Category Archives: Golf

Golf

A Golf Dream Becomes a Reality

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ACE Colorado Golf Club Hole #6 001

As an obsessive, devoted golfer, there are certain things you dream about doing.

  • Breaking par (73 in 2009 is my best round – I choked on Pradera’s 18th hole)
  • Playing Pebble with your favorite golfing buddies (need to get this done – $500 is a little much but worth it)
  • Playing Ireland with your favorite golfing buddies (did this in 2001 – amazing time, must do it again)
  • Qualifying to play in a state amateur event (at this point I might humiliate myself)
  • Playing in a pro-am event with your favorite PGA professional (Steve Stricker for me)
  • Making an ACE (did this today – 5/31/10 – at Colorado Golf Club)

I have been fortunate to witness 3 hole-in-ones in my 20 years of playing golf.  Every ball was struck perfectly, and looked good right off the clubface (Scott Tynan’s sand wedge in Myrtle Beach, Victor Galvani’s 9 iron on Framingham Country Club’s 17th and Todd Curlett’s 6 iron on Framigham Country Club’s 11th).  As their ball melted inside the hole, I could barley control my excitement.  In fact, given my perfect form-tackle, I am surprised no one was ever seriously injured.

Today (May 31, 2010), I was invited to play in the post Senior PGA Championship event at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado.  My buddy, Brad Kellogg and I decided to play the course from 7,100 yards, and experience how the pro’s recently played the amazingly difficult layout.

The weather was perfect, 80 degrees with a subtle, but steadily growing, southwest wind.  My warm up could not have been better; everything felt in sync – unfortunately this usually means I will play terribly.  That said the day seemed to start out well.  On the 630 yard (par 5) first hole, I hit a nice drive down the left side.  After two good shots, I was left with a 35 foot put.  Unfortunately, it took me 4 putts to finish the hole – as a confident putter, this result was not what I had anticipated.  On the third hole the pin was tucked in the back right.  I hit a solid 8 iron approach shot (166 yards) downhill and downwind.  My ball hit the green on the left side, and rolled to the collection area about 40 feet to the left of the pin.  I decided to putt the ball as there was trouble just behind the pin. Unfortunately, I hammered my putt and ended up in a bunker from hell (to the right of the green).  Truthfully, I felt lucky walking away with a bogie after my poorly executed initial putt.  Holes 4 and 5 saw me make two more bogies even though I was hitting solid and accurate shots.

As I stepped to hole #6 (par 3, 200 yards), I could feel a slight breeze to my back.  Brad told me that the green rolled left (where the pin was), so I should target the right center as my landing area.  Brad chose a 6 iron, which means I committed to hitting my new TaylorMade Burner 5 iron.

I felt good standing over the ball (a rarity these days), and made a nice fluid swing (in my mind anyways).  The ball was hit high, with an evident and necessary draw.  Upon hitting the green, my ball moved left toward the pin.  I felt my heart race at it neared the cup.  Bingo, right in the jar!  I think I tackled Brad first yelling “I did it, I did it”.  I spun around (still yelling) and jumped on the two guys we were paired up with (Blaine and Casey).  I am certain my histrionics angered some of the other players on the course – truthfully, I really did not care.

Playing the rest of the round was difficult as I was still shaking three holes later.  I finished with an 85…respectable given the circumstances.

I will mount the ball, glove, scorecard and CGC flag later this week.  I am happy to say that one of my golf dreams became reality.

http://youtu.be/e7jIE4296wY

Golf

The Unrelenting Dilemma of a Nine Handicap

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The relentless quest of a manageable, confident golf swing has me perplexed and frustrated right now (as well as pissed off).  The one thing all passionate golfers have in common is the desire to constantly get better.  Practice, unfortunately is not the key to unbridled success…..unless of course what you’re practicing contradicts the thing that forced you to practice in the first place.  It seems that once you “fix” one part of your game, something else breaks.   Last spring, without anything I consciously did, I became one with my game.  Honestly I was hitting the ball 10% farther, while lowering my handicap to a six; it was heaven!   My brush with golf greatness lasted until late June as my game turned ugly, resulting in my handicap soaring to a 9 (mathematically almost impossible to do in 4 months).  A deep golf depression set in as I have yet to work it out. 

Here is the current, maddening issue that I am desperately trying to repair.

  • After completing a semi-hideous backswing, my right elbow detaches from my body, and points towards left field (classic chicken-wing), never to make contact with my right rib again.
  • As I awkwardly return to the ball, my best fly fishing technique takes over and fractures every angle earned during the prior motion.
  • The end result is a forced hand flip at the ball that miraculously gets the Pro V1 airborne.
  • Distance and accuracy are obviously compromised, but it is the consistency that has me vexed. 

I have searched for answers over the last 6 months.  Here is what I have found:

Golf Magazines                        

  • Most of the lessons/tips provided are difficult to understand.  When you do understand the guidance, generally the “move” opposes something from an article from a prior magazine.
  • Magazines shill for their advertisers – the equipment manufacturers.  When they tell me that after a custom fitting, an 18 handicap can now hit his tee ball 30 yards further, I feel like vomiting.

Training Aids  

  • I own every golf training aid produced over the last 15 years (if you do not believe me check my basement).
  • Some have merit…..most just become a short-term paycheck for a washed up tour player/swing guru.
  • I do not remember one training aid having a profound impact on my game….not one?

Your PGA Professional

  • How does the same swing issue result in differing root causes from 10 different instructors?  I demonstrate the same unappealing swing to all of these guys, and each one tells me something different is wrong.
  • Recently, I succumbed to a GolfTEC advertisement, and went in for a consultation ($99).  The instructor was pleasant, candid and insightful –then the lesson ended and the sales pitch began.  He told me that it would take “between 10 and 20 ½ hour lessons in order to fix my swing.” Of course those happened to be the premier instruction packages GolfTEC sells.   After multiple calls, I purchased the 10 pack – I will let you know the results over the next two months.

Equipment

  • Yes, I will spend thousands on a game in disrepair.  That said, I now realize that anything new from TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, Ping etc. only pacifies me until ball contact.  At that point I realize that my reverse Jim Furyk is still solidly intact.   

My dreams about playing in a state amateur event are fading by the day.  I can only hope my persistency pays off so I do not embarrass myself in the two member/guests I play in every year. 

More to come as the season pushes forward. 

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