Golf Life

Keep up on the trends and news surrounding the golf lifestyle.

How Many Balls do you Lose per Round?

May 23, 2012 | By Greg D'Andrea | 4 Comments

Do your golf balls end up here? (photo by Greg D'Andrea) — Do your golf balls end up here? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

This past weekend, the GolfStinks guys were out playing a round of golf together. One of our co-founders, Stinky Golfer Tom, was hacking his way out of the rough on the first hole while the rest of us were waiting for him just off the green.

We couldn’t really tell what was going on for sure, but we knew there were several swings involved; a few drops; and lots of F-Bombs flying. When he finally arrived at the green, he promptly announced that he picked up.

“You did?” We asked.

“Yep.” He exclaimed. “When you lose 3 balls within 50 yards, it’s time to pick up.”

Fair enough.

Three balls within 50 yards. That reminded me of a statistic I recently cited in a post about things we lose during our round – that Americans donate an estimated 300 million golf balls annually to the lakes, rivers, streams and forests of golf courses.

So roughly 28 million golfers lose roughly 300 million balls – that’s just under a dozen (or a box) of balls per golfer per year. Now, studies show that 12 million of those golfers play 8 or less times a year – so the majority of those lost balls are coming from those 16 million of us who play more than 8 times a year.

See where I’m going with this? The reality is, most of us lose golf balls. New golfers and veterans alike lose balls and most lose them every round. Heck – even the pros would lose balls if it wasn’t for all the people in the gallery (see the PAF Rule).

So, I’m going to ask you to be honest here – think about your average 18-hole round and come up with a legitimate answer. How many golf balls do you lose in a round? Is it between 1 and 3 balls (like me)? Is it a whole box (10 to 12+ balls) like (on some days) Stinky Golfer Tom? Is it none (liar)? And if it is one box per round, perhaps you should think about playing refurbished balls (or do what Stinky Golfer Tom does and play range balls)!

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And now that you’ve taken the poll, please enjoy the brief video below of Stinky Golfer Tom continuing with his community philanthropic efforts by donating a couple of balls to a local golf track.

The Belated Mother’s Day Golf Gift Guide

May 14, 2012 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

Some cliché Mother's Day golf gifts... — Some cliché Mother’s Day golf gifts…

As you may have read here in the past, my wife is not a golfer. Neither is my mother. So my excuse to play golf on Mother’s Day, via an invitation to take them golfing, is non-existent. But, if my wife were a golfer, buying Mother’s Day gifts for her would certainly be easier.

See, my wife is a bit of a girly girl. So, along with quality and well-performing golf equipment, it would have to include that cuteness factor as well. You know what that means? It means the equipment is likely going to have to include the color pink.

So in search of golf equipment that fits both bills, I give you the Golfstinks Gift Guide to Belated Mother’s Day Golf Gifts.

Well, if she’s a golfer, you’d have to assume she already has golf clubs. And those can get quite pricey. So let’s instead look to something in which to carry the clubs.

Being that my wife is a Nike fan, this one would suit her well. However, I’m sure you can find yourself a pink golf bag from just about any manufacturer. The key here is the cuteness factor.

We’ve all already seen the pink golf balls, so those are a given. So instead, lets look to some golf shoes. What woman wouldn’t want a pair of cute, pink golf shoes?

I mentioned that my wife is a fan of Nike. But sorry honey, I like these Adidas better.

But lets imagine for a second that you have lots of money. OK, lets imagine for a second that I have lots of money, because I don’t know the financial status of our readers. But I sure do know mine…and lets just say it ain’t quite good enough for this:

Well, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is in a financial situation where a purchase such as this isn’t quite realistic. But still, one could understand how, if your finances would allow, this would be a great purchase for the special golfing mom in your life. Be it your wife or mother, especially if they live on a golf course, she could be the envy of all her golfing girlfriends.

