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| Golf In Canada--Vancouver |
Golf Truly Is For Everyone
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Sorry, I Took A Bit Of A Vacation
I want you to know that I am still here. Sorry for the extended vacation, but I will be returning to regular posts soon, perhaps on Monday. I took a couple of days off for a sort of vacation around the 15th and it turned into a longer vacation than I thought as well as a sort of strategy session for what I will be doing soon with my writing and other opportunities. I am excited about these things and will keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Dear Johnny Miller
A while back I wrote about how I wanted to be a golf course designer. As I was writing the piece I remembered playing a couple of courses that Johnny Miller has designed and I have a few thoughts on his skills as a course designer. The two courses I have played were very similar and built in some rocky and hilly terrain. There is another course located near Oakland International Airport that I have yet to play that is built on land reclaimed from a landfill and I am wondering if he imported boulders to put on the course, even though it is a "links" style course. I truly respect what Johnny Miller has accomplished in the world of golf. For what it is worth, goes and I don't expect any Christmas cards from the Miller family.
Dear Mr. Miller
Thank you for providing some of the best moments in golf history, both on the course and in the broadcast booth. I admire you very much and even got to meet as well as chat with you. You are a man of many talents, including designing golf courses.
I have had the pleasure of playing two of the golf courses that you have designed. First, I have played your course at what used to be called Brighton Crest, now Eagle Springs, in Friant California. I live in Fresno, which is close to Friant and get to play the course often. I have also played Eagle Ridge in Gilroy California. Both courses are very beautiful in their settings, but difficult to play for the average golfer.
As I played the courses, many questions cropped up in my head. First, what is the foundation for your love of boulders and where they are placed on the course? Next, it has been said that your putting skills were not as good as they probably could be. I don't fault you for this, and I join you in this maladay as my putting skills are not that good. However, in many cases the greens on the courses you design are undulating and almost impossible to putt. Is this in retribution and meant as a slap in the face of the golf gods?
I am going to cut to the bottom line here. Keep in mind that I have met you a couple of times and have talked to you. I very much enjoyed those brief talks, even though your end of the conversation most of the time was "I don't have time for you now." You are a multimillionaire with successes in the golf business, including the design of many courses. I am just a poor, starving writer that plays golf. You have earned the right to design golf courses, even though my opinion is not that high of them. They are in beautiful settings, and it doesn't mean a thing that I never play them well. My opinion of them doesn't count much and is not going to contribute to the outbreak of the "Great Apocalypse", otherwise known as the end of the world. Peace in the world is not going to break out, given my opinions on how you design a golf course. I just don't play them well, and truth is I don't care for them much. I still play Eagle Springs occasionally.
Mr. Miller, I truly admire you. I still hate number nine at Eagle Springs. What were you thinking when you designed that hole?
Dear Mr. Miller
Thank you for providing some of the best moments in golf history, both on the course and in the broadcast booth. I admire you very much and even got to meet as well as chat with you. You are a man of many talents, including designing golf courses.
I have had the pleasure of playing two of the golf courses that you have designed. First, I have played your course at what used to be called Brighton Crest, now Eagle Springs, in Friant California. I live in Fresno, which is close to Friant and get to play the course often. I have also played Eagle Ridge in Gilroy California. Both courses are very beautiful in their settings, but difficult to play for the average golfer.
As I played the courses, many questions cropped up in my head. First, what is the foundation for your love of boulders and where they are placed on the course? Next, it has been said that your putting skills were not as good as they probably could be. I don't fault you for this, and I join you in this maladay as my putting skills are not that good. However, in many cases the greens on the courses you design are undulating and almost impossible to putt. Is this in retribution and meant as a slap in the face of the golf gods?
I am going to cut to the bottom line here. Keep in mind that I have met you a couple of times and have talked to you. I very much enjoyed those brief talks, even though your end of the conversation most of the time was "I don't have time for you now." You are a multimillionaire with successes in the golf business, including the design of many courses. I am just a poor, starving writer that plays golf. You have earned the right to design golf courses, even though my opinion is not that high of them. They are in beautiful settings, and it doesn't mean a thing that I never play them well. My opinion of them doesn't count much and is not going to contribute to the outbreak of the "Great Apocalypse", otherwise known as the end of the world. Peace in the world is not going to break out, given my opinions on how you design a golf course. I just don't play them well, and truth is I don't care for them much. I still play Eagle Springs occasionally.
Mr. Miller, I truly admire you. I still hate number nine at Eagle Springs. What were you thinking when you designed that hole?
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| First hole and let the games begin. |
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Go Out And Play Some Golf--Have some FUN!
So, I'm confused. What am I supposed to be doing when I play golf? Am I supposed to be thinking that I should score better? Should I be thinking about how far I hit my driver or five iron? How about this big one, do I spin my wedges. Oh, and what about which ball I should be playing. Should I take a lesson or not? That opens a great big can of worms itself.
There is one thing that a lot of us have lost sight of. This game, no matter how well we play it is a lot of fun. How about we put aside all the complexities of the game and all the discussion and just go out and play. Let's go out to the course, simply enjoy the game and have some fun no matter how well we play. Why is that so difficult?
Golf is like art. I enjoy looking at a great masterpiece, the product of an artists work. It is meant to be enjoyed for what it is. Here's what happens. Experts come along and dissect the merits of the piece almost to the point where a warm, living piece of art becomes cold and technical. That is a shame, because the piece probably was created with the artist's feelings and eye, not by cold technique. Technique probably played a role, but to concentrate on technique totally misses the point of the art.
Golf is also like that. Golf is a work of art that is created by the player. Yes, there is some technique involved but the experience is unique to the golfer. As golfers, our golfing experiences are similar but each golfer experiences the game in their own unique way. It is the golf that is important--the playing of the game and the enjoyment of playing it--not the technique. Technique is part of the game and has its own beauty, but that's not all there is to the game.
I have had my coffee so it is time to post this. Thank you for waiting. Take a look at our website at Golf Is For Everyone; http://golfisforeveryonemd.com. As I said, we have great plans for it. Make sure you invite someone to play golf with you and most importantly, have fun.
There is one thing that a lot of us have lost sight of. This game, no matter how well we play it is a lot of fun. How about we put aside all the complexities of the game and all the discussion and just go out and play. Let's go out to the course, simply enjoy the game and have some fun no matter how well we play. Why is that so difficult?
Golf is like art. I enjoy looking at a great masterpiece, the product of an artists work. It is meant to be enjoyed for what it is. Here's what happens. Experts come along and dissect the merits of the piece almost to the point where a warm, living piece of art becomes cold and technical. That is a shame, because the piece probably was created with the artist's feelings and eye, not by cold technique. Technique probably played a role, but to concentrate on technique totally misses the point of the art.
Golf is also like that. Golf is a work of art that is created by the player. Yes, there is some technique involved but the experience is unique to the golfer. As golfers, our golfing experiences are similar but each golfer experiences the game in their own unique way. It is the golf that is important--the playing of the game and the enjoyment of playing it--not the technique. Technique is part of the game and has its own beauty, but that's not all there is to the game.
I have had my coffee so it is time to post this. Thank you for waiting. Take a look at our website at Golf Is For Everyone; http://golfisforeveryonemd.com. As I said, we have great plans for it. Make sure you invite someone to play golf with you and most importantly, have fun.
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| Come on, let's have some fun. The first tee is waiting for us. |
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Fitness And Golf: My Journey
How important is fitness and golf to you? For me, it is very important. A few posts ago I talked about how important improving your health and fitness is in playing golf, and a person has to understand that fitness also affects the quality of life. The better shape you are, the better quality of life you will realize. I have decided to address that very issue and return to the gym, as well as improve my eating habits.
