Humbling Our Heroes

Would you prefer to watch the carnage that was on display in the second round of the 2024 Masters or the usual weekend birdie-barrage with our heroes firing scores in the low 60s?  I like a bit of both but have to admit the wind-blown spectacle yesterday was fascinating because watching the best in the world struggle equates them with the common player. It doesn’t happen often.

I live in Maryland (several hours and hundreds of miles north of Augusta, Georgia), but we had the same weather pattern on display at the Friday Masters.  I went out in the morning in the eye-tearing, snot-blowing 30 mph wind to play nine holes and was similarly brutalized.  Having the luxury of coming back to my toasty living room and watching the world’s greatest fight through the same was awesome.

Can you determine a common theme of yesterday’s survivals and missed cuts?  Seemed like a throwback to the 1990s with the mentally tough horses-for-courses players like Tiger, Phil, and Vijay making the cut and Spieth, Justin Thomas, DJ, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman all missing.  The heavy wind killed all but the most confident ball strikers. I’m not surprised at Spieth or JT because they are both struggling mentally with their games.  I have no idea about DJ because his invisibility on the LIV Tour and subsequent drop in the world rankings have him off the radar.  The biggest surprises were Wyndham Clark, who had all the momentum coming in and seems to get up for the big events, and Brian Harman, the tough as nails Georgia Bulldog.  Clark doesn’t have a lot of experience around Augusta and hits the ball high, so give him a year or two.  Harman is a super solid chipper and putter but put too many balls in the water.  Bad ball striking adds ruinous pressure on your short game.   

The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for sunny skies and much less wind.  Back nine birdie-fest coming up!  Who’s your pick to take it? 

Enjoy and play well!

The Money Chase Is On!

I am about the most red-blooded capitalist you will find but more and more I’m having a hard time reconciling the money grab that pro golf and sports in general are becoming.  Is it ruining your viewing pleasure as well?  For me, it’s increasingly difficult to track and understand the on-again, off-again agreement between the LIV Tour, DP World Tour, and PGA Tour and what it means for the competitive landscape.  The addition of a private equity group backing the PGA Tour is supposed to provide some kind of ownership stake and make the PGA Tour more attractive for the players, but an equity stake in what? 

Last weekend I broke down and watched the LIV Mayakoba tournament. The final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach was rained out, and heck, John Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, and Tyrrell Hatton were in the field. While the thumping music was a little weird, and the team competition was kind of a sideshow, the quality of play was pretty good.  I’ve been very anti LIV with all the Saudi blood money sports washing thing, but I must admit, I was entertained.  Are we ready to declare the PGA Tour the next Lehman Brothers?  No, but with every defection, PGA Tour golf is becoming less must watch TV.

The chase has metastasized into my other love, NCAA football, in a big way.  The last true bastion of big-time amateur team sports is gone.  With the teams abandoning their conferences and traditional rivalries to chase the Power Five bucks and the new NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rules in place, players are free to move from school to school and earn what they can from selling photos, jerseys, and whatever else will bring in cash.  The mobility of schools and players are simply a race to the highest bidder. God Bless America and our anti-trust laws.

The smartest guy in the room is Nick Saban who just left Alabama.  Being a college football coach and having to deal with all this crap on top of recruiting and the pressure to win is impossible.  It makes coaching in the NFL more appealing because at least your athletes are under contract.  Saban got the best job possible, sitting in a TV booth on College Game Day talking about this mess but not having to deal with it.

Back to golf.  I hope and think this ends up with a new governing body that will let all players play in all tournaments and simply earn points to qualify for the majors and Ryder Cup.  I’m kind of over who’s backing whom with what money.  Just get the guys on the golf course and let them grip it and rip it.  What do you think?

Need Help With Retirement!

The big milestone was finally hit and I’m on day-two of retirement camp.  A lot of folks are asking what’s it like.  Answer:  Not much different than when I was working.  I got no rush of freedom from the emancipation and did not sleep in for 14 hours.  The immense sense of relief that some refer to? I got that on the day in November when I announced that I would retire because of all the built-up angst, but nothing yesterday.  Is this normal?

Day one started with a beautiful unseasonably warm morning, and I spent an hour and a half at an empty golf course driving range balls and then chipping and putting on an empty practice green.  I’m digging this weekday thing, but then my thoughts returned to figuring out a golf plan for the rest of my life.  Gah!  Here’s where I need help.   

I’ve been bombarded with advice on retirement in general.  It usually consists of what to do, when to do it, where to go, how to think, what to spend on, etc.  One person told me, “commit to nothing; try everything.”  Makes sense for a wanderer, but I’m too Type-A for that.  Gotta have a plan.

All this is well-meaning, but I trust you, the readers of this page first, because I know some of you are retired, some are seasoned players, and I’d rather count on the words of wisdom of those that have been there and done it.

To this point, my only plans are short term.  I will travel to Myrtle Beach for a week of golf later this month and am thinking of getting a part time job at a course in the April time frame.  A couple days a week should get me free playing privileges.  Do I focus on playing, practicing, fitness, taking more lessons?  Do I start cross training?  And what about expectations.  Can you swing as well at 63 as you did when you were 23?  I’m not sure how to get to the next level or what that level is.  Thoughts?