Now I know it’s a day late – Mother’s Day was yesterday. But you could always use the old “I bought (blank) for you, but I had to order it so it should be here soon” excuse. Hey, it’s worked in the past. Or, you could save yourself the aggravation and just remember sooner for next year…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Things We Lose On the Golf Course

April 27, 2012 | By Greg D'Andrea | 4 Comments

In 2006, I spent a couple weeks in Japan and purchased a Yomiuri Giants hat for my father while attending a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome.

My dad loved that hat. None of his buddies knew what the logo was and he enjoyed explaining it to them. Anyway, a few months after I gave it to him, he was wearing the hat while we were out hacking up this local 9-holer.

When I was dropping him off home after the round, I noticed he didn’t have it on and asked him about it. “Ah sh*t! I think I left it in the basket on the cart!” He called the course but they didn’t have it. He called again the next day to see if someone turned it in, but still nothing. He even drove down to the course a couple days later to check the lost and found bin…nada. The hat was lost.

But that got me wondering about something I had never thought about before – the fact that golf courses have a lost and found bin to begin with.

Let me ask you something: How many head covers have you lost on the course over the years? Every damn time you get on the tee-box you have to take the head cover off your driver and put it back on after your shot – It’s so annoying. It’s far easier to just leave it in the cart basket until the round is over. Ah, but inevitably it will just be left there to end up in the infamous lost and found bin (or end up on another driver who’s owner also lost a similar head cover the week before).

A better solution would be to leave the head cover in your trunk, since that’s where you need most of the club head protection. Problem solved.

But sadly, the club head cover and the hat are not the only things left on the course. Let me ask you something else: How many times has someone driven up to you in a cart and asked you if you left your pitching wedge on the previous green? How many times have you been the one in the cart doing the asking?

It’s one thing to leave a club head cover but quite another to leave a $100 club. Yet, we golfers do it all the time. Here’s the classic scenario: You’re in a cart (another reason to always walk) and your ball is just off the green. You can’t take the cart too close to the green so you grab your wedge and putter and walk over to your ball. After you chip on, you grab your putter and leave your wedge on the fringe. And there it stays until someone from one of the groups behind you finds it.

If you’re lucky, someone honest will find it and return it. If you’re not lucky, someone dishonest who needs a shiny new pitching wedge will get one for free. The good news is, vary rarely do we leave our $400 drivers!

But how many golf gloves have you left behind? How many divot repair tools? Watches? Cameras? Cell phones? Wedding rings??? Yep, these things can all be found in abundance in your local pro shop lost and found box.

We’ve all lost things on the course one time or another. We humans are prone to be forgetful (a major airline reports 10,000 lost items a week) and the golf course is no exception.

But there’s one item we all leave on the course and never even think about it – one item specific to the golf course. We never call the pro shop asking about them; never wonder what ever happened to them; we don’t even really care that much about losing them (in the long term, anyway).

I’m talking about golf balls, of course. We all leave those behind. In fact, golfers in the U.S. alone lose an estimated 300 million golf balls annually. Three hundred million!!! I know I’ve done my fair share of contributing to that number. And perhaps of all the things we lose on the course, the number of golf balls (whether we care or not) weighs the heaviest – on our scorecards, on our wallets, and on the planet.

If you care about my last point at all, purchase recycled or refurbished golf balls. Studies have shown that recycled and refurbished balls do not lose any playability compared to their new counterparts. Not only will you be supporting efforts to limit the number of these lost balls scattered about the earth, but you’ll be saving money to boot. So, that takes care of the planet and your wallet.

Your scorecard, on the other hand, I cannot help you with…You’re on your own with that one.

Is Playing Golf Like Riding A Bike?

April 23, 2012 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

If only golf was as easy as riding a bike... — If only golf was as easy as riding a bike…

Everyone has heard the saying “It’s just like riding a bike.” It seems to be used for everything. But what about golf? Is golf like riding a bike? Can it be picked right back up again after a significant layoff?

I think much of it has to do with your skill level. If you’re a golfer who’s used to shooting around par, but you come back after a long break and shoot an 80, something tells me you look at that differently than someone who shoots around 100, then comes back to shoot a 110.