For me, losing weight is easy. My only problem is that I must get to the point that I have hit bottom and must lose weight. Once I have thoroughly convinced myself that it is time to do something about my health and weight, I generally have and been successful. My problem is that once I lose weight, I convince myself that I can go off what ever good things I have done in my weight loss program and return to old ways. Well, of course this leads to disaster and I put the weight back on. For me, what I stop doing is going to the gym and working out as well as not paying attention to the portions I eat. I am pretty lucky in that I can eat mostly what I want as long as I leave some on my plate. I also have to eat regular meals. Working out at the gym and portion control are the keys to my losing weight.
Sometimes life gets in the way and all great work and progress goes for naught. I stopped going to the gym and working out for a number of reasons. My eating habits got out of control and most importantly, I did not take my hypertension medications. The result of this was I wound up in the hospital not once but twice. The second time I was told that if I didn't follow doctor's instructions I would be dead in two weeks. Kind of a wake up call, don't you think?
My first step to better health and golf was to follow the doctor's orders as far as my taking my medications and improving my diet. I have been taking my meds religiously and my heart function has improved dramatically. There was some concern that I should not return to the gym to begin a workout program because of the status of my heart. Recently I completed a battery of tests which showed that my heart was well on the road to recovery to the point that I could return to the gym. The doctor told me to start slowly, but he saw no reasons that I couldn't return to the levels I was working out before my heart problems set in.
I can proudly say that I have returned to the gym and my first day was Monday. I plan to go every third day and fill in with a stretching routine and core exercises every day. I haven't started the core and stretching yet, but that will come soon as I want to ease into all of this. I have to say, for just the two times I have worked out this week, I feel a lot better and the endorphins just keep coming. I have more energy and a clearer outlook on life in general. Trust me, I'm not going to stop. I also plan to address my eating habits as well, and in fact am cutting down on portions leaving food on my plate. My biggest realization is that it will take some time before I return to where I was and I am OK with that.
Why am I sharing this with you? The answer is simple and that is it is never to late to improve your health and fitness. I want to share the struggles and challenges as well as the achievements. You have to put things in perspective and that is it is a process. You will have ups and downs, but if I can do it you can too. Most importantly, its never too late. You will feel better.
For me, losing weight is easy. My only problem is that I must get to the point that I have hit bottom and must lose weight. Once I have thoroughly convinced myself that it is time to do something about my health and weight, I generally have and been successful. My problem is that once I lose weight, I convince myself that I can go off what ever good things I have done in my weight loss program and return to old ways. Well, of course this leads to disaster and I put the weight back on. For me, what I stop doing is going to the gym and working out as well as not paying attention to the portions I eat. I am pretty lucky in that I can eat mostly what I want as long as I leave some on my plate. I also have to eat regular meals. Working out at the gym and portion control are the keys to my losing weight.
Sometimes life gets in the way and all great work and progress goes for naught. I stopped going to the gym and working out for a number of reasons. My eating habits got out of control and most importantly, I did not take my hypertension medications. The result of this was I wound up in the hospital not once but twice. The second time I was told that if I didn't follow doctor's instructions I would be dead in two weeks. Kind of a wake up call, don't you think?
My first step to better health and golf was to follow the doctor's orders as far as my taking my medications and improving my diet. I have been taking my meds religiously and my heart function has improved dramatically. There was some concern that I should not return to the gym to begin a workout program because of the status of my heart. Recently I completed a battery of tests which showed that my heart was well on the road to recovery to the point that I could return to the gym. The doctor told me to start slowly, but he saw no reasons that I couldn't return to the levels I was working out before my heart problems set in.
I can proudly say that I have returned to the gym and my first day was Monday. I plan to go every third day and fill in with a stretching routine and core exercises every day. I haven't started the core and stretching yet, but that will come soon as I want to ease into all of this. I have to say, for just the two times I have worked out this week, I feel a lot better and the endorphins just keep coming. I have more energy and a clearer outlook on life in general. Trust me, I'm not going to stop. I also plan to address my eating habits as well, and in fact am cutting down on portions leaving food on my plate. My biggest realization is that it will take some time before I return to where I was and I am OK with that.
Why am I sharing this with you? The answer is simple and that is it is never to late to improve your health and fitness. I want to share the struggles and challenges as well as the achievements. You have to put things in perspective and that is it is a process. You will have ups and downs, but if I can do it you can too. Most importantly, its never too late. You will feel better.
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| Take the first step in crossing the bridge to better health and better golf. Join me. |
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Ten Things I Don't Like About Golf, But I won't Stop Playing Because Of Them
A couple of days ago I wrote about the ten things I like in golf. As I explained in the post, these were not the things I liked most or least, they were just ten things I like. They were not in any order as well and there are many more as I think about them. I hope you enjoyed the list.
This is a polar world we live in. The world has its North and South Poles. Good has its opposite, bad. Love has its opposite, hate. So it is with me. I have what I love about the game, and I have what I don't exactly like or what strikes me as not exactly good. I shared in that post what I liked about golf and today will be what I think is the negative aspect of the game, at least from my perspective. Here goes.
1. Golfers that play once a year can really make a round unbearable, especially if you are playing behind them. I'm not talking about the ones who only play once a year and come out because a good friend has asked them to play. I'm talking about the "Once A Year, Let's Buy A Lot Of Beer And Tear Up The Place Because A Golf Course Is a Great Place To Get Drunk" group. You know what I'm talking about. In most cases, they come out with no respect for the course and tear it up.
2. I don't like idiots, sober or drunk who do not respect the course. These are the guys that don't respect the "Keep Carts On The Cart Path" sign. Now granted, some of the greens keepers have a tendency to put the "No Carts" signs a bit too far away from the green, but on a par 3 when it says no carts, that means no carts. These are also guys that take a huge divot out of the fairway, and laugh about it without pouring sand in the divot.
4. This one is a two for one, I guess. Speaking of not repairing your divots, that is a pet peeve of mine as well. Don't complain about a fairway or green that is like the surface of the moon and not repair your divots on the green and in the fairway. Courses should make sure that there is turf builder, or at least sand in the container on the cart and everyone should carry a divot repair tool for divots on the green. I repair mine and one more.
5. I don't like those people who complain about the condition of a course and do not repair their divots. Most people when they play a "goat track" should expect "goat track" conditions. The same is true for a great course. Respect the course and help manage it and the course will be in good condition.
6. I hate fivesomes that don't play fast. You can visit and have a great time, but make sure you understand that there are others playing behind you. I have played behind fivesomes that play faster than a lot of twosomes, but that is rare. The stories I could tell you about on this one. Let's just leave it at I don't like slow fivesomes.
7. When I hook up with a couple of guys on the first tee, I want guys who will chat between shots. I am a social kind of guy and like to chat about whatever, and especially about the great game we play. If I get hooked up with someone who is taking their round very seriously and not talking almost to the point of ignoring me, I don't like that. Yes, you keep silent when someone is hitting but between shots is time to visit. I have to admit that when I do play in a tournament, I get very serious most of the time. I can be guilty of getting in that zone and not being sociable, but that is a different story. Chatting and cracking jokes loosens me up most of the time.
8. I don't like "hard" distance golf balls. I am not a distance player, but a finesse player. I like a golf ball that "dances" around the green. The short game is my friend. I can't do what I do around the green with a hard distance ball.
9. I don't like "trash talk" in the game of golf. This is a gentleman's game. It is not football, basketball or baseball. There is no place in the game for a trash mouth and trashing another player. Encouragement should be the rule, not tearing someone down. OK, maybe a little bit.
10. I hate "lip outs" for whatever score, birdie or quadruple bogey.
I guess that you could say that these are annoyances in the game of golf. There are many, and most of them involve golfers themselves. With all the annoyances in the game, I love to play the game and won't let those annoyances bother me to the point that I will leave the game. It is a great game. We should all enjoy our experiences on the course.
Don't forget to stop by and visit our website. You will also find a lot of great "golf stuff" there as well including course U-Tube videos. At any rate, check out the website, http://golfisforeveryonemd.com., and check out the video of Sharp Park which is a historic Alistair MacKinzie design located just south of San Francisco in Pacifica, California. The course is in danger of being closed because of environmental concerns. Please check out the video as the course is a beautiful seaside course with some great holes. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/3j6G-FmKokQ
Until next time, hit 'em long and straight. Don't you dare leave that birdie putt short.
