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Tom Watson 2009

Can’t believe Tom Watson lost…

I was crushed when Tom Watson lost the British Open Championship.  It was such a disappointment because you could see how much he wanted to win and how magical it would have been.

There are times when you know history is being made.  We didn’t know that after around two, although the 54 hole lead of the major championship is pretty remarkable.  But after the third round and on the back nine of the last day of the Open Championship, we knew we were watching history.  Tom Watson was almost 60 years old and he has winning the Open.  We all know that this is amazing, and it will always stir our emotions.

The emotions that we feel when a man is in such a position are incredible.  We all draw from our experience and taste a little bit of what he’s going through.  We can imagine that day in high school years ago, when we are trying to win a game or had a shot.  We magnify that by a million.  That’s what I felt.  For me it was the feeling of being at the state championship track meet, getting ready for the finals of the high hurdles, knowing that I had a chance to get into the record books and win a medal.  That anxiousness, that energy, it runs in your veins.  It’s what you’ve always wanted, all the while knowing the odds you’re fighting.  We all knew that Tom Watson was fighting the odds, but that energy was coursing through him from his feet to top of his head.  We all wanted him to do it so we could be a part of something unthinkably fantastic, even if it was as a fan.

Tom Watson is an incredible champion and I only wish he could have won the Open so the record books with reflected.  My fear now is that people will remember the winner of the 2009 Open Championship and that Tom Watson’s runner-up will only become a footnote.  I know that students of the game will remember this forever, but Tom Watson deserves to be remembered by all.

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Avoid Heat Injury!!

In the military, heat injury is a big deal.  If your body gets too hot and can’t cool itself down, you could die.  Seriously.  The Marines will go out on humps and very warm weather, but they place an emphasis on education and watch their members carefully.  This Navy Seals train in all different environments, but they have a physician close by in case of emergency.  And if anyone does fall out, depending on the severity of his condition, they may be booted out of the military.  Heat injury is that important.  What about on the golf course?

The golf course is an easy place to fall victim to heat injury, especially if you are out drinking the night before.  Summer, especially in the South, can bring very warm weather.  It’s very important to be careful and to prepare adequately.  Here are some guidelines:

  • Be careful how much alcohol or soda you drink.
  • Drink water before you get thirsty
  • Drink water before you go to the course
  • Stay in the shade of possible — carry an umbrella, or use a cart
  • Dress appropriately
  • Take a break at the turn
  • Play early in the morning or late in the afternoon
  • Consider sitting this weekend out if you’re sick

Next time you play in crazy heat, like here in North Carolina, think about these guidelines and be safe!

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What is bounce?

We’re not talking about Tiger Woods and the commercial where he bounces the ball on his wedge and then hits it out of mid air.  Have you ever tried that?  It’s fricken hard.  Anyway, bounce on a golf club is usually associated with wedges like a 60 degree lob wedge or a sand wedge.  It refers to the angle on the sole of the club.

Bounce is important for several reasons that greatly impact your short game.  First of all, bounce is very important on sand shots.  This is what keeps the club moving through the sand instead of digging deeper.  This helps you move sand and the ball on top of it.  If you listen to bunker shots that the pros take, you can hear a ‘thud’ before the ball comes out.  That’s bounce at work.  It happens when you hit the sand with the sole of the club (bounce) instead of the leading edge of the club.  Next time you practice a bunker shot, hit the sand a few times without a ball.  Try to make that sound and you’ll notice how easily the club moves through the sand.  Remember don’t hit the sand with the leading edge of the club.

Bounce is also important when chipping.  Phil Mickelson is known to grind down all the bounce until it’s gone.  This is so he can get the maximum loft on the wedge.  It makes it tougher to hit because the club will dig into the ground if you don’t hit it perfect, just like in the sand.  On the other hand, if you have too much bounce, you may tend to hit it thin or skull it.  For example, I had a 60 degree lob wedge with 7 degrees of bounce.  I hit it great, but when I got a new wedge with 11 degrees of bounce I skulled every chip because I had to hit it differently.  I went back to a club with less bounce and my chipping so I could use the stroke I had learned over the past several years instead of trying to relearn a new chipping stroke.

So that’s bounce.  Hopefully, you can use it to your advantage when you buy your next wedge and your up-and-down’s will put some…bounce… in your step!

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Girls that golf, or at least like it?

Chicks dig golf. I’m not even talking about the LPGA. I know, it’s unbelievable. I didn’t believe it at first either. I know a girl who sometimes watches 6 hours of golf on TV in a weekend. It’s crazy. Now is this the making of a perfect woman? Let’s see…

First, she watches for the guys. This isn’t hard to believe since girls think about guys all the time and guys think about girls nonstop. My friend likes Sergio Garcia and Camillo Villegas. No surprise there. But WTF? They’re not just pieces of meat out there?? Ok, so that doesn’t help much because in the back of our minds we’ll know that she’s checking them out. But then again, what does she think when we watch Two and a Half Men, Baywatch, or anything with Jessica Alba?

Second, she doesn’t even play the game. This boggles the mind. It’s one thing to watch a sport that you have some experience in, but to just watch for the sheer enjoyment of it? This one really surprised me, but apparently it’s the truth. She has hit the driving range before at least, but doesn’t play.

My question is, how did all this start? Was it just a Sunday tradition at home or something? It had to come from somewhere. I didn’t watch golf until I started playing, but before that I never really had an inclination to watch. Maybe it’s because she’s just a sports fan? My friend is indeed a sports fan of a very high caliber. This is a plausible explanation and adds something extra to her persona. She is also competitive and doesn’t like to lose, another good thing in my book.

When discussing this with another friend of mine, he said he used to date a girl that only wanted to go out to eat and play golf. He said it was like dating himself, which I guess could be good or bad. When that relationship finally didn’t work out, it was a struggle for him to leave her. I don’t think he left because of the golf.

So is this an essential ingredient in making a perfect woman? You’ll have to investigate that on a case by case basis. In the end, if you find a woman that lets you watch golf at all, enjoy it. If you find one that’ll watch with you, you’re blessed twice over. But if you find a woman like European Tour Player Maria Verchenova, who can teach you all you need to know about golf AND looks like that…who really cares what’s on TV anyway??

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A video will help your swing!

Should you buy a video camera to check out your swing? Unquestionably, yes. I recently started using one just for the heck of it and it has been unbelievable. The ability to watch your swing day-to-day and work on a few things consistently is incredible. I’ve taken video lessons in the past and they’ve been really helpful, but having one to use everyday has been fantastic.

Sean Ohair sweet set up in his house. He has a room with a camera behind him in front of him connected to a flatscreen TV so you can watch his swing real-time. Of course, he’s PGA touring pro and makes the money to have one of those rooms. But I want one! That way when I see a tip on the Golf Channel, I can turn on camera and see what it feels like to be in whatever positions they are recommending.

A lot of it boils down to feel. If you can’t feel your swing change, how do you know you’re doing it when he gets the course? If you have a camera to show you when you’re doing something correctly and when you’re not, you can compare the feeling that you have. If you can ingrain it into muscle memory, you can take it to the course. And if you have your own video camera, you can check yourself over and over without waiting until your next lesson. Using my video camera, I changed my back swing and my position at the top quite easily. I took my new swing to the golf course last weekend and had the ball crisper and then I had in a while. I love it. I don’t know why I never bought a video camera before.

To me, a video camera has been one of the most valuable things I bought to help my golf swing. Plus, a video camera is very helpful around the house, if you know what I mean… 🙂