Personally, I’ve never had a long enough break from golf to measure the result on myself. However, I’ve been around players on both ends of the spectrum and have had the opportunity to see what a long layoff has done to them. I’ll start with the good player.

I once played a few times in a local golf league. On one of the occasions, I played with a guy who was described to me as a scratch golfer and even a “borderline pro.” I guess this guy was so good, that he decided at one point in his life to quit his job and pursue a spot on the PGA Tour. Needless to say, since I was playing with him on an average local course, he didn’t make it. But somewhere between his attempt at a pro career, and a short time before we played together, he had taken a few years away from the sport. As I understand it, after failing to qualify, he felt like a failure and had no desire to go back to playing non-competitive golf. So he gave up the game entirely…for a few years anyway. But you wouldn’t have guessed that when I saw him!

Despite taking the game back up just over the prior couple of months leading up to our round, this guy went out and shot in the high 70’s while clearly playing with an “I don’t care” attitude. He was out there just playing with his buddies, relaxing, joking around and having fun. Some of the guys who had played with him years before told me that he would have been absolutely miserable and down-right pissed had he shot a 78 or so back then. But now, it’s no big deal. Good for him.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum, I had a guy ask me if I wanted to get out and play a round with him because he hadn’t gotten the chance since he had kids. Now again, we’re talking a few years since he had been out on the course. Before the kids, he was a golfer like me – happy when he breaks 100, which didn’t occur very often. And sure enough, when we got out on the course, he shot a 102.

So, is golf like riding a bike? Once you know how to play, do you always know how to play? Can you take a few years off and pick back up right where you left off? From the two experiences I’ve had with people who have done so, it would seem that, yes, you can in fact do so. But is that the same for everyone? Would it be the same for me? Personally I hope to never find out.

Closing Deals On The Golf Course? Are You Taking The Tax Write-Off?

April 16, 2012 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

Well, it’s April 16th. Hopefully, you’ve gotten all of your tax requirements taken care of. After all, the IRS is probably the last group of people, government employees or otherwise, that you want knocking on your front door. But if you’re one of those people who uses the golf course to make your business deals, then did you remember to claim everything?

It’s always a question in the back of the mind of everyone who uses the golf course as a tool to “close the deal.” When the question “Can I write this off?” goes through your mind, especially if you’re not able to seal the deal with your potential client, a quick bit or research can reveal that yes, you can in fact write off that round and meal. Well, a portion of it anyway.

As with anything involving the government, things are never cut-and-dry. Everything is always complicated. After all, they’re certainly not going to let you just get money without making you work for it. But, do a little bit of that work, and it can do nothing but benefit you.

So, the write-off – as mentioned earlier, yes you can write off your golf as well as your meal and drinks in the 19th hole. But (there’s always a but), you can’t have it all. You can write off up to 50% of what you spend. But hey, half is better than none, right? Of course, the details go a bit further. In order for the government to know you are not just taking advantage of the rules, all of the details must be documented. You know, in case of audit. Speaking of which, a good piece of info to keep in mind is, the more deductions you take, the better your chance of being audited.

Do you do anything related to golf as a business? You could have some golf write-offs there as well. Maybe you’re a golf-blogger. Maybe you’ve turned it into a business, selling goods, services or something to that effect. Maybe you have a few partners. Maybe you have your meetings over dinner, or out on the course followed by some food and drinks in the 19th hole. Are you writing these things off?

Come to think of it…it seems the crew here at GolfStinks is due for a meeting among it’s partners. Maybe next Saturday is a good day for a meeting. The weather is supposed to be nice on Saturday, right?

Swing ’til you’re happy…and be sure to document it!

How Many Balls do you Lose per Round?

The Belated Mother’s Day Golf Gift Guide

The Things We Lose On the Golf Course

Is Playing Golf Like Riding A Bike?

Closing Deals On The Golf Course? Are You Taking The Tax Write-Off?

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