GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Book Review: Golf List Mania!

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golf list maniaAs soon as I found out I was getting a copy of Leonard Shapiro and Ed Sherman’s “Golf List Mania!” I began to schvitz in excitement. Besides it being a future 19th hole and coffee table staple, this book offers up (as they perfectly denote), “The Most Authoritative and Opinionated Rankings of the Best and Worst of the Game.” I personally enjoy reading stuff as interesting as this.

Included are lists by golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as well as original stuff courtesy of Jim Nantz (who, by the way, offers up a great foreword) and one of America’s greatest sports writer, Dan Jenkins. Shapiro and Sherman delve into this with no holds barred. They have lists ranging from Arnie’s “My Five Most Important Victories” to a personal favorite – Shapiro’s; “Great Caddyshack Pick-Up Lines.”

Another great contribution to this book are the quotes that follow some of the lists. One that sticks out in my mind is Jimmy DeMaret’s, who said: “Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.” Classic.

Fellow hacks, get out there and score yourself a copy for $15. I have lost more than that in golf balls after a round. At least there is a better chance of not losing this book. Good job fellas!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

I Get My Golf Advice From a Guy Who Doesn’t Golf

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golf_senseMy friends, I’m about to take a leap of faith. I’ve decided to change the way I approach my swing, my putting, in fact my entire game. And I’m entrusting this momentous metamorphosis to a man who doesn’t even play golf.

Yep, I’m an idiot.

I’ve just finished reading a book called “Golf Sense – Practical Tips On How To Play Golf In The Zone” (Front Runner Publications, 2010). It’s a book that follows nicely on the heels of another golf book I read recently; “Straight Down the Middle” (see my review HERE).

Both these books are, as it happens, similar in that they don’t really give swing advice, rather, they attempt to put you in a golfing state of mind. Where Straight Down The Middle helped me find “inner peace” on the course, Golf Sense provides you with practical exercises to help you keep that inner peace going throughout your round.

The irony of it all is the author of Golf Sense, Roy Palmer, states right in the introduction that he doesn’t even play golf! I almost closed the book right then and there. But, Mr. Palmer was nice enough to ship me the book gratis from across the pond in England – I figured the least I could do was read it (all the misspellings idiosyncrasies of the Queen’s English included).

I was originally inspired by this golfing inner peace (or getting in the zone) from the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance – the scene on the tee when Bagger is explaining to Junuh why Bobby Jones is so good (“he’s in the field”). To me, there’s just something about letting go of all the BS in your head, getting out of your own way (mentally) and just letting your natural swing emerge – it just sounds like the way a golf swing is meant to be executed.

So as I digested Mr. Palmer’s book, I felt his writings and exercises (many of which can be done without a club and while you’re actually reading the book) would really help me find that happy place to exist in during a round. For example, he points to tension in the swing as a major cause of poor play – tension that you may not even know you have since habitually, you’ve swung the same way for so many years.

But realizing the cause of your poor golf shots is only the beginning. Golf Sense is packed with simple ways to put you in (and keep you in) a calm and relaxed state of mind on the course (which will translate into a more relaxed swing, and subsequently lower scores). I have to say, I’m anxious to give it a try.

So my plan is to put Mr. Palmer’s book to the test. Beginning in the new year, I am going to practice a few of the exercises at home. Then, once the weather gets warmer, I will move to the range and finally to the course. I’ll post sometime next season about how I’m progressing.

If you’d care to join me, feel free to get your own copy of Golf Sense HERE and email me (info@golfstinks.com) with your own experiences using this method. Stay tuned…

Book Review: When to Regrip Your Ball Retriever

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imageFor more than a year now, we here at Golfstinks have been telling you not to take your poor play and high handicap too seriously. We’ve posted many colorful articles on this blog that we hoped would instill in you the necessary frame of mind to enjoy golf while still stinking at it. In fact, we plan on posting many more of these types of articles.

But to help you along, I’ve come across some great reading material. Whether in your favorite arm chair or on the porcelain throne, these books are sure to increase your laughter with every page-turn. Endorsed by former U.S. presidents and CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, “How to Line Up Your Fourth Putt” and the recently released “When to Regrip Your Ball Retriever” should be part of every golfer’s book collection.

My copies are now on my bookshelf – wedged right next to Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons. They’re the perfect compliment to each other. I feel it projects to others that: “I’m trying to get better, but I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it.”

Author Bobby Rusher presents his material as a golf instructional manual of sorts. But you wont find advice on how to properly grip a club – instead you’ll find a chapter entitled “The Insignificance of Proper Grip.” My other favorite chapters? “How to Hit a Dunlop 2 From the Rough on your Second Shot, When You Hit a Titleist 1 From the Tee;” or “What to do When you’ve Parred the Course by the 11th Hole;” and the always popular “Body Blocks and When to Use Them.”

One of Mr. Rusher’s more compelling chapters is entitled “The Importance of Realizing that Most Golfers are Bad Golfers.” He explains that when he played Pebble Beach (he shot 141 there by the way), he was intimidated because he feared he would embarrass himself on one of the world’s greatest courses. But he quickly realized that all the other golfers on the course that day were bad too. It took him 6 hours to complete his round because the group he was following was just as terrible.