When I was working and playing weekend golf, I’d miss a shot or putt that I knew I should be able to execute and got frustrated because I didn’t have enough reps due to time constraints.  Now I’ve got time.  And I’ve got no excuses.  The prospect of dedicating more cycles to the game is exciting, but what to feature and where to start is befuddling.  All suggestions are welcome and thank you.

Play well! 

Holy Magnolia Batman!

Well gang, it’s been 20 days since I touched a club until today.  On my Eastern shore golf trip in early November, I didn’t hit the ball well and some old anti-habits started creeping into the game.  On top of that, I injured three fingers on my right-hand playing soccer on Thanksgiving Day.  Yes, soccer is a game played with your feet, but I was in goal attempting to block a shot and bent back all the digits.  I also found that it is damn painful laying out and letting your full body weight hit the ground.  At least more so at 62 years old than at 22.

The end of season downtime and injury recovery allowed me to take stock of 2023, look at some old lesson notes to try and find a fix for my swing problems, and get started on 2024 prep.  Next year is a big one.  I retire on January 31 and am eagerly anticipating all that goodness.  I’m also heading to Myrtle Beach for a five-day golf trip on February 17. 

To the extent that the weather cooperates, I like to use December and January to stay sharp through practice, play, and working on fitness.  Today I started with my swing.  The pull hooks had reappeared, and I knew they were due to the early release that I constantly fight.  Needing to take the left side of the golf course out of play, I reviewed some notes from a lesson I took in 2016 where my pro addressed the same issue and put them into my practice plan.  I also decided before I went to the golf course, I’d test my fingers with some swings out back using my driving range mat.   It felt okay so I harvested 30 magnolia bombs to hit with a 7-iron and had a very productive practice session.  With no pain in the hand, I made good contact with the bombs.  What is all this talk about magnolia bombs?  Here’s a short video I posted 10 years ago on how to practice with the fruit from the magnolia tree.   

I’ll hit another 30 tomorrow and head out to the golf course next weekend for nine holes and some chipping and putting.  Oh, and I’ll be working fitness using more age-appropriate activity like tennis or running on my treadmill.  No more soccer.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great and that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Play well!

Become a Spot Putter

If you want to improve your putting, try the spot method.  The basic idea is to pick a point on the green to roll your ball over and use that as an alignment aid.  The benefits are twofold.  First, it allows you to commit to the line and not change it over the ball.  Second, it allows you to focus on the speed, since you’ve already committed to the line.  Committing to both are essential to good putting.  If you can do each sans spot putting, more power to you, but the method has helped me immensely.  Here’s how it evolved and how I use it.

About three years ago, I was putting with a Ping Answer that I’d been using for several decades.  It’s a wonderful putter but mine didn’t have any markings for alignment.  During a putting lesson, my pro told me I was lining the putts up off center and closer to the toe.  I couldn’t believe it so he had me put a spot of white paint on the top of the blade where the center of the face was.  Then he’d watch me line up putts from behind and ask me where I was aimed.  Inevitably, it was not where he said I was aiming.  Big problem because I began to doubt my eyesight which played havoc with my confidence on the greens.

Fast forward to the start of the 2022 season, I replaced the Answer with a Wilson Infinite putter that had clear markings.  I was still pulling a lot of putts and couldn’t figure out why.  I started to fiddle with different putting grips and went with a claw for half a season before finally returning to a standard reverse overlap.  The pulls never resolved themselves and I couldn’t figure out if it was my alignment, my grip, my eyesight, my stroke, or the putter.

In mid-2022, I decided to try spot putting.  Not certain what the inspiration was but it may have been an article I read by my friend Jim, over at The Grateful Golfer.  I know Jim spot putts and has espoused the method on several occasions.  So, I practiced it for several sessions before putting it into play and have never looked back.

The primary nuance on spot putting is how far away the spot is you want to aim for.  My preference is one foot in front of the ball.  Others use different distances.  You may also need to change your pre-shot routine; I did. 

To spot putt, I stand behind the ball, select a line I’d like to start the putt on, and practice my stroke with the appropriate force I’ll need to get the ball to the hole.  The last thing I do is pick my spot a foot in front of the ball, and then step into my stance staring at the spot and align my putter at the spot.  I set my feet then execute.  I used to take my practice strokes astride of the putt, but that involved looking back and forth from ball to hole to try and judge the right speed.  I found it hard to focus on my aiming spot and now take practice strokes facing the hole.

The best part about spot putting is that you commit to both line and speed behind the ball.  You simply step into the putt and execute without thinking too much and not changing anything.  I’ve found this relieves a lot of tension and builds confidence.

Good luck if you try spot putting.  Be patient with it and practice a few times before you try in your rounds.  Let me know how it goes or hit me up if you have any questions.

Play well! 

The Euro Butt Kicking – No Surprise

The recent Ryder Cup concluded with a very predictable butt-kicking by the European Team on European soil over Team USA.  The US hasn’t won in 30 years in Europe, and the presumption is that the US is the home of the PGA Tour and has the deepest talent pool in the world, and is the perennial favorite, so why the constant defeats?

There are complex forces at play, so let’s break them down. 

First the old axiom, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘Team” holds true, especially on the Euro side.  Can you recall a team controversy on this squad?  I cannot.  These guys are of single mind and purpose and pull together magnificently.  They used to treat this event as an opportunity to gain respect after so many beat downs by the US over the teams from Great Britain.  Now that continental Europeans are included, it’s morphed into something more.  They treat it like a mission deeply ingrained in their psyche and their culture.  Although long gone, their icon, Seve Ballesteros and his passion and competitiveness must be preserved.  They still include a locker space for Seve in their team room – for every Ryder Cup!  I think this mindset actually triggers a bit of survival instinct.     

