It’s interesting to see that Golf isn’t being left behind as technology develops. In fact, as with most other areas in life, inventors are striving to make life as easy as possible for golfers. There are now golf balls with built in tracking devices which can be found using a handheld gadget, this must surely be a super cost saver when it comes to golf balls. This in-built chip can also measure your distance and direction. WOW! Another exciting gizmo which has taken the internet by storm is a device which helps you find golf balls in the rough. It looks similar to Mister Spocks tricorder from Star Trek and is sure to intimidate your opponents. Another fantastic futuristic golf aid is the swing tempo checker which works mush like a musician’s metronome and keeps you in the beat. Long gone are the days of hitting the links with a leather bag filled with wooden “woods”, iron “irons” and basic balls. We now live in an age where we try to make everything easier than it was in the past. And with this new-fangled technology comes the pride of being able to do things which would normally be out of your scope. What a wonderful age we live in where the fool can be king with the use of simple smoke and mirrors. I know that there is a body patch to alleviate everything now including “Stop Smoking” patch “Lose Weight While You Sleep” patch “Make My Kid Less Hyperactive” patch but I eagerly await the “Eliminate My Slice” patch or the more desirable “Eagle Every Hole” patch. Until then I guess it’s off to the driving range and putting green to do some old-fashioned hard practice.
One of my favorite parts of the game of Golf is the short shot around the green. These can make or break your scoring and need just as much practice as your drives, long irons and putts. Let’s imagine the scenario that you have had a sweet drive which whistle-sailed from the tee and landed square in the middle of the fairway. You then extract a mid-range iron from your bag and drop the ball just short of the green. Upon reaching the ball you realize that it’s one of those hairy short shots that can be very hard to decide which route to take. You have landed a few inches from the edge of the green in grass that is a little too long to allow the use of a putter. It’s time to make a crucial decision.
1. Do I Pop and Drop?
2. Do I Chop and Roll?
These are two distinctly different types of shot using two very different clubs. One must also take into account the condition of the green.
Is it flat or bumpy? Is it wet or dry?And if it’s wet, how wet is it?Or adversely, if it’s dry, how dry is it? How far away is the pin?How much green is there behind the pin?
So having taken all the factors necessary into account, it is now time to play the shot.
1. The Pop and Drop.
The Pop and Drop is played using a sand wedge with the face of the club as open as possible. Your stance should be a little lower than a normal swinging stance and a little more like a putting stance. The shaft of the club will be leaning back at about an angle of 60° which may feel a little awkward for a while, but once you get used to it and see the results it brings, it will quickly become more comfortable. Now, the backswing and follow through for this shot should be of equal length depending on the distance of your shot while retaining the 60° angle with the club at all times. This shot gives a lot of height and little roll after the ball lands. In fact if played properly there should be almost no roll, hence the name.
2. The Chop and Roll.
The Chop and Roll is played using a 7 iron. (”WHAT, ARE YOU CRAZY?” I hear you say. Yes a little, but that’s beside the point.) So, taking an identical stance to the Pop and Drop shot, only this time the club shaft should be tilted forward at an angle of 45°. Again it may feel like advanced yoga for a little while but it takes time to get familiar with these club positions. Remember to keep the shaft at 45° during the shot and again the backswing and follow through should be of equal distance depending on the length of the shot and moistness of the green. (You need a little more gusto on a very wet green as the water acts as a brake mechanism.) The only difference between this shot and the other is that you need to give a little chopping motion against the ball and ground on contact. This must be very subtle and should not be a stop or affect the follow through. I tend to prefer this shot because the chop allows the ball enough height to get over the grass but the ball then rolls along the green as if it had been putted. It’s also worth noting that if I add a little Chop to the Pop and Drop I then get a Chop and Drop which puts some “backspin” on the ball.
Once these short shots have been mastered they will become an integral part of your game, reduce your average and bestow a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.
I decided to go for a round at the public links course today and came back in a demonic mood and minus a few tufts of hair. (Not that I can afford to lose anymore) The weather was glorious and I was playing above average but the fairways and greens resembled fox-holed battlefields. Recently, we’ve had a really wet spell and it looks like many of the “players” were too lazy to poke their plugs and bung their divots, but now it has gotten very hot very quickly and the devastation has become painfully apparent. Sacrilege at the most sinful level, if you ask me. Drives were landing in moonlike meteor craters, chips on top of grass toupees (or scalps) and long putts zigzagging the greens like drunken ball-bearings in a tilted pinball machine. If this tropical spell continues and the ground dries up even more the damage may become irreparable. I saw a number of attendants and green keepers busily watering and hoeing but I could see from their faces that they were fighting a losing battle. O.K., as I said we had some monsoon weather for the last few weeks but if you are going to play in the rain then at least play by the rules. It may be tempting in a heavy shower to duck under a tree and leave a divot or run to the next tee and leave a plug mark in the green but remember that your fellow golfers will have to play on the course that you leave behind.
