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What Should I Do With My Golf Off-Season?

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Playing golf last weekend was a rarity.  Not the playing golf part, but the last weekend part.  Playing golf that late in the year is something I’m not sure I’ve ever done.  But, after the thought had crossed my mind, it doesn’t look like there will be much chance of playing in December.  No, with the temps here in CT dropping into the 30’s and low 40’s on a regular basis now, my golf season appears to have come to an end.

So what to do now?  How do I still get my golf fix when I can’t get out on the course over the winter?  The Golf Channel sure as heck doesn’t cut it.  And I already broke my temperature barrier of 50 degrees last month.  I’m not going to drop it below 40.  So I guess I’ll have to find some other means.

I’ll start with planning a trip or two to the indoor facility.  What I like about the indoor place we go to is you can work on every part of your game.  I can work on putting, chipping, sand traps and irons.  Although I can work on my driving there as well, because there is no actual range I can’t see the finished result.  So it ends up being only a “feel” thing.  So for driving, I’ll have to hit the outdoor range.

Ah, the outdoor range in the winter.  It’s not as bad as it sounds.  There are overhead heaters at your tee area, so it’s only bad when the wind is whipping.  But at that point, you probably shouldn’t be there to begin with.  But I need to go because I need to see where the ball is winding up.  I can’t hit the ball only 20-25 yards and make sure it feels good.  I have to see if I sliced it, hooked it or put one straight out there.

But both of these options equate to nothing more than practice.  What if I wanted to actually play a round?  Well, maybe option number three should be an out-of-season golf trip.  Every golf trip I’ve taken has been during prime golf season.  I could save some money going in the off-season.  And really, I would only need to travel somewhere that the temperature is still in the 60’s to make me happy.  I don’t need to turn it into a lavish trip at some tropical resort.  I just need it to be a little warmer than CT this time of year.

Now that I think about it, maybe that’s the step I’m missing in the off-season.  I have to get out of the habit of simply practicing and travel somewhere to actually play!  No one wants to practice, but we all want to play.  It’s more motivating.  It’s more fun.  And damn it, it’s what I want to do.  So maybe now I’m going to turn more attention to playing rather than practicing.  After all, what am I practicing for really?  I stink.  I’m always going to stink.  At least I can have fun stinking.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

What’s Wrong With Golf?

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golf-171208_640Well, as for golf itself…nothing. It’s the different facets of the game that pose a problem. I recently woke up to an infomercial of this guy that is supposedly the king of long driving contests. He was selling a special driver that will hammer the ball a thousand yards…maybe not a thousand but you get the idea.

What’s my beef? They’re hurting the game instead of helping it. They promote driving the ball into outer space as the most important thing. I understand they are trying to sell a product but they are also trying to appeal to golfers by saying “It’s all about driving.” Ever heard the expression “Drive for show, putt for dough”…?

Drive for show. In other words, it’s an act put on to garner attention. You got it, a show. Golfers shouldn’t be taught “You’ll be the coolest cat in the club house because you can drive 400 yards!” There should be some respect to the game and etiquette required. I guess that’s why it was an infomercial in the 3:00 a.m. slot.

As much as I stink at golf, I still honor the tradition and skill it takes to play. We may joke about it and what not but we still love it. I guess it bothers me to see people trying to make money by soliciting the wrong values and embedding ideas that stray from the truth. Just my $0.02…

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

No Loitering. No Skateboarding. No Golfing?

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So I was at my son’s soccer game this past weekend – a playoff game which they won on their way to a win in the league championship game, thank you.  But upon entry to the field, I walk past the sign to the left.  Take a look at #2 on the list under “Prohibited.”  Yup…golfing.

Where have I been?  When did it become criminal to practice your golf game?  I mean, I can understand that this is school grounds.  But the fact that they have gone out of the way to specify golf seems a little funny to me.  What I’m saying is, according to this sign, I can bring in guns, knives and fireworks…but I can’t practice my short game.

OK, I understand that they don’t want golf balls being left laying around a football or soccer field due to the risk of injury.  And of course they don’t want divots in the field or any windows broken in the building.  Further, I’m sure they obviously don’t want any errant projectiles being rocketed in all directions. But to specify golf in particular still strikes me as a little odd. 

Has anyone else ever seen these signs anywhere?  I don’t mean just at a school.., I mean anywhere.  The bad news here is that this is one fewer place where your golf game can be practiced for free. Everything about this game costs money.  If I can’t practice my game in an open field, then I’m becoming even more limited to going only to driving ranges and indoor facilities which, of course, cost money. 

