BALANCE 10/05/2011
 We all know how important it is to maintain balance in our lives. Nutritional balance is important for good health. Emotional balance is important for good relationships. Balancing our work-out routines with weights, cardio and stretching are a great way to improve our overall fitness. Balancing work, family, friends and hobbies is important for a meaningful life. Yes, the key ingredient in attaining our best in life begins with balance and it is just as important in golf. So how do we maintain balance in our golf game & swing? First we need to have an understanding of the key ingredients we need to balance in golf: our equipment, our self and our swing mechanics. According to the rules of golf we are allowed to carry 14 clubs when we play. Imagine how your score would change if you placed 14 putters or 14 drivers in your golf bag. It seems kind of silly to even think we would play a round of golf with only one type of golf club. Rather we carry a good balance of golf clubs to match the type of golf shots we expect to play while on the golf course: tee shots, fairway, pitching, greenside bunkers, chipping & putting. It is just as silly to try to make a good golf swing with improperly fit golf clubs. It is important that our golf equipment fits our body type and movement capabilities. Our golf physique is a combination of our stature, flexibility, mobility & strength. All of these can change over time due to natural aging, illness or injury, and when a change occurs we need to make the proper equipment adjustment. Using a golf club that does not fit you requires an inefficient set up position leading to improper movements & poor timing. Ask you local PGA/LPGA professional to help you if you are not sure that your golf equipment is in balance with your game and your physical condition. We also have to keep our emotional self in balance. Golfers who over-think a golf shot/swing tend to be victims of the common fault of “paralysis by analysis.” Knowing when to think about your golf shot and when to trust your practice and just swing is critical. Players who do not practice correctly will find this a difficult task. Many players confuse pre-round warm up, play and practice. We need to balance our golf game by warming up before we play, playing the game on a regular basis and practicing what we need to do to maintain and improve our game. Once again, ask your local PGA/LPGA Professional to help you learn the difference and how to properly prepare, play and what & how to practice for game improvement and more importantly game enjoyment. Physical Balance is the foundation of a good golf shot. Think of the last time you observed the swing of a golfer who did not remain in balance. They may have swayed back and forth, lifted up and down, fell back or forward or any combination of these resulting in an undesirable golf shot. The golf ball may have ricocheted off of a tree or may have rolled along the ground. Now recall the golf swing of a player who started and remained in balance: their swing looked effortless, the golf ball soared through the air like a bird in flight, and the golfer remained perfectly balanced, watching his/her shot land exactly where they wanted it to land. To finish our golf swing in balance, we need to swing in balance. To swing in balance we need to start in balance. Form follows function and each golf swing requires a unique set-up depending upon what type of outcome we intend for the golf shot and what our personal physical form will allow. Our bodies are hard-wired to keep us in balance so we do not fall and injure ourselves. Our bodies let us know when we are out of balance; it is like an alarm going off letting us know something is wrong and we automatically adjust to remain steady. Think of your body as a state-of-the-art security system. Not only will an alarm go off when it is out of sync but the system is designed to lock down. A golfer starting out of balance will find it difficult to swing the golf club properly because we are fighting against our inner self protection mechanism that wants to stop the action to prevent damage. Training to maintain balance will not only help your golf game but can also improve the quality of your life. Too often we hear stories of golfers and friends who have been injured because they could not maintain their balance. For the fortunate few, the recovery time is short, but for others it could be months (maybe even the entire golf season). There are many programs that can help you maintain physical balance and I would encourage you to make this an off-season goal. With the snow and ice soon approaching there is no better time to start than now. Find something this winter to help you with your physical balance. Start by asking your physician for recommendations that will work best for you. This is an important first step for your safety. Once you know if there are any special restrictions or limitations you may have then ask your local PGA/LPGA Professional to recommend a program they use or have been trained and certified in for your specific condition. Take the time to balance your golf game in three simple steps. First, assess your golf clubs to make sure they fit your swing needs. Second, schedule an appointment with your PGA/LPGA Instructor to work on an off-season plan that will help you stay on track with improved golf performance. There are many drills you can do at home or in the office to improve your swing mechanics and course management skills. Finally, in cooperation with your physician begin a physical balance program to help you enjoy the great game of golf for many years to come. Add Comment TEE IT FORWARD 09/01/2011