Whether you want to be the next Tiger Woods, play with some friends on Saturday afternoon or simply go for a leisurely walk while striking a ball, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before you start playing Golf. Below is a list of ten things you need to consider.
1. Why do I want to play Golf?
There are countless reasons why somebody would want to play Golf. In fact, if you ask any business executive to name the places where a lot of their deals and contacts are made, their Golf club will surely be included in this list. Or if you ask the 80 year old grandfather to explain his reasons for getting up at for a Sunday morning ramble through the fairways he would probably tell you that it helps keep him fit. So why do you want to play Golf? Do you have a reason or is it just a spur of the moment fling? You should think a little while before jumping in the deep end and really be sure that Golf is the right game for you. A good idea is take a pen and a piece of paper and make a list of reasons why you would like to play Golf. Because your neighbor plays every weekend and he says it’s a great game may not be the right reason to partake.
2. How much time am I willing to invest?
Golf is different from a lot of other sports due to the fact that there is quite a lot to learn before you can really begin to enjoy the game. Unlike other games, it is not really possible to teach yourself 100% from a book or DVD. The basic techniques require a lot of feel and take a while to develop. If you learn bad technique then it can be very hard to change it. Therefore, it is a good idea to join a club and get lessons from a Golf Pro. Having said that, lessons alone are not enough, a great deal of patience is necessary in order to get a feel for the techniques and to put them into effective practice. You need to spend a lot of time at the driving range and putting green before you ever go near the Golf course. Of course, Golf is not unique in this respect. How many guitars now lie in closets, scuba gear in basements and skis hang on garage walls? The bottom line that Golf initially requires more time than other sports but once you have the basics mastered you can invest whatever amount of time you wish.
3. How much equipment do I really need?
How far down the rabbit hole do you really want to go? Do you want to have a few beers and puck a ball in the general direction of the pin with the boys or play in serious competitions where the extra 10 yards can win or lose a tournament? Do you want a second hand Volvo or a new Ferrari? How much of a budget do you have? I am one of the firm believers that Golf should be a game for everyone regardless of social class, color or creed. So whether you buy your gold plated rocket science equipment from the Pro store or second hand clubs through E-bay, I would still enjoy a round of Golf with you. However, Golf is a game played outdoors and requires a lot of extra accessories to make life a little more comfortable. I’m not going to list everything here but for example if it rains you may need waterproof clothing or an umbrella or if it’s very sunny then you may need a cap for protection or sunglasses against the glare so you don’t lose sight of your ball in midair. But the basic equipment is no greater an investment than for most other sports or hobbies.
In general, one should ask themselves these questions before venturing into any sport or hobby, but as those who play Golf know, it is addictive and the more you play the more addictive it becomes and the initial learning phase becomes but a fading memory. So if having considered the above questions you still want to play then I look forward to seeing you on the tee.
I always find it amazing that when we, as humans, are in situations which make major demands on the mind and soul it can seem torturous, but when we look back at the same events years later these trials can become sources of unmatched amusement and laughter. Such is the case of today’s tale of the lovely Missus O’Reilly.
Every summer we used to holiday in one of Irelands most famous beach resorts. Well, to be more precise, one of Ireland’s most famous beach “GOLF” resorts. My father was and still is a golf nut and the game has always been a part of our family life. Each weekend he would play in some or other tournament and more often than not would arrive home with a trophy or some other prize. And it seemed that our holidays would coincidentally coincide with one of the clubs annual tournaments. Being creatures of habit, we would stay at the same village lodgings for three weeks every year. The rooms were very comfortable, the homemade food delicious and the Proprietor “Missus O’Reilly” was an angel on Earth. We would always arrive on Friday and I would await my Demonic Saturday encounter like some death row prisoner
Saturday morning, 8:00 a.m, a succession of Tommy gun knocks on my bedroom door.
“Are you up yet, young man?” she would chirp excitedly.
I knew that pretending to be asleep just wouldn’t work, so I cleared my throat, rubbed the sand from my eyes and answered: “I’m on the way.”
“Good” she would reply, “because your breakfast is getting cold and we don’t want to be late.”
There were two courses in this village, one was the professional players’ course and the other was what I like to call the “Woodcutters” course. Missus O’Reilly was a member of the latter and she was retired, so for the three weeks that I was there we would play a round of Golf every day.