How about team dynamics.  Does the US squad pull for each other?  Certainly.  Do they come together as a team?  Yes, every two years.  The difference between US and Euro is that US players are driven and motivated by individual achievement, and they have trouble letting that go while the Euros do not.  Of course, the Euro players want to win the majors and individual events, but they relish the team concept at a level not seen in the US.  They play together, practice together, prepare together.  This year, the week before the Ryder Cup, every player on the Euro side competed in the BMW Championship.  Every one of them.  And they all made the cut, and most finished very highly.  Where were the US players?  Who knows.  Why weren’t they playing in the BMW?  Who knows.  The togetherness of the Euro team was a harbinger of the competition.

The silliness of the Patrick Cantlay hat incident was telling.  I don’t know what his motivation was for not wearing a team cap.  Whether the rumor about his wanting to be paid is true or not, it projected individualism into the team concept.  The Euros don’t do this.    If you can remove individuality and standardize around a common set of characteristics for teammates, you can more easily pull together.  Great organizations do this.  This is why the armed forces require you to wear a common uniform.  Think of successful sports teams that have standardized.  Penn State and Alabama football come to mind.  They have uniforms with no logos on their helmets which project the same bland look for all the players.  No focus on individuality, just performance of the team.  The New York Yankees do the same.  No names on the uniforms, just numbers.  Long hair?  Cut it.  Facial hair?  Prohibited.  Standardize appearance across the team so that players identify as a team and not an individual.  The whole hat incident was unproductive.  On Sunday morning you had half the US players with team hats and half without, to show solidarity with Cantlay. 

Every wonder why the Americans usually do well in singles matches, and the Euros excel in foursomes and fourballs (partner events)?  Singles mindset is more individual based.  Partner competitions are about playing with teammates.   In Ryder Cup, there are 16 points available in the team events and 12 in singles.  Favors the guys with the team mentality.

Finally, the money in pro sports is huge.  Has it corrupted the US players more than the Euros?  Maybe.  The LIV Golf controversy has impacted both teams, with several big names who jumped to LIV not qualifying for either side but arguably it hurt the Americans more as top competitors like DJ, Bryson Dechambeau, and Patrick Reed were ineligible.

With the huge cultural differences playing a major role, I don’t see an end to the European domination of this team event anytime soon.  Do you?

Play well. 

Will Artificial Intelligence Take Over Golf?

Yesterday, I spent two hours helping students at my alma mater write and improve their resumes.  At the concluding debrief, one fellow said that he had shown his students how to use AI to write their resumes.  That scares me.  The director of the program mentioned a low-level university position they had recently advertised for a graduate teaching assistant.  She received over 50 cover letters that were nearly identical and had been generated from AI.  That scares me.  Four days ago, Cathy Wood, from the ARK Innovation Fund, claimed on a CNBC interview that auto piloted cars are 40% safer than human driven and that the future goal was to replace humans with AI driven cars for safety measures.  That scares me. 

Try this short experiment.  Go to https://bing.com in your Microsoft Edge browser and type in “How do I fix my slice?”  The site is running Microsoft’s latest generative AI model.  The model attempts to regurgitate data that it learns from similar searches and presents it as a curated list.  There’s no indication that this electronic blather is any better than the rest of the information on the Internet, nor does it have anything on taking a lesson from a human golf professional.

When I used to give golf lessons, there were no cellphones, there was no AI, there was no internet.  Our main competition was bad advice.  We had a saying, “Amateurs teach amateurs to play like amateurs,” and it implied that we were always trying to undo well-intentioned advice that our students had received from non-qualified sources.  I wonder what today’s golf professionals feel like when they teach.

I no longer teach but take golf lessons.  The last few I took hadn’t seemed much different from when I was giving them, although my instructor was able to video my swing on his phone and show me pictures of professionals in the positions he wanted to get me in.  The source of the free advice today’s professionals are trying to undo may have changed, but the nature of the pedagogy has not. 

Thankfully, the answer is “no.”  AI is not going to impact golf anytime soon. What do you think?

Play well.

Why Gamble?

What’s the most you ever wagered on the golf course?  For me it wasn’t much, maybe $6.00 in the form of a $2 Nassau.  What’s the most money you’ve ever wagered on anything?  Again, for me it’s $50, several times on fantasy football entry fees.  Does that even count as wagering?  Taking it a bit farther, do you bet on anything?   

What turns some people into gambling addicts? I think it’s the part of the brain that enjoys the thrill of the win more than the pain of the loss.  The inner Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas’ character in Wall Street) is unleashed with some type of chemical reaction that makes you crave more. 

I read with interest about the recent failings of Phil Mickelson and his admittance of a gambling addiction.  The depth and breadth of his wagering was mind boggling and had to take its toll on his family and friends.  Why did this happen to Lefty?  Not sure but I know the guys on tour play for hefty sums in their Monday and Tuesday practice rounds, and you’ve got to look at that through the lens of how much money they earn and play for professionally.  Comparatively, it’s a small sum, but even those innocent four figure skins games can become a problem if they’re played too frequently.  It’s also a bigger issue for the ego-based players, and Phil’s ego is larger than most.  Don’t you think Phil would get more satisfaction from beating Tiger head-to-head for 500 bucks than win some ho-hum regular season tour event?  Sounds silly, but it’s not far off.

