As I set goals and make resolutions for a new year, I also enjoy looking back at this year's highlights and accomplishments. 2008 proved to be an especially artful year! As I entered my fourth year playing golf, I not only reached my goals for lowering my index below 3 and breaking 70, but played more rounds of golf and on more new golf courses than during any prior year.


Photo by Aidan Bradley - golfcoursephotography.com

The year started off nicely with my second hole-in-one in January (at Cypress Ridge). In the middle of the year, I reached my low index of 2.4 after scoring my first par round from the back tees in July (at Monarch Dunes). And the year ended on a good note when I finally shot my first round under 70 last month (at Glen Annie). I enjoyed golf trips to the Big Island and Colorado and played a total of 17 new golf courses. I played my 50th career golf course at Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz and 60th golf course at Seven Oaks CC in Bakersfield. I played a total of 146 rounds of golf this year, averaging 12 rounds per month. Those rounds included exactly 100 rounds under 80, just 45 over 80, and 1 memorable round under 70!

But the most memorable highlight of the year was watching both of my children graduate from college! My son graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a Business Finance degree. My daughter graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology and plans to enter law school next year. I'm obviously proud of both of them, and am grateful for the end of tuition bills.

There's plenty to look forward to next year too. I celebrate my 50th birthday in February and my 25th wedding anniversary in July! With golf, I simply plan to continue striving to improve and to enjoy and appreciate the game even more!

Wishing each of you a Happy Holiday season and an Artful New Year!

Labels: Goals, Statistics

I was hitting balls on the range the other day next to a guy I've run into a few times on the putting green. He's very analytical and his swing and putting stroke look very mechanical. He's a perfect example of someone who really needs to let go of all his swing thoughts and swing freely. His practice swing doesn't look half bad. He was hitting most of his irons fat, leaving a divot well in front of the ball. If you're hitting your irons fat, you're likely hanging back on your right side at impact.


Alex Ovechkin Slapshot

He asked for some help so I had him move his aim point well out in front of the ball so he'd more likely strike the ball, then the ground. He still struggled to get his weight transferred to his front leg, but he did begin to take some divots that started past the ball! His ball striking definitely improved.

I've always thought that golfers who struggle to hit down and through the ball need to purchase a hockey stick and puck learn how to shoot a slapshot. If you can get a puck up in the air, you can hit a solid golf shot. I'm certain that learning this skill before taking up golf is the primary reason for my good ball striking.

The key to a slapshot in hockey is the footwork and - as goal-scoring phenom Alex Ovechkin demonstrates above - an incredible shift of weight toward the target. Ovechkin's weight shift is so severe that he ends up standing on only his front skate. All of his weight has shifted to his target-side foot. If he hung back, he'd catch the ice, not the puck. Hitting crisp iron shots requires the same movement, with weight on the front foot at impact that stays there into the finish.

Hockey players actually hit with the stick into the ice and then use their hands as fast as they can going through. They also turn their shoulders through the golf shot when they play golf, or when they hit a hockey puck. A lot of times they are skating when they are hitting a hockey puck, skating on the lead skate, rear back with the stick, the elbow is in the air, and when they hit that slap shot, a lot of times you will see the back skate actually go in the opposite direction. They are not turning the hips in this direction, they are actually turning their shoulders more as they go through. So from the top of your backswing, instead of turning your hips through the ball, which often times can lead to a tilty shoulder turn, try leaving your hips in place and turning your shoulders through the shot. You will be amazed how much it moves your hips through.

If you're a scooper, give it a try.

Credit: Think like a hockey player to improve your faulty swing

Labels: Golf Instruction, Hockey

After further contemplating my first-ever round in the sixties last weekend, I determined that the biggest factor that contributed to my low score was speed. I didn't over-think or over-analyze, I just reacted to the shot and the situation and hit the ball. I got out of my own way and let my awareness, instinct and subconscious take over. As Cameron Strachan encourages, I played automatically. And playing automatically is fast.

I have to admit that I haven't always played quickly. When I first started playing, I stood over the ball way too long trying to quiet my mind, visualize the shot, and make a tangible connection with the target before swinging the club. I still try to do that, but much more quickly and automatically. It seems we just leave ourselves open to those interfering and doubtful thoughts the longer we stand over the ball. I'm learning to react to the target and just hit the ball, much like I do when I throw a ball to first or shoot a puck on net. Evaluating distance, wind, temperature, slope and hazards in golf may not require the speed of other sports, but playing golf as a reactive sport rather than a deliberative one will help your game.


Christopher Smith, Speed Golfer

John Paul at the WSJ recently published an article about Christopher Smith, the world's fastest speed golfer and PGA Lead Instructor at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, OR. Excerpts from this article are shared below.

Christopher Smith set the world speed-golf record three years ago at a tournament in Chicago. On a regulation course, he shot a six-under-par 65 in 44 minutes and 6 seconds, carrying only six clubs and sprinting between shots. Not only is this extremely cool, it's also instructive. Speed golf proves what most of us know intuitively: Thinking is the ruin of good golf.

Smith discovered, since taking up the sport about 10 years ago, that he often scores better in speed golf than he does playing normal golf.

"In speed golf the subconscious takes over," Mr. Smith said. "It knows how to do everything -- at least in an experienced golfer it does, because it's done it thousands of times." Problems arise when the conscious mind asserts itself, especially after a disastrous shot. "We hit bad shots because we're human. Even Tiger Woods hits terrible shots sometimes. But most players, instead of chalking that up to being human and trusting the mind-body system to do it better the next time, allow the conscious to step in and try to fix things, by telling us to take the club back this way or move the body that way. But the moment you start thinking consciously about how to do things, that destroys your ability to perform," he said.

Mr. Smith doesn't tout speed golf as the answer to all our problems (and he certainly doesn't expect that it will ever become widely popular). But he has learned a lot from his experiences that enhance his teaching and perspective on golf. For instance, he promotes games (he hates the word "drills") that involve the imagination much more than technique and repetition.

Many players, especially those bogged down by second thoughts and deliberation, will score better with faster pre-shot routines, he said. "Play a few rounds with no practice swings, or discipline yourself to take no more than 10 or 15 seconds from pulling the club to hitting. It will probably feel uncomfortable at first, because change is always uncomfortable. But it's worth trying to see what happens."

Above all, don't model your routine on those of the Tour pros. "Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, those guys played fast. You can see it in the old tapes. But then TV golf came along just as Jack Nicklaus was at his best, and he played unbelievably slow. So now we have everyone standing forever behind their ball visualizing and picking out intermediate targets and so forth, just like Jack did," he said. "The result is not just five-hour rounds, but people don't score as well as they should." Nor do they have as much fun.

Learn More: Golf Smarter Podcast

Labels: Christopher Smith, Disciplines, Speed Golf

I did it, I finally broke 70! My goal for this forth year of playing golf and my last year before turning fifty is to shoot my first round in the sixties. It happened this weekend at Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta, CA. I shot a tidy 3-under 68, recording 4 birdies and only 1 bogie! I didn't even drive the ball well. But I was hitting my irons solid and finally making putts!


Glen Annie #2, by Aidan Bradley

I've flurted with the 60's on many occasions over the past 2 years, once even from the back tees on my home course (6810 yards, 73.0/137). But I've always fallen short down the stretch, usually on the final hole. I do however play very challenging courses nearly every round, where much better golfers than me rarely break 70. It's not like I've been making it easy on myself to reach this goal. I'm confident that I would have broken 70 much earlier if I'd been playing shorter or easier courses. That's what I did this weekend.

We played Glen Annie from the white tees (5945 yards, 68.9/125). Although the course is short, it isn't easy. The course has a ton of elevation changes, just enough trees, and some narly rough. It's short overall length is primary due to a handful of short par 3's and 4's. There's plenty of long holes too. In our group of eight solid golfers, only one other player broke 80 that day. It was especially challenging for me, being my first time playing the course. I usually tack on a few extra strokes the first few times I play a course. But I let go of any expectations of playing well and just played.

