the GOLF BLOG of HYPE....by one man

Well, well, well....it's been a very quiet few months with almost no golf outings. But that didn't keep me from thinking about golf or my game or my swing or how I'd play whenever I did happen to get back out on the course. I played once in December, once in January, once in February (on my birthday), and again this past weekend. That doesn't count the couple of times that I played 9 holes with my girlfriend.

Last year went by pretty quickly and I played less golf then any previous year in a long time. I believe that I only posted about 16 or 17 rounds, that's it. My practice schedule became almost non-existant and that always hurts your game. The biggest single thing that I noticed in my game from lack of play is the loss of distance with all my clubs. Consistency is what keeps your game sharp. When you are able to play on any kind of a consistent time table your game should remain the same. If you're able to put in some practice sessions, which is even better, your game should show improvement. The more you swing the club, the better your game will get, and the more you'll enjoy golf.

My game has always been fairly decent and my handicap hasn't been higher in the last 8 or 9 years than it is right now, I'm just under a 7. Of course, that's over twice what is was just 3 years ago but I'm happy with that and accept it because I know that I do not put in the extra effort right now. I don't have either the time or money to be able to play anywhere near as much as I did a few years ago. As long as I know that and understand that, I don't get angry when I don't play as well as I had in the past. It's nice to know that I can still go out and score well over 18 holes and show improvement through my round.

The last 4 rounds that I played were 82, 81, 82, and 80. The first 3 were on par 72 courses and the last was on a par 70. Not bad, and in reviewing my rounds there were easily a few shots left on the course. Practice will take care of those and THAT is what I'm really excited about. Can I get back down to a two and a half handicap?....sure. But I've got to hit balls once a week minimum, play at least every other week and most of all have fun. It's time to start playing again with some frequency, I miss it a lot. For everyone who is just starting to defrost and dig out, get to stretching, swing your clubs in the yard, clean the clubs, regrip, replace the worn spikes, and get really excited to be Back in the Saddle Again!!

http://www.ridgemark.com
http://www.springvalleygolf.com
http://santaclara.americangolf.com

I'm not sure how many of you golfers may have taken formal lessons from a Certified Golf Instructor but I think there are quite a few of you. And within that group I would imagine there are a number of you that have had an actual lesson while playing a round with your instructor, whereby he/she is actually able to see how you handle yourself and your game while in a live setting out on the golf course. I believe that this could actually benefit a person in quite a number of ways and at the same time allow the Certified Instructor to gain a better understanding of your actual abilities.

But what about the "On-Course Golf Instructor" who is not certified? You know the one that I'm talking about, in fact some of you reading this right now fall in to this category. The problem here is that you're neither certified nor an actual golf instructor. For the average golfer the problem with people like this is two-fold; first, their game is usually no better than yours, and second, they think their game is A LOT better than yours. I've never seen a woman do this so I'm going to follow the path that this person is normally a guy. This guy doesn't start telling you what to correct right away, in fact he'll usually wait a couple of holes. This provides him a better understanding of just where you need assistance and what type of assistance you will benefit from most. He then starts with simple pieces of advice such as; "keep your head still, slow your swing down, let the club do the work." He'll then try to come across as even more of an expert and ask about your clubs, "What's the lie on your irons?; Have you had your clubs fitted?; Are those cavity backed?, because you should probably use a cavity backed iron to help get the ball in the air." Meanwhile he's hacking it all over the place grumbling the whole time about his "game being off today".

I'm certainly not one of those people and I've only had someone like this try to tell me about my game once. When he did I immediately asked him if he was an instructor. When he said "no" I said "oh, I thought maybe you were since you seem to see a needed correction in my game." He started to make some grumbling noises so I asked him what his handicap was and to make a long story short, his was 12 strokes higher than mine and at the end of day I beat him by 15. Here's the rub; I don't even tell my buddies what they're doing wrong unless they ask me. And even then I'll keep my comments short, simple, and easy to understand simply because I'm not an instructor. Can I see things that might be correctable?....sure. But my advice may not be right for that person and bottome line....unless I'm asked a question specifically I don't offer advice.

Golf is a game that's hard enough to play even when you're a good golfer. When you're learning or even when you're a 15-20 handicap, the last thing you need is someone of equal ability (or in most cases worse) telling you what you're "doing wrong". All for the simple fact thay they're doing it wrong too. But "you'll get it if you keep practicing and keep at it", they'll tell you. "And don't forget to keep your head down!"

I played 9 holes again today with my girlfriend and her girlfriend. We played at Mariner's Point Golf Course, a great little 9 hole venue with a great practice area. We were joined by Brad, a single walk on player. Brad appeared to be carrying a big wallet in his back pocket and I think, no I'm sure, there must have been an On-Course Golf Instructors card in there because after only a couple of holes he began to tell my girlfriends friend how to correct her game. Now she is just learning the game, has taken a few formal lessons, and most importantly is trying. She is also like most of you, unfortunately easy fodder for these guys. I didn't say anything to her ...or him...since he had it well in hand. He gave her a bit of advice on most every hole until we finished, and the last thing he said to her when we walked off the course was "keep at it."