Without question, I sit in the other camp because losing is far more painful than the euphoria of a win and this drives my overall philosophy, which is obviously risk averse.  I am also more skills based than ego-based.  Will I take risks?  Yes, but they are carefully planned, and I try to stack the odds in my favor.  Hence, my reluctance to gamble. 

How about those who play the lottery?  Is that gambling?  Don’t you pick up the occasional $2 ticket for the Mega Millions jackpot when it gets extremely large?  I do. Technically, it’s gambling but I view it as a small investment in my happiness, because I take pleasure in thinking of the opulent lifestyle I’d enjoy if I won, knowing that I have a teeny tiny chance.  Before that number is picked, I still have a chance and that brings me pleasure.  Conversely, for those who play the lottery every day, it’s gambling.

Finally, there’s investing, which I partake in quite frequently.  Buying stocks in businesses you understand and have thoroughly researched, and staying long in those investments is not gambling.  Throwing money at popular fads or businesses you know nothing about is gambling.  Oddly enough, I have no qualms about investing in businesses of old-fashioned sin stocks such as alcohol, tobacco, oil, firearms, defense, or mining companies.  But I will not touch casinos or sports books because I don’t like the way they hook our young people on gambling.

I’ll leave you with a couple stories. A friend recently told me about her 22-year old son who used to “invest” in bitcoin but lost six figures when his crypto wallet was hacked. Unfortunate.  He had also been kicked off the MGM sports book for winning too much and had moved his operations to DraftKings and FanDuel.  I told her this was not going to end well. 

Finally, my friend the late Jim Rush never used to play for money. When I asked him why, he said, “It’s hard enough competing with myself out here than trying to beat someone else.”

I’m sticking to 50 cent skins.  How about you? Play well.

Values Test

What would you prefer, a round on a great course with a mediocre experience or a great experience at an average venue?  Been wrestling with this after a recent outing and it’s been bugging me the more I rehearse it in my mind. 

In May, I played a round with a dear friend at a favorite venue, The Links of Gettysburg.  The course is challenging with scenic elevation changes and water coming into play on several tee shots.  I love the course.  It fits my eye and I usually drive it well and score pretty good.  My friend is a high handicapper and struggles to control his game off the tee.  On this day, I played well and he hacked it up and lost several balls on errant tee shots.  As the round wore on, his mood soured and put a damper on the whole experience.  Later when driving home, I thought about what was important and compared the experience to a round we had played earlier at a ho-hum municipal course in a neighboring county.  The muni is flat and has no real trouble off the tee.  My friend was able to keep the ball in play, scored much better, and our afternoon was quite enjoyable.  Which would you prefer?  Sign me up for the latter. 

A good playing experience far outweighs a tremendous venue experience.  I suppose you could have both, but I would also bet that when some folks go play a famous course, they won’t be honest about the golf, to justify the cost or the lifelong desire to play such a venue.  Has this happened to you?  It did to me back in 2011 when I played Pinehurst #2.  I was left with neither a good impression of the course nor a satisfactory experience.  On a recent golf trip, I played with a family member who had recently played Bethpage Black and said it was the hardest golf course on the planet.  I didn’t ask about the golf experience and could only imagine the mental baggage after chopping it up at a world renown US Open site.

I’ve been carrying a little guilt on the May experience and think that next time I’ll make a recommendation on what will be best for my playing companions.  Treasure your friendships and experiences; they’re more important than any golf course.

Play well.

33 feet is the magic number

Are you an aggressive putter or a die it at the hole type?  Of the all-time greats, Greg Norman was the classic never up-never in guy and always advocated rolling the ball past the hole.  Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw were famous for their lag putting capability.  Both approaches work; so, which are you?  I began having this mental debate during my last few weekend rounds where I made two observations.  First, I was frustrated because I left several first putts short but “right in the jaws”, and second was the utter failure of my playing partners to get their initial putts anywhere close to the hole.  I concluded that my style (but not my preference) is to die it at the hole and that most amateurs would benefit from the same.  Let me explain.

Making snap judgments and trying to change your putting technique on the course is not smart.  It’s best to take time and assess your performance, method, and some statistics away from the game.  Let’s start by comparing ourselves to tour pros, which can be dangerous, but if you’re careful, you can use the data constructively.  Did you know that on tour, 33 feet is the magic number?  Pros are more likely to make the putt than three-putt under 33’ and more likely to 3-putt over that number.  See the details in this fascinating article from Golf.com.   The distance has to be significantly lower for the average amateur.  What would you think?  I’m guessing 20 feet.  So, if your average proximity is 20 feet on your first putt, you should probably average two putts per green and end the round with 36 putts.  My casual observation is that most amateurs average more than 36 putts per round.  This makes 3-putt avoidance more important than trying to charge/hole every putt from every distance.  Now, as players get better through ball striking improvements and short game practice, their proximity improves and so should their putt totals.  It’s also important to realize that as you get closer to the hole to become more aggressive.  I have a lagging mindset but at some distance, maybe 10 feet, I’m thinking “make it” on every attempt. 

