The Golf Space

I've just signed up with a Golf community akin to My Space. It has some great features such as forums, blog-hosting, chat, golfing buddy finder, and even a fantasy golf tournament with great prizes such as golf clubs, laser putters, etc... It's a great place to find more people with a passion for golf, but it isn't meant to replace your current golf forums that you're part of, but to add on to it. Check it out!

The Dreamer Introduction (Cont...)

His eye’s opened slowly, not wanting to know where the small, white golf ball would be resting. Seeing the ball two feet to the left and front of the hole, he heaved a sigh of frustration, and slowly walked over to the ball to tap it in. A three-putt again, he thought. After tapping the ball into the hole, and hearing the clink-clink sound of the ball coming to rest at the bottom of the cup, the short, thoroughly soaked, young man with the scruffy face reached down to pick the ball up out of the hole.

He usually enjoyed the feeling of taking the ball out of the hole. On a normal day, it was a feeling of satisfaction. No matter how many strokes he may have taken to get there, he had achieved his goal of getting the ball into the hole, and would gladly move on to the next hole. However, goals change, and he was no longer interested in merely getting the ball in the hole. He was interested in par or better, but had yet to achieve it even once. He had been so close this time. Two shots to the green and two putts would have given him par for the hole, but with the miss on his second putt, he had tapped it in for a bogie.

The rest of the round was a blur of frustration. His eyes reflected the frustration of that missed putt, and the rain continued, reflecting his dark mood. “Son, you’ve got to get off the course,” the course marshal said worriedly, astonished that someone was actually on the course in this kind of rain. “You’re gonna get yourself killed holding a lightning rod like that in this thunder storm. Grab your clubs. I’ll give you a ride back to the clubhouse.”

“You’re right. I just like it when I’m the only one out here. I can focus on my shots better.” The part about focusing better was a lie, he knew. He hadn’t focused on any shot but the missed putt for the last four or five holes, but he usually loved being out on the course by himself. He carefully toweled his club off and slid it back into the bag that was already slung over his shoulder. He walked over to the cart, which he hadn’t heard approach, and secured his bag in the back, before getting into the cart beside the marshal.

Mind in the Game

"Whatever you can dream, do it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
--Unknown

Golf is 90% mental. Everyone from time to time will be having a bad round, and will get too caught up in what could go wrong, instead of the possibilities of what could go right. Believe in your shot-making ability. Slow down, imagine the ideal shot for the situation that you find yourself in, close your eyes, take a few practice swings, paying attention to a slow, natural rythm, and then step up and hit your intended shot. You will find that you are much closer to your intended shot than you thought possible.

The Dreamer: Introduction

I have wanted to write short stories for a long time, and have a dream of my own that I have decided to put into a story. Here is the first paragraph. I will put up small portions at a time, and hopefully soon, have a full story.

Thunder clapped suddenly, and the dark, ominous clouds that had been threatening for most of the afternoon opened up in a summer deluge, sending nearly everyone indoors. One golfer remained out on the municipal course, pulling his cap out of his bag, adjusting it to try and keep the water out of his eyes. Large drops of water began to quickly collect on the brim, and drip onto the already soaked green. He squatted down, eying his intended line of stroke. Though this was just a practice round, he felt his nerves grip him, and in turn, he gripped his putter more tightly. I have to make this putt, he told himself. He pulled back for the stroke, seeing the ball travel toward the cup in his mind, heard the dull ping as his white-faced putter struck the ball, and closed his eyes, listening for the sweet sound of the ball coming to rest at the bottom of the cup, but all he heard was the incessant falling of raindrops.

Feeding Your Inner Golfer

It is winter in many parts of the country (well, technically, it is winter everywhere, but it doesn't effect places like Florida as much as my home here in Utah), and that means that the golf clubs have to be put away until the weather permits play. So what does a golf junkie like me do to satisfy my cravings? Well, I have a few things that I do:

1. Practice putting. I set up a cup in my living room, and I practice shots from all over the place. I have even started setting up the cup in the kitchen, and putting from the living room into the kitchen. I let the seams in the tile act as undulation, and affect the path of the ball. I have learned how to read a putt better doing this, and adjust my shot for different placements in the kitchen. It is a lot of fun on a boring winter day when you'd rather be out golfing.
2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06. There isn't anything quite like becoming the first golfer to win every tournament in a season, and of course, the only way to do it is on your console.
3. I have all of my buddies on Golf Link that I can turn to for getting my hands on tips and golf discussion to help while away the hours. Also, fellow golfer Scruffy, who I met on Golf Link has another great website, Golf According to Scruffy. Scruffy has created some great characters and gives great tips and golf humor, so go check him out.
4. Lastly, I have a Tip-A-Day calendar that my wife gave me for Christmas. It has some great stuff that I can't wait to apply in the spring, such as today's tip: Help for low, hooking iron shots. I don't want to plagiarize, but the gist of the tip is that if your approach shots hit the front of the green low and hooking, chances are, they will end up off the green. The trick to fixing this is making sure that your shaft is lean, or in other words, that your hands are placed ahead of the ball, and that they are ahead of the ball at impact. Doing this gives you a higher and straighter flight plain, and will help you have a nice, soft landing on the green. You can find more tips like this in Bill Kroen's Golf Tip-A-Day by Andrew McMeel publishing.
   

R.I.P. Golf Saga

Golf Saga was a good first try for a blog, but it wasn't something that would bring in a following, and it didn't really describe what I wanted for the blog, so I am giving it the axe, and starting up with Confessions of a Golf Junkie. I'm still hoping to add video to this blog, include my experiences and thoughts about golf, but also add a tips section, including tips from professionals. If you have any suggestions on how to improve this site, don't hesitate to let me know.