“Same rules as last year, I take it?” she would say, suddenly becoming scarily serious.
“I suppose” I said.
“Of course you have gotten bigger and stronger” she would grumble. “It’s only fair that you give me an extra shot advantage per hole this year”.
“But…” I would try to interject.
“Now… Now…temper temper..” she would snap hastily.
Of course she was right, I had gotten taller and stronger, but I felt that the seven shots per hole advantage from the previous year was more than adequate. Already feeling defeat, I motioned for her to tee up and take her shot. I say “shot” because she never used woods. She had a putter, a wedge, a seven iron and something that vaguely resembled a three iron. Now, I’ve seen some pretty peculiar swings in my time but Mrs. O’Reilly’s took the biscuit. Her right foot was basically O.K. but her left foot was pointing towards the pin. She would take a deep breath and utter: “keep an eye on it, won’t you?” Her arms would swing stiffly back and suddenly stop, pointing skyward, for about ten seconds, then they would come down and after striking the ball she would do what appeared to be a half drunken pirouette while struggling to keep her balance. The ball appeared to scurry along the ground in terror as it tried to escape the executioners axe and stop ten yards away. It was the dreaded moment I had awaited. I put both my hands over my head as the red-faced demon threw the pseudo three iron randomly upwards. A string of obscenities left this normally passive woman’s mouth that a drunken sailor would be ashamed to whisper.
“Where did it go?….Where did it go?…I told you to keep an eye on it.” she would scream with demented cookie monster eyes. ”If you can’t even help an ol’ lady why do you bother dragging me here” she would yell. Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde eat your heart out. She would then stand still for a few minutes and say: “I believe it’s your shot or do you wish to keep me standing here all day?” Timidly, I would extract my driver from my bag and square up to the ball. THWHACK ! The ball would sail high towards the middle of the fairway. “Fluke” she would hiss through her teeth and walk away briskly leaving me on the tee. After we finally located her ball in light rough she would grab her wedge, take her stance and always come down too fat. BUMMPH! Her body would shake, the ball would go another five yards and a divot the size of Manhattan followed by a muddy club would make their way towards the heavens accompanied by Missus O’Reilly’s chorus of profanity. This would continue until we reached the green where suddenly the persona of the “lovely Missus O’Reilly” would return as quickly as it had left. The green is where she played like a professional golfer, and she knew it too. She would smirk as she sank a really long, difficult putt that I could never have sunk.
“See that young man” she would say with pride, “And you, with your big fancy drives.”
“You would be better off practicing your short game and not bullying the elderly.” she would say while cackling like a sea witch and then she would punch me on the shoulder as we headed towards the next tee. These antics would continue for the whole day she would average fifteen strokes per hole on our daily five and a half hour rounds of Golf. And woe betides the golfers waiting behind that would tell us to hurry up.
On returning to the guesthouse we would all sit down to dinner
“Would you like some more tea, pet?” she would chime angelically. My parents would smile at the lovely Missus O’Reilly and her kind nature. And as I tried to sneak off to bed after my supper her head would pop out from the kitchen “So, young man, we’ll see each other at 8:00 a.m.” And her head would disappear before I could answer.
As far as I know, Missus O’Reilly has passed away since my childhood holidays but despite my dreaded fear I never came to any harm playing with Missus O’Reilly and I got to see some of the more positive and negative sides of the game. Back To Top Of Page
So you chipped in form twenty yards, hit the pin and the ball dropped klunk into the cup for a spectacular pro-like birdie. After the obligatory pats on the back and congratulations from the others playing the regular Saturday four-ball tournament you proudly proceed to the clubhouse. Upon entering the locker room you sit down, take off your golf shoes and are about to shove your clubs into your locker until next weeks game.
STOP!
Haven’t you forgotten something?
Your clubs have served you well and brought you many hours of enjoyment.
They will continue to serve you well but only if treated with the respect they truly deserve!
So how does one care for their golf clubs, especially the irons which tend to get the grubbiest?
Here is a little tip my father taught me and even thought it may take a few minutes it will add years to the life of your clubs and the nineteenth will still be there when you have finished.
You will need:
A small basin of warm water
A little washing-up liquid
A stiff haired toothbrush
Some cotton tea towels
A can of waterproofing spray (for car windshields)
A smidgen of “Elbow Grease”
So lets get started.
Basically the process is relatively simple and you can probably guess it form the ingredients above but I’ll run you through it just to make sure.