Your style is dependent on two factors.  First is personality.  I’m more risk adverse and my putting reflects that.  Second is the type of scoring we like.  Those comfortable in match play are more prone to the charge-it mentality because of the impact of holing a longer putt can have on an opponent and the downside of three-putting is less (you only lose one hole).  Those more comfortable in stroke play are more concerned with avoiding a big number and may value steadiness more highly.  I enjoy both games but play much more stroke play.

Trying to change is difficult.  I would love to roll all my lag putts 18 inches past the hole but can’t make myself do it.  I’ll routinely practice lag putting from 30 feet using a straight slow uphill putt and straight fast downhill putt.  Uphill, I rarely get the ball to the hole.  When I do, it feels like I pound the ball and my first thought is “I blew that way past.”  I’m very comfortable trying to putt defensively on the downhillers and keep it close.  Just my mentality.

Take comfort in the numbers.  I track total putts per round and am averaging 31.6.  Divide that by 18 and I get 1.75 putts per hole.  I consider myself a pretty good putter, but not great.  True to my approach, I don’t three-putt a lot (maybe once per round), and 1.75 putts per hole is validating my method especially after understanding the professional proximity numbers and how important 3-putt avoidance is.

What’s your preferred method, charge it or lag it?  Play well!  

Time Saving Tips for Better Golf!

We golfers want it all.  Imagine always shooting our lowest score with a minimal amount of preparation – love the thought.  Sorry, not possible.  But for the player with limited time, you can get close using these tips. 

First, remember the game is a combination of art and science.  Practice like an artist the closer you are to playing.  This means simulating game conditions because it activates the creative side of your brain.  The side that you rely on for touch and feel.  The side you need to handle pressure.  The side that you count on for scoring.  This also means avoiding mechanical practice (long driving range sessions) the day before you play because your mind will revert to mechanics during the round.  This is contrarian thinking, as most players grab a driver and a large bucket and head to the range to work up a good lather.  Don’t do it. 

If you have access to a short game area, make extensive use of it.  My favorite practice is to play 18 holes of up-and-down.  Use one ball, pick a target hole and throw the ball into a greenside lie.  Do not improve the lie.  Hit your chip or pitch as best you can.  Then try and hole the putt.  If you are a novice or intermediate player, consider three strokes as par for each hole.  An experienced player should aim for two strokes per hole.  Play 18 holes.  Should take 45 minutes to an hour.  You’ll be amazed how sharp you are around the greens the next day.  This is the best practice you will ever do before a round of golf.

Sometimes I don’t have time for a pregame warm up on the range but remember the golf swing is an athletic move.  You must prepare your body.  It’s best if you can activate your core and elevate your heart rate about an hour before you tee off.  What I’ve been doing lately is to get on my treadmill and speed walk for ½ mile, making sure to swing my arms in an exaggerated fashion and do some side-to-side twisting.  Get the heart pumping.  Next, I’ll grab a 30-pound dumbbell and head over to my weight bench.  Lie completely flat and hold the dumbbell fully extended over my head letting the weight of the dumbbell pull my hands towards the ground (like I’m going to do a pullover) but don’t pull, just let it hang for one minute.  It stretches out your shoulders and arches your back in a magnificent way.  You are essentially holding the position that your body will be in for a fully rotated follow through.  It’s an excellent way to limber up and I’ve taken to doing this even if I will warm up on the range.  Total time is about 10 minutes.

So how have these tips manifested themselves in my game?  I’m playing about 27 holes every two weeks.  Not as much as I’d like but my body feels great and the short game practice has a double benefit of saving scores after poor shots and improving my mental outlook because I’m never giving up on a hole.  80-90% of my precious practice time is on chipping and putting.  The games of up-and-down are great for your mind and are easy on the body.  I’m rarely hitting the driving range and admittedly, the lack of reps and limited rounds has probably taken its toll on the consistency of my ball striking, but my scoring is holding up well. 

Retirement is just over the horizon.  When I get there all aspects of the game will get the time they deserve.  In the meantime, try these tips and let me know how it goes.

Play well!   

Why Doctors Don’t Work on Their Family

Justin and Mike Thomas via Getty Images)

If you follow Justin Thomas, the 30-year-old 15 time tour winner, and two time major champion, you’ll notice something is definitely off.  JT is slumping, which happens to everyone, but don’t let his post round interviews fool you.  When he says that he’s close, he’s not.  Current stats tell the story.  154^th in Strokes Gained putting.  130^th in Driving Accuracy, 112^th in Greens in Regulation, and 144^th in Scrambling.  He’s sitting at 74^th in the FedEx standings (top 70 make the playoffs) and is a long shot for the Ryder Cup team.  What should JT do?

Arguably, the two most important people on a player’s team are his coach and caddy.  The predicament JT faces is that his dad, Mike Thomas is his coach and has been since day one.  Can you fire your dad?  I don’t know.  Some reading I’ve been doing has indicated that Mike sometimes withholds opinions or comment from JT that a normal coach wouldn’t.  Bones Mackay is his caddy and has a stellar professional record. 

Tis a fine line being a dad and coach.  You must provide love, support, tough love, and candid feedback.  Earl Woods was Tiger’s mentor while he learned the game, and Earl knew the game, but was smart enough to set Tiger up with the best coaches.  Tiger had Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, Sean Foley, and Chris Como and wasn’t shy about changing when he felt the teacher was no longer effective.  It would be awkward for JT to be put in that position, but the situation may call for a full reset.  If it was one part of his game, maybe he could persevere, but everything is going south.