I got away with a wayward drive on the 1st hole, then hit my 4-hybrid from 190 yards way uphill to a bunker left of the green. I got up and down for par. I birdied the short par 3 2nd and short par 4 3rd to get to a quick 2-under. My only hiccup on the front nine was when I tried to reach the uphill 504 yard par 5 7th in 2 and hit my long approach into a lake bordering the right-side of the narrow fairway. I dropped 120 yards out, but came up short of the green with my gap wedge. I then rattled the pin with my chip, nearly holing it, leaving me an easy tap-in for bogie. I finished the front nine at 1-under.

I started the back nine with another poor drive that never really got airborne and ran to about 220 yards out, barely reaching the fairway. I then cut the right dogleg with an impressive 2-hybrid over some trees, leaving me about 100 yards out. I tucked a lob wedge to about 10 feet and sunk the putt for birdie. My best shot of the day came on the short downhill 270 yard par 4 12th. I hit my driver right over the pin, landing the back of the green and bounced about 1 foot to the back fringe. I had a testy downhill putt for eagle. I just had to get the ball moving or I'd run down to the front of the green. My speed was good, but my line was just off. I settled for an easy birdie. I made an impressive up-n-down from above the hole in some deep rough on 15. I continued making pars through 17.

On the final hole, I hit the fairway and landed the middle of the green on my approach. I knew I had a good round going. I didn't know I was 3-under. I didn't know I had a chance to break 70. I knew I had choked in similar situations in the past. I decided to let go of the results and stayed calm and relaxed over my lengthy putt. I still came up a little short, leaving a testy 4 footer for par.

All day, I'd avoided 3-putts and managed to 1-putt on 8 holes!. Just the day before, I tried out a new putting stance on the practice green on my home course. I got down low and really put some extra weight on my front foot. For some reason, it helped me not only to make a solid stroke, but to see the line better and get the ball moving along that line. It was obviously working! Standing over my 4-foot putt on 18, I relaxed and decided to keep trusting my new putting stance. I picked the right edge and made a solid stroke. It turned slightly left and dropped! I came in 2-under on the back nine with no bogies. I'd just shot my first round of 68! The next best score from our group was 79.

What surprised me about the round is that I didn't feel like I was playing any better than usual. Like always, I made a couple bad shots. But I got up-n-down when I needed to and didn't miss any putts I felt I should make. And my ball striking with my irons was excellent. Like any round though, I left shots on the course. I lipped out 2 makable birdie putts and never should have hit that ball in the water on 7. Regardless, the experience was very rewarding - especially learning that I could actually putt!

This was truly an artful round. I never felt anxiety over a single shot. I just stood over the ball, picked my target, and swung the club. I trusted my swing, accepted the results and moved on. I let go of the outcome and stayed open to the possibility that this could be an artful round! It really was that simple.

Labels: Glen Annie, Rounds

The Rules of Golf begin with these words, "Golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf."


The Spirit of the Game

Last week, during the first round of the PGA Tour’s second stage of qualifying school, J.P. Hayes was handed a ball by his caddy on the par 3 12th hole at Deerwood Country Club in Texas. When Hayes reached the green, he realized that the ball was a different version (a prototype) of the ball he normally plays. Hayes is a former PGA Tour winner who finds himself at Q-School, fighting for his card after finishing 176th on the money list. Releasing he'd jeopardize his chances to regain his card, he still called a penalty on himself. As the rules specify, Hayes was given a 2-stroke penalty. But after the round, he realized this prototype ball may not be present on the current list of conforming golf balls, and after confirming so, was disqualified.

This incident is getting some attention outside the golf community and many are hoping Hayes is rewarded for his integrity through sponsor exemptions next year on the tour. However, this is the expected behavior from those of us who play. After being commended for his honesty after penalizing himself in the 1925 U.S. Open, Bobby Jones reply was, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank."

But this behavior is newsworthy. This demonstration of integrity is rare in other sports. It points out what makes golf great. I've played other sports. I've never told an umpire that I was really out when he called me safe at first. I've never told a referee that the puck didn't actually cross the goal line when a goal was scored. I've never corrected a referee for placing the football too far forward of where I was tackled. But I have called plenty of penalties on myself in golf.

I was recently reminded of one of those situations. I ran into a guy this week that I'd played against in a match last year. He introduced me to a friend and went on about my honesty and integrity. He reminded me that during our match I had called a penalty on myself when my ball moved as I grounded my wedge behind the ball located on a steep slope by the green. Nobody saw it, but I put the ball back and informed my opponent of the penalty. I then chipped up close and my opponent gave me the putt. My opponent then addressed his ball on the green. He was on in one and just needed a 2-putt to win the hole. I wasn't watching, but his ball moved as he grounded his putter! He immediately informed me and called a penalty on himself. He then 2-putted to halve the hole. I don't remember if a gust of wind picked up or if his ball was simply on a bit of a slope, but I'll never forget our demonstration of sportsmanship. I forget who eventually won that match.

Bobby Jones explained it best when he said, "When you cheat in golf, the only person you're cheating is yourself." In golf as in life, we don't get a chance to take a mulligan, we can't erase certain 'strokes' just because we don't like the outcome. We have to play the ball as it lies.

Anne Kinsman Fisher shares in an interview, "Golf gives us a chance to practice living by our principles. And, when you build integrity, it carries over into every aspect of your life. What you learn in the smaller world of the golf course, you take off the course into the greater realm of your life. Everything you learn in golf carries forward directly to the outside world. Calling a penalty on yourself, in the real world, is knowing when your actions are wrong and taking steps to correct them. Counting your score accurately means judging yourself honestly -- and moving forward from that point. Integrity is learning about a deeper gratification -- a soul-level fulfillment, if you will. Integrity is doing what is in the highest good, not just what you might personally want. It's calling a penalty on yourself when it's warranted. It's playing the ball as it lies, even when it would be easier (and might even go unnoticed) for you to kick it out onto the fairway again. It's counting all your strokes and take pride in your final score, no matter what it is."

Labels: Integrity, Spirit of the Game

My wife and I just returned from our first trip to the Big Island! We stayed at Wyndham's Kona Hawaiian Village and enjoyed lots relaxing, sight-seeing and good dining. I also snuck out on my own several mornings for a total of 4 rounds of golf.


Hawaii Golf

I played my first round at the nearby Kona Country Club's Beach Course. I hooked up with Ed, a local from Hilo who moved to the Big Island about 5 years ago from Minnesota after a divorce. He looked to be about 60. He told me he missed being married and just having someone to argue with. He wasn't having a lot of luck finding love on the island, but at least got to enjoy a lot of golf. However, he didn't have any local course knowledge to share here. He'd only played Kona Country Club once, many years ago when visiting the island on vacation with his wife. We played the middle tees which only played to 5976 yards (70.0/130), a very short course by my standards. I found the course easy to play. Fairways were generous, greens receptive. However, the greens were very fast and undulating! I made the mistake of leaving my approach above the hole on too many occasions and paid the price with 3 or 4 3-putts. I was barely off the green above the hole in 2 on one of the par 5's, looking at an easy up-n-down for birdie. I then watched my delicate chip run right past the flag, down and off the green. My return putt from the fairway was pitifully short and I 2-putted from there for bogie. I still managed to come in with a 76, even with some poor putting an OB on 18 to end the round. I enjoyed the course, especially the natural settings along the Pacific Ocean and gorgeous mountain views. Ed gave me a lot of good advice about what to see on the island too.

Next up was Mauna Lani, the recipient of Golf Magazine's Gold Medal Award as one of America's Best Golf Resorts every year since 1988 and host to the nationally televised Senior Skins Golf Game for 11 years. I was planning to play the North Course, but they setup the "Classic" Course the day I arrived. Last month, Mauna Lani began offering golfers its original 18 hole layout on select days. The "Classic Course" is comprised of 9 holes on the South Course and 9 Holes on the North Course, providing the golfer with 2 signature holes! I hooked up with a Japanese couple from Honolulu, who moved to the island several years ago from Orange County. The wife had just competed in a women's golf tournament that was held that week on several courses on the island. This tiny 100-poundish woman won the long-drive contest on the 2nd day. My driver was off this day, costing me several shots in penalties. I ended up using my 2-hybrid off the tee most of the round. Although the couple played from the whites, I moved back to the blue tees (6436 yards, 170.5/128). I really liked this course, chiseled into a vast lava flow and providing breath-taking views along the ocean. Despite more poor putting and an errant driver, I hung in there for a tidy 78.