 When golfers elect to play from a tee box, traditionally it has been based upon gender or age, but all of that is changing for the better. We have all witnessed when someone tees off from the set of tees they think they should play rather than the set that matches their skill level. The ball either rolls on the ground barely making it to the next set of tees or lands in the woods or on another fairway followed by a proclamation of disbelief. The end result is everyone in that group and everyone behind will suffer the consequences of this action. For the player it might be a double bogey, for others the dreaded 5 hour round of golf. To be clear, I am not talking about an occasional error that even tour pros encounter; this is about the opposite when several errant tee shots occur. To be fair, golfers have been programmed by marketing companies trying to sell you clubs and golf balls promising to give you more distance. In addition, popular slogans like “Grip it and rip it” and “Swing for the fences” have crept into the game like weeds taking over your lawn. The landscape of the game has changed to errant shots (weeds) played by golfers trying to live up to the hype with small patches of skillfully placed golf shots (bentgrass). This year The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association started a new initiative to help you gain more enjoyment out of playing the great game of golf. Simply put, golfers are encouraged to play the set of tees that best suits their current skill level. The PGA provides the following chart to help golfers select an appropriate set of tees. TEE IT FORWARD Guidelines for Selecting Tees Average Driver Distance 275 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 6,700 – 6,900 Yards Average Driver Distance 250 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 6,200 – 6,400 Yards Average Driver Distance 225 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 5,800 – 6,000 Yards Average Driver Distance 200 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 5,200 – 5,400 Yards Average Driver Distance 175 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 4,400 – 4,600 Yards Average Driver Distance 150 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 3,500 – 3,700 Yards Average Driver Distance 125 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 2,800 – 3,000 Yards Average Driver Distance 100 Yards Recommended Total Course Yardage 2,100 – 2,300 Yards According to the PGA’s press release a 6,700 yard course played by an amateur is “proportionally equivalent” to a Tour Pro playing an 8,100 yard course. That is 700 yards longer than the average Pro Tour Course. A unique quality of the game is the handicap system maintained by the USGA. Players of different skill levels can compete equally from a variety of tee boxes according to the rules of golf. The bottom line with the keepers of the game is that EVERYONE can play on an equal playing field. The goal of the game has not changed, it still remains to get the ball into the hole in the fewest amount of strokes. When the game first began the club we teed off with was called the “Play Club” (not the driver). It was called the “Play Club” because the goal of the tee shot was to get the ball in play, not to miss the shot, end up in the woods or another fairway trying to hit the ball far. According to golf legend Jack Nicklaus “All of us deeply involved in the game encourage golfers of all skill levels to play the proper tees, but too often golfers want to bite off as much of the golf course as they can. What ends up suffering is their scorecard and their overall enjoyment. This program should help stimulate people to play the proper tees and maximize the golf experience.” One of the reasons golf is so appealing is its ability to keep us present in the flow of the game. We tee off on a journey that keeps us moving in our mind & our body. Each shot presents a challenge as we travel the landscape of the course. Some of the best rounds we experience are effortless; we feel one with the game. Let’s face it, we play golf to ENJOY ourselves. Join the PGA & the USGA this season by “Teeing it Forward” to have more fun and enjoyment with the great game of golf. SIMPLIFY YOUR SWING 08/01/2011
If you are confused by all the information provided by TV, DVD’s, Golf Magazines, Golf Books and the countless tips provided by your golfing buddies, this article is for you. We often seek a quick tip to improve our golf game and more often this pattern leaves us right back where we started, more confused or even worse in a downward spiral. The fact of the matter is: there is NO ONE WAY to play golf. I will repeat this: there is “no one way” to play golf. Just as you are an individual so is your golf swing. Sports Announcer David Feherty was quoted as saying that Jim Furyk’s golf swing looked like “an octopus falling out of a tree.” It might look an octopus,but his scores are remarkable, putting him in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings for over 350 weeks and counting. Turn on any golf tournament and look at the differences between the best players in the world; there are many. These are the folks that have access to the best instruction, trainers, practice facilities, nutritionists, sports psychologists and more! And yet, their swings are as individual as they are. If cookie cutter golf instruction worked, every pro would swing the same. What may help one golfer can diminish another’s performance, so it is very important that you keep your focus on YOUR BEST SWING. The one similarity between golfers who have become “repeatedly successful” is that