We as amateurs slump too.  When I do, it’s usually due to burnout and I have the luxury of putting the clubs away for a protracted period.  How would it look if JT just took time off?  Money is not the issue; the schedule and milestone events are.  It’s a tough spot to be in.

Rickie Fowler is the latest to break out of a multi-year slump and how did he do it?  Hired Butch Harmon and kept working.  I cringe when I think about it, but maybe it’s time JT took a tough look at his coach.  What do you think?

Play well.   

What is the Most Satisfying Golf Game?

The old axiom, “There are no pictures on the scorecard,” is true.  I was left to ponder that perspective after my round yesterday.  I thought, “What is the more satisfying way to shoot the same score on the same course given radically different experiences?”  My round yesterday was so different from the previous week at Crossvines, but I recorded the exact same score.  The differences in ball striking, putting, and short game were dramatic, along with my assigned playing partners.

What round would you prefer? 

A week ago, found me with two younger guys (mid-30s) who could hit it longer than me but not as straight.  They played from the blue tees (6,800) and I from the whites (6,400) and all three of us were walking.  My iron play was putrid, and I hit just two greens but took only 25 putts, as my short game and putting got hot.  I managed to get it up and down often enough to save my score (7-over, 78). 

Yesterday started off weird as there was no electricity at the golf course because of a lightning strike the previous day.  It got weirder as I was paired with two poor players and their elderly dad, who was a beginner and playing his first round ever.  After the first tee introductions, I repeated to myself to be patient, patient, patient.  Again, I was walking, and they rode and demonstrated a clear lack of course and cart etiquette.  Somehow, we managed to get around in four hours and 15 minutes and I ended up hitting 10 greens and taking 34 putts enroute to a 7-over, 78.

Same course; same score.  On the game factor, I’d prefer yesterday’s round because of the better ball striking.  Hitting greens makes me feel more in control.  Bad ball striking is very unsettling and can leave a player awfully frustrated, especially while touring a course with ample woods and water.  Nothing is worse than not knowing where it’s going and losing balls.  For the playing company, I’d prefer the first-round guys.  It’s great to have everyone walking together and have shot distance, cadence, and skill levels similar.  Makes it easy to get into a good rhythm.

Remember though, golf is a social game and is unlike other sports where you are expected to play and compete with players of a similar age and skill level.  I actually took some pleasure from yesterday’s hackathon providing a couple tips to the beginner that allowed him to experience some immediate success.  Got to pay it forward whenever you can.

There truly are no pictures on the scorecard.  Which round would you prefer?

Play well!    

The Awesome US Women’s Open

I am riveted by the US Women’s Open coverage.  This week is incredibly captivating for the following reasons:

1. I can relate to their game; somewhat.  What?  Now I couldn’t carry water for any of these pros, but a 155-yard shot?  Yeah, that’s a 7-iron for me too. The distances the players are hitting shots and their club selection is close to mine.  Watching the men’s game is un-relatable now that they hit it so long.  7,600 yard layouts, 360 yard drives, and 180 yard 9-irons – come on. 
2. Call me a masochist, but I love to see the players struggle around the greens.  Have you ever seen more plugged bunker lies?   You don’t get that with regular LPGA broadcasts because they’re mostly putting contests.  Don’t believe me?  Look at the LPGA driving accuracy season stats.  The 100^th ranked player averages 71% of fairways hit!  The regular LPGA game is fairways-greens-putting.  Certainly, for all the leaders being covered on TV.  This week, all the missed fairways and greens are adding trouble. Trouble is exciting.  For comparison, the 100^th ranked PGA Tour driving percentage is 57%.
3. Pebble Beach is stunning.  The USGA has finally recognized the women and set them up at a major venue worthy of the importance of this championship.  Typical US Open setup; tight fairways and deep rough –  love it.  It was also nice that they honored all the living US Women’s Open champions with a dinner and a cool send off for Michelle Wie West and Anneka Sorenstam.  Nice job USGA!

Who’s going to win it on Sunday?  I have no idea but if I was forced to choose, I’d wager a few bucks on H.J. Kim because she has a reliable swing and hits it so straight. 

Enjoy the finale action!

The Awesome Bump and Run

Yesterday I got reacquainted with an old flame, the bump and run shot, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  This shot is simple to set up and straight forward to execute.  Choke down, hands slightly ahead of the ball, introduce a little wrist break on the back swing the farther you need to carry it, and make a small pivot.  Just a mini golf swing.  It’s okay to land it on the fringe and not feel compelled to fly it to the green on every shot.  Experiment with a more straight-faced club than a wedge.  I like the 9-iron.  Use something that produces a lower ball flight that feels comfortable.

Yesterday, my round at Crossvines was an ugly throw away ball striking affair where I fought my swing all day.  The gist; I hit two greens in regulation but employed the bump several times and managed a 78 with only 25 putts.

I had started practicing bump and runs the previous weekend for an entirely different reason.  Lately, I’ve been putting well but was dissatisfied with my results because nothing was dropping.  The problem wasn’t my putter but my short game proximity.  I was leaving a lot of chips short using my lob wedge /pitching wedge system.  Seeking to find a happy medium I began practicing bumps with the 9 and hitting shots from clean lies, deep rough, short-sided, and longer carries.  Discovering all the benefits and limitations, I learned that a mishit with the bump would generally get closer than one with a lob wedge.

