GolfStinks

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The Youth Is Spreading The Word Of Golf

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Between this past Friday and Saturday, we had some unseasonably warm temperatures here in CT – upper 50’s, maybe even hit 60 on Saturday.  So, naturally, it brought up the golf conversation.  Staring outside through the kitchen window, I said to my oldest “If the ground wouldn’t be practically a mud bog, today would be a great day for golf.”  His reply?  “Yeah it would!”  Just as I had hoped.

However, it wasn’t just that reaction that I was excited about.  He had a friend stay the night and then asked him “Have you ever played golf?”  His friend replied that he had never tried.  So my kid starts to go on about how much fun it is, even if you’re not any good.  This is nice…he’s starting to sound like me.  He tells his friend that when the weather gets nicer, we should go to the range and have him try it out, then get him out on a course.

He then proceeds to explain to his friend how he’s gotten better and better over time and gives an example – he can no longer hit balls into the woods in the backyard.  OK, so I’m a little surprised by this…now I know why my golf balls are disappearing.  Curious now, I ask why.  And without hesitation to express concern that I now am aware of why I seem to be losing golf balls at an alarming rate, he answers “Because now I can reach the houses on the next street.  Well, maybe not when there’s leaves on the trees.”  My answer?  “Well, what do you say we don’t find out?”  I can tell from the look on his face that he gets what I’m saying…both about hitting a house and wasting my golf balls.

Despite this, I am encouraged.  I’m encouraged that he is learning to play the game the right way – by having fun.  Even thought he isn’t a great golfer, he has fun getting out there and playing.  I’m also encouraged that he is spreading the game to his friends and trying to get them to give it a shot as well.  This is reassurance that I am leading him down the right path with this sport.  And it also gives me hope that golf is still alive in the youth and may one day soon see a resurgence.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Tiger: Hurt, Injured or Neither?

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I’m lucky enough to be pretty healthy.  I don’t have any ailments, other than being a bit overweight…but I’m working on that!  What I mean is, I’m healthy all-around.  Like all of us, I have days where I may be a little under the weather.  But it’s very rare that I actually get “sick.”  Rare enough that my boss probably wouldn’t believe me if I was to call out of work for the day.  I’ve been with my company for about four years and have yet to take a sick day.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I did take one.  But I used it to play golf on a Monday.  And my boss was well aware.  So I can understand him not believing me.

What I don’t understand is why people don’t believe Tiger Woods when he says he’s hurt.  He’s the #1 player in the world.  It takes work and talent to get there.  So when he pulled out of the Honda Classic, why, instead of understanding that he was struggling due to a known back injury, did many people react like he was full of crap?  I began seeing all kinds of “Tiger is a baby” comments (along with various other descriptions I won’t say here) popping up on social media right away.  Why the animosity?

Is it because he is the worlds #1 ranked player?  That could be.  I mean, the #1 always has a target on their back.  And it seems to be the American way to build someone up only to tear them down.  Or maybe it’s because people still hold a grudge against him for the past mistakes in his personal life?  I suppose that’s a reason.  Because he’s a celebrity, everything he does wrong stands out more and is remembered for a longer period of time.  Or maybe it’s simply because people just genuinely think he’s full of crap.  They think he genuinely faked an injury because he wasn’t playing well and had no chance.  I suppose that’s possible.  After all, it’s not like he needs the money.  He can walk away from a tournament and it certainly won’t hurt his wallet any.

It seems as though many people have these thoughts in the back of their minds and aren’t taking into consideration that he may actually be hurt.  But hurt enough to not finish the last five holes?  I don’t know.  I’m not even going to form an opinion on it.  But I will say this – There’s a difference between being hurt and being injured.  You play when you’re hurt.  And when you walk away with only five holes remaining after having a bad round…well, you can see how certain opinions can be formed.  One can only hope that he’s not using the injury as an excuse for poor play.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Golf “Gimme” In Competition

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I’m not a good enough golfer to be playing anyone for money.  That being said…it’s never stopped me.  When the opportunity comes along to make a little cash via competition, then I’m all in…as long as I know who I’m up against.  I won’t allow myself to be hustled.  So I stick to a few bucks here and there among friends or other golfers of whose skill level I am aware.  The other stinky golfers with whom I usually play have been playing the game longer than me, and I have no problem admitting they are better than I am.  However, I can hold my own when I put my mind to it.  Winning a little something here and there is not entirely out of the question.