This is a polar world we live in. The world has its North and South Poles. Good has its opposite, bad. Love has its opposite, hate. So it is with me. I have what I love about the game, and I have what I don't exactly like or what strikes me as not exactly good. I shared in that post what I liked about golf and today will be what I think is the negative aspect of the game, at least from my perspective. Here goes.
1. Golfers that play once a year can really make a round unbearable, especially if you are playing behind them. I'm not talking about the ones who only play once a year and come out because a good friend has asked them to play. I'm talking about the "Once A Year, Let's Buy A Lot Of Beer And Tear Up The Place Because A Golf Course Is a Great Place To Get Drunk" group. You know what I'm talking about. In most cases, they come out with no respect for the course and tear it up.
2. I don't like idiots, sober or drunk who do not respect the course. These are the guys that don't respect the "Keep Carts On The Cart Path" sign. Now granted, some of the greens keepers have a tendency to put the "No Carts" signs a bit too far away from the green, but on a par 3 when it says no carts, that means no carts. These are also guys that take a huge divot out of the fairway, and laugh about it without pouring sand in the divot.
4. This one is a two for one, I guess. Speaking of not repairing your divots, that is a pet peeve of mine as well. Don't complain about a fairway or green that is like the surface of the moon and not repair your divots on the green and in the fairway. Courses should make sure that there is turf builder, or at least sand in the container on the cart and everyone should carry a divot repair tool for divots on the green. I repair mine and one more.
5. I don't like those people who complain about the condition of a course and do not repair their divots. Most people when they play a "goat track" should expect "goat track" conditions. The same is true for a great course. Respect the course and help manage it and the course will be in good condition.
6. I hate fivesomes that don't play fast. You can visit and have a great time, but make sure you understand that there are others playing behind you. I have played behind fivesomes that play faster than a lot of twosomes, but that is rare. The stories I could tell you about on this one. Let's just leave it at I don't like slow fivesomes.
7. When I hook up with a couple of guys on the first tee, I want guys who will chat between shots. I am a social kind of guy and like to chat about whatever, and especially about the great game we play. If I get hooked up with someone who is taking their round very seriously and not talking almost to the point of ignoring me, I don't like that. Yes, you keep silent when someone is hitting but between shots is time to visit. I have to admit that when I do play in a tournament, I get very serious most of the time. I can be guilty of getting in that zone and not being sociable, but that is a different story. Chatting and cracking jokes loosens me up most of the time.
8. I don't like "hard" distance golf balls. I am not a distance player, but a finesse player. I like a golf ball that "dances" around the green. The short game is my friend. I can't do what I do around the green with a hard distance ball.
9. I don't like "trash talk" in the game of golf. This is a gentleman's game. It is not football, basketball or baseball. There is no place in the game for a trash mouth and trashing another player. Encouragement should be the rule, not tearing someone down. OK, maybe a little bit.
10. I hate "lip outs" for whatever score, birdie or quadruple bogey.
I guess that you could say that these are annoyances in the game of golf. There are many, and most of them involve golfers themselves. With all the annoyances in the game, I love to play the game and won't let those annoyances bother me to the point that I will leave the game. It is a great game. We should all enjoy our experiences on the course.
Don't forget to stop by and visit our website. You will also find a lot of great "golf stuff" there as well including course U-Tube videos. At any rate, check out the website, http://golfisforeveryonemd.com., and check out the video of Sharp Park which is a historic Alistair MacKinzie design located just south of San Francisco in Pacifica, California. The course is in danger of being closed because of environmental concerns. Please check out the video as the course is a beautiful seaside course with some great holes. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/3j6G-FmKokQ
Until next time, hit 'em long and straight. Don't you dare leave that birdie putt short.
.jpg) |
| I would sure like to be playing here. This is the Ninth Green at Sharp Park. Take a look at my video on Sharp Park. |
Monday, September 12, 2016
Hey Golfer--Fitness Is Your Friend And So Is The Gym
I know that I am the last person to preach fitness and its importance in golf. Having a certain higher level of fitness is important to playing the game well for most people. Of course there are exceptions, but if you are in relatively good shape, you will play better. It's really funny though that I don't take my own advice. You have to tune up your body in order to play good golf. It is just that simple. Do I do this, no. I have decided that it is time to return to the gym and work out, not only for my golf game but for my overall health.
Six years ago I took up the banner and ran with it. It was time to loose weight and get more physically fit. I am allergic to running and always have been. I'm not built for speed, being a plow horse not a race horse. My PE coach used to time me with a calendar in the mile. I am bulky and built low to the ground. I don't run. However, I don't mind walking on a treadmill for thirty or forty minutes and going through a circuit training routine as well as a few stretching exercises. As a result of going to the gym and taking care of myself, I lost 60 pounds. I shaved about ten strokes off my golf game and gained extra distance on my irons--about one iron--and my drives--about 25 extra yards. I felt great!
I am afraid that I have some bad news for you. For a number of reasons I stopped going to the gym. In fact, for a long time I stopped playing golf because of some serious life changes. There is just something about marital relationships, getting older--or not wanting to get older and I won't go into details on that one though it is related to the marital component--retirement and medical issues that just play havoc with life in general. Golf and the gym took a backseat .
Where did that course of action get me? First, I gained thirty of the sixty pounds I lost back which began a sort of snowball effect in my body which wound me up in the hospital for congestive heart failure not once, but twice--funny thing about medication for hypertension is that if you don't take the medication, the condition worsens. On my second visit I was told that I was very close to dying. Hmmm...maybe I should listen to the doctor.
Maybe you do have to hit me over the head with a hammer, not once, not twice but maybe three time. The third time is the charm they say, but so is a very angry wife. That kind of works too. Speaking of which, hold on a minute I have to take my medications...
Ok, that was painless. I do want to let you know that my blood pressure is almost back to normal and I am taking my medications religiously.
I also want to get back into the gym regularly as well. The fact that I can explode a driver only 190 yards off the tee is really beginning to make me angry, so it is time to reconsider the whole notion of returning to a certain higher level of physical fitness. I have no notions of competing in Olympic Power Lifting but I do need to get back on my cardio program and circuit training routine in other words hit the gym again. After all, I want to see that ball fly further off the driver and pick up some distance with my irons.
This morning, I forced my body up out of bed and went to the gym for the first time in almost two years. The endorphins have kicked in and I feel wonderful. Today's workout was just to see if I could still workout so it was a very cut back version of what I used to do, but I got through it and didn't have any heart issues. I will gradually increase what I am doing but that will take time. At least I am back in the gym and I should see some of the work translate over into my golf game. By the way, I need to play more golf. This once every three months thing is really getting me down.
I could come up with a very profound closing paragraph for this, but I won't. Its very simple. Get more fit if you can and play better golf. I am on that road again and it feels great.
Six years ago I took up the banner and ran with it. It was time to loose weight and get more physically fit. I am allergic to running and always have been. I'm not built for speed, being a plow horse not a race horse. My PE coach used to time me with a calendar in the mile. I am bulky and built low to the ground. I don't run. However, I don't mind walking on a treadmill for thirty or forty minutes and going through a circuit training routine as well as a few stretching exercises. As a result of going to the gym and taking care of myself, I lost 60 pounds. I shaved about ten strokes off my golf game and gained extra distance on my irons--about one iron--and my drives--about 25 extra yards. I felt great!
I am afraid that I have some bad news for you. For a number of reasons I stopped going to the gym. In fact, for a long time I stopped playing golf because of some serious life changes. There is just something about marital relationships, getting older--or not wanting to get older and I won't go into details on that one though it is related to the marital component--retirement and medical issues that just play havoc with life in general. Golf and the gym took a backseat .