I then moved inland and up the mountain to Pete Dye's Big Island Country Club. I hooked up with the owner of Sunshine Helicopter Tours, a 35-year island resident who flew helicopters in Vietnam. Big Island CC happens to be his favorite golf course on the island. He was joined by a friend from Virginia who inspects Helicopter Tours around the country. Again, I joined my fellow golfers on the white tees, only 6041 yards (69.0/126). This was your typical Dye course - lots of water, sand, and railroad ties. It also was home to what seemed like thousands of turkeys, pheasants, geese, quail, and other birds! I found I preferred this rural mountain setting to the manicured resort ocean settings. Although I lost 3 balls to its ever-present water hazards, some impressive chipping and putting led to my best round in months - a 1-over 73! I grinded for several pars after landing in lakes and fairway bunkers from the tee. I didn't manage a birdie until 15 and 16, then barely missed another birdie from 10 feet on the island green 17th. I'm usually a risk taker, but I played this course conservatively most of the round, aiming for the middle of greens instead of pins tucked next to lakes and large bunkers. I need to implement this approach to more of my rounds!

I wanted to end with Mauna Kea, but it was closed for a renovation by Rees Jones, son of original architect, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Instead, I played another RTJ design, The Waikoloa Beach Course. I was a little disappointed with this course. It wasn't until late in the round that we even saw the ocean. Condo's lined much of the course, obstructing most views. It really wasn't very challenging, even though I played the back tees (6566 yards, 71.6/134). I wish I'd played the King's Course instead. I joined two sisters about my age who were also on the island to compete in the same women's golf tournament as the Japanese woman I played with days earlier. Interestingly, one of these sisters won the long drive contest on the first day of the competition! All three women were great golfers and could really hit the ball! We played behind a slow foursome made up of older men. They never offered to let us play through even though they saw us wait on practically every shot and the course was pretty open in front of them. Perhaps they didn't want to play behind women, but these gals were much better golfers than they were! I finally got my driver working for my final round in Hawaii, but messed up a couple holes and finished with a 6-over 76.

I had a wonderful time and enjoyed great weather and good company. I played pretty well too. I'm looking forward to a return trip to the Big Island. There's so many more courses I want to play!

Labels: Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Hawaii, Rounds

My golf game of late hasn't been something to write about, thus the lack of blog entries. I've managed to work in a few good rounds each month to keep my handicap in check, but way too many rounds lately have included a bunch of dreaded double, triple and quadruple bogies. My ball striking has simply been weak and inconsistent -- very frustrating!

Fortunately, during a recent round with a regular playing partner, we pinpointed when my swing went south. Since we often play in 2-man best ball events together, he's been motivated to help me figure it out too! He shared that it seemed to start the week I began experimenting with the Stack and Tilt swing, the popular new "Tour Swing" covered last year in an article by Golf Digest Magazine.


Stack and Tilt Swing

I only used the swing for about a week, so I didn't think much of his comment at first. However, after giving it more consideration, I determined it wasn't actually the Stack and Tilt swing that caused the problem, it was an inadvertent lesson I received during that same week.

I had mentioned to our local pro that I was trying out this new swing, then a few days later he saw me on the range while he was waiting for a student to show up for a lesson. While he was waiting, he asked if I'd like him to take a look at my swing. Nearly an hour later, I had three new swing changes to work on, and had abandoned the Stack and Tilt. That's when I began making changes to my swing that gradually led to my poor ball striking. It's not that his instruction or observations were wrong. It just got me focused on technique instead of just swinging the club, and I'm sure I didn't implement the swing changes correctly or thoroughly.

Anyway, it was during our club championship that my frustration reached its peak. I managed to shoot 2 rounds of 79 to finish 4th, even with what seemed like a ton of double bogies and worse. In the first round, I nearly gave up after getting to 10-over after 11, but an incredible lob shot on 12 after scalding my approach way over the green inspired me to hang in there. I finished just 8-over. The second round started off okay, but a quadruple bogie on the 6th led to another bad hole on 7 and another big score. Again, I pulled it together to finish 8-over. But these rounds had become the norm - grinding just to break 80.

I got to play in the final foursome in the final round of the club championship with the golfer who ended up winning in a playoff. Although I was struggling, I enjoyed getting to watch his solid ball striking. He shot 1-over in the final round, scoring only 1 birdie. When I made a comment about his swing, he shared that he's always tried to just keep his left (leading) arm in line with the shaft of the club at address, like Tiger.


The Natural Golf Address

The following week I decided to play less and hit the range instead. I started experimenting with this address position. I lined up the club shaft with my left arm using each of my clubs. I started hitting the ball solid. I was then inpired to strengthen my grip and even changed my hand position so my club shaft lined up with my arms from behind, moving my hands slightly away from my body. My artful ball striking returned! I gained considerable yardage, my ball flight improved, and the ball went where I was aiming. I even incorporated this new address for my chipping and pitching. The resulting swing was very much like the one I had before my unexpected lesson.

During one of my sessions on the range last week, I ran into an x-tour player who frequents our club and I mentioned my new swing change. After observing my swing, he told me I was demonstrating Moe Norman's "Natural Golf" swing. I'd heard of Moe and Natural Golf, but didn't know any specifics. Simply by changing my address position, I'd indirectly discovered "Natural Golf" and the Single Swing Plane all on my own, and I'm here to tell you -- it works!

I played in a Ryder Cup type event over the weekend against another local men's club, then a scramble tournament on Monday and played some of my best golf in months! I nearly won the long drive contest in the Scramble tourney and made some great golf shots throughout the round. I can't wait to get out and play again!



It turns out that Moe Norman won dozens of amateur tournaments in Canada during the late 1950's, including the Canadian Amateur two years in a row. After 1979, Moe won seven straight Canadian PGA senior championships, tied for fifth in the eighth, and won the ninth. He set more than 30 course records, including three shooting 59 and four shooting 61. The Royal Canadian Golf Association inducted him into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995 and he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Many consider Moe the best ball striker of all time.

You can learn more about Moe Norman, Natural Golf, and the Single Plane Swing at swinglikemoe.com, naturalgolf.com and switchtonaturalgolf.com.

There's also some great video to learn from at YouTube.com too. Just search for Moe Norman. Below is one of my favorites - from a series of videos by Mike Maves. Also, make sure to read Mike's (Sevam1) popular thread at GolfWRX.com about Moe Norman and Ben Hogan's move!



What is Happiness?
"Golf is happiness for
Happiness is achievement.
The father of achievement is motivation
The mother is encouragement.
The fine golf swing is truly achievement
Man may lie, cheat, and steal for gain.
But, these will never gain the golf swing
To gain the golf swing man must work.
Yet it is work without toil
It is exercise without the boredom.
It is intoxication without the hangover
It is stimulation without the pills.
It is failure yet its successes shine even more brightly
It is frustration yet it nourishes patience.
It irritates yet its soothing is far greater
It is futility yet it nurtures hope.
It is defeating yet it generates courage
It is humbling yet it ennobles the human spirit.
It is dignity yet it rejects arrogance
Its price is high yet its rewards are richer
Some say it's a boy's pastime yet it builds men
It is a buffer for the stresses of today's living.
It cleanses the mind and rejuvenates the body
It is these things and many more.
For those of us who know it and love it
Golf is truly happiness."
-- Paul Bertholy (golf instructor and friend of Moe Norman)

Labels: Moe Norman, Natural Golf, Rounds, Single Plane

I admit it, I spent the last 3 days watching the Ryder Cup. I finally got out and played 9 holes today once it was over, but prior to that I just sat and watched - and fast-forwarded through all the commercials and interviews. I love watching these guys play with so much emotion, competing for each other and for their country - instead of for themselves and money. I loved Boo working the crowd, JD's monster drives, AK taking it Sergio, AK bringing out the fight in Phil, Mahan's celebration after his putt on 17, Stricker's putt on 18 to scrape out 1/2 point, and so much more! Overall, it was incredible simply to witness so much great golf, competition, and sportsmanship! Congratulations to the U.S. team and to Europe for putting up such a good fight.