Yesterday, amongst the ball striking carnage, I played the bump four times and got it up and down three.  Most importantly, each attempt rolled close to and past the hole.  Small sample size, but I was very pleased and left the 18^th green with a weird feeling of despondency with my swing along with satisfaction that I had uncovered a secret weapon.  The old saying is true, “there are no pictures on the scorecard.”   

At home, I pulled up my performance spreadsheet where I track all my scores, GIRs, and total putts since 2007.  The two GIR equaled the worst ball striking day ever and was replicated about six times over the last 15 years.  But I never came close to breaking 80 in those rounds and was closer to shooting 90.  The bump felt like a true savior.  I urge you to try it and fall in love.

Play well.    

The 10 Answers You are Dying to Know

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know the news about the merger of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi backed Public Investment Fund (PIF).  Let’s play a game and shake our Magic 8 Ball for some answers, then ask the questions like Carnac The Magnificent.

Answer #1: “It is decidedly so.”  Question: “Has Rory McIlroy been played like a sacrificial lamb?”

Answer #2: “My sources say no.”  Question: “Does Rory McIlroy have a chance to repeat as the Canadian Open champion this week given how mentally checked out he is?”

Answer #3: “Reply hazy, try again.”  Question: “Will the PGA Tour players who turned down the big money from LIV Golf be made whole and if so, how will this work?”

Answer #4: “Outlook not so good.”  Question: “Will the PGA Tour remain the only true meritocracy in professional sports given the prospect of players receiving appearance money from the new funding source (PIF)?”

Answer #5: “Without a doubt.”  Question: “Phil Mickelson is a renown gambler.  Did he just win the biggest bet of his life by wagering on himself and that LIV could break the PGA Tour’s business model?”

Answer #6: “Most likely.”  Question: “Did Brooks Koepka’s victory in the PGA Championship prove the LIV guys wouldn’t fall apart under the competitive gun, and more importantly, force the hand of the PGA Tour to settle?”

Answer #7: “Better not tell you now.”  Question: “Will we be bombarded by loud music and a Top Golf like atmosphere at all future PGA Tour events?”

Answer #8: “You may rely on it.”  Question: “Will the format of the new PGA Tour events now encompass team competitions?

Answer #9: “It is certain.”  Question: “Even though he doesn’t need the money, does Tiger regret not taking the $700M offered by LIV?”

Answer #10: “Yes definitely.”  Question: “Is LIV Commish Greg Norman sleeping like a baby at night?”

Play well.

Does Winning Define You?

Tiger Woods’ career winning percentage is 22.8.  Jack Nicklaus’ is 12.0.  Pretty low.  Are these guys considered losers?  We view these icons as outstanding despite the constant defeats.  The answer is how you define winning.  If you play golf professionally or recreationally, and regularly compete in large field events, you’d better take some joy out of the process of trying because your chances of winning aren’t great.

I was struck by the recent comments of Milwaukee Bucks star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, after being eliminated from the playoffs and being asked if he felt like a failure.  He remarked about Michael Jordan and that Jordan had played 15 years and won six championships, and that the other nine years couldn’t be defined as a failure.  His perspective was spot on and is applicable to golf, all sports, and many aspects in life.  You must immerse yourself in the joy of the process to feel successful because if you confuse effort with results, you’ll be disappointed.    

Some days you play great and just get beat.  Other days you stink and win anyway.  What’s fascinating is the people in professions where failures outnumber successes and how they persevere and are viewed through history.  Sonny Jergensen and Dan Marino were Hall of Fame quarterbacks and never won the Super Bowl.  Were they failures?  The greatest major league hitters fail seven out of every 10 at bats.  Are they losers?  I have the utmost respect for the millions of people in sales who face constant rejection.  The outbound sales success rate for my company is 4%.  I can’t imagine dealing with constant failure and still feeling positive about myself.  How do they do it?

In golf, the most pertinent head case is Rory McIlroy and his quest to complete the career Grand Slam with a Masters victory.  Heading into Augusta this year he had hired renown sports psychologist, Dr. Bob Rotella, and seemed to be doing everything right but fell flat on his face and missed the cut.  Rotella champions process before results more than anyone, but I’m wondering if his teaching is getting through.    Rory seems to be outthinking and out preparing himself and would be better off just going out and playing.  It must be infuriating watching Brooks Koepka piling up major championships with not a bother in the world.  Brooks thinks less and just goes out and plays.

The key is to take small successes out of the process.  Major league hitters know they will fail often but consider a good At Bat a success.  If you made the pitcher throw eight pitches to get you out, that’s a success for the team.  If the sales person gets a return call or email from a prospect, that’s a successful contact even if it doesn’t result in a closed deal.  If I try a new shot in practice and can pull it off during a game of golf, that’s a success even if my score doesn’t reflect it.  Immerse yourself in the process and let the results take care of themselves.

Play well!

Drinking and Golfing

It used to be the keys to good putting were judging line and speed.  Some characterized it as 90% mental, 10% stroke.  Others say it’s guts and feel.  Whatever your previous understanding, throw it out because the real key is SOBRIETY.

Photo courtesy of Alliancewake.com

I made this discovery on a recent trip to South Carolina.  Our friends who invited us to spend a week on the Grand Strand threw in an invite to play a couple of rounds which I excitedly agreed to.  The evening before round 1, we were getting to know each other, and swapping lies about our overstated golfing abilities.  I learned from one playing partner that he was a good ball striker but was “three-putting every time he hit a green.”  This piqued my interest and I looked forward to watching him in action. 