Where did that course of action get me? First, I gained thirty of the sixty pounds I lost back which began a sort of snowball effect in my body which wound me up in the hospital for congestive heart failure not once, but twice--funny thing about medication for hypertension is that if you don't take the medication, the condition worsens. On my second visit I was told that I was very close to dying. Hmmm...maybe I should listen to the doctor.
Maybe you do have to hit me over the head with a hammer, not once, not twice but maybe three time. The third time is the charm they say, but so is a very angry wife. That kind of works too. Speaking of which, hold on a minute I have to take my medications...
Ok, that was painless. I do want to let you know that my blood pressure is almost back to normal and I am taking my medications religiously.
I also want to get back into the gym regularly as well. The fact that I can explode a driver only 190 yards off the tee is really beginning to make me angry, so it is time to reconsider the whole notion of returning to a certain higher level of physical fitness. I have no notions of competing in Olympic Power Lifting but I do need to get back on my cardio program and circuit training routine in other words hit the gym again. After all, I want to see that ball fly further off the driver and pick up some distance with my irons.
This morning, I forced my body up out of bed and went to the gym for the first time in almost two years. The endorphins have kicked in and I feel wonderful. Today's workout was just to see if I could still workout so it was a very cut back version of what I used to do, but I got through it and didn't have any heart issues. I will gradually increase what I am doing but that will take time. At least I am back in the gym and I should see some of the work translate over into my golf game. By the way, I need to play more golf. This once every three months thing is really getting me down.
I could come up with a very profound closing paragraph for this, but I won't. Its very simple. Get more fit if you can and play better golf. I am on that road again and it feels great.
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| Me at 300 pounds before I lost the 60 pounds. I felt great after the weight loss. |
Friday, September 9, 2016
No, Golf Is NOT Dead!
I wasn't going to post today but I ran across this post by Mike Kahn who has been in the golf business for quite some time. It kind of talks about what I have been saying about the state of the game. Thank you Mike for allowing me to share this.
GOLF IS NOT DYING!
Look. National Golf Foundation (www.ngf.org) informational material discussing golf course creation, circulated back in the 1960's, indicated it takes a population of 25,000 people to support an 18-hole golf course. We also used to determine that a Florida 18-hole golf course in 1995 needed 35,000 rounds before it broke even financially.
So, in the 1990's in Florida, many 'reasonably' managed golf courses were enjoying 40,000 to 50,000 annual rounds. In fact, a St Petersburg, Florida, municipal golf course PGA Pro told me his 18-hole muni golf course would host 100,000 rounds in 1992.
So, since 1992, Florida added several hundred golf courses. However, the State population did not grow proportionately. Therefore, where the heck did golf's 'rocket scientists' think all those added golf courses would get their players?
Let's see ... We had two golf courses serving 50,000 people. Then a few years later four golf courses serving 60,000 people in the same area. Originally, the two golf courses were hosting 50,000 rounds each, 100,000 total - and each making money. Not long later, there are four golf courses serving the area with a 10,000 increase in population resulting in 110,000 potential player rounds, but split 4-ways... Let's do the math - Calling Golf's Rocket Scientists!
110,000 divided by 4 = 27,500 round for each golf course.
So, next thing the banks are calling in their loans, because the two money-making courses, plus the two (ill-planned) added courses can't pay their mortgages.
Next, it's on the news that golf participation is falling - causing golf courses to fail. All the Tiger hype has been wasted. Golf is doomed to disappear forever. I mean, I was hosting 50,000 rounds, now fewer than 30,000, because people are quitting golf!
[Some of those folks need to refresh their fifth grade arithmetic]
Golf is Dying? What BS!
Good news from a guy who's been in golf since the 1950's
The game of golf in some form or another was probably played by cave men 5 million years ago. Forms of stick games that looked like golf are being discovered by anthropologists going back 5,000-years (http://www.golfmagic.com/g…/estonia-5000-years-of-golf/10722).
The fact is that we built too damn many golf courses. We also made them too expensive to build. On top of that we had to have 40,000 square foot clubhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts, and fine dining rooms. Taxes, debt service, outrageous demand for green speeds, chefs, tennis pros, and swimming instructors - all cutting in on the annual operating budgets.
Gad! We went from mowing fairways with seven-gang mowers to much narrower five-gang movers (duh!). Today we mow the grass so tight we're hurting the plant to a point we need to force feed it to keep it alive.
Yet, I believe golf is less expensive today than it was when I had my first golf job as an assistant pro in Toronto, Canada. Did you know the cheapest golf ball you could buy in 1957 was 50 cents? Average wage in 1957 was $3,750 - enough to buy 7,500 golf balls. You can buy golf balls today for $1.00, while average wage in 2014 was, 46,481.52, which can buy 46,481 golf balls - over six times what a person could buy in 1957!
So quit crying that golf is more expensive in 2016.
Anyway. One day in the future of planet earth the sun will burn out. I can guarantee there will be a foursome scrambling to finish the 18th hole before the earth is snuffed out.
There is a lot in this article. Thank you Mike for sharing it. The piece kind of puts a lot of things in perspective.
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| How can you NOT enjoy playing golf. What's not to like? |
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Golf Is Dead? I Don't Think So
I am busily writing the second half of yesterday's post on junior golf. I went through my archives and found this post from last year. Golf goes through cycles in its growth. With Tiger we saw a huge boom in the number of golfers playing the game and now we are seeing a huge number leaving the game. However, if you look at the statistics we have had a solid growth in the number of golfers playing. That's a good thing. Like all booms, there must come a bust and then an evening out. I feel we are in that evening out period with slow and steady growth, not an unsustainable boom. Golf is a game that is immortal and has been here for centuries. Its not going away anytime soon. Please enjoy this post from last year.
Golf is not dead. Those that gave the game a premature funeral and thought that it was finished were badly mistaken. Golf is truly alive and well, as witnessed yesterday by Jordan Speith's win in Atlanta and his winning of the FedEx cup. After all, he is only twenty two years old.
The game is on fire! There is a distinct youth movement in the game that will infuse the game with a new excitement. As I was watching the tournament yesterday at it's conclusion the commentators on NBC put up an interesting graphic. The top four players in golf today--Jordan Speith, Jason Day, Ricky Fowler and Rory McIlroy--are all under the age of thirty, with Speith being the youngest. That speaks very well for the game and how it is going.
I remember yesterday one particular moment that occurred late in the tournament. It didn't involve Jordan Speith. Ricky Fowler, resplendent in his bright orange Sunday outfit, was playing a pitch shot from of the green. The shot he made was just short of a miracle and he pulled it off. The crowd went wild. What was fun to watch though was the crowd. The camera caught a young fan behind Fowler after Fowler had made the shot. The fan was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old dressed totally in burnt orange and wearing a Ricky Fowler orange Puma hat. After Fowler made the shot, the boy did a dance complete with the obligatory fist pump. It was quite a sight to see and after watching the telecast you couldn't help but notice the number of younger fans around the course accompanied by older adults together enjoying the action. There was an electricity in the air among the fans. This speaks volumes as to the health of the game.
I remember quite clearly that before Tiger Woods burst onto the scene, critics were also saying that the game was dead and the game would never recover. They kind of got the reading of the tea leaves a bit wrong. With the Tiger Woods years golf saw probably the biggest world wide growth the game had ever seen. He was young, and brought new life into the game as well as a player the likes of whom the game had never seen for quite some time. There were other stars as well such as well such as Phil and Payne Stewart. The game was flourishing.
Unfortunately Tiger has tarnished and has been found to be human. Phil is getting older and we lost Payne in a horrible accident. We do have Bubba, but how exciting is Billy Haas? Enter Jordan, Jason, Ricky and Rory and the game once again becomes exciting. These guys are good, and there really isn't a dominant player like there was in the Woods era. Jordan Speith is on top, but he has some stiff competition and that is good for golf..