I love golf and today the weather was beautiful which makes the game even more enjoyable. Brad was certainly not a pain in the ass but he definitely fell in to that 15-20 handicap range. At least he didn't grab her club from her hands to show her how she should be doing it. I've seen that done before. She's going with her mother to Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club in Carmel in April to golf. Quail Lodge is an absolutely beautiful resort and she wants to be just a bit better when she goes, that's why we went out today. The Brad's of the world don't help, they think they do but they're only hurting and confusing to someones game. But they don't understand that that and they don't get that. They do this second nature and with the only thought that they know how to do it better.

If you want to get better go find a "Certified" PGA Instructor, there are thousands of them out there. Find one that's nice, is genuinely interested in making you better, and most of all one who enjoys teaching this great game. The only advice I gave her about Quail Lodge was to keep up with the others and have fun. That's why we all play, because it's an extremely fun way to spend your time. And when you hit a great shot, it's just about one of the best feelings in the world. Practice, get better, and enjoy!! Oh, and don't forget "keep at it."

http://www.quaillodge.com
http://www.marinerspoint.com
http://www.pga.com/improve/find-an-instructor/
http://lpga.nemexinc.com/directory.cfm

What is the correct way to use the terms golf, golfing, golfer, or any form of that word?

I play Golf. I enjoy Golfing. I am a Golfer.

Now as a Golfer I like Golfing, I am pretty good at Golf, and when I Golf I'm a Golfer Golfing.

When I'm Golfing I'm playing Golf as a Golfer.

I'm a Golfing Golfer playing Golf.

A Golfer is to Golf as he is to Golfing.

If a Golfer Golfs while Golfing, he's a Golfing Golfer playing Golf.

If you're a Golfer that likes Golfing, did you Golf, did you play Golf, or did you go Golf?

Now, if you're Golfing Golf as a Golfer, that means you played Golf as a Golfer Golfing.

Golfing Golf as a Golfer makes you a Golfer Golfing Golf.

Unless of course you play Tennis and I'm not sure if that's even a real sport.

Are you now totally confused? The way that I like to unconfuse my confusion is to play the game of Golf while Golfing as a Golfer.

Golf......out!

9 holes...Hmmm. I almost never used to just go play 9 holes, but then my girlfriend picked up the game. Everytime I venture out for a great round of golf (golfing is always great by the way) upon my return I almost always get asked the inevitable question....Did you play 9 holes? The inevitable answer is "No...I never play only 9 holes unless I'm playing with you". 18 holes for her right now would just be overwhelming... or should I say more tiring than anything else. She can't even imagine me playing 27 or even 36 holes, can't fathom that, yet it seems that when I'm able to play 36 it always ends up being such a great day.

Also, I usually play really well when I golf 36 holes. It's the practice, the continual swinging, developing the rhythym of the club, allowing me to play better and score well.

A good round of 18 is only 9 holes twice....yet we don't seem to be able to score as well as if we were to only play 9. And that's for many reasons; the course is shorter (yea, but you're still having to hit wedges and sink the putts), you never get to pull out your driver or 3 wood or long iron (yea, but you're still having to hit wedges and sink the putts), and it's not really golf if you're only playing 9 holes (yes it is, but you're still having to hit wedges and sink the putts).

So the way you need to look at playing only 9 holes is to take the approach and thought process this way; you've already hit your drive, you're sitting in the middle of the fairway, and now all you have left is to hit your wedges and sink the putts. How hard can that be? It's easy right? After all, from the middle of the fairway the rest of the hole is really only a par 3 so this should be no problem....or is it really that simple?

They say the longest distance to overcome is the distance between your two ears (or something to that effect). If you can go play 9 holes on a consistent basis and play to only 1 or 2 over par each round, then your full 18 hole course game should be just about the same, give or take 2-3 strokes. If you're playing an average 18 hole course, something that is within your abilities (very important) then even if you take the high end of both those estimates you're playing to about 7 maybe 8 over par and that puts you shooting 80 or less.

This is where the distance between your 2 ears comes in to play. "Ain't never gonna happen", you tell yourself, "It isn't that easy", you say. Well I'm here to tell you you're half right. It isn't that easy. BUT, it IS that easy to take the game from the 9 hole course and playing the last half of each full length hole from an 18 hole course, improve your play quite a bit.

Golf is not a game of exponential improvement in a short period of time. It's a game of practice, and little improvements, and a little better scoring, over a reasonable period of time, that eventually will show you great results....for you.

Remember, you need to keep this all in perspective to your game and find out what it is that YOU need to improve on, what part of your game has the ability to show the most profitable improvement to your game....and practice that first.

Patience - Practice - more Patience - and more Practice. That's what it takes.

And when your buddies (or your significant other ..male or female) wants to go play 9 holes...just pretend you've already played the first half of the first half of your favorite course, your drive is just sitting in the middle of the fairway.... and all you have to do is hit your wedges and sink your putts. It's that simple and what a great day you'll have too!