The next day, it didn’t take long to diagnose the putting problems.  Now, I enjoyed the heck out of my round and my playing partner’s company, but these guys were part of the new “Bro Culture”.  I was first clued in by my riding partner’s request to play music during the round, and the crack of the first beer can on the #1 tee.  I accepted the tunes but declined a cold one.  Our starting time was 7:50 a.m. and I have no problem with folks drinking while they play, but I’ve always stuck to water and Gatorade because the first hint of a beer buzz kills my sense of judgement on and around the greens.  Doing some back of the napkin math, our round took about four hours and they finished a beer every two or three holes, which divides out to about seven beers per round.  Obviously, my tolerance is much less, but if I drank that much during a round, bad putting would be the least of my problems.

Overconsumption was clearly the source of his bad putting but the driving cultural shift is more interesting and appears to be caused by three underlying factors.  Beer companies who glamorize and associate golf with drinking.  Check out the Bros in this video that I’m sure you’ve seen watching any of your favorite sports. 

Second is Top Golf where drinking, loud music, and golf are all normalizing the behavior.  Third is the new LIV golf series where constant sensory bombardment replaces the traditional serenity and courtesy of the game.  Can we solve?  The putting fix is easy.  The cultural shift; not so.

Just interested, but what do you drink while you play?  Play well.

Earthquake Alert: LIV Golf!

Dustin Johnson just cancelled his overdraft protection at the Royal Bank of Canada.  DJ, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau have headlined a shift in the tectonic plates of world golf with their moves to the new Saudi-backed LIV Golf League.  I’m bummed. 

What this has done is removed the PGA Tour as the last holdout of pure meritocracy in North American sports.  On tour, there were no performance contracts, no guarantees, you win (or make cuts) or you don’t get paid.  There were several levels of minor leagues flush with aspiring competitors just waiting to  take jobs from the guys on top.  Even if you were good enough to make the annual exempt list on tour, that didn’t ensure you’d get paid.  All that’s gone now with LIV’s huge guaranteed contracts.  DeChambeau signed for $100M and never has to win again.

LIV has turned professional golf from competition to entertainment.  Of course, the players still want to win, but when they don’t have to, the integrity of the competition suffers.  Make no mistake, LIV is not an instantiation of the old poorly funded knock-off football leagues that tried to compete with the NFL and couldn’t land any top-level talent and eventually folded.  These guys have money and star power.  Expect more defections as the economic reality sets in.  How the PGA Tour will react is anyone’s guess.  As their star power and exclusivity wane, they’ll need to adjust.  It was an awesome run while it lasted.  What do you think they will do?

Play well!     

What Drives Your Golf Satisfaction?

I have three.  Shooting a good score, learning a new shot or technique, and teaching someone something that improves their game.  Others such as: taking money off your friends, bombing buckets of drivers at the range, general love of competition, showing off, winning at all costs, swizzling as many beers as you can hold, or blaring loud music and having a good old time hold less of an appeal.  I do enjoy traveling, being out in nature, and the general company of my playing partners, but not quite to the level of my top three.  Let’s dig in.

I am a “no pictures on the scorecard” player.  Generally, when someone asks about my game they inquire, “How did you play?”  This may not be a great approach, but I find myself measuring my satisfaction by score.  I’ll know a 78 on a par-72 track is the same as a 76 on a par-70, but I’d prefer the 76.  Do you think like this?  Maybe I should play on par-60 executive courses all the time and maintain a stroke average like Scottie Scheffler.  Weird how my brain works.  I’m very honest with myself and can evaluate course conditions, difficulty of the venue, how I’m feeling, and their effect on score, but damn, give me the lower number!  My benchmark has changed as of late because I play and practice less.  Generally, I’m happy if I break 80.  Last weekend, I played Poolesville after a couple days of heavy rain.  The normally fast greens had slowed considerably and the rough had grown into US Open length.  Very tough conditions to adjust to.  The first two holes are a par-4 and par-5.  I played five well thought out, superbly executed golf shots, and bogeyed both holes.  Got frustrated and started pressing and had to grind the rest of the day.  On the last hole I hit a great 4-iron into the green and three-putted for bogey which had me down but when I added up my 79, was happy.  If that bogey had turned the round into an 80, it would have made a difference.   Weird how my brain works.

I also derive a great amount of pleasure from taking lessons.  Now, these are expensive pleasure points, so they don’t happen that frequently, but my gratification transmitters are usually firing on high when I leave a session with my pro.  It’s also inspiring to try a few things around the practice green or the driving range that click and you can repeat on, because knowing that you have a chance to leverage these broadens the overall outlook.

Lastly, I love to teach.  Whether it’s golf or showing a colleague at work about a piece of software or helping my daughter to learn guitar when she was young, the feeling that washes over you when you see someone “get it” feels great.  I count a lesson that I gave in the mid-1980s as one of my greatest moments.  I had been teaching only for a couple months and had to give a beginner’s lesson to a lady who spoke no English – I think she was Japanese.  Through demonstration and physical manipulation of her grip and weight shift, I had her hitting decent 7-irons off a tee.  You could see the joy in her eyes as she learned what she was capable of and the feeling of conveying this experience was priceless.   

Scoring, learning, and teaching are my top three.  What brings you the most satisfaction?

Play well!