I apologize to the Christian Rock Band Newsboys for the shameful takeoff on the title of their hit "God Is Not Dead" but Golf is not dead, it is surely alive and well.
Golf is not dead. Those that gave the game a premature funeral and thought that it was finished were badly mistaken. Golf is truly alive and well, as witnessed yesterday by Jordan Speith's win in Atlanta and his winning of the FedEx cup. After all, he is only twenty two years old.
The game is on fire! There is a distinct youth movement in the game that will infuse the game with a new excitement. As I was watching the tournament yesterday at it's conclusion the commentators on NBC put up an interesting graphic. The top four players in golf today--Jordan Speith, Jason Day, Ricky Fowler and Rory McIlroy--are all under the age of thirty, with Speith being the youngest. That speaks very well for the game and how it is going.
I remember yesterday one particular moment that occurred late in the tournament. It didn't involve Jordan Speith. Ricky Fowler, resplendent in his bright orange Sunday outfit, was playing a pitch shot from of the green. The shot he made was just short of a miracle and he pulled it off. The crowd went wild. What was fun to watch though was the crowd. The camera caught a young fan behind Fowler after Fowler had made the shot. The fan was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old dressed totally in burnt orange and wearing a Ricky Fowler orange Puma hat. After Fowler made the shot, the boy did a dance complete with the obligatory fist pump. It was quite a sight to see and after watching the telecast you couldn't help but notice the number of younger fans around the course accompanied by older adults together enjoying the action. There was an electricity in the air among the fans. This speaks volumes as to the health of the game.
I remember quite clearly that before Tiger Woods burst onto the scene, critics were also saying that the game was dead and the game would never recover. They kind of got the reading of the tea leaves a bit wrong. With the Tiger Woods years golf saw probably the biggest world wide growth the game had ever seen. He was young, and brought new life into the game as well as a player the likes of whom the game had never seen for quite some time. There were other stars as well such as well such as Phil and Payne Stewart. The game was flourishing.
Unfortunately Tiger has tarnished and has been found to be human. Phil is getting older and we lost Payne in a horrible accident. We do have Bubba, but how exciting is Billy Haas? Enter Jordan, Jason, Ricky and Rory and the game once again becomes exciting. These guys are good, and there really isn't a dominant player like there was in the Woods era. Jordan Speith is on top, but he has some stiff competition and that is good for golf..
I apologize to the Christian Rock Band Newsboys for the shameful takeoff on the title of their hit "God Is Not Dead" but Golf is not dead, it is surely alive and well.
 |
| Rocco Mediate talking to and signing an autograph for a fan. This is great for golf and the new stars are good at this. |
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Where Are The Junior Golf Program Sign Up Banners?
Its "Back To School" time again and with this wonderful time of year comes fall sports. Outside the school yards you see banners which announce the beginning of sign-ups for this year's youth soccer leagues and football. I see them posted on fences outside schools and they are huge. The signs talk of the soccer and football leagues, stating dates, times and location where signups will be held. Little League Baseball will do the same thing in the late winter to start play in the spring. Each signup location will have a number of parents who are involved in those soccer, or football or softball or little league group manning the signup table. Where are the huge, colorful banners, the signup tables and most importantly the volunteers for junior golf?
As I take a good look at the process of getting children into junior golf programs, it kind of reminds me of recruiting for the CIA. Have you ever noticed the number of commercials on TV and in print recruiting for the military? "Be Army strong", "we are the Navy protecting the oceans of the Free World" and advertisements for the US Air Force are all over the airwaves. Have you seen a recruitment commercial for joining the CIA. I would be willing to bet you that you haven't. When was the last time you saw a local announcement for US Kids Golf or The First Tee in your area? Have you EVER seen one other than during a golf broadcast? My guess would be that you haven't.
Why isn't golf being as aggressive as baseball, softball, soccer and football in introducing our youth to the game of golf? Our's is a wonderful game and is very much unlike the other games. Ours is a game you can play for a lifetime, not just for a few seasons where your skill level can take you only so far and then you have to quit. In those sports, you can only go so far as your physical abilities and skill level will take you. That's not true in golf, as the game is a sport for a lifetime. I have played golf with others who are well into their eighties, and its not like there are only a few golfers that old. How many football or soccer players do you know that are in their eighties and still playing football?
Where are the advertisements for youth golf programs? Where are the banners and signup tables? I think that the most important question is where are the parents that can run these programs? Why is golf not taught in PE programs throughout K-12 education? How about asking the question of where are the golf courses and their management? A good junior program is going to directly impact their future bottom line play profits. Why aren't the courses more involved in promoting junior golf? A lot of questions need to be asked. Why is golf not as aggressive as the other sports in promoting junior golf?
Today I just want to ask the questions. There are things that must be done and I hope to talk about what needs to be done and spotlight what is being done now to promote junior golf and getting more youngsters playing this lifelong sport. There are some great programs out there and I will talk about them in a future post. For now, I just wanted to get you thinking about this.
As I take a good look at the process of getting children into junior golf programs, it kind of reminds me of recruiting for the CIA. Have you ever noticed the number of commercials on TV and in print recruiting for the military? "Be Army strong", "we are the Navy protecting the oceans of the Free World" and advertisements for the US Air Force are all over the airwaves. Have you seen a recruitment commercial for joining the CIA. I would be willing to bet you that you haven't. When was the last time you saw a local announcement for US Kids Golf or The First Tee in your area? Have you EVER seen one other than during a golf broadcast? My guess would be that you haven't.
Why isn't golf being as aggressive as baseball, softball, soccer and football in introducing our youth to the game of golf? Our's is a wonderful game and is very much unlike the other games. Ours is a game you can play for a lifetime, not just for a few seasons where your skill level can take you only so far and then you have to quit. In those sports, you can only go so far as your physical abilities and skill level will take you. That's not true in golf, as the game is a sport for a lifetime. I have played golf with others who are well into their eighties, and its not like there are only a few golfers that old. How many football or soccer players do you know that are in their eighties and still playing football?
Where are the advertisements for youth golf programs? Where are the banners and signup tables? I think that the most important question is where are the parents that can run these programs? Why is golf not taught in PE programs throughout K-12 education? How about asking the question of where are the golf courses and their management? A good junior program is going to directly impact their future bottom line play profits. Why aren't the courses more involved in promoting junior golf? A lot of questions need to be asked. Why is golf not as aggressive as the other sports in promoting junior golf?
Today I just want to ask the questions. There are things that must be done and I hope to talk about what needs to be done and spotlight what is being done now to promote junior golf and getting more youngsters playing this lifelong sport. There are some great programs out there and I will talk about them in a future post. For now, I just wanted to get you thinking about this.
 |
| Let's get them into the game and playing. |
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Ten Reasons I play Golf: There Are Probably More
I was listening to a radio broadcast last night on my way home from a trip, and the subject was how this generation of children growing up never suffer from boredom. With all digital virtual world that our children live in, there is very little time to just sit there and be bored. There is no "down time" for the brain, and creativity is not given time to grow because their brain is always on. It's an interesting idea, and I don't want to discuss or debate the full intricacies of the argument but the idea has merit. The bottom line was the speakers son took up golf and loved it because it was natural and creative.
This got me thinking. Why do I love golf so much? Here are ten reasons:
1. Golf is natural. You are playing it and it is unfolding as you play. You are not playing a microchip, but experiencing a game that is real, not created in cyberspace. Besides, there is nothing like the natural sound of a club, any club, striking the ball on a good shot. One of the best natural sounds in the world is that of a golf ball dropping into the cup for a birdie. That lake is real, not cyberwater.
2. Golf exercises your creativity and imagination, and in a real way. How do I hit that shot around the tree and get the ball to the green? Believe me, I have had to do that on several occasions. Do I carry out the shot every time, no. I still have to create the shot in my mind. Whether I pull it off may be fantasy, but I still have to think it up. Again, this is all real, not cyberspace.
