GolfStinks

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Five Reasons Golf and Fishing Go Hand-In-Hand

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The pond Stinky Golfer Chris grew up fishing in (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
The pond Stinky Golfer Chris grew up fishing in (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

One of my first memories of a golf course as a kid is going fishing at one.  No kidding.  I remember a small pond my dad and I would go to that was right by a road, not far from my neighborhood.  It wasn’t a spectacular place, but we always caught a few fish every time we went, which was all that mattered to me.

I don’t think I ever really paid much attention to it being a golf course until one time when I saw a splash about 30 feet or so away.  Thinking it was a fish jumping, I cast my line in that direction.  Three or four minutes later, a guy comes wandering by swinging his club through the reeds.  My father told him; “It went in.”  He thanked my dad and wandered off, muttering something under his breath.  I remember him being none too pleased.

Twenty years or so later, I hit my ball into that very same pond.  And when I did, I remember thinking to myself about that day, that guy and if any of his buddies busted his stones the way mine busted on me.  Good times.

I’ve been fishing about twice as long as I’ve been golfing…but I’m just as bad at one as I am at the other.  No matter.  Much like each other…I do both because I enjoy them, not because I’m good.  I don’t always fish at the greatest spots and I don’t always play the greatest courses.  I don’t have expensive fishing gear, just as I don’t use expensive golf equipment.  But it doesn’t take away from the experience.  As a matter of fact, golf and fishing have several things in common…

  1. They are both very relaxing –  Well, if you’re doing them right that is.  If you’re out on the course or out on a lake and you’re stressed out and pissed off, then you’re doing this all wrong.  There are few things more relaxing than standing on the side of a picturesque lake, surrounded by trees, birds chirping and otherwise peace and quiet, mindlessly tossing a line into the water.  The same can be said for golf.  Walking through the grass (mostly the taller grass), surrounded by trees, birds chirping, the occasional furry woodland creature and otherwise peace and quiet.  OK, other than your playing partners making fun of the worm-burner you just hammered off the tee, what could ruin this?  You taking it too seriously instead of just having fun, that’s what.  And speaking of your partners…
  2. You can do both alone, or with some buddies – You can show up to a golf course alone or with some friends and enjoy your round just as much either way.  The same goes for fishing.  If any friends or my kids can’t go or aren’t around to go, I’m just as happy going by myself.  The only difference between the two being, in golf, unless we’re lucky enough to have the course to ourselves, we can’t exactly move at our own pace.  In fishing, I move where I want, when I want and do what I want.  Speaking of which…
  3.  You can enjoy a beer or cigar during either – How many other sports can you participate in with a beer in hand and stogie between your jaws?  Well OK, I guess there’s a few.  But it’s more likely than not that in most other sports, it might be frowned upon.  But golf and fishing…not only is it OK, it may even be expected.  So crack one open and light one up!  Just dispose of them properly…don’t be that ass who throws your bottle in the woods or your butt in the water.
  4. You’re outside on a beautiful day – And let’s face it, that beats being inside on a beautiful day.  No, golf and fishing are certainly not sports that are going to give you a good workout like, say, a pickup basketball game.  But that isn’t exactly relaxing now, is it?  Would you rather watch golf on TV or actually go play golf?  Would you rather watch fishing on TV or actually go fishing?  See what you want to do is participate but still relax…and golf and fishing allow for both.
  5. Both are life-long sports – How many times have you hit the course and seen many older players out there with you?  How many times did you go fishing with your grandfather?  The point is, both golf and fishing are sports you can continue to play long after you can’t swing a bat with any power or beat your defender down the court for a layup.  Golfers and fishermen can enjoy their sports years past their athletic primes and still enjoy the sport just as much as they always have.
Here in the northeast, golf and fishing season pretty much run parallel, and the start of both are right around the corner.  Despite one possibly taking time from the other, both are sports I’ll continue to enjoy for as long as my body and health will allow me to do so, which hopefully is for quite a long time more.  But I will say this, if when I was a kid, I knew what that guy who drove his ball into the pond was thinking at the time, I may have just stuck to fishing…