they all took the time to develop “their” golf swing. This season, when you make your plan to improve your golf swing, keep this word in mind: “SIMPLE.” Try not to over-analyze or complicate your swing by trying the latest tip or doing what is working for someone else. You are unique, and finding “your swing” can be a very exciting and rewarding experience. Think SIMPLE! S – Stay with it! Too often we receive a tip that works for a brief period of time and then we discard it when we have a bad experience. The fact is golf is a motor skill that requires knowledge PLUS doing the correct activity until it becomes habit. Knowing what to do is simply not enough. For those of you who have been playing awhile, this will require extra effort to un-due the habit you have already created. The pros know this is critical to be able to repeatedly perform a skill over and over. What happens to most of us is once in awhile we have “that great golf shot” like a pro and then we expect it over and over again. Without the effort to make your practice a habit your good shots will be random and not repeatable. I – Individualize Your Practice Plan. It doesn’t take any longer to practice with a plan than without a plan. Knowing what to practice is an important step to improving your game. The next time you play a round of golf make notes as to what parts of your game are working well and what parts are not. This is your game and a practice plan should reflect your needs. M – Maintain a practice schedule. Change takes time. You will be more successful at developing a repeatable golf swing if you schedule regular practice sessions and commit to this schedule. According to Terry McNamara, Annika’s caddie “we have a rule: If we have a morning tee time, we practice until dark.” Doesn’t matter if it is the 1st or last round, no parties before practice. This was said after Annika’s team had won the Solheim Cup. While everyone else was boarding the bus to go to the victory celebration Terry was on the range waiting for Annika, and yes, Annika showed up. They practiced and then they celebrated! Find an amount of practice time that fits into your lifestyle and make practice work for you. P- Professional Support. Many golfers think they are practicing when they imitate what others do. However, real practice involves more than hitting golf balls. LPGA & PGA Teaching Professionals can assist you by identifying not only what to practice but how to practice by assessing & designing a performance plan that will work best for your individual goals and lifestyle. L – Learn from each swing. Often we are critical of missed shots. Learning to view these shots as learning opportunities rather than a disaster will assist us in the long run. When a shot does not go as planned take a moment to think of what could have been done differently to change the outcome. E – Evaluate your results. If you expect a quick fix more often than not you will be frustrated. Just like watching the stock market it is not about the day to day, it is the long run where you want to see your game improving. Set realistic goals and track your progress. Do not expect to play like the pros on a shot by shot basis or day by day if you are not committed and prepared to do the work they do. Keep in mind you do not have to play like a pro to enjoy the game. Game improvement plans do not have to be all consuming. Just like a journey of a 100 miles begins with one step, so does your golf game. One skill at a time, one practice session at a time, step by step, and you will be on your way. Be patient and persevere. By setting realistic goals with your golf professional, key steps can be identified to help you. Most of our enjoyment comes from challenging ourselves to become better, to set goals and meet or exceed them. You can do this; you can improve! It doesn’t matter if you are new to the game or an experienced player. Game improvement is just around the corner if you are willing to let go of all the tips, all the swing thoughts, all the images of what is working for someone else. Simplify your golf game this season to enjoy the great game of golf. HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS? 07/02/2011
Are you obsessed with your golf score? Many golfers slowly loose the joy in playing the game of golf because they define their success based solely upon their score. One of the great things about the game of golf is that it is never the same. Golf courses are unique and so are you. When we factor in the various types of grass, slope of the terrain, the ever changing weather conditions, not to mention the physical & emotional changes we experience daily, the variables of each game create endless possibilities. Sometime we just need a reality check. Here are a few tips to help you more fully enjoy your next round of golf, regardless of your score. Enjoying your next round of golf can be a simple as one, two and three. One, keep things in perspective! Golf is a game and games are to be enjoyed. The next time you play a round of golf try scoring yourself on the amount of joy you can experience on the golf course. Let golf become the vehicle to allow you to have fun with your friends, enjoy the beautiful landscape and have the opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat. By viewing golf as a vehicle to transport us vs. an activity that defines us our whole perspective changes. Keep in mind whether you double bogey or birdie a golf hole your dog will still eagerly greet you at the front door. Try using your score card to track more than just the number of strokes you take to complete a hole. Two, golf is a game of averages. The United