3. Golf is good exercise. Whether you walk and carry, walk and pull a cart or ride in a golf cart, golf is exercise. There is a lot of physical activity involved in swinging that club. You still have to swing a club and hit a ball. Even if you ride a cart, you still have to get out of the cart and hit the ball and do't forget walking from the cart to the tee, or the cart up to the green and depending on some greens keepers and where they put the cart signs, that can be quite a hike.
4. Golf is played in the real outdoors on some very beautiful pieces of land. This is true wherever the course is. The worst "goat track" still is much prettier than a city alley. It is real as opposed to created in cyberspace. If you have played The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch, Stevinson Ranch, DeLaveaga or Coronado, you know what I mean. Go to my You Tube Video page on my website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com and see what I mean. These are real sights, sounds and smells.
5. Staying along with #4 I give you this reason. Golf courses are located in some very beautiful places. Have you ever played Trump National Los Angeles or Pacific Grove Muni? You almost can forget your game and slip into the trance of the surroundings. All this beautiful scenery, and a golf course too. Life doesn't get any better.
6. You can travel to the places where the golf courses are located. Yes, you can play your wonderful local golf course or you can go to other places. I can drive to Monterey and play a course there. Not only do I get to play golf, but I get to enjoy what the city of Monterey, or wherever has to offer. How about a box of carmel corn from the pier or a seafood dinner with some exceptional clam chowder. What does cyberchowder taste like anyway?
7. You use real strategy when you play golf. You don't use a controller to hit the ball, you use a real stick to hit a real ball. You get the true feeling of a stick impacting the ball. You get the true emotion of hitting a real shot, not a cyber shot. In this, it takes real skill to hit the ball where you want it to go. It takes real skill to drive, hit an iron, chip and putt. With this real skill comes the real emotion of playing the game that is real. What do I do to keep the ball out of the lake? How do I shape the shot to go around the dog leg? You get real feedback from the real world that is not possible in the cyber world.
8. There is more to golf than just hitting a ball and putting in in the hole. There is the "emotion" of golf. How do you feel after you hit a great shot? What do you you do when you hit a bad shot? This emotion is real, not created in a cyber world. How many of you have lost a $5 ProV1 in a water hazzard because you shanked a shot? You know what I'm talking about.
9. You can get away from the world in a real way for five hours. There are no computers except GPS devices out here. The main computer is left in the pro shop. By the way, turn your cell phones off, please.
Golf can be a refuge from our busy digital world. That is one of the reasons that I think golf will come back. People are tired of the digital world and are searching for a real world. Golf can provide that real world.
10. Golf is meant to be played with friends. What did the first players do when they played? The took a fifth of whiskey and shared it. That is where we get 18 holes, the time a fifth would last share among four golfers. There is nothing like sharing a round with a friend or even making new friends on the course. What about the 19th hole where you swap stories about the round? "Tis a wonderful thing, laddie.
That's about it. I guess that I didn't share how I like that golf is also mano-y-mano as well. You are not playing against someone, you are playing the course. After all this, I think it boils down to one thing as far as why I enjoy golf so much. It is a heck of a lot of fun.
This got me thinking. Why do I love golf so much? Here are ten reasons:
1. Golf is natural. You are playing it and it is unfolding as you play. You are not playing a microchip, but experiencing a game that is real, not created in cyberspace. Besides, there is nothing like the natural sound of a club, any club, striking the ball on a good shot. One of the best natural sounds in the world is that of a golf ball dropping into the cup for a birdie. That lake is real, not cyberwater.
2. Golf exercises your creativity and imagination, and in a real way. How do I hit that shot around the tree and get the ball to the green? Believe me, I have had to do that on several occasions. Do I carry out the shot every time, no. I still have to create the shot in my mind. Whether I pull it off may be fantasy, but I still have to think it up. Again, this is all real, not cyberspace.
3. Golf is good exercise. Whether you walk and carry, walk and pull a cart or ride in a golf cart, golf is exercise. There is a lot of physical activity involved in swinging that club. You still have to swing a club and hit a ball. Even if you ride a cart, you still have to get out of the cart and hit the ball and do't forget walking from the cart to the tee, or the cart up to the green and depending on some greens keepers and where they put the cart signs, that can be quite a hike.
4. Golf is played in the real outdoors on some very beautiful pieces of land. This is true wherever the course is. The worst "goat track" still is much prettier than a city alley. It is real as opposed to created in cyberspace. If you have played The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch, Stevinson Ranch, DeLaveaga or Coronado, you know what I mean. Go to my You Tube Video page on my website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com and see what I mean. These are real sights, sounds and smells.
5. Staying along with #4 I give you this reason. Golf courses are located in some very beautiful places. Have you ever played Trump National Los Angeles or Pacific Grove Muni? You almost can forget your game and slip into the trance of the surroundings. All this beautiful scenery, and a golf course too. Life doesn't get any better.
6. You can travel to the places where the golf courses are located. Yes, you can play your wonderful local golf course or you can go to other places. I can drive to Monterey and play a course there. Not only do I get to play golf, but I get to enjoy what the city of Monterey, or wherever has to offer. How about a box of carmel corn from the pier or a seafood dinner with some exceptional clam chowder. What does cyberchowder taste like anyway?
7. You use real strategy when you play golf. You don't use a controller to hit the ball, you use a real stick to hit a real ball. You get the true feeling of a stick impacting the ball. You get the true emotion of hitting a real shot, not a cyber shot. In this, it takes real skill to hit the ball where you want it to go. It takes real skill to drive, hit an iron, chip and putt. With this real skill comes the real emotion of playing the game that is real. What do I do to keep the ball out of the lake? How do I shape the shot to go around the dog leg? You get real feedback from the real world that is not possible in the cyber world.
8. There is more to golf than just hitting a ball and putting in in the hole. There is the "emotion" of golf. How do you feel after you hit a great shot? What do you you do when you hit a bad shot? This emotion is real, not created in a cyber world. How many of you have lost a $5 ProV1 in a water hazzard because you shanked a shot? You know what I'm talking about.
9. You can get away from the world in a real way for five hours. There are no computers except GPS devices out here. The main computer is left in the pro shop. By the way, turn your cell phones off, please.
Golf can be a refuge from our busy digital world. That is one of the reasons that I think golf will come back. People are tired of the digital world and are searching for a real world. Golf can provide that real world.
10. Golf is meant to be played with friends. What did the first players do when they played? The took a fifth of whiskey and shared it. That is where we get 18 holes, the time a fifth would last share among four golfers. There is nothing like sharing a round with a friend or even making new friends on the course. What about the 19th hole where you swap stories about the round? "Tis a wonderful thing, laddie.
That's about it. I guess that I didn't share how I like that golf is also mano-y-mano as well. You are not playing against someone, you are playing the course. After all this, I think it boils down to one thing as far as why I enjoy golf so much. It is a heck of a lot of fun.
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| Need I say anything more? |
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Its Saturday...Why Am I Not Playing Golf Today?
According to the calendar its Saturday. Why am I not in the process of putting my golf shoes and sticks in the car and heading out to play a round of golf? It shouldn't be that hard, so why can't I just do it? What do I have that is so important today that I can't play golf?
I haven't been posting to this blog as often as I want to. It seems that when I get up in the morning and post, many times I have an idea and because that idea doesn't always translate into the written word the post seems to lose its original theme. Often times the post is not as good as I had hoped it would be and written not as a well thought out piece but just something to get out there. After all, I do have a duty to entertain you and to put before you great words that speak to the golf experience. Quality in my posts is of great value to me and important--most of the time.
I am going to take my time and write a good post today. There will be no golf today until this post is written, proofread and posted. That will take a lot of time so most of my morning is taken up with that task. Quality takes time and a lot of introspection and thought so it will be a while. Right now the magic is flowing through my fingers as I type this into the computer and my brain is firing on all its creative synapses. That was a great line, I think I'll keep it. I'm rolling now. I will have this for you shortly so just be patient as I create a masterpiece for your reading pleasure. You wouldn't want to rush this and just like a fine wine you wouldn't want the product until it is aged. What that has to do with writing, I don't know. I just like the analogy.