Take Your Golf Life Back

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Feel like you went nowhere this golf season?
Feel like your game went nowhere this golf season? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Let me start by saying, I love playing golf.  We all do.  If not, we wouldn’t be here, reading this right now.  But year in and year out, my golf experience seems to get worse and worse.  Now, that doesn’t mean for a second that I enjoy golf any less.  It’s just the experience surrounding it that gets worse.  What do I mean?  Well, let me give you a few examples:

  1. I didn’t get any better – Despite a little extra time at the driving range and a little extra work on my swing while at home over the off-season, it translated to exactly nothing.  Luckily, I don’t play golf to be a pro – I play for fun.  But when you put in the extra time and effort, you do hope it shows on the other side.  But….nope.  Ah, I guess that’s to be expected by now.
  2. I didn’t get to play with my usual golfing buddies…not once – Ever since I started playing, the other GolfStinks guys and I have played pretty regularly together.  But this season?  It just seems like life got in the way even more than normal.  I suppose the job, kids, life-changing events, etc.., they all force golf into the backseat.
  3. I barely played at all! – Talk about life getting in the way of golf.  I played exactly 18 holes of golf this season – two 9-hole rounds, both with my kids.  Not that I’m ever going to complain about playing with my kids, but I wanted to get out more often and get out with my regular golfing buddies.

Well, the one good thing that came out of this season is, after all these years, I’ve finally found the one thing about my golf game that is consistent – I continue to play less and less golf every year.  I mean, at this pace, I might as well just throw the clubs on Craigslist and call it a career.  Granted, the season isn’t quite over yet.  We played into November last year.  It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but we played.  So there are still a few potential weekends to go.  Otherwise, the only thing I can think of to potentially save this season is maybe a little golf trip to a warmer climate.  Hmm?

I’m sure it isn’t just us GolfStinks guys who have had their golf outings cut down significantly.  So what do you say stinky golfers?  I think we need to put life aside on occasion.  Skip out on a commitment you never wanted to make in the first place and go play golf like you wanted to begin with.  There have been times when I have called out of work sick or left early to go play golf.  Why did I stop that?  I think it’s time for all of us to make a shift in our thinking toward golf.  It’s time to take our golf life back.

Want To Make Golf More Enjoyable?

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The SILO golf club carrier from Rival and Revel
The SILO golf club carrier from Rival and Revel

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am somewhat of a creature of convenience.  I’m the type who will gladly pay a little bit extra for something if it saves me the time and effort of driving farther or going into a crowded store.  I don’t like making more than one trip to accomplish a task. And I hate having to carry anything I don’t really need.  This all translates to golf as well.

If I’m headed out to the course and I realize I’m short on balls, I’ll pay the extra to just buy the balls at the course rather than make a stop along the way.  If I have to chip onto the green, I make sure to bring every club I need with me (PW, putter, and SW just in case….) in order to keep from having to walk back to the cart or to my bag.  And carrying things I don’t need?  I can’t tell you the last time I purchased tees.  I mean, why buy tees when every tee box is littered with them?

That whole “carrying things I don’t need” thing brings me to a little golf-gadget with which I’ve had the opportunity to spend a little time.  The good people at Rival and Revel were nice enough to send over their SILO Golf Club Carrier, and I have to say, I’m pretty excited about this little bad boy.  The idea behind the club carrier is simply to leave behind what you don’t need.

The SILO holds up to six of your clubs snuggly together along with three tees and a ball marker (included).  Heading to the range?  Do you really need to bring all of your clubs?  Wouldn’t six suffice?  You sure don’t need to lug your entire bag, do you?  Or maybe you’re playing an executive or par-3 course.  Again…what’s the point in carrying twice as many clubs as you’re going to use?  Once again…convenience.

Now, nothing is perfect and I always like to hear the bad news before the good…so I’ll start with just two complaints:  Though the SILO comes with a handy and attractive metal ball marker, the first thing I noticed when I began playing with the club carrier was the ball marker missing.  I found it down at my feet, and attached to it was the magnet supposed to be holding it in place.  Maybe this was held in by glue?  If so, might I recommend a stronger glue.  Or maybe a magnet which is more secure to the carrier, possibly by a screw or something overlapping.