Of course, I’ve been using the term “chapters” but, these are each typically one page of light and comical reading. The reality is, Mr. Rusher’s books are sarcastic, laugh-out-loud pointers and cheats about taking a light-hearted approach to your stinky golf game. And if you can laugh at these books, you’re one step closer to enjoying golf despite how bad you may be at it. Hats off to you Bobby Rusher – you’re a true stinky golfer.

To help our readers start their book collection, Golfstinks has secured a set of both books to give away to one lucky reader! Simply post the phrase “I Love My Ball Retriever” on our Facebook page, and we’ll select one random winner from those posts on October 29th! If you end up not being our winner, you can email Bobby directly HERE for more info or to purchase either book (hey, the holiday’s are coming up *hint* *hint*).

Book Review: Straight Down the Middle

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straightdownthemiddleWithin the confines of our own minds, a whole bunch of sh*t can happen to screw up your golfing ability. It is within this realm that Josh Karp writes Straight Down the Middle, his new book from Chronicle Books LLC.

The author tells me; “The basic idea is, can inner peace lower my handicap, or will lowering my handicap help me find inner peace?”

You may have heard of this mystical golf notion before – if you’re familiar with books like “Golf in the Kingdom” or movies like “The Legend of Bagger Vance” – that we all have our real (or authentic) swing hidden inside us somewhere, and we just need to step aside (mentally) and let it take hold. If we can achieve that, *POOF* we become better golfers. Sound ridiculous?

Well, a few years ago, Mr. Karp decided to embark on a two-year journey he hoped would not only help him find his authentic swing, but perhaps his spiritual path to boot. Married and in his late thirties, with 3 kids, another on the way, and a handicap pushing 20, Mr. Karp was a anxious man wrestling with his own thoughts.

His free time was consumed with baseball stats (hugh White Sox fan), golf and finding ways to channel his mental activities so he could relax. Convinced his worrying (a constant struggle to accept his own mortality) was affecting his golf game, he enlisted the help of various golf gurus that had backgrounds in (mostly) Zen Buddhism. Straight Down the Middle is about this journey.

Like many journeys, it’s filled with success, failure, frustration, and jubilation (after more success). I rejoiced every time Mr. Karp’s game improved after visiting a golf guru…and felt utterly disappointed when that initial success was short lived. I admired his openness to learn unique and sometimes unorthodox techniques and sympathized with his struggle to overcome his own internal demons.

There were times in the book when I’d become frustrated at Mr. Karp’s overanalyzing of what seemed like every situation; his terrible habit of worrying about…well, everything; and his overall anxiety in general. But when I finished the book, I realized those passages were necessary to show just how far he had come to finding inner peace both on the course and in his daily life.

Straight Down the Middle is well-written, humorous and extremely fascinating. But what’s great about Mr. Karp’s book is it’s applicable to any golfer at any skill level. You don’t have to be a Buddhist (or be in the process of converting to one) to appreciate and apply some of the ideas (and they’re mostly ideas, not swing tips) you’ll find within its pages.

Thus, when I played my first round after reading it, I found that Straight Down the Middle had given me a very refreshing ability: I seem to no longer fret over my duffs and shanks and flubs. What’s more, it helped me cut through all the BS and let me just play. It’s all clear to me now: Golf is a game that can provide unlimited happiness in your life…if you’d just let it.

You can purchase your copy of Straight Down the Middle by Josh Karp HERE.

Golf, You & Friggin’ Murphy’s Law

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Who is this Murphy guy? Try to find out the origin of this “law.” It seems like it’s been covered up by the government or some secret organization. No one really knows how it became an adage, it just did. The most common belief ties into some highly classified government project testing rockets back in the late 40’s and 50’s. Well, whatever, whoever or wherever this came from, I’ll tell you what, it doesn’t affect any other sport as much as golf.

The following are some examples of how Murphy’s Law is truly embedded in golf.
1. All balls from the same sleeve have a very tight bond with each other and will follow one another into the woods.
2. Waiting for the group ahead of you on the green to clear because “you can reach” is also a silent invitation for all those around to watch as your approach shot becomes shots…because you can reach.
3. Speaking of approaches, a divot only gets replaced properly after a great approach shot.
4. The ball you find just off the fairway that is right where you just smashed a monster drive ends up not being yours.
5. Your golf clubs have their own weather system. When it’s hot up by the driver…yep, it’s cold down by the wedges. Hey, it’s a system that has to balance itself.
6. When you finally make the green on 9; that 40 foot putt can be made blindfolded and with the sand trap rake.
7. Four letter words, except for golf, will be utilized quite excessively once the glove has been put on.
8. Only when you are shooting your best round ever will the air horn blow to warn of a storm.
9. Amnesia is quite common with the others in your foursome when counting their strokes.
10. Those that are not as good or lack any skill in golf will feel it’s their duty to give swing advice.
What can you do? We still go out there and play regardless. Hit’em straight!

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