When the writing is done, it is time to work on the couple of websites that I am working on. Of course these are golf related. We have of course our http://golfisforeveryonemd.com site as well as my personal travel and golf website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com that I work on. You have to keep these websites fresh and exciting so I will do some work on those. By the way, have you visited them? You may want to, although both are works in progress.
After I post this and finish working on the websites, I have some household chores to do. I was going to add "around the house" to that last sentence but if you are doing "household chores" doesn't that imply that you are doing chores around the house? After reading that first sentence, I thought I would save you a few redundant words and just leave out "around the house". I don't mind doing these chores such as cleaning the toilets and other wonderful tasks to keep our house clean. I am happy to take that burden off of my wife because she works about fifty hard hours a week and I am retired. That's another thing. If I'm retired, why am I not spending more time at the golf course? I guess i need to help my wife out as much as I can because I kind of have the time to do so. Besides, and I quote--I don't know who first said this but he was certainly brilliant--"If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy".
So I have written the blog and posted, worked on the websites and done the chores, now what do I do? You guessed it, I have some errands to run. By the way, I don't have any yard work to do because I did that on Wednesday after I posted. You are probably very interested in the errands I have to run. Here they are. I have to go to the bank and deposit some funds so those checks we wrote yesterday don't bounce. Its a good thing we pay the rent with a cashier's check. After that its on to Wal Mart to buy bathroom tissue--uh, toilet paper--some tooth paste and some paper towels so that I can more effectively carry out my household chores. That reminds me, by the way, I need some bathroom cleaner and cleanser. I should pick up some laundry spot remover as well.
All that should take me until about noon today. Hey, wait a minute. If I have a quick lunch maybe I can make it out to the course by one o'clock? My wife has a couple of piano lessons today and can't make it out to play with me, but that is totally unfortunate for her. I can still play. I think I'll call for a tee time. I'm old fashion you know and still prefer calling for tee times instead of using the online booking systems. Here, let me call the course.
I'm dialing--uh pressing the keys on my cell phone. We don't dial anymore, do we. Hello, do you have a tee time for this afternoon, say around one? What? You're booked all afternoon until seven. NOOOOOOOOOOO..................
I haven't been posting to this blog as often as I want to. It seems that when I get up in the morning and post, many times I have an idea and because that idea doesn't always translate into the written word the post seems to lose its original theme. Often times the post is not as good as I had hoped it would be and written not as a well thought out piece but just something to get out there. After all, I do have a duty to entertain you and to put before you great words that speak to the golf experience. Quality in my posts is of great value to me and important--most of the time.
I am going to take my time and write a good post today. There will be no golf today until this post is written, proofread and posted. That will take a lot of time so most of my morning is taken up with that task. Quality takes time and a lot of introspection and thought so it will be a while. Right now the magic is flowing through my fingers as I type this into the computer and my brain is firing on all its creative synapses. That was a great line, I think I'll keep it. I'm rolling now. I will have this for you shortly so just be patient as I create a masterpiece for your reading pleasure. You wouldn't want to rush this and just like a fine wine you wouldn't want the product until it is aged. What that has to do with writing, I don't know. I just like the analogy.
When the writing is done, it is time to work on the couple of websites that I am working on. Of course these are golf related. We have of course our http://golfisforeveryonemd.com site as well as my personal travel and golf website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com that I work on. You have to keep these websites fresh and exciting so I will do some work on those. By the way, have you visited them? You may want to, although both are works in progress.
After I post this and finish working on the websites, I have some household chores to do. I was going to add "around the house" to that last sentence but if you are doing "household chores" doesn't that imply that you are doing chores around the house? After reading that first sentence, I thought I would save you a few redundant words and just leave out "around the house". I don't mind doing these chores such as cleaning the toilets and other wonderful tasks to keep our house clean. I am happy to take that burden off of my wife because she works about fifty hard hours a week and I am retired. That's another thing. If I'm retired, why am I not spending more time at the golf course? I guess i need to help my wife out as much as I can because I kind of have the time to do so. Besides, and I quote--I don't know who first said this but he was certainly brilliant--"If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy".
So I have written the blog and posted, worked on the websites and done the chores, now what do I do? You guessed it, I have some errands to run. By the way, I don't have any yard work to do because I did that on Wednesday after I posted. You are probably very interested in the errands I have to run. Here they are. I have to go to the bank and deposit some funds so those checks we wrote yesterday don't bounce. Its a good thing we pay the rent with a cashier's check. After that its on to Wal Mart to buy bathroom tissue--uh, toilet paper--some tooth paste and some paper towels so that I can more effectively carry out my household chores. That reminds me, by the way, I need some bathroom cleaner and cleanser. I should pick up some laundry spot remover as well.
All that should take me until about noon today. Hey, wait a minute. If I have a quick lunch maybe I can make it out to the course by one o'clock? My wife has a couple of piano lessons today and can't make it out to play with me, but that is totally unfortunate for her. I can still play. I think I'll call for a tee time. I'm old fashion you know and still prefer calling for tee times instead of using the online booking systems. Here, let me call the course.
I'm dialing--uh pressing the keys on my cell phone. We don't dial anymore, do we. Hello, do you have a tee time for this afternoon, say around one? What? You're booked all afternoon until seven. NOOOOOOOOOOO..................
 |
| The first tee is open. I just won't be on it. |
Friday, September 2, 2016
Tradition, TRADITION!
Yesterday I wrote about what I called "The Monolith". What I was trying to put across is that the institution of the game of golf has many attitudes that it seems have been set in stone. What we all have to deal with is that times change, and with the changing times comes changes that we have to make as individuals. The game of golf needs to make some changes. I am not saying that traditions have to break, but what about bending a little. Long held "set in stone" attitudes need to start bending a little, if not smashed entirely.
I don't know how many of you have seen either the musical play or the movie Fiddler On The Roof. It is well worth the time to see it if you haven't. The main character is Tevye the Jewish dairyman who, through the whole story set in pre-revolution Russia, has to deal with the changing modern world around him and the centuries old traditions of Jewish life. He doesn't quite know how to deal with those changes and is not comfortable with them even though those changes are inevitable. Tevye bent and accepted many of those changes, but he didn't break.
It has been a long time since I have seen the movie and I haven't seen the stage play so forgive me if I am not exactly accurate with this. The play and movie open up to a scene in the village which shows the village and how it runs. Each of the villagers go about their daily lives and how they fit into the society of the old village each having their own job and purpose. This is the way it has been for ages and the thought is it will continue for ages. The camera or action comes to Tevye, the main character who starts to sing a song. That song is Tradition, Tradition! which he sings very confidently. Tevye's world begins to change as the new ideas and ways begin to creep into and affect his life.
Right now, golf is at that "Fidler On The Roof" crossroad. It has to deal with the social changes that are taking place around it and learn to adapt to those changes if it is to grow.We play a game that over 400 years old and steeped in tradition. However, we don't play the game the same way it was played when it began. This may be a sacrilegious statement, but changes have been made. By the same token, we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and strip our game of all tradition and rules.
We play with a very specific set of rules. But those rules have changed and evolved. How many of you remember taking a drop by throwing the ball over your shoulder? I still do and was amazed when that rule was changed.
I remember when woods were woods, in fact I still have my old persimmon headed driver. I used to play steel shafts, but now my clubs are graphite. The ball we play is not three piece hard outer shell with rubber bands wrapped around a liquid center. The balls now are solid and layered. These are a far cry from the "featherie" balls or even the rocks that were used when the game was invented.
I love playing in the warmer weather wearing shorts and a collard shirt. Shorts were simply not allowed on golf courses. Are my shoes spiked or spikeless? I prefer spiked and remember the days we played in metal spikes and the distinctive noise they made when you walked across pavement. We now wear spikeless shoes or shoes with plastic spikes and have played some of my best rounds in them but I still miss that distinctive click of the spikes when you walked across concrete or asphalt. I can't imagine playing in knickers, long sleeve shirt and tie. Yes, things change.
