Pencil & Card

There are only two types of players … those who keep their nerves under control & win championships, and those who do not

-Harry Vardon

I stood on 18 tee & took a deep breath. Looked at my caddie, Connor, and told him lets go birdie the last hole. I took a practice swing, setup, and hit the ball right down middle of the 520 yard par 5. This hole is a sharp dogleg right that plays severely uphill. I had 250 to the green & I hit a 4 iron short of the green. I then pitch on and two putted for my par. One short of what I wanted but still happy how I played the hole. I shook hands with my playing partners and headed to scoring.

That day I signed for 102.

My highest score in a while. I honestly haven’t shot in the hundreds since I was 16 years old (almost 11 years ago).

How did I get to that point?

Golf is an interesting sport. Some will play the game and never compete; not even a friendly match for $1 a side. Some will only play rounds of golf for money and the money they play for is fairly equal to my weekly income. Golf has this parallel with many action sports; for example Skateboarding. Some of the best Skateboarders in the world don’t compete in the biggest competitions. Instead they just ride their board and create art through videos and photos … there are probably some that don’t even do that, an unknown person who just loves to ride.

I started that day waking up in my car, since I slept in the parking lot of the country club the qualifier was being held at. The day before I played a practice round and didn’t really hit it great until the last 6 holes, but my last 5 rounds were no higher than 74 and I was swinging the golf club better than I ever had. I went for breakfast and came back to warm up for the day. I got to the first tee and hit my opening tee shot a tad to the right and put myself on a sidehill in the rough, right behind a tree. From there, I hit a shot that if you ask me to hit 3 years ago, it wouldn’t have happened. I hit about a 35 yard low draw around the tree to 20 feet. I then 4 putted for double, went to the next hole, and absolutely crushed a tee shot right down the middle. Hit a 3/4 Sand Wedge on the green to 30 feet (very below average), then proceeded to leave the putt right on the edge and making par.

Imperfection, to perfection, back to imperfection, and back to perfection.

Tournament Golf at its highest form is 156 players playing 4 rounds of 18 holes. There is typically a cut after 36 holes to 60 to 80 players and the total distance of the course is normally around 7200 yards for men and 6600 yards for women. The lowest form of competition in the professional game are Monday Qualifiers, State Open Qualifiers, and One day mini tour events. They’re 18 holes and normally played on smaller golf course. At the top of professional golf its about building a round and not letting big number ruin momentum … an 8 on a par 4 on the 3rd hole of a Thursday can be erased by birding 4 of the 8 par 5s remaining in the first two rounds and you might find yourself on the right side of the cut line. Average Birdie percentage on par 5s on tour is 43% and every Tour pro averages under par on Par 5s. Though in a one day event a big score can often derail a player because there isn’t that extra 18 holes to make up for any lost ground. You could play the next set of holes better than your average, though for most players they need a near ‘perfect’ round to get through a qualifier. 4 birdies, 4 bogeys, and 10 pars is normally what gets it done.

The reason for near perfection is simply that many of the players playing are not good enough on their average day. This exists in all forms of competitive golf. To combat this, the USGA will send letters to any amateur or pro who shoots 12 shots above the course rating in a National qualifier. These letters state that you must show results of previous success in tournaments or be banned for 3 years in USGA events. I will be honest and say thoughts of receiving a letter did cross my mind when playing the back nine that day. I never did receive one, but if I did, I honestly don’t how I would have reacted.

I have never got along with tournament golf. I have yet to have a Happy Gilmore moment … Happy, there is just one problem, your just no good. But the thought has crossed my mind that I will never figure out how to shoot under par routinely in competition. I have shot under par in a competitive environment. Twice during 2021, I shot 70 with the members during a Skins Game. Both times I missed a putt from inside 3 feet for birdie (same hole location) to shoot 69. There was pressure there and I was playing very focused during these rounds. I can remember stalking a few putts from a couple different angles to get the read just right to make the putt. Going through my PLAN on every shot. Yet this was a course, I knew very well; I worked there and played with members regularly. Plus the course is only about 5600 yards, though it is tight and many holes you’re hitting long to mid irons into greens. The qualifier I was playing was roughly 1000 yards longer and up until about a month before the event, I didn’t even know of its existence.

After missing some easy mid range putts for par and not making a birdie on the front nine, I turned in 42 to the back nine. Even with that score, I was striking the golf ball solid, just need to make a few putts on the back nine and I would have a chance to qualify. Once my round was over, Connor (my caddie) said he was very confident when we were walking to the back nine that I would shoot under par; I was too. Connor had seen me rally rounds back after bad starts a few times when we had played. He knew I had been working on my mental game and had been figuring out strategies to get the most out of my golf game. Standing on the 10th, I pulled Driver on a mid range par 4 after watching my playing competitors hit long irons left and right. I stepped up and hook a drive a little, it proceed to hit a lone tree up the right side, and go down into a sidehill covered in knee high grass.