In addition, getting your fingers between the club shafts to reach the ball marker (or the three tees on the opposite end) was a bit of a tight squeeze.  Obviously, you would reach these by having at least one club removed from the SILO, but it was still a little awkward nonetheless.  However, that’s the extent of my complaints.

Now let me tell you why this thing is great…

The SILO in action
The SILO in action

What I like most is the simple fact that it exists at all.  Anytime I head out to the range, I don’t have to bring all of my clubs and my bag with me.  I can just select the six I want to work on, and with one hand carry them to the car and range.  Also, many of the rounds I’ve been playing lately have been nine-hole rounds on a short course.  I find myself not using half the clubs in my bag.  With the SILO, I can carry only the clubs I need, along with the ball marker and a few tees attached.  All I need to do is throw a few balls in my pockets, and I’m ready to go.

A couple of great features about the club carrier are how it uses it’s design to create a feeling of light-weight balance in-hand as well as balance when you pull a club from the carrier.  Firstly, when positioned properly on the club shafts, the amazing balance of the SILO and clubs in-hand, makes you forget you are carrying any more than a club or two.  Yes, it truly feels that light.  Also, when pointing the club heads in the right direction, provided there are at least three clubs in the holder, the clubs will stand upright where you leave them, just as a bag would.

Further, the relatively small size of the SILO allows the holder, with several clubs attached, to fit right into your bag!  This is convenient if you are playing an eighteen-hole round.  Land your ball within chipping distance of the green?  As mentioned earlier, if you keep your on- and around-the-green clubs attached to the SILO and placed in your bag, you can carry all of them over to the green at once.

All around, this is a convenient little tool for most of us golfers who like to head to the range on occasion or squeeze in a nine-hole round but are looking to do it quicker and easier than lugging your bag over your shoulder or strapping it to your back.  And seriously, how can you go wrong for only $25?  But before you go and purchase one of your own, as usual, we here at GolfStinks don’t keep all the good stuff for ourselves.  Head over to the Golfstinks Facebook page tomorrow to enter a drawing to win a SILO Golf Club Carrier for yourself!  But win one or buy one, you’re bound to see how Rival and Revel is making the game a little easier for all of us.

Five Ways To Have More Fun On The Golf Course

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Golf_caddyAs a golfer, I know how the game can look to a non-golfer: Boring.  I’ve heard it time and again from my non-golfing friends.  They wonder how I can chase a little ball around the course all day.  Of course, they’re just watching the game on TV.  Hey, I’m bored by that also.  I don’t watch golf on TV either.  I’d rather just go out and play myself.  But what if you are a golfer and the game seems to be getting a little stale to you?  Maybe you need a few things to spice your game up a bit.  Why not give a couple of these a try?

1. Put a little money on it – Nothing makes a game a little more interesting than a friendly wager.  Maybe you throw down a few bucks on the round?  Maybe you’re feeling a little more daring and you go a few bucks per hole?  Maybe not…so you play instead for a round at the 19th hole.  No matter what you play for, there’s no questions that a golf bet makes your round much more interesting.

2. Play a game other than your normal 9 or 18 – Most of us golfers go out and simply play our normal game with routine scoring.  Is that getting a little tired?  Especially if one guy in your regular foursome is constantly beating the rest of you?  Try a little something different – play a different game.  How about a skins game?  Or maybe you could play a round of best ball?  Maybe you just want to stick to your regular game, but your tired of your buddy wiping the floor with the rest of your foursome.  Why not take your handicap into account?  After all, getting beat every time you play can certainly suck the wind out of your sails.  Leveling the playing field a bit certainly makes the game more fun for all.