That’s an advantage to some other sports.  I can go play or practice basketball at any outdoor court.  I can go hit baseballs at just about any field.  But golf?  Unless I pay, then there aren’t alot of places I can just go practice. 

But hey, I guess if it’s a game you enjoy then you do whatever you have to do.  Even if that includes going broke.

Swing ’til you’re happy!                  

Why Is Everyone at the Driving Range Miserable?

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Do you dread the driving range? (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
Do you dread the driving range? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

We’re in the midst of little league baseball season for my boys. And while one is excelling all-around, the other is struggling a bit with the bat. So yesterday afternoon, we took a trip to the batting cages.

We worked on some things and, next thing you know, he’s getting around on the ball and even putting a bit of a charge into a few. It was good work, and I’m hoping it carries over into his next game.

But one of the most fun things about going to the cages was getting in them myself. I don’t care how old you are, it’s always fun to get into the cage and see if you can still get around on some of those pitches in the fastball bay.

It wasn’t until I stepped out of the batting cage and looked over at the guys out on the accompanying golf driving range; That’s when I noticed something strange – I’m smiling and having a good time while they look miserable and pissed-off. But you know what, I understand that. I understand how they feel. I’m just going to come out and say it right now…practicing golf sucks.

You can argue with me, but let’s be honest with ourselves. For most golfers, it’s just not fun. As a matter of fact, it’s almost like work, if not worse. Why is that? I mean, I can have a good time at the range (either indoor or outdoor), so why does everyone else at the range look so miserable? The only thing I can think of is that these guys take it too serious.

I can see these guys getting angry with themselves on poor shots…and that makes me laugh. Why? Well, it’s simple really. If you aren’t that great to begin with, then how can you get so angry at yourself when you hit a poor shot…especially at the range? Out on the course, you hit them pretty often. You’re not a PGA pro, so what’s the issue? I understand I’m not Albert Pujols, so I don’t flip out when I swing and miss in the cage or hit a weak ground-out in softball. Same with golf – why would I get so angry about screwing up at the range when I stink out on the course? For the record, I don’t get angry on the course either.

And that, as we have said many times here at GolfStinks, is the problem with so many golfers. They take the game way too serious. Serious to the point where they’re taking all of the fun out of it. Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t all try to get better. Rather I’m saying we should all remember that it is just a game. You should have fun playing it.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Home, Home On The (Indoor) Range

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Is the simulator an adequate stand-in for golf? (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
Is the simulator an adequate stand-in for golf? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

For anyone reading this who does not live in the northeast, you may or may not be aware that it’s been snowing here recently. I could go ahead and say there’s been a hell of a lot of snow…and that would be an understatement.

It has snowed so much, and been cold enough for very little of it to melt, that we are simply running out of places to put it! Honestly, the snow from two storms ago is still buried underneath the more recent nor’easters! And there’s even more expected this week!

So with all the snow and tough driving conditions it creates, it’s understandable that there seems to be a case of cabin fever spreading throughout the area. And it was never more evident than today at the indoor range.

Despite temperatures in the low to mid-teens, the weather was relatively nice this past weekend. So it seems, once the sun comes out, so do the golfers…myself included. Though it’s certainly still too cold (for me anyway) to head to an outdoor range, even a heated one, I’m willing to brave the cold for my first opportunity of the year to hit the indoor spot. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. I guess it’s due to the recent weather conditions, but I have never seen this place so packed! I’ll tell ya…for five months out of the year, this place is a gold mine!

Now, not only is the trip to the indoor range an opportunity, obviously, to keep my game in relative order during the off-season, but it’s also an opportunity to keep my boys interested in the game. Though it’s certainly not the same as being out on the course, my boys love the indoor facility. And that’s good news for me. For a mere $20, the three of us can spend as much time as we’d like, with a bottomless ball basket, driving, chipping, putting and hitting out of the sand. And if I can keep their interest during the off-season, all the better when the temps begin to rise.

But of course, it’s on the way past the lobby and into the facility itself when they spot the golf simulators. Lucky for me, these things require a tee time, so I’m able to save myself a few bucks today, but not without the promise of a return trip.

Like I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not a big fan of practice (insert Allen Iverson impressions here). So I’m going to look at this as more of a mission to keep my kids interested in playing golf. I mean, I had fun, they had fun…we all had fun! So how could this possibly be practice? We’ll see how I feel about it next time.

But seriously, for those in the northern half of this country who are frozen off the course for the next few months, I recommend looking for an indoor golf facility. You can work on all areas of your game for the price of about two buckets of balls at your local range…and it’s warmer! Just don’t think of it as practice and it’s even better!

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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