2008 Ryder Cup Champions

After winning, Azinger suggested he had a secret strategy, and that he might share it in the coming days - or perhaps years. Well, with a little help from a discussion at GolfClubAtlas, we figured out that Azinger broke his 12-man team into 3 4-man teams, each of which practiced and played only with other members of their sub-team. Each sub-team had its own captain - Michelson, Furyk, and Cink - and teams seemed to be formed based on personality and ability. Michelson appears to have lead the "focused" 'A' team, consisting of Mahan, Leonard, and Kim, which competed in 7 matches. Furyk led the "southern" 'B' team consisting of Perry, Weekly, and Holmes, which competed in 5 matches. And Cink headed up the "introverted" 'C' team, consisting of Stricker, Curtis, and Campbell, who played 4 matches.

I imagine Azinger's philosophy was that a smaller team of golfers with a similar personality would bond more easily than a large 12-man team made up of a big variety of personalities. I'd guess too that his philosophy was inspired by some team building guru that helped coach him on this strategy. Leave a comment if you have any ideas on who that might be.

Whereever he learned it, it seems to have worked. 2 of these 3 sub-teams beat the Euros.

Phil's team scored 6 out of a possible 11 points in their 7 team and 4 individual matches. Furyk's team scored best with 7 out of a possible 9 points in their 5 team and 4 individual matches. Cink's team lost by capturing only 3 1/2 points out of a possible 8 points in their 4 team and 4 individual matches. Cink's team only failed to score a point in one of their 11 matches and scored a full point in 6 of their matches! Team stats are shown below.

Team Michelson (6-5)
1 Kim
.5 Mahan
0 Leonard
0 Mickelson
.5 Mickelson/Mahan
.5 Leonard/Mahan
0 Michelson/Kim
1 Michelson/Kim
1 Leonard/Mahan
.5 Michelson/Kim
1 Leonard/Mahan
-----------------------
6 pts / 11 matches

Team Furyk (7-2)
1 Perry
1 Weekly
1 Holmes
1 Furyk
1 Weekly/Holmes
0 Furyk/Perry
1 Furyk/Perry
.5 Weekly/Holmes
.5 Furyk/Perry
-----------------------
7 pts / 9 matches

Team Cink (3.5-4.5)
0 Cink
0 Stricker
1 Curtis
1 Campbell
.5 Stricker/Curtis
0 Cink/Campbell
0 Stricker/Curtis
1 Cink/Campbell
-----------------------
3.5 pts / 8 matches

==================
16.5 pts / 28 matches

Again, congratulations to the U.S. team!

Labels: Competition, Ryder Cup, Team

The new Shivas Irons Society website is quickly becoming the online hub for Golf Literature, much like Golf Club Atlas is the online hub for Golf Architecture. In addition to publishing The Journal -- a unique, collector-quality publication intended as a vehicle for all of the creative arts inspired by the game of golf -- the society now hosts a variety of ongoing articles and blogs written by several of its members. Their community forums are just getting started and looking for eager participants.


Streamers by Richard Lees, Shivas Irons Society

The most recent publication available on their website is Streamers - a blog authored by board member, Richard Lees. In his initial post, Richard shares his experiences at Pasatiempo as well as his introduction to Fred Shoemaker and the Shivas Irons Society. I learned from Richard's blog that he's not only an artful golfer, but quite an artful writer!

Below, I've included Richard's interpretation of Fred's words on "The Mystery of Golf Revealed." This mystery reveals that our golf swing connects us to an inner dialog, or voice. Richard shares...

"This voice" is the voice of our swing. And all we need do is listen to it.

Not dissect it. Not analyze it. Not deconstruct it. But listen to it. Be aware of it. And practice that awareness rather than struggle with the physics of all that goes into its sound.

The implications of this simple statement -- like most simple statements that seem to capture a firefly's light in a bottle -- are enormous. And endless for golfers -- just as a game which is known as "a round" is, by definition, endless.

To tap into what we already know, as opposed to insisting that "knowledge" must be imposed upon us by the world outside.

And without doing anything more than find a way to swing a club in "a plane" that already exists around us.

To be able to duplicate that sound -- of connecting to that plane -- with our own voice, produced not by understanding with the mind all the physics of air being forced across our vocal chords and shaped into groupings of words that we mutually agree to call a "language" -- but rather, by listening to the sound itself, feeling where it comes from inside us, and shaping that sound as we shape notes in air with the musical instrument that is our natural voice.

Our golf clubs striking different notes, like hammers striking different strings inside a piano.

And then to practice our awareness of striking those notes so that we can "hear" or "see" when we're "on" or "off."

Sure, it can help to look at a video of a golf swing. But the swing ultimately isn't in the video. It's in us. Better to be able to produce it from within than without.

More...

Labels: Golf Blogs, Shivas Irons Society

I had the pleasure this week of attending the Grand Opening of "The Challenge Course" at Monarch Dunes. The Challenge Course, designed by Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate, is a unique collection of 12 par-3 holes that presents a fun, and very challenging, alternative for players of all abilities. It's a great place to get a little more golf in after 18 or a quick round in when you don't have time for 18. It's also a great place to learn and improve your game! I used just about every club in my bag to reach these 12 large, undulating greens. It was certainly a "challenge."


The Challenge at Monarch Dunes, by Aidan Bradley

The holes range in length from 82 to 242 yards from the back tees. The course is 1858 yards from the back, 1640 from the middle, and 1377 from the front. The tees are arranged on each hole, not only to vary the shot length, but to vary the angle of attack. Players teeing off from the back tees will face the most difficult shot, while those playing from the front tees will have a far easier line to the green. Each hole has at least 5000 square feet of tee space with three sets of tee markers giving players plenty of choice. For opening day, the superintendent presented us with all the toughest pin placements. It was like playing the U.S. Open in miniature. Not one golfer avoided at least a few bogies.


The Challenge at Monarch Dunes, by Aidan Bradley

The greens are what make this golf course so unique and memorable. I challenge anyone to find a course of any length with such large, undulating greens! You'll encounter ridges and swales running through the greens that may change 3-4 feet in elevation. The 12th hole must rise 15-20 feet from left to right! It reminded me of the famous 16th at Pasatiempo, only sideways! To accommodate this type of movement, the greens are about 8000 square feet (or about 30% larger than normal greens). This vast movement in the greens let the designers create some areas on the green that are quite challenging when approached from the back tees. Players will have to think hard about how they want to attack the hole. The challenge isn't just to land the green, but the end up on the tier where the pin is located. Otherwise, 3 (or even 4) putts isn't unlikely. The greens are so large that the superintendent could probably locate pins in a rotation of 8 or 10 instead of the traditional 4 or 6! We found the greens very playable - both receptive and not overly fast.


The Challenge at Monarch Dunes, by Aidan Bradley

The links style golf course has a natural, rugged appearance, which is enhanced by the dunes that were shaped throughout the fairways and around the greens. The golf course was completely constructed by shaping the native sand into the desired features. There are five lakes which come into play. The residential development uses these golf course lakes to handle 100% of the project's storm water. The golf course uses the same turf grass as found on The Old Course, a blend of fescues for the fairways and roughs and velvet bentgrass greens.