I knew in that moment my ball was gone and my chances were over. I played the next 4 holes that day not really caring where my golf ball went. I just wanted the round to be over. In those 4 holes, I hit 4 balls out of play. It was a very unprofessional moment. PGA professionals are suppose to play with etiquette; which simply means try to shoot your lowest score possible, not interfere with others competitors rounds, and protect the field when considering rulings. I’m not proud of this day. But it is apart of my golfing career. I was proud of the fact that I didn’t swear after any shot during that round. I like to think of it as my mantra that I have - say Fore not F@*# - but honestly it was more from disbelief of what happening.

I wish I could say that there was a positive ending to this story. But this is a story of failure. That day I failed to qualify for the Wisconsin State Open. Failure is not always a bad outcome if you can learn from your mistakes. When I shot under par a year prior, I was practicing my wedges at the Palm Desert Soccer Park almost every other morning for at least an hour before work. I was also in a two year stretch where if I had detailed stats, it would have shown that I was putting better than an average PGA Tour player. Those two factors along with knowing the course brought me to a little success. Leading into my qualifier, I had probably practiced less 10 times in the prior 3 months though I had been playing a ton of golf and had been routinely shooting scores in the mid 70s. Though this was on a golf course that was vastly different from the qualifier course. My home course was longer, though wider and very firm; I play very well on these types of courses.

I don’t know when I will play my next tournament, though I will prepare more effectively and make sure I have a good understanding of the golf course before playing. I’m very much the person that doesn’t give up on a dream. It took me 7 tries to pass my PAT. I was a member of the PAT Tour for a couple of years and its the last tour you want to be on. I had a few people tell me that I would never pass and to just give up. I don’t mind proving a few people wrong.

Tournament Golf is as much a physical task, as a mental one. To be successful you have to be able to make great decisions and then execute on those decisions. I believe that I have the knowledge to succeed, I just have to present my skills to the best of my ability. The more I put myself in a competitive environment, the better chance I have. Though saying you can be successful is sometimes just as difficult as performing the task.

to be continued

What is old is new

I didn’t throw that club. I was returning it to the woods … since its made of wood

- Happy Gilmore

Recreation is defined by an activity that is done for enjoyment when one isn’t working (Google it). The vast majority of Golfers are what I deem Recreational Players; in all reality they don’t care what they shoot, they care more about enjoying time on the Links with their comrades.

The first recording of the game of golf was when the King of Scotland, James II, banned in the game in 1457. He thought men should be focusing their time on Archery instead of wasting it on the links. That ban was done away with the gifting of clubs to James IV in 1504 & he himself like many other became addicted to the game.

The clubs they used then would more resemble canes or hammers than the modern clubs we use today. Back then a drive probably wasn’t going more than a 150 yards for a average recreational player and that is why we see course in Scotland that have been around for hundreds of years being shorter and maybe not quite 18 holes.

If you take to Instagram or YouTube you will find a small niche of golfer that are the Hipster class of Golfers. Whether its playing without a collard shirts, no golf shoes, or expensive Sunday bags … they’re finding enjoyment in the game beyond simply playing golf.

The craziest of all the Hipster Golfers are the ones who have now opted to quit playing with modern technology and start playing with classic clubs; Hickories & Persimmons. Opting to use a classic Tom Stewart Niblick instead of the New Bob Vokey Sand Wedge.

Having played courses that are over 100, if not 200 years old you begin to have a different thought on the game. What would be more fun … to blast a drive and chip on or swing four great shots to make a great mark on your card? If you look back on the game, the greats have done both and I don’t know if there is an answer to the question.

Ted Ray won the 1912 Open Championship at Muirfield. He can be touted as the originator of trying to hit the ball as far as possible. His philosophy on the swing was if you could not hit the ball hard, then try to hit it harder. It was record that he had many of drives over 250 yards and at times getting ones to go 280, 290, and even a few over 300. At his time in the game, they were playing drivers made of persimmon with shafts made of peach and hickory wood and wearing coats & ties. A good drive for a pro was handful of yards over 200. Yet this man knew something they didn’t. His logic was the closer he was from the hole after his tee shot, no matter the lie, he had a better chance of hitting the ball close on his next shot. So one the best players of that era happen to be one, if not the longest player in his era. Similar to Tiger, Jack, or Bobby Jones. They all to led their era in hitting the ball far.

In every era, the best players where the ones who hit it the furthest yet there is still a call to roll the ball back. The reasoning is that skill is lost in the game due less longer shots needing to be hit. The gripe is that Iron Play and Putting should determine a winner not a Long Drive Contest.