3. Ride the new guy – Call me a jerk, but I find it quite entertaining to poke a little fun at the new guy as he stumbles through his first time doing, well.., just about anything really.  So why not incorporate that into your round?  Think about it – you’ll be doing the game a service by introducing it to someone new.  But at the same time, you’ll be laughing your way through the round as your new golfing buddy learns the rules, both of the game and of etiquette.  He or she will leave their bag on the wrong side of the green, forget their putter in the cart or have to play the rest of the hole with their pants around their ankles for not reaching the women’s tee on their drive.  OK….maybe not that one or your round might be over much earlier than anticipated.  But you get what I mean…

4. Leave some clubs in the trunk – Want to try a little something different out there?  Play with only half of your clubs.  It’s a little something my stinky golfing buddies and I have tried a couple of times.  Granted, it’s a game better suited for a short or executive course, but fun nonetheless.  Choose either five or seven clubs, plus your putter, and see what you can do.  The fun starts when you have to decide which clubs you choose to exclude.  Wait until you get to that first time you would use your six-iron, only to find out you didn’t bring it along.  Fun?  Well, I can understand how that might be questionable.  Good luck!

5. Step outside of your comfort zone – Are you the type who plays the same course or two all the time?  If so, then you are severely missing out.  Half the fun of golf is the variety that it offers from course to course.  Do you play a muni on a regular basis?  Well once a year or so, go treat yourself to a higher-end course.  Maybe go try out a par-3 or executive course.  Ever play golf at night?  Now there’s something different.  In golf, different is fun!      

Look, if you’re not on the course to have fun, then either you’re a PGA pro, or you’re doing it wrong.  It’s become our mantra here at GolfStinks – Golf is a game, you should have fun playing it.  If you take the game too seriously and get angry when you don’t play well, you need a change in your mindset.  Let me help – The sooner you accept that you will never be a pro golfer, the sooner you will begin having fun.  The sooner you accept that you stink at this game, the sooner you’ll have fun playing it.  If you’re that type of golfer who gets angry at every poor shot, slams your club into the ground or tosses it into a lake…you need to rethink the reason you’re out there.  Not only are you not having fun, but you’re ruining it for the people who are playing with you and around you.

Again, it’s a game.  It should be fun.  If it’s getting stale to you, then maybe you need to switch it up a bit.  Put a little wager into your round.  Play something other than your standard scoring.  Introduce someone new to the game.  In the end, just do what it takes to make sure you keep giving yourself a reason to be out on the course.  And for crying out loud, have fun!

Help The Game Of Golf; Spend Your Birthday On The Course

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The GolfStinks crew from left: Stinky Golfers Pete, Chris, Tom & Greg

Many times we’ve talked about some gift ideas for golfers, but we usually reserve that for around the holidays.  Every once in a while though, we’ll throw in a mention of golf birthday gifts or courses that have used a free round of golf on your birthday as a promotion.  We’ve recommended clubs, balls, equipment and clothing.  But it’s funny…we very rarely recommend simply a round of golf itself.

So my birthday was yesterday.  And as expected, a round of golf was on someone else – my oldest son in this case.  Lucky enough to have my birthday fall during golf season here in the northeast (thanks mom & dad!), it seems that once a year I manage to find a way to get a free round of golf.  Whether it’s my stinky golfing buddies or my stinky golfing kids, going back over the last few years at least, a round has been one of my birthday gifts.

We take our friends and family out to dinner or out for a few drinks for their birthdays.  We’ve suggested buying our golfing family members and friends some golf clothing or equipment.  So why not just take them golfing?  I like to use my golfing time for more than just playing golf.  We all like to use the time to hang out with our buddies while enjoying the game we all love.  We don’t always need more “stuff” for our birthdays.  Some of us just want to hang out with the people we love and enjoy spending time with, while doing something we all enjoy – so how about some golf?

As the golf industry as a whole continues to struggle, maybe part of the answer is to focus a bit more on the game itself rather than the clothing or high-end equipment that goes along with it.  After all, it’s the golf courses that are closing their doors, not the golf equipment or clothing manufacturers.  If you can help by taking your friends or family members golfing rather than buying them a polo shirt, then besides spending some quality time while playing a game you all enjoy anyway, doesn’t that help the golf industry as a whole?  After all, if the course closes, then all the equipment you have isn’t going to matter.

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