1. Add a small amount of washing-up liquid to the basin of water and stir until it’s bubbly.
2. Hold the shaft of the club near the head over the basin. Remember you are washing the head and not the shaft.
3. Dip the toothbrush into the water and begin to clean the club over the water. Be sure to get any dirt from out between the grooves.
4. Dip the head into the water to rinse (NOT THE SHAFT) and repeat the process until it is clean.
5. Using one of the cotton clothes dry the club head thoroughly.
6. Spray the head lightly with the window waterproofer.
7. Using a different cotton cloth dry the club thoroughly.
That’s it ! Quick and painless….
You can now put your clubs into their locker happy in the fact that they will continue to serve you for a very long time. After all, golf clubs are expensive and should be treated with the respect they deserve.
I’m sure you must have seen at least one Samurai movie in your lifetime. You know the scene, with the warrior standing erect and stiff, while tightly holding a sheathed sword in his left hand and the villagers scattering for their lives. The camera zooms in on his face, his eyes move slowly from left to right and beads of sweat trickle down his forehead. Time seems to stop, and after what appears to be a lifetime, he slowly unsheathes the traditional weapon and assumes a fighting stance. Focused and unstoppable he then proceeds to wipe out the villains and save the poor villagers from the bad guys.
How many times have you felt like a samurai as you approach the green. A tournament deciding putt awaits and your partner looks on in helplessness as you prepare your mind for the task ahead. Slowly, you remove the putter from the bag and walk towards the ball. Ouch! That chip shot didn’t go exactly as planned and you’ve left yourself with a ten meter long putt on a green with more hills than Rome. Genuflecting on one knee and holding the putter plumb at 90 degrees, your eyes follow the curves and contour to find the exact line to the cup. You take a deep breath to calm your nerves and bravely stand up. Trying to keeping mind all the factors that will enable you to succeed in making this difficult but possible shot you assume your stance.
Are my feet correctly positioned?
Are my shoulders straight?
Did I get the right line?
Am I focusing on the ball?
Will I keep my head down?
How much power do I need to give it?
Is my grip alright?
You can hear your heart beating in your chest and time slows down.
You could hear a pin drop. (If it weren’t for the grass)
Again, another deep breath, but this time holding it in, as you bring back the club head and take the shot.
You cannot see where the ball is going as it roller-coasters the uneven terrain but you anxiously wait for the exhilarating sound as ball meets cup in perfect unison.
I firmly believe that there should be a 5 iron tournament !
One club, one ball, one golfer and his wits.
No bulky bags to manage, prancing nymph-like freely along the fairways and whistling
Dixie through a cheese-filled Brady Bunch smile…Ya Right!
You see, I have done it. (Prancing and
Dixie whistling and Brady Bunch smile excluded, usually.)
When I was younger my father advised me to practice my game using what he called “the most versatile club in your bag”.
“This club can do just about anything, I mean anything” he would articulate wisely.
Feeling somewhat like the kid in the kung-fu series , I would reply, “What do you mean (master)?”.
“Well” he would reply, a deep look of serious contemplation resting on his right eyebrow. “If you play the ball off your left foot and tilt the shaft back, you can simulate the 7, 8 and 9 irons”. Flabbergasted, I made no retort but stood like a wide-eyed bunny rabbit seconds prior to becoming roadkill.
“Ya”, he would continue, his voice becoming more animated as he mistook my fear for enthusiasm, “And if you play the ball off your right foot and slightly close the face, she acts like a putter”.
He eagerly gazed upon my countenance awaiting some sign of revelation.
Not wanting to appear rude, after all he seemed to feel like he had just imparted some golf holy grail secret and was expecting a sniper to “take him out” from the clubhouse toilet window for his act of disobedience. I responded the only way possible.
“Huh?” The sound kind of forced its way out. “Ahem, that’s interesting” I cajoled, hoping it would make him stop.
“And”….he paused…his head glancing at the toilet window just to be sure, “If one plays two good 5 irons from center position one can easily match the best drive” he finished, like an awestruck kid talking about his new shiny bicycle.
There was a long silence as we stood with our eyes locked like two gunfighters preparing to draw.
Then, he handed me a 5 iron, winked wisely and walked away.
I don’t remember how many rounds I played with just a 5 iron, but it was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received concerning the game.
My whole game improved and upon returning to my full set to play a round, I noticed a vast improvement in my technique.
So, come on guys…Play 5 iron 4 ball this Saturday and test your skill !!!
This blog will cover every aspect of Golfing from equipment to courses and from jokes to true stories. Basically I will play it by ear and try to surprise those of you willing to read. Your comments would be much appreciated and if you have any suggestions or if you would like any theme covered please feel free to leave a comment or contact me at my email address : nixnigel@gmx.net
