than a car accident, actually happened!  Can you imagine what fans of the NHL must be thinking about this?!  They must be laughing all the way to the penalty box! 

But of course, as I try to equate things in other sports to golf, I wonder if the PGA Tour could use something like this.  Because lets face it, watching the PGA Tour is almost as dull as watching NASCAR.  But what if Rickie Fowler was to, I don’t know…step in Rory’s line?  Or cough during his swing?  What kind of reaction do you think there would be if Rory blew up and smacked Fowler across the lips right there on the 13th green?  I’d have to imagine that ESPN would be all over it!  That footage would be on 24/7!  And could you imagine if Tiger was involved?!  They would start a new channel that night!  And the first show airing would be ESPN Tigercenter! 

But the real question is, would that be a bad thing?  They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but golf is so rooted in the “gentleman’s game” mindset that one would have to imagine the PGA would want this swept under the rug as soon as possible.  But would they be making a mistake by doing this?  Would the publicity do something to help bring in a younger generation of fans who typically find the game boring.  Maybe it’s not a good reason to get them to watch, but at the same time, if it gets them to watch…isn’t that reason enough?

Swing ’til you’re happy!                 

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