It was pretty fun to record a classic like Pasatiempo as my 50th course, then follow that up by making my 51st such a unique new course! In both experiences, the courses won the 1st round. With those tough pins on opening day, I came in with 5 pars and 7 bogies! But I returned the next day and shot 2-over and finally got my first birdie! I'm pretty sure I can shoot an even par round here, but the onshore headwinds on the 5th and 12th require my fairway wood or even driver to hit the green. And they're no easy greens to 2-putt. I'm pretty sure that these 2 holes are tougher par 3's than I've ever encountered on any 18 holer. But I'm up for the challenge!

I encourage you to take "The Challenge" too. In fact, if you're in the area during the week, and my schedule permits, I'll treat you to a round! Afterall, the green fees are only $12 for Royal Rewards members and $18 for non-members. And if you beat me, I'll treat you to a round on the "Old Course" at Monarch Dunes! Just drop me an email.

Labels: Courses, Monarch Dunes, Rounds, The Challenge

After much anticipation, I joined a group of artful golfers yesterday to play Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, CA - in an event hosted by The Shivas Irons Society. The event celebrated the Society's 16th anniversary, with "The Secret to Golf Revealed" by guest speaker, Fred Shoemaker. Having never played Pasatiempo, this historic Alister Mackenzie masterpiece became the 50th golf course added to my career course list. In case you were wondering, it's not my "artful 50th" birthday yet. That's still 5 months away.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 13th Hole, by Rob Babcock

Pasatiempo, ranked #30 in "Golf Digest's 2008 America's Greatest Public Courses" and #55 in the "Top 100 Public and Private Courses in the U.S." by Golf Magazine, recently completed a 10-year, multi-million dollar restoration effort led by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina of Renaissance Golf. Doak's team overhauled Pasatiempo's 18 holes, relying on hundreds of old photographs and drawings to bring back original MacKenzie bunkering, green complexes and tees that had been lost for decades.

The course was incredible - seemingly short, but hard!

The event was a shotgun start and my foursome was assigned to start on the first hole, playing the middle tees (6125 yards, 70.5/136). I was grouped with Ron (a local retiree who had never played Pasatiempo even though he had a 2nd home in Santa Cruz), Todd (the story-telling owner of The Mackenzie Golf Bag Company in Portland), and Dave (surely the friendliest and most competent caddy at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, who was carrying his own Mackenzie golf bag).

We were among the few who decided to walk the course. I thought I was in for an easy walk since the greens and tees were situated close by. But, not only was it a particularly hot day out, I'm convinced that every hole went uphill! Anyway, after little sleep the night before followed by a 3-hour drive the morning of the event, I was zapped of energy early in the round. Fortunately a breeze helped cool things off later in the round.

Tired or not, I had no excuse for poor play since the round was preceded with Fred Shoemaker telling us all about "The Secret." According to Fred, the secret is that we already know how to make a perfect golf swing. We don't have to read books or hire experts to help us "find" our swing, we simply need to look inward to "discover" what's always been there. Fred shared experiences and stories to provide evidence that by simply being present and aware, that which lies hidden beneath our mental noise and emotional interference awaits our discovery - perhaps at Pasatiempo. I was thinking the course name might even provide a tip to untap this hidden ability - to simply take a "pasa" at the ball with good "tiempo."

Inspired by his talk, my round got off to a good start with solid drives on the 2 opening par 4's and an artful chip to within inches on the challenging long uphill par 3 3rd to save par. But I guess I failed to take a pass at the ball with good tempo with my drive on the 4th. A duck hook put me in long grass under a tree, where I stubbornly tried to reach the green with a punch shot that would have had to go under some branches, over a bunker, then stop quickly on the green. Instead, the ball lunged forward about 10 feet. My next shot didn't fare much better. I then tried to lob the ball over the bunker to a tight pin from a tight lie. I ended up in the bunker. I finally got on and 2-putted for a triple bogie! I think I rediscovered my mental noise and emotional interference.

I quickly let go of any thoughts of self-pity and returned to the present moment, taking in the beautiful setting and artful course design. I went on to play a pretty decent front nine, finishing 4-over, with help from a tap-in birdie on the short downhill par 3 8th.

But the challenging back nine proved tougher.

I failed to get up and down from just off the undulating green on 10, but then hit 2 solid 4-woods on 11, leaving a 6-footer for birdie - which I barely missed. Four consecutive bogies followed and put me 9-over after 15. I was particularly disappointed with my bogies on 13 and 15. On 13, a 280 yard drive left me an easy sand wedge in. Somehow, I ended up well over the green from 115 yards out. On the 120 yard par 3 15th, I choose to take an extra club due to a strong headwind. I hit an excellent 9-iron right at the pin, but landed on the back of the green and rolled into the rough, leaving me with a quick downhill chip.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 16th Hole, by Rob Babcock

But it came together again on the infamous 16th. I hit a perfect 4-wood off the tee that drew a little left and rolled to the end of the fairway, leaving me 105 yards out. With the pin tucked up on the edge of the upper tier near the left side of the green, I took a little extra club. I'd heard horror stories about balls rolling back down to the front of the green. My shot landed 1 foot from the pin, but bounced well over the green, leaving me nearly out-of-bounds with a testy downhill pitch that could easily roll past the pin and down to the bottom of this severely sloped green. I visualized the shot, let go of any fear or tension, and relaxed my arms and grip. I opened my lob wedge way up, opened my stance, and took a perfect pass at the ball with good tempo. I barely landed the green and rolled downhill to just 4-feet past the pin, barely short of the point where the ball would have rolled over the edge to the lower tier. Making the comeback putt made for a welcome recovery.

I made another bogie on 17 from inside 100 yards after another good drive (where our entire foursome teed up alongside each other and hit our drives at the same time). But I finished with a par, finally choosing the correct club on the downhill 143 yard par 3 finishing hole. My pitching wedge and 2-putts got me in with an 80.

Although I'd like to replay a few holes, I did par each of the 3 hardest, made some remarkable shots, and thoroughly enjoyed my friendly foursome, the clear skies and awesome views of the Monterey Peninsula, the challenging Mackenzie design, and of course, learning "The Secret."

But part of uncovering "The Secret" is looking inward to determine "why" I hooked that drive on 4, "why" I didn't just accept that mistake and punch back out to the fairway, "why" didn't I sleep well the night before, and "why" did I consistently pick too much club on my approaches. The biggest reward from this day will come from finding these answers and learning from them. The answers won't just help my game, they'll tell me more about who I brought to the course that day and where I still need growth, in golf and life.

Following the round, the entire group met for cocktails and dinner and enjoyed discussing the course, their rounds, and their challenge to discover the secret and their perfect swings. I think it's safe to say that a few imperfect swings found their way into everyone's round!

To top things off, I found it particularly rewarding that on this day that I played my 50th career course, I found myself seated next to a participant - Larry Berle - who has played all of the Golf Digest Top 100 courses! During 10 years that spanned from 1992 to 2002, Larry found his way on to 117 top U.S. courses (the list of top 100 courses is a moving target over a 10 year span). Larry was introduced to the game by his wife Annie in 1990. She took him to Pebble Beach for his birthday in 1992, where on the 18th hole his caddy informally told him that "you are standing on the greatest finishing hole in golf!" This is where his dream to play the Golf Digest Top 100 was born. Larry has written a book - A Golfer's Dream - that tells the story of his inspiring quest and what he learned along the way. I'm planning on buying a copy!

It was a pleasure to play such a great course and to meet so many interesting golfers like Larry, Fred, Ron, Todd, Dave, and so many others. I highly recommend attending a The Shivas Irons Society event if you're interested in meeting some truly artful golfers. Thanks Steve and Jo for putting on such extraordinary events!

Labels: Alister Mackenzie, Books, Courses, Fred Shoemaker, Pasatiempo, Rounds, Shivas Irons Society

My wife and I just returned from a 2-week trip in our small motorhome, traveling to one of our favorite destinations - Colorado. Over the years, we've traveled to Colorado several times with our children on summer "hiking" vacations. One vacation was spent in the San Juan Mountains, visiting Ouray, Telluride and Durango. During another trip, we stayed in Glenwood Springs and visited nearby Aspen. Two other trips took us to Rocky Mountain National Park, staying once in Estes Park and the other in Grand Lake. We also spent time in Steamboat Springs during one of those trips. I've also traveled to Colorado on several ski trips with friends, each time staying in Summit County and skiing or boarding Arapaho Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Vail. This was my first trip to Colorado that included golf!