States Golf Association computes a golfer’s handicap based upon their last 20 scores. The formula removes the 10 worst scores from the equation and then averages the ten best. Unfortunately, many golfer’s become angry, depressed or some other psychotic condition when they are not playing to their handicap or better. Both reality and statistics prove that 50% of the time you will shoot your average score or make your average shot. Just like no one thing can define you, golf is a summary of the great, good & poor shots we make. Know that every shot will not be perfect, and ENJOY that rare occasion when all the stars align and you experience the bliss of a well struck golf shot. Three, just be YOU! Many golfers compare themselves to other golfers, rather than tracking their own progress. If you are in deep rough, with low tree limbs in front of you and need to clear a bunker to get your shot on the green, what would you do? Some would say, “well Mickelson did this on TV so let me try.” The better choice, if you have not practiced this shot over and over as Phil has, would be the safe shot. The golden rule for most golfers is “When you get into trouble – Get Out!” Attempting the heroic shot you have never practiced can lead to a multitude of problems. Just get out safely and move on. Whether you are a first time golfer or a scratch player your skill level is your skill level. OWN IT. Standing on the first tee is not the time to go into denial. If you are a slicer, play for the slice. Know your game, know your goals. If you want more options in the future contact your local PGA or LPGA Teaching Professional to help you learn new and improved golf skills. Letting your score define you can suck the life out of your enjoyment of the game. There are many reasons to play golf and if you can be grateful for the opportunity to be on the golf course you are well ahead of the curve. Your scoring range might be from 120 – 90, while another’s might be 74 – 71. Whatever your game is, enjoy it on the golf course. There is plenty of time to work at your game on the lesson tee with your local PGA or LPGA professional. They can help you improve your skill level by helping you with sound fundamentals and techniques the pros use to manage their game. There is always something to learn and new challenges that await us on the golf course. After all, isn’t that one of the reasons why we love the great game of golf? Golf Etiquette: Pass it on! 06/04/2011
With a new golf season upon us thousands of golfers will be heading to golf courses everywhere. It is no small task to keep these golf courses in good shape and grounds crews work very hard to accomplish this task daily. In addition, golfer etiquette is imperative to maintain the condition of the course and to keep the atmosphere at the golf course an enjoyable experience for us all. Golfers need to understand that we share the golf course with many people; the more people that play the game with proper etiquette and skill, the better. It is simple economics of supply and demand. The game is no longer limited to Captains of Industry at private golf clubs that provided caddies to perform the task of selecting clubs, searching for lost golf balls, raking bunkers, repairing ball marks & divots and such. For those of us who do not have a caddie to perform these necessary tasks we need to do this for ourselves. It is an integral part of the game, just like playing by the rules or having a great swing. Good playing conditions include both the condition of the course and others’ behavior. Here are few etiquette tips for you to follow in keeping with the traditions of the greatest game ever played. Replacing Divots When you see dried out divots or ruts in the fairway, it means a divot was not replaced after a shot and has damaged the golf course. Know that when you take a divot, you must replace it to maintain the quality of the golf course. Most divots in our geographic have a clay base allowing the divot to remain intact. They can be picked up and replaced back from where they came. Once in place, all you have to do is step on it with your foot, allowing the grass to heal & leaving the fairways lush. Some courses have sandy soil & divots fall apart. Courses with this type of soil provide a container with a sand & seed mix to fill in the divot. Repairing Ball Marks A golf ball lands on the green with force that displaces the turf where it lands, often leaving a depression. As you approach a green look for your golf ball’s depression and repair it. Use a repair tool in a circular pattern along the outside of the depression to press the grass gently toward the center of the mark and then tap the grass down with your putter to smooth it out. Have you ever noticed the round brown spots on a golf green? That is from people who do not know to correctly repair a ball mark. They use the divot tool to pull up, in a circular motion rather than pushing forward. Pulling up pulls the grass roots out of the ground and the grass dies in that area. If a ball mark is repaired when you get to the green it will repair itself quickly; if left unattended it may take weeks for the grass to regenerate leaving the green with an uneven surface. Raking Bunkers When your ball lands in a bunker, walk in the low side & take the rake with you. Following the rules of golf for a bunker shot, pick up the rake when you have finished your shot and smooth out the sand where: your ball rolled in, your shot was taken & you have walked. Rake the sand back and forth placing the sand into the bunker smoothly. A mistake many make is pulling the sand toward them as they exit the bunker, which removes the