Golf Confessions

The Shell Open started with a bang today with a course record 63 being shot by two golfers.  The course played fast and the wind blew.  Despite the windy conditions the 7500 yard layout could not stop these world class players from shooting some great rounds.

The weekend should shape up for a fantastic finish.  Phil Mickelson will have to get on his horse if he is going to be in contention Sunday afternoon.  Phil struggled coming in today and he will have to garner up some of his magic if he expects to have a good week in his preparation for next weeks Masters.

Golf can be a love-hate relationship.  No matter how much you  practice or how good you get we are never totally satisfied with our performance on the golf course.  I have been playing golf for 47 years and I still go to the course or driving range almost every day, weather permitting, striving to improve some phase of my game.  Most everyone looks to their equipment for instant success because we see one of the top ten players in the world on TV and the new driver, putter, or wedge performs some magic and Monday morning you may find yourself at your club or golf store looking for the magic.

I have often wondered if there truly is something magical out there in the equipment, then why aren’t all of the guys teeing it up for a living using that one and only ball of driver or what ever it may be that allowed that one person to win last weekend?  If we are truly honest with ourselves and our egos we will admit that the equipment can make a difference, but the real difference is usually the time we spend practicing and the quality or lack there of in our practice.  But as is the case so many times we are looking for instant success.  This instant success does not usually exist and I was reminded of this fact when I was so fortunate to play with Sam Snead and observed him practice into his 70’s and even 80’s.  I am sure all of the greatest search either through practice or mentally for more perfection just about every day. 

The feel for the swing can come and go so quickly and only a few can scratch out a decent score on those days that their swing has abandoned them.  Then when the round is over they usually proceed to the practice tee and begin the task of finding a key and or feel that will get them back on track.  I believe the really good players that have a long successful career concentrate on what it takes to make the ball do what they want rather than on mechanics.  The better understanding they have on what has to happen rather than on how to make it happen may be the key.  You will never see two people swing exactly the same even though they both are great players.  Each person has their own way of doing the same thing, our bodies are different, tempo, attitudes, perceptions, everything is unique to each individual.  But no matter what a person’s make-up or abilities most everyone who plays the game is always looking for improvement.

My love-hate relationship for the game really showed up about 25 years ago when I was playing in a local bar-be Q tournament one summer weekend in my home town.  I had been playing pretty good leading up to the tournament and one of the biggest bug a boos can be high expectations.  These expectations can get you out of your comfort zone and in territory that you may not be comfortable with and your body can’t handle this extra pressure.  As you can probably imagine the first round I did not play well at all.  I went to the practice tee after wards and tried to work out the multiple problems that had crept into my swing.  Nothing that I tried seemed to work and the frustrations mounted.  Well I decided that was it for me and I went straight home and put my clubs into the attic so that I would not be tempted by the sight of my clubs to ever go out and play this stupid game again.  Something happened later on that evening, as I was watching golf on TV, I figured out what I had been doing wrong.  I called the club to see what my tee time was for the second round of the tournament and I went to the attic and retrieved my clubs.  The next day with much lower expectations I played a very good round of golf. 

Since that trip to the attic 25 years ago I threatened to return those clubs to darkness they deserve but each and every time I think of some magic that keeps my clubs close to my side.  The anger can be quick to build but I have never quit looking for that secret that we all hope to find in the next swing.

See you on the next tee.