It is clear that we must make changes in the game as far as attitudes are concerned as well as rules and how the game itself is played. Changes are inevitable and must be made. But change for the sake of change is not good either. The rich history and traditions of the game must be respected and upheld as well. There must be a balance between the history and traditions of the game and new attitudes and ideas. That's one of the great things about golf. It is flexible and bends and over four hundred years or more of playing the game, it hasn't broken.
Golf is for everyone.
I don't know how many of you have seen either the musical play or the movie Fiddler On The Roof. It is well worth the time to see it if you haven't. The main character is Tevye the Jewish dairyman who, through the whole story set in pre-revolution Russia, has to deal with the changing modern world around him and the centuries old traditions of Jewish life. He doesn't quite know how to deal with those changes and is not comfortable with them even though those changes are inevitable. Tevye bent and accepted many of those changes, but he didn't break.
It has been a long time since I have seen the movie and I haven't seen the stage play so forgive me if I am not exactly accurate with this. The play and movie open up to a scene in the village which shows the village and how it runs. Each of the villagers go about their daily lives and how they fit into the society of the old village each having their own job and purpose. This is the way it has been for ages and the thought is it will continue for ages. The camera or action comes to Tevye, the main character who starts to sing a song. That song is Tradition, Tradition! which he sings very confidently. Tevye's world begins to change as the new ideas and ways begin to creep into and affect his life.
Right now, golf is at that "Fidler On The Roof" crossroad. It has to deal with the social changes that are taking place around it and learn to adapt to those changes if it is to grow.We play a game that over 400 years old and steeped in tradition. However, we don't play the game the same way it was played when it began. This may be a sacrilegious statement, but changes have been made. By the same token, we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and strip our game of all tradition and rules.
We play with a very specific set of rules. But those rules have changed and evolved. How many of you remember taking a drop by throwing the ball over your shoulder? I still do and was amazed when that rule was changed.
I remember when woods were woods, in fact I still have my old persimmon headed driver. I used to play steel shafts, but now my clubs are graphite. The ball we play is not three piece hard outer shell with rubber bands wrapped around a liquid center. The balls now are solid and layered. These are a far cry from the "featherie" balls or even the rocks that were used when the game was invented.
I love playing in the warmer weather wearing shorts and a collard shirt. Shorts were simply not allowed on golf courses. Are my shoes spiked or spikeless? I prefer spiked and remember the days we played in metal spikes and the distinctive noise they made when you walked across pavement. We now wear spikeless shoes or shoes with plastic spikes and have played some of my best rounds in them but I still miss that distinctive click of the spikes when you walked across concrete or asphalt. I can't imagine playing in knickers, long sleeve shirt and tie. Yes, things change.
It is clear that we must make changes in the game as far as attitudes are concerned as well as rules and how the game itself is played. Changes are inevitable and must be made. But change for the sake of change is not good either. The rich history and traditions of the game must be respected and upheld as well. There must be a balance between the history and traditions of the game and new attitudes and ideas. That's one of the great things about golf. It is flexible and bends and over four hundred years or more of playing the game, it hasn't broken.
Golf is for everyone.
 |
| Tradition, TRADITION! |
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The Monolith: Are Golf Attitudes Set In Stone?
Have you ever been awakened by a dream? That happened to me last night. For some reason, my dreams seem to be staying with me after I wake up these last couple of nights. I don't know if it was just the lasagna/cheese ravioli with sausage combination I had for dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant or that the dream was pretty vivid but I nevertheless woke up with a startle. It was profound and almost downright scary. Of course the dream centered around golf otherwise I wouldn't be sharing it with you, this being a golf blog and all.
It seems that I was was on a walk--I don't remember if it was in a forest or in a cloud or on a golf course--and came across this huge cold grey stone monolith. It was like it was a headstone on a grave and stood maybe twenty feet tall and three feet thick. I was very uneasy standing in front of this great slab of polished stone and sensed a strong feeling of death. Obviously, this was not a cheery place.
I looked up at the monolith and saw an inscription on its flat, grey cold stone face. The inscription had a title to it and the title in capital letters was "GOLF". Under the title "GOLF" was a subtitle, "A Game For Old Rich White Men". This was a bit spooky, but there was more writing on the monolith.
This is what was written on the monolith:
--All traditions must be upheld at all cost
--White men only
--Women will be tolerated but not welcomed
--The young should be involved in their studies and not learn to play golf. They should be kept off the course.
--Golf is no place for families.
--There shall be no innovations in the game as far as equipment
--The 15 inch cup
--The disabled have no place on a golf course.
--The game shall not be made more enjoyable and available to those physically or age challenged
--You must play 18 holes in a stroke or match format
--Foot Golf and Disc Golf are anathema
--New golfers are not allowed on the course or cannot play adjusted rules to make the game more "learnable"
--You MUST play from the back tees. The forward tees are only for women and the very old sick and disabled.
--Women must always tee off from the forward tees and they sure as heck betternot hold up the game or course
--"FUN", fun tournaments and fun outings are not for golf, only amusement parks
It occurred to me what this cold, grey monolith was. It was a partial listing of the attitudes that will kill the game of golf. The game needs to be vibrant and living. There needs to be room for improvements and change. Attitudes cannot be set in stone and not be open to discussion and possible change. I also am a firm believer that change for the sake of change is not good, but needed changes have to be looked at and implemented when necessary.
Our game is a game that is steeped in a rich history and is full of tradition. I am not saying that our history and traditions should be destroyed just for the sake of bringing in new players. What I am saying is we must be flexible and innovative. We can work within that history and tradition to bring the best to the game. We must take a good look at that "Monolith". Maybe it is time to blow it up and get it out of our way.
It seems that I was was on a walk--I don't remember if it was in a forest or in a cloud or on a golf course--and came across this huge cold grey stone monolith. It was like it was a headstone on a grave and stood maybe twenty feet tall and three feet thick. I was very uneasy standing in front of this great slab of polished stone and sensed a strong feeling of death. Obviously, this was not a cheery place.
I looked up at the monolith and saw an inscription on its flat, grey cold stone face. The inscription had a title to it and the title in capital letters was "GOLF". Under the title "GOLF" was a subtitle, "A Game For Old Rich White Men". This was a bit spooky, but there was more writing on the monolith.
This is what was written on the monolith:
--All traditions must be upheld at all cost
--White men only
--Women will be tolerated but not welcomed
--The young should be involved in their studies and not learn to play golf. They should be kept off the course.
--Golf is no place for families.
--There shall be no innovations in the game as far as equipment
--The 15 inch cup
--The disabled have no place on a golf course.
--The game shall not be made more enjoyable and available to those physically or age challenged
--You must play 18 holes in a stroke or match format
--Foot Golf and Disc Golf are anathema
--New golfers are not allowed on the course or cannot play adjusted rules to make the game more "learnable"
--You MUST play from the back tees. The forward tees are only for women and the very old sick and disabled.
--Women must always tee off from the forward tees and they sure as heck betternot hold up the game or course
--"FUN", fun tournaments and fun outings are not for golf, only amusement parks
It occurred to me what this cold, grey monolith was. It was a partial listing of the attitudes that will kill the game of golf. The game needs to be vibrant and living. There needs to be room for improvements and change. Attitudes cannot be set in stone and not be open to discussion and possible change. I also am a firm believer that change for the sake of change is not good, but needed changes have to be looked at and implemented when necessary.
Our game is a game that is steeped in a rich history and is full of tradition. I am not saying that our history and traditions should be destroyed just for the sake of bringing in new players. What I am saying is we must be flexible and innovative. We can work within that history and tradition to bring the best to the game. We must take a good look at that "Monolith". Maybe it is time to blow it up and get it out of our way.
 |
| We could use this on "The Monolith". |
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