sand from the center of the bunker and leaves it almost void of any sand at all. Observe Course Boundaries & Signs Unless you are playing with a handicap flag provided to you by the course pro who will provide you with different instructions, we all need to understand and follow the course boundaries. Due to the number of people who move through smaller shared areas on the course like tees, cart paths, bunkers & greens, you will often see signs restricting access to these areas. There are few “NEVERS” in life but here are two: NEVER Bring your golf bag, cart or golf car onto a green, and NEVER take your golf bag, cart or car into a bunker. Pace of Play Over the winter Hall of Famer & ESPN Analyst Lou Holtz spoke at the 12th Annual PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit and said that the first thing he taught his sons about playing golf was to play fast. Holtz understood that golf is not just a game about you but also about how your actions impact others. When golfers take too much time to play a hole of golf everyone behind them pays the price. To maintain a good pace of play it is important to be ready to take your turn. We can do this by preparing as we approach our golf ball. Think of what club you will need, get to your ball and when it is your turn be ready to go. A round of golf should take no more than 4 hours for 18 holes or 2 hours for 9 holes, less than that is even better. If you are so inclined to spend more time at the golf course consider making a second tee time or spend some time in the grill room or at the practice facility. Quiet Please! Most golfers know not to talk or make any noise or distracting movements when someone is taking their shot. Keep in mind that sounds travels and although no one in your group is taking a shot, if you are yelling across a fairway it will carry to other locations on the course. Someone you might not see could be in their backswing. For more information on proper golf course etiquette pick up a USGA Rules of Golf Book. Additionally, Gordon Seliga, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at nearby Lake View Country Club has created instruction videos demonstrating the proper way to repair a divot, rake a bunker and repair a ball mark that can be found at http://lakeviewcc.com/turfcare/video/. A good rule to follow is to leave the course in better condition than you found it. Keep in mind we walk the fairways for a brief moment in the history of the game. We inherited the opportunity to play from others who have honored its traditions of etiquette and rules. Now it is our turn. Carry the torch and pass along the spirit of the game to future generations. Be an ambassador for the great game of golf by setting the example of good etiquette and play the great game of golf in the spirit it was intended.  A Message from the National Golf Foundation Augusta National will only make a “limited number” of 2012 Masters tickets available to the public (for practice and tournament rounds), and the opportunity to buy them is being decided by lottery, or “prequalification drawing” as they’re calling it down there. The good news is, it doesn’t cost anything to submit your application and there’s still plenty of time to do it. You have until June 30 for tournament-round tickets (you’ll find out if you “won the lottery” in mid-July) and July 30 for practice-round tickets (you’ll be notified in mid-August). Practice-round tickets (you can buy a maximum of four per day) are $50. Tournament-round tickets (maximum of 2 per day) are $75. Seventy-five dollars to attend the final round of the 2012 Masters? That’s called a steal no matter where you are. You can apply for 2012 Masters tickets by following this link (copy paste) http://www.masters.com/en_US/tickets/index.html April + Azelas = Augusta 04/05/2011
 April has finally arrived. The long winter will soon be a distant memory and local golfers will pop up at golf courses as a rite of spring just like the crocuses appear through the snow. One of my favorite events in April is The Masters Golf Tournament. For me this is the signal for golf to begin once again in Erie, PA. No one could imagine when amateur golfer Bob Jones won the Grand Slam in 1930 at the age of 28 that he would leave the game a comparable legacy, Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters. Bob had a vision to design a course that would be a National Treasure, challenging enough for the expert player, yet not so intimidating for the average player; a course that required brains over physical strength. Bob Jones and his business partner Clifford Roberts became the co-founders of Augusta National Golf Club. They discovered the property of the Fruitland’s nursery just outside of Atlanta in Augusta Georgia that would become the home for Augusta National. From the entrance that greets you with 250 yards of towering Magnolias planted before the Civil War, to the first Wisteria brought to the United States planted behind what is now the clubhouse, Augusta National is breathtaking both in physical beauty and competitive wonders. Construction of a golf course in the 1930’s was a labor of love. It took brute strength of horses, mules and man to transform the landscape of the nursery into a challenging golf course. This was accomplished under the leadership of Bob Jones and Dr. Alistair McKenzie, golf course architect. Fruitland’s Nursery was molded into one of the most beautiful golf course landscapes in the world. During WW II play was suspended from1943 – 1945 as Bob Jones and other members went to serve their country. The membership even gave the use of the land to graze sheep and turkey for the war