The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, Grand Junction, CO

We spent 2 long days driving there to get through the brutal California, Nevada, and Utah desert heat, stopping in St. George, UT or first night, then in a quiet State Park campground just outside Grand Junction the second night. The following morning, I headed over to The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, a Jim Engh design incorporating wonderful views of the Grand Mesa, the Bookcliffs and the Colorado National Monument. I got an early start to beat the heat and ended up playing alone. Along the way, three twosomes let me play through and I finished in only 2 1/2 hours. I played from the blue tees (6486 yds, 69.9/133) and found the course relatively easy from that distance, hitting 8 fairways and 12 greens in regulation. My biggest challenge was club selection, not only due to the higher elevation near 4500 feet, but due to so many elevated tees. I managed to par every par 3, and avoided double bogies except for one on the par 4 6th where my drive carried 300 yards into a lake beyond the dogleg. Fortunately, my only birdie of the round came on the prior hole, so I still finished the front with a 39. If it weren't for that double bogie and overall poor putting - 37 putts including 3 3-putts - my round of 79 could have been closer to 75. I thoroughly enjoyed the course, the setting, and my initiation into high desert golf.


Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club, New Castle, CO

After the round, we traveled along I-70 to to Glenwood Springs, where we stayed two nights in a campground along the Colorado River. The first morning, I headed back 15 minutes on I-70 to New Castle to play Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club, another Jim Engh design. Like Redlands Mesa, Engh provides the golfer with many elevated tees, with drops up to 100 feet to the fairway below. The setting however, had transitioned from high desert to rugged mountain canyons near 5500 feet. Again, I headed off by myself and played through a couple twosomes, but met up with 3 locals about my age from Eagle on the par 3 9th and finished the round with them. I was having a good round on the front, finishing 1-over with 1 birdie and 2 bogies. The course knowledge shared by these locals helped me keep up the good round and I finished with a 3-over 75 from the blue tees (6369 yards, 69.5/126), despite another 37 putts! I hit 14 greens in regulation this round along with 9 fairways. I found these 2 Engh courses fun to play, but might tire of all the elevation changes if played regularly. Plus, both courses are best played with a cart, and I prefer walking. We finished the day with a drive south of Glenwood Springs, including a nice hike along the Maroon Bells Creek, followed by dinner in the quaint village of Aspen.

The following day we drove east, then headed north to Steamboat Springs. The next morning, I played Haymaker, a challenging links-style course designed by Keith Foster, with sweeping views of Yampa Valley and nearby Mount Werner. I joined a local named Steve (who broke 80 that day for the first time ever) and 2 visitors from Austin, TX, one of which appeared to be quite an accomplished golfer. He was tall and lanky, with a fluid swing providing a long straight drives. It wasn't long before I found myself swinging for the fences from the gold tees (6728 yards, 70.9/129), not only to keep up (and surpass) his drives, but to fully take advantage of the warm air and elevation approaching 7000 feet. I was absolutely clobbering my drives here, with carries around 300 yards rolling out to 315 to 325 yards. I nearly cleared a hazard 260 yards out trying to reach the 280 yard par 4 8th from the tee with a 4-wood. After a long drive on the 525 yard par 5 13th, I hit my 5-iron well over a green from 210 yards out. I cleared most of the lake bordering the 406 yard par 4 10th, leaving me with only 83 yards to the pin. Steve told me he'd never seen anyone that close to the green! Unfortunately, my aggressive play and sometime poor club selection (flying greens from 140 yards out with my PW) led to a slew of double, triple and quadruple bogies! For instance, I tried to drive the 318 yard par 4 11th, but failed to carry the 300+ yards required to get over the lake in front of the green by about 2 feet. I then made a mess of the hole after that. Several wayward shots during the round found the long, dense native grasses lining the fairways, where I failed every time to find my ball. I was also the only golfer walking in my foursome, and it was hot. Anyway, what proved to be my worst round in well over a year, my round of 92 was as much fun as I'd had playing golf in some time. I wish I'd had time to play Haymaker again to redeem myself (and swing a little easier), but next up was 3 golf-free days in Colorado wilderness. I still find it hard to believe that I followed up a round of 75 at Lakota Canyon with a 92 at Haymaker!


Haymaker Golf Course, Steamboat Springs, CO

After enjoying a night dry-camping along a 30-mile stretch of gravel road starting near Rabbit Ears pass and passing through Buffalo Park (and only seeing 4 other vehicles all day), we made our way to a campground near Bear Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Here, we found the best campsite we'd ever stayed in, surrounded by pine and aspen, along with a perfect view of Flattop Mountain. We spent 2 nights here and enjoyed an incredible hike up to the Mandall Lakes. This is just what our trip needed. It was very rewarding to get away from towns and people - and golf - for a few days.

On the day we left the Flat Tops, I wanted to get on the private Red Sky Ranch (Norman) course, but failed to do so. Instead, I headed over to Eagle and played Eagle Ranch Golf Club, the course recommended by the 3 locals I played with at Lakota Canyon. This Arnold Palmer design was long and included nice mountain views. I joined a local pro who played the tips (7530 yards, 74.4/138), but I played the gold tees (7151 yards, 72.7/135). Although I was hitting some more long drives, his drives were right next to mine in the fairway even though he was 20-30 yards back on the tee. I got off to a rough start on the front with the long irons in and way too many 3-putts and found myself 9-over after 12. But then the rain started coming down, along with some impressive thunder and lightning. My partner decided to call it quits and headed back to the clubhouse. That's when I started playing some golf! I finished the last 6 holes even par in a pretty good downpour to finish with a respectable 82.


Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge, CO

After spending that night in an RV Park along the Eagle River near Gypsum, we headed to Breckenridge. Here, we stayed 2 nights in an upscale RV Park just north of town, alongside million-dollar Prevost motorhomes. Our little Winnebago View looked like a Mini-Cooper. Before heading into town to finally do some shopping, I played a round at the Jack Nicklaus designed Breckenridge Golf Club (Bear/Elk, 6642 yards, 71.5/132). I joined a single named Greg vacationing from Los Angeles and an older couple in their 80's, Ken and Eleanor, from Kansas City. After Ken parred the opening hole with a strong drive and fairway wood, I asked him if he shot his age on a regular basis. He'd obviously played a lot of golf over the years and didn't seem to loose much distance or talent. He said he didn't, but after watching him make some quality chips and putts too, I think he was just being humble. Greg and I walked the course and I found the Bear nine both easier to walk and easier to score than the Elk nine, however I shot 3-over on Bear thanks to failing to get up and down from 3 bunkers and shot 2-over on the Elk after getting my first and only birdie on its 540 yard par 5 8th. On the uphill 274 yard par 4 6th, I drove the ball over the green and nearly ended up in the forest well above the green. I made a Phil-like lob shot back down to the green and 2-putted for par. I found this to be my most enjoyable round of the trip. My 77 was a satisfying score and the course, setting, and scenery were simply beautiful.

The next morning, I put my clubs on my back and rode my bicycle to the course so my wife could sleep in and stay in the RV Park to read and scrapbook. This time I hooked up with 3 guys about my age from Washington D.C. and played the Elk/Beaver course (6542 yards, 71.1/136). The sloppy drives I experienced at Haymaker returned for this round. Instead of shooting 2-over on Elk like the day before, I shot 9-over. That even included a birdie on Elk's par 4 6th where I landed the green from the tee this time instead of ending over the green. Like Haymaker, errant tee shots at Breckenridge turn into lost balls. The native grasses are just too long and dense to waste anytime looking for your ball. I managed a slightly better back nine on Beaver with a birdie on it's par 5 2nd, but still came in with a disappointing 85. The other three avid golfers in my group struggled even more. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed Breckenridge and mountain golf in general, and look forward to a return visit soon.