However, when I am playing for money (or even food or beer), I apologize but, some aspects of sportsmanship go right out the window.  So when Sergio Garcia conceded an eighteen foot (or seventeen…or twenty, depending on what you’ve read) putt to Rickie Fowler at the WGC-Match Play Championship, I was dumbfounded.  Me?  Once money becomes a factor, I will not concede even a three-foot putt…I’ve seen way too many of those missed.  And I’m only playing for a few bucks.  But the WGC?  We’re talking a $9 million purse!  And you are going to concede a putt that is far from a gimme?!

I have two main problems with this situation, besides the stupidity of it.  First is that everyone is looking at it as a show of good sportsmanship.  OK, I guess besides the stupidity of giving someone a gimme from eighteen feet away, there is a hint of good sportsmanship in there.  But you know what I think there is an even higher level of?  Cockiness.  I can’t believe that nothing I’ve read about this so far even hints at it.  Sergio said he felt bad because of a delay on a ruling at a previous hole.  Really?  This is golf…half the game is a delay!  I think he knew he had a lead and felt he had it in the bag.  And if he won, he was going to play it as “See what I did there?  I pretty much gave that hole away and I won anyway.”  Well, so much for that!

Second is the fact that something like that can happen anyway.  And in the grand scheme of things, the fact that a “gimme” exists in the rules of golf at all is just plain ridiculous.  For a sport filled with such strict, annoying rules to begin with…that they will let someone just pickup a ball without actually finishing the hole is asinine.  And where exactly is that “gimme” line drawn?  Can you imagine if in football, a guy ran a kickoff back to the 1 yard line and was tackled, but rather than send the defense out onto the field, they just said “Ok, close enough…you can have that one.”  Or if in basketball, a guy misses a dunk, but the other team just lets him take the two points anyway because he was so close.  It’s ridiculous!  This is a competition with $9 million dollars on the line!  Make the putt!

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Accessorizing For The Upcoming Golf Season

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I’m not the kind of person who has to have the latest and greatest of anything.  No, I’d rather wait for a while until I can find a better deal or the prices come down from the intro of a new product.  Some examples – Of all the cars I’ve owned, I only purchased one of them brand new.  It’s just not a good investment considering you lose a minimum of 30% of the value as soon as you drive it off the lot.  I’d rather buy a car used and let some other sucker take that hit.  Electronics/computers/phones?  Forget it.  With the way electronics are pumped out of factories these days, what you buy is practically obsolete in less than a year.  So to me, overspending on a laptop, tablet or cell phone (which have all become practically disposable) is not exactly a wise decision either.  Even when the PlayStation 3 came out years ago, I held out until I felt like I was missing out on something.  And by that time, the price had dropped about 25% as well.  There’s something to be said for waiting.

But one place where I’m a little different with my thinking is when I’m purchasing golf accessories.  I’ve only owned two sets of golf clubs, one off-the-shelf and my current set which were custom-fitted.  Neither were bought used.  I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t know if I could purchase a set of used clubs.  Although my putter was used, but it was free…so that doesn’t count.  I don’t buy my golf clothes used either obviously, but I will look at discount department stores rather than golf specialty shops or sporting goods stores with the latest fashions for about triple the price.  Same goes for clothing accessories like hats and sunglasses – a nice new pair of Oakleys from Blackleaf never hurt anyone.

Also, I find that purchasing your accessories and equipment in the off-season can certainly save a few bucks as well.  Clothing will be on clearance, as will balls, tees, gloves…whatever, all in anticipation of newer products stocking the shelves.  Granted, the selection might not be as great as at the beginning of the season, but all the money you’ll save can be put toward the courses you want to play during the season.

Hey, golf is an expensive sport.  We have to do what we can to save our pennies where ever possible.  If cheaper clothing, less expensive balls and buying things in the off-season will allow me to put more money into playing more or nicer courses, then as an alternative to winning the lottery, I’ll keep it up!

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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!

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