effort. The course was almost lost due to damage from the grazing animals and lack of care. There is no official count, but thousands of trees, shrubs and plants were lost from the property during that time. After the war Augusta National was on a path of recovery. WW II POW’s held at nearby Fort Gordon were brought in to restore the property after the war and the course re-opened. The Augusta membership has been a strong force in the local military community. They gifted a driving range, putting green and 9-hole golf course to the soldiers of Camp Gordon. In fact, the legend of Arnold Palmer’s fans named “Arnie’s Army” came from the soldiers from Fort Gordon who followed and cheered Arnie around Augusta early in his career. The course and tournament we know and love today can be attributed to the combined efforts of Bob Jones vision and Clifford Robert’s eye for detail. Cliff was a perfectionist as reflected in his demands for placing 2 hooks for every picture frame in the clubhouse to ensure they hung properly, ordering that fresh bills were brought in from the bank daily to make change for the patrons, and replacing oak & maple trees with pines so there were no leaves to litter the course. Cliff was a type “A” personality, a left brainer, consistent with his profession as an accountant. In fact he was the accountant for another famous American from WWII, General Dwight Eisenhower. “IKE” first visited Augusta National in 1948 when he was in between jobs. He had just left the position of Chief of Staff for the United States Army and hadn’t yet become President of Columbia University when he became a member of Augusta National. Ike visited Augusta 5 times before becoming president in 1952. Legend has it that it was the membership of Augusta who put IKE on his path to becoming the President of the United States. Bumper stickers circulated by the opposition stated “BEN HOGAN FOR PRESIDENT – if we are going to have a golfer, let’s have a good one.” Ike, Bob Jones & Cliff Roberts enjoyed golf & playing bridge and IKE had another passion for painting. When IKE became President the membership built a cabin for him on the property with an artist studio that overlooks the PAR 3 course at Augusta. IKE’s paintings include a replica of a Bob Jones portrait that still hangs in the Jones Cabin and one of Ike’s grandson hanging in the Eisenhower cabin. The “cabins” of Augusta were built for members so they would not have to look for a place to stay when they visited Augusta National. Membership consisted of captains of industry from all over the country compared to most courses that had a local membership. It is hard to believe that the initial members had to be talked into to becoming a member and the cabins were an added benefit of membership. The cabins are more like a white brick 1 ½ story home and are distinctive neighborhood on the property separating the regulation course from the par 3 course. Roberts’ eye for detail and Jones’ passion for the game have created the most sought after ticket of all sporting events ”THE MASTERS.” Roberts went as far to make sure all trash liners and food containers were green so they would blend in to the grass and go unnoticed by the cameras televising the event. The Master’s is truly a unique sporting event, being the only “major” golf tournament played on the same course each year. The Tournament is steeped in traditions. The previous year’s winner selects the menu for the Champions dinner that only the select few who have won the “Green Jacket” can attend. A Par 3 Tournament is held each year when spectators can see the legends walk alongside the young champions of today. If a player is successful enough to win a tournament that qualifies him to compete at Augusta, their name is announced by the honorary starter, a tradition dating back to 1935 with Fred McLeod being the first of the honorary starters. Since 1935 these players have all been in search of the coveted “Green Jacket,” not a trophy. From the first winner Horton Smith to the 2010 winner Phil Mickelson with Arnold Palmer being the honorary starter, The Masters is a reflection of time honored traditions and sportsmanship reflecting the “spirit of the game of golf.” The Masters drama is a palpable. In 1935 the shot heard around the world came from the 15th Hole when Gene Sarazen had a double eagle. We all felt Ben Crenshaw’s bitter-sweet victory at the 1995 Masters as he stood on the 18th green after sinking the winning putt, depleted of strength, hands dropped to his knees and tears in his eyes, after being a pallbearer the previous Tuesday for his friend, mentor & coach Harvey Penick. Who can forget Tiger Woods in the 1997 Masters with the lowest tournament round of 270 averaging 67.5, or his famous chip in at the 2005 Masters Tournament on the Par 3, 16th hole? If you are not one of the lucky ones to attend the Masters in person you can still enjoy the tournament that is televised each year. You might want to stock up on Bob Jones lunch of choice: pimento cheese sandwiches, moon pies & Coke-a-Cola, get comfortable in your favorite recliner, and tune into The Masters Tournament held the first full week of April each year. It will not disappoint. The scenery, traditions and competition will serve as a beacon announcing the arrival of spring, and the return of the great game of golf to the Erie Community. YOUR GOLFING GOALS 03/02/2011