I managed to drive home from Breckenridge in 2 days. Then, probably due to exhustion, played one more horrible round a couple days later in my travel league. Fortunately, I quickly regained my form and shot 1-over this week in my Tuesday night 9-hole league, then a 1-over 73 2 days later at Cypress Ridge Golf Course (6443 yards, 71.2/129). I spent a little time on the range after that last poor round and got my driver back under control. Over vacation, I just started swinging too hard to take advantage of the elevation and attempt those 300+ yard drives. I think I've finally learned that straight is better than long!

In response to my prior post on making short putts, everyone's advice really helped and was very appreciated. Even though I had trouble adjusting to new greens while on vacation, my putting began to improve over those 2 weeks and was instrumental in my last 2 rounds of 1-over. A regular playing partner recognized immediately how much better my putting stroke looked. Still holding out hope for a sub-70 round before turning 50 next February!

Labels: Colorado, Courses, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Rounds

Last month I finally achieved my goal of breaking through a 3.0 index after getting stuck here several times before. I'm now down to 2.5! This progress continues a trend of cutting my index by about one half in each of my three years playing. I got down under 9 my first year, 4 my second year, and am now approaching 2. The key has been getting up and down more frequently and making more 4-8 foot putts. I'm now averaging slightly more than 2 birdies per round. But what continues to plague me are 2-3 footers!


Career Handicap Index, March 2005 to June 2008

In the last 5 weeks I've played 15 rounds, breaking 75 in nearly half of those rounds and failing to break 80 only twice. Amazingly, I missed 4 putts within 2-3 feet in 4 of these rounds - and still shot 74 each time! Perhaps I need to copy Phil and sink 100 3-footers on the practice green before each round. I probably won't do that, but I do need to find a way to overcome this ongoing challenge.

On longer putts, I've gotten much better at reading the break and committing to the line I've chosen, then trusting my ability to stroke the ball down that line. There is very little tension in my grip or in my putting stroke. In fact, I feel like I'm barely holding on to the putter. But on short putts, I can't seem to commit. Sometimes I can't decide whether to be bold and ram the ball into the back of the hole or finesse it in with a gentle stroke. Other times I just can't decide where to aim. When I stand over those short putts, I can't seem to see the line like I can on longer putts. Perhaps I miss most of my short putts simply due to peeking early to see if it went in. Whatever the reason, I could use some help.

As I was writing this post, I made my way over to The Wedge Guy blog, and as I expected, I found some great advice on Avoiding Three Putts. Terry suggests the following 3 steps to avoid missing short second putts. I'll certainly give these a try later this week!

1. Lighten your grip - We tend to squeeze the putter too tightly when faced with a short putt. Particularly lighten the pressure in your thumbs and forefingers, as that is where tension sets in first. Feel the putter in the last three fingers of each hand.

2. Slow down - Make your practice strokes very s-l-o-w-l-y. This sets up a good tempo – it’s a stroke, not a hit ! I see golfers make these quick back and forth practice strokes – what kind of tempo is that setting up ?

3. Stare down the hole - Your eyes are the key to putting, so pick a small target at the back of the hole (for a straight putt) or on either side (if a little break is to be allowed) and focus intently on that spot.


Rainbow by adrians_art at flickr

If anyone has some additional advice on how to sink those short ones - which for me would be a little like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - please leave me a comment and enlighten me! I'm pretty confident that I can get down to 2 and finally break through that elusive score of 70 when I start making the 'gimmes'.

Labels: About, Progress, Putting

Today I played my best round ever, scoring 5 birdies to shoot my first-ever even-par round from the tips at Monarch Dunes (73.0/137). I've scored 1-under and even-par rounds before, but never from the back tees. In fact, my best prior score at this course from the challenging back tees was a 6-over 77! And today's 71 could so easily have been my first sub-70 round.


Monarch Dunes 1st

After playing my last few rounds in unusually cold and blustery winds, today I joined two of my favorite golfers for a round that turned out to be sunny, warm, and breezy. The pace of play was perfect too. We never waited once for players in front of us to clear a fairway or green. Golf on the California Central Coast was at its best today! And so was my game.

My biggest struggle lately has been getting off to a good start. I recently played a round with a triple bogie on the 1st hole, followed soon after by 2 bogies. Instead of giving up though, I fought back from 5-over and finished the round just 3-over par after scoring 3 birdies! Today, things changed. I started right off with a birdie on the 3-handicap par 4 1st from 200 yards out!

This dogleg left tempts you to hit your drive towards the 150 marker, but a slight mishit left or short finds the lake. Instead, I played well right today, leaving a 3-hybrid approach into this well-guarded green. I put my hybrid right on line, landed just short of the green and ran up 8-10 feet past the hole. Using my new Odyssey Black Series i#9 putter, I drained the putt!

I just bought this putter a couple weeks ago at a 70% discount from my x-brother-in-law, who works in the IT department at Callaway. I absolutely love it! I can assure you, that's the first time I've ever said that about a putter! It's made me a good putter.

I gave myself another good birdie attempt on 2, but barely missed and happily tapped in for par. I then got up and down on 3 from just off the green, but missed an easy 2-foot putt on 4 to 3-putt, producing my first bogie. Even with this new putter, those short putts can get me.


Monarch Dunes 6th

I got that stroke right back on the 140 yard par 3 5th, sinking a 20-footer for my 2nd birdie! I parred 6, then made an impressive up and down again on 7 to stay 1-under par. On the 200 yard par 3 8th, I landed the difficult upper-left tier of this green, rolling to about 12 feet from the pin. I made a good putt, but had to settle for par.

I then hit a perfect 6-iron into the 9th green from 190 yards out, landing short of the green as expected, and running onto the green to leave me with another makable 10-12 footer. I took my time reading the putt and decided to aim a ball outside to the left. The downhill putt tracked perfectly and went right in. I was now 2-under on the front nine, hitting every fairway and 7 of 9 greens in regulation while recording only 14 putts!

I was relaxed and enjoying the round. My playing partners, who knew I'd been struggling with my game over the past month, were certainly giving me a hard time for saving my best golf for beating them. I was just grateful for the good company, perfect weather, and speedy pace of play. They figured I'd come back to earth on the back nine. I decided to just keep playing one shot at a time and enjoy myself, detached about whether I could keep it up or not.

The back nine starts off even harder than the front with a 2-handicap par 4 dogleg with a split fairway. I hit a monster drive, but caught a bad lie in the mounds between the two fairways. I had to punch out with a wedge. This shot caught another fescue-covered mound beyond where the fairways meet. I managed to get my 3rd shot up close to the green. I then got up and down from there for a respectable bogie.

The downhill 200 yard par 3 11th is a real test. Others in my group decided to hit 3-irons, but I tried to smash a 5-iron into a mild headwind. Unfortunately, I pushed the shot way right into a ditch that borders the green. I was left with a testy downhill lob shot over a large mound. My lob landed just short of the green as planned and barely rolled off the upper tier to continue down to the lower tier just 8 feet right of the pin. The putt was exactly like the one I had on 9, a downhill putt, breaking right about a cup out. I drained another one for an impressive par.


Monarch Dunes 11th

Three great shots on the par 5 12th led to another par, but my 8-iron approach on 13 drifted left, leaving a difficult pitch to a tight left pin. My shot was near perfect, but I barely missed the return putt, resulting in my 3rd bogie, letting my round get back to even par.

But another huge drive left me just 130 yards out on the par 4 14th. I put my pitching wedge just 6 feet above the hole and made another breaking downhill putt for birdie, getting me back to 1-under!

At this point in the round, I knew I was playing well and was probably under par, but I really had no idea of my exact score. I did know that this was only the second time I had ever scored 4 birdies in a round at this course. I only average about 1.5 birdies per round and depend on pars to keep my scores under control.

I followed my birdie with a poor 5-iron into the 200 yard par 3 15th. The shot was so bad that it didn't even make it to the bunker on the right-front corner of the green. But from the rough, I made another excellent pitch shot to a tight front pin and made the easy 2-footer for another par. Still 1-under.