 Is this the year you want to learn to play golf? Join a league? Improve your game or just play more golf? If so, now is the time to set your golfing goals and create a plan to help you be successful this season. Often our time is limited and before we know it it’s mid July and we didn’t even take the first step to reach our golfing goals. Why we play the game is the most important ingredient to our success in achieving your goals. I believe it is critical for you to know yourself first and set your goals according to your golf game and not someone else’s. There are countless ways to get the ball in the hole from tee to green, a variety of ways to learn to play, many different types of equipment, thousands of golf courses to play, and the list goes on. Imagine all the possibilities of combinations from the preceding list. Golf allows you to be unique and there is room for us all. If you want to enjoy this game there are many ways to do it and it can be done in accordance with proper etiquette and playing by the rules of golf. The first step of goal setting is, knowing “WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME” and aligning your goals to that purpose. There are a variety of reasons for playing golf: spending time outdoors, being with friends, developing confidence, competition, experiencing new challenges, and exercise to name a few. No matter what your reason is, it is a good one and it is your foundation for improvement. This is what will motivate you and this is where your goal setting begins. As an example, let’s look at the goal of playing more golf. You have decided that joining a league will give you the opportunity to play more golf. All leagues are not created equal and you need to pick the league that fits your playing style. If you are competitive and join a social league, your purpose and the leagues are not in alignment and frustration can occur. Worse, you may decide to give up on leagues all together or even worse give up on golf. If we back up to our critical question of why you want to play more golf and find a venue that supports that reason you will have a much happier golf season. League’s come in all shapes and sizes: couples, learn to play, competitive, social, women’s, men’s, juniors, seniors, mixed etc. Take the time now to find out what golf league will suit your needs best. Ask your friends or call your local LPGA or PGA professional for their guidance. The second step in goal setting is finding out what it will take to achieve your goal. What are your benchmarks for attaining your goal? How much time, effort and money will you need to commit to your goal? Typically when golfers are asked what they want from their golf game most will say lower scores, more distance off the tee, or to win a specific tournament. Many feel that the image of the tour player is what they should emulate to be playing correctly. Few however, are willing to do the work to achieve these goals. Frustration occurs when what we want and what we are willing to do to reach our goals is disconnected. Be realistic here and adjust your goals so you can be successful and happy with your golf game. If your schedule only allows time for 18 holes of golf on the weekend, an occasional lesson and 30 minutes of practice a week you have to adjust your goals accordingly. Keep in mind your progress belongs to you. Do not compare yourself to others who might have more time to play, take lessons on a regular basis and practice frequently. Everything is relative. Even though you may not have the time you would like, some effort is better than none, it just might take you a longer, but you will get there. Third, make your plan and commit to following it. Give yourself specific dates and times for working on your goals. Mark these times in your calendar in INK! Many people know what they need to do, but very few actually take this very important step of committing to do the work. If you make it a priority it will happen. Other things will come up but they can get scheduled in with those things you write in with pencil. Golf is in ink. Keep in mind it isn’t how many steps you take on your journey or how fast you go, it is that you start and keep moving forward to your goals. The key to being successful in golf is knowing who you are and how you can play your best golf. It is critical that you are being realistic. Each goal requires a commitment of time and effort on your part. You must be willing to do the work. If you are not able or cannot do the work for your goal it is time to make an adjustment that creates success rather than having an unachievable goal resulting in failure. In setting your goals keep in mind they should be challenging enough for you to reach beyond your current limits but not so far beyond your reach that you cannot obtain them. Knowing your reason for playing, what it will take to pursue your goals and committing to this pursuit will make golf a rewarding part of your life for many years to come. Golf is a game for a lifetime and is ever changing just like you! Setting goals at the beginning of each season to reflect your personal needs for the season will help you enjoy the great game of golf even more. WINTER\\\\\\\'sWISDOM 02/02/2011
 I know exactly how you feel. It seems like forever since we’ve walked down our favorite fairways. Sure, there is Wii Golf and other simulated indoor golf games we can play but the reality is there is nothing like being in the great outdoors practicing or playing our favorite game at the golf course. The smell of the fresh cut grass, the warmth of the sunshine, the uneven lies, the different types of grass… absolutely nothing like it. How do we survive the winter? Here are a few words of wisdom to ponder. “Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” – Arnold Palmer “Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.” – Jack Nicklaus In the midst of winter how can we make a total effort? How can we resolve not to quit in spite of the snow covered fairways? The first step would be looking at what we can do now to help us with our game during the golf season. Most golfers spend the majority of their time practicing their golf swing but very little time practicing the other skills needed to improve their game. Winter is a great time to focus on these skills. James Y. Bartlett & the Professional Caddies Association authored a book last year called “THINK LIKE A CADDIE PLAY LIKE A PRO.” They talk about how important caddies are in helping the pro with the skills of focusing on the shot at hand, being present with each shot, and learning to take a vacation in between shots. These skills are critical if we want to play our best golf and we need to practice them as much as any other part of our game. How many times did something distract you on a golf course and you missed a shot? Distractions on the golf course are going to happen. The question is, what can we do about it? The ability to focus on the task at hand filters out distractions. Our brains can only process so much information at one time. If we are totally immersed in the task at hand this is like a spam filter on your computer, keeping minor distractions in the back ground. Simply learning how to pay attention can help us reduce the number of distractions that affect us on the golf course. To practice paying attention, place a golf ball in front of you. Try to simply look at the golf ball and think of nothing else but the ball. It’s difficult to do, isn’t it? Our minds tend to wander; a noise from another room, we revisit our day, thoughts about our “to-do-list” all creep in. If this happens to you, do not feel alone. Try to track the amount of time you can keep your attention focused and improve on it. Our goal would be to get to about 1-2 minutes. This is the amount of time we take to assess a golf shot, pick a target, select a club, and rehearse what we want to have happen before the actual swing, which takes less than 2 seconds. Try again. This time really pay attention. How many dimples do you see? Imagine how the golf ball would feel in your hand. How is the light reflecting on the ball? What are the shadows like? Are there any markings on the ball? What type of surface is it sitting on? If your attention begins to drift, that’s OK. Just come back to the golf ball. Over time, with practice, you will get better at this skill of observation. Think about how many strokes you can save if you just observe the conditions of where your golf ball is and where you want it to go. Being present in the shot at hand is another skill we need to practice. How many times did you have a good round going and then, suddenly, you started thinking about “this could be the day I break 100, 90, 80, 70?” You can pick the number that started playing with your head. Or how many times did you have a bad shot that upset you and from there on your round went spiraling out of control? The key here is to identify when you are upset or placing demands on yourself. Make a list of the situations on the golf course that remove you from being present. Identifying your triggers is important to resolving this problem. Once you are aware that you are doing this, simply take a step back and allow yourself to re-group. Imagine you are on the tee of the 18th hole. If you make par you will have your career low round. What are your thoughts? What is your body feeling? Is this a different feeling? How is it different? We need to learn what makes us ready mentally, emotionally and physically to take our best shot. We also need to create an awareness of how we think, feel and act when we are not ready so we can stop and re-group. Caddies also play a vital role in helping their players take a time out from intense focus. Ask anyone who just completed 18 holes that really mattered to them. Intense focus is exhausting and we need to conserve our mental & emotional energy for when we need it the most. If you cannot take this time out you will become mentally exhausted and your round will suffer from bad decision making. You can practice this by imagining you are playing a round of golf with the remote control in your hand. We want to learn how to change the channel from high intensity focus to low key entertainment. On the high intensity channel we are preparing for the shot at hand. Once the shot is taken and we evaluate the result, it is time to change the channel. Find your remote, your swing cue, this winter to learn how to change your channel. For some it would be talking with friends about sports or current events. For others it may be enjoying nature. No matter if your channel is ESPN, The Animal Planet or the Food Network, we all need to relax a little in between shots to play better golf. If you stay on the high intensity channel fretting about a bad shot, or placing demands on yourself about what score you should make, you are not giving yourself time to re-group. Before long you will burn out and not be able to give the shot at hand your full attention. Maybe Palmer and Nicklaus had these great words of wisdom for us because they shared a close proximity to our Erie winters. Arnie from Latrobe, Pennsylvania and Jack from Columbus, Ohio, overcame the northern white fairways and overcame adversity with their mindset of a champion. Use these cold winter months to develop your golf skills of focus, being present and knowing when to take time to refresh & re-group, so you too can have a winner’s mindset and enjoy the great game of golf. FUEL FOR THE FAIRWAYS 01/02/2011
Yes, I know it
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