Another good drive on the par 4 16th left me just over 100 yards out. A strong lob wedge left me with a 12 footer that I misread but left me with an easy tap-in in for par.

Over the past month, in addition to shanking short lobs and chips, it's been these long wedge shots that have given me the most trouble. Just last week on the range, a local pro saw me shanking some shots with my wedge and came over of offer some help. He noticed I was not only swaying too much, but was rerouting my downswing too far inside, bringing that hosel into play. He had me practice hitting balls right up against the 2x4 board separating each practice tee. I tried to keep the club in line with the board on my backswing and downswing. It felt weird at first, but I'm now using this new swing with all my irons. I'm just letting my hands and the clubface fall naturally from the top of my backswing. It's almost effortless.

But as solid as my wedge play was today, this was proving to be one of my best driving rounds ever. Up to this point in the round, every drive had been long and straight. I'd only missed 1 fairway so far, the one that barely missed on 10. I kept my drives going on the 490 yard par 5 17th, leaving me with a 6-iron in from 190 yards! I had to hit my 6-iron uphill and well right of the green to avoid a big eucalyptus tree in the middle of the fairway. The shot ran up the fairway and hooked nicely left as it rolled up onto the green, past the hole. This left me a steep 30 foot downhill putt breaking a few feet to the left. I ran my eagle putt just past the hole, but made the 3 foot comeback putt for my 5th birdie, getting me back to 2-under par!

This was the first round I'd ever scored 5 birdies at Monarch Dunes. I'd shot 5 birdies 3 other times on easier courses, but doing so here was quite an accomplishment for me.


Monarch Dunes 13th

So, I approached 18 knowing I was under par, and had a sense I was on track for my first-ever sub-70 round. I knew I had 5 birdies, but couldn't remember whether I'd bogied 2 or 3 holes. I knew a par on 18 would probably get me under 70. I think it was here that I left the present moment and let myself drift into the future. I knew better, but it had been quite some time since I'd had such an opportunity to make such a breakthough.

I stayed calm and hit a strong drive. But tension must have crept in because I pulled my drive a little left. A subsequent bad bounce to the left then threatened to even put me out-of-bounds. Fortunately, I found the ball near the cart path, just 5-6 feet in bounds. I was about 105 yards out, downhill to the green. My lob wedge came up a little short out of the rough, leaving me with 10 feet of fairway to putt or chip across to reach the green. I decided to putt. I underestimated how hard I needed to stroke the ball to get through the longer grass. I did get on the green, but came up at least 15 feet short, leaving another testy downhill putt with a few feet of break. I was feeling my nerves at this point and could tell I'd lost the relaxed and confident putting stroke I'd enjoyed all day. I putted 3 feet past the hole. 3-footers always give me fits, but other than the single miss on the 4th, I'd avoided any other 3-putts. But frustrated that I'd already let par get away, I lost my relaxed focus and missed the comeback putt. I'd actually 4-putted from just off the green, giving me a disappointing double bogie from only 100 yards out!

But I was quickly lifted from the despair I felt when these good friends reminded me what a great round I'd just played! They didn't let me dwell for a second on how it ended, but helped me celebrate a great accomplishment! After all, I beat my best-ever score from the back tees by 6 entire strokes. I finished the round hitting 11 greens, 11 fairways, and with only 29 putts. With the difficulty of the course, my even-par round added a score of -1.6 to my handicap, which for the first time has now broken through 3, to 2.7!

Although, like every round, there were plenty of opportunities to score even better, I played my best-ever round, stayed present for practically every shot, and was able to share it with good friends on an extraordinary day. For that I am grateful. It was a lot more fun getting 5 birdies than it was hitting 5 shanks a few weeks ago!

So, after 3 years of play, I finally got down to a sub-3 index and shot my first par round from the back tees on a championship-level course, and even flirted with my first 69. Before I turn 50, I'm hoping to break 70 and perhaps get down to a 2-index. Whether I reach that goal or not, I plan to focus entirely on just being present and enjoying the game. It's been an extraordinary journey of growth and learning, a journey that certainly doesn't stop here.

Labels: Monarch Dunes, Rounds

A very frustrating slump that began with the shanks nearly 3 weeks ago may have finally ended. Although I've had a few rounds now where I've avoided hitting the ball with the hosel, my scoring has continued to suffer. After 6 straight rounds over 80, with more double and triple bogies than I care to remember, I finally made a breakthrough yesterday.


Sun setting on my slump, by Claudio Marcon at flickr

But my poor play continued as the windy round began.

After an excellent drive and approach, I 3-putted the 1st for bogie. I came up short on the 2nd and 3rd with wedges and failed to get up and down, adding 2 more bogies, then 3-putted again on the 4th to go 4-over.

My gap wedge from 125 yards on the short par 3 5th drifted left with the strong cross wind and my subsequent chip ran past the hole by 10 feet. I settled down and carefully read the putt, slightly downhill with a small right to left break. I relaxed and made a confident stroke, holing the putt for my first par.

Then I managed another bogie on the following par 5 6th. I pushed my 2nd shot a little right, into a fairway bunker, leaving me with a difficult uphill shot from 110 yards. A poor shot from there was at least followed up by a good lob shot from the rough, ending 15 feet from the pin, barely staying on the top tier of the green. A nice putt nearly saved par, but I tapped for bogie to go 5-over after 6.

An impressive birdie on the difficult par 4 7th followed by a par on the 177 yard par 3 8th got me back to a respectable 4-over.

After playing through a threesome on the 3rd hole (which contributed to that bogie), my friend and I caught up to a twosome waiting for the fairway to clear on the 9th tee. We joined them and played as a foursome for the remainder of the round. Apparently, some friendly chatting with our new playing partners helped me get my mind off my scoring and the success on the past 2 holes continued. I shot a ho-hum par on the par 4 9th, hitting the fairway, landing the green, and making the expected 2 putts. I managed to finish the par 35 front nine with a 4-over 39.

An impressive drive down the left side of the split fairway on the dogleg left par 4 10th left me with 160 yards uphill to this well guarded green. I hit such a good 7-iron into the wind that I landed past the pin and rolled over the green. A very poor chip preceded a 2-putt bogie. Still, as anyone who has played this 2-handicap hole will tell you, walking away with a bogie is nothing to complain about.

I pulled out my 7-iron again for my tee shot into the strong headwind on the 180 yard downhill par 3 11th, overlooking the Guadalupe Dunes and Pacific Ocean. Again, I hit my 7-iron so well, it landed the front of the green and rolled all the way off the back. My return chip to the upper tier of the green ran 10 feet past the pin and I missed the comeback putt for another bogie, putting me 2-over on the back and 6-over for the round.

But a rare birdie on the par 5 12th got me back to 5-over. Then after making a nice par on 13, another 3-putt on 14 put me back to 6-over. I walked up to 18 still 6-over after hitting each fairway and green and 2-putting for pars on 15, 16, and 17.

With a 240 yard carry or so, you can get some impressive distance off the tee on the 387 yard 18th. I ended up about 30-40 yards out. I used a big backstop behind the hole to funnel my chip back to the pin, leaving me with a 4-foot putt for birdie. Staying relaxed, I made another confident stroke, sinking the putt to finish the par 36 back nine just 1-over.

This 76 was my first sub-80 round since shooting a 76 in my first pro-am nearly 3 weeks ago. It was pretty rewarding to finish the last 12 holes in even par, especially in such windy conditions. Getting my attention away from scoring and simply enjoying the company of my friend and the twosome we joined seemed to be the key to rediscovering some artful golf.

This round marked my 40th round of the year, the most golf I've ever played in a 3-month period (averaging 3 rounds/week). I finished with 28 rounds under 80 and 12 at or above 80, with half of those high rounds coming in the past 3 weeks.

Labels: Rounds

While I continue to pursue golf as art, the true artful golfer paints a masterpiece.



The Artful Tiger paints a masterpiece with golf balls.

Labels: Art, Tiger Woods