In 2022, I have begin to split my time playing Hickory Golf & Modern Golf. This is partly due to a friend and mentor in Clark Willard, founder of Hickory Revival . Last year, Clark lent me a set a Hickories on July 4 and I played Sand Valley with a dear friend and the rest is history.

I can remember the moment where it all made sense … it was hole 8, Par 3, 88 yards. Its a serve uphill shot to a front pin & it was into the wind. I was between hitting a Mashie or a Mashie Niblick. A Mashie is somewhere between a modern 6 to 8 iron and a Mashie Niblick is where between a modern 8.5 to PW. Now a days you would grab a Sand or Gap wedge give a firm swing and walk up and two putt. But with the Hickories, a decision had to be made. I choose Mashie as I could keep it lower into the wind and also it was quite the challenge hitting a 175 yard club … 80ish yards in the air.

After I hit the shot … walking up the hill … it all made sense. This is how the game gained popularity in its Genesis. That one shot brought me more joy than any other rounds I played in the last 5 years because it brought a Golfing Innocence that I haven’t felt since my youth.

Maybe this is the argument, the stewards of the game should make. Instead of saying hitting the ball far takes skill away from the game maybe they could argue the game has lost its innocence. No longer are players standing in the fairways debating with their caddie between clubs. Now they look at a chart, make a practice swing, and hit the shot. Yet it still takes them over 5 and half hours to play.

All can be gain what has been lost with a touch of the old which may recapture the game’s true test … having fun chasing a white ball hundreds of yards.

to be continued

The Draw

You can talk to a Fade, a Hook won’t listen

-Lee Trevino

I once heard that 85% of golfers have a slice … a ball flight that curves from left to right for a right handed player. Whether or not that is true has no bearing on the fact that all most all recreational golfers would trade their soul to learn to play a Draw.

A Draw is a ball flight that curves from right to left for a right handed player. It is traditionally produced when the face is slightly open (point right) of target at impact & the path of the club is swinging from the inside.

If you go on YouTube and search how to hit a draw … you’re going to get thousands upon thousands of videos that probably will not help a lick. Sure you might be able to pull it off once in a while or grove 5 shots in a row on the range … but lets add water, a long iron, and tucked back left pin suddenly the Draw is no where to be found.

I’m not saying to try not to learn to hit a Draw, what I’m saying is there is a Simple way & a Complicated way to do so. I used to teach for a company called Golf Made Simple … the only way I know to explain subjects are in a simple manor going step by step. Hopefully this next part will make some sort of sense.

Grab a wedge put the ball in the middle of stance & aim your body to the right of your target (right handed players … sorry Lefties, I know it sucks). Now let your right arm hand lower than your left when gripping the club (once again sorry lefties). Now get ready to swing … you’re going to try to hit the ball around 30 yards with the ball starting right of your target … that is the only goal!

Hit 50 balls in an hour (don’t rush) with this strategy in mind. Commit yourself to the discipline of hitting the same shot. The paragraph above gives a very simple task of learning how to curve the ball from right to left … the challenge comes from the discipline of not trying a different tip after hitting 5 terrible shots in a row.

Discipline is the key when learning to hit a Draw.

I have never met a person who lost 50 pounds in a day, so why would think it’s possible to cut 10 shots off your best round in one range session.

When you go to play, commit to the same strategy as the range session just now with a bigger swing. You’re going to hit shots that slice & you’re going to lose golf balls but you will see some difference in your ball flight if you care less about your score and less about the outcome of your shot.

Commit yourself to discipline of hitting the same shot if you want to learn how to get better.

Create a swing that encourages you to swing in a motion instead of fighting the motion that you hate. Aim to the right, point your club head at the target, & swing. Don’t worry about making doubles or losing balls. Once you start watching that ball turn over the way you want … then start slowly thinking about how to score

Learning to score might be different than you thought as well

Cross Country Golf

I don’t run. And if you see me run, you should start running too. Because something is probably chasing me

- Anonymous

Cross Country Golf in simplest terms is we will tee off here and go for the hole over there. Its still golf … get the little ball in the little hole in the fewest shots possible. Yet this form of golf can either be praised by a Golf Sicko like myself or hated by the Golf Purest. Even-though this form of the game is most certainly the Origin of golf.

Often times you end up traversing the course in ways you have never seen. Hitting tee shots backwards over trees that the architect didn’t intend you carry and approaching the green from an angle that is different than you would normally.

Many clubs in the Midwest or Northeast of the US will have their last event of the year be a 9 hole Cross Country Golf event where they end up playing holes crisscrossing the course and playing holes over 800 yards. There is a reason you don’t see many par 6s in Golf … they take up a lot of unnecessary amount of land and are not that fun to play!

Yet there is still a way to make Cross Country golf fun and compelling for the recreational player. The way to do this is by having Reverse, Alternate, and Secret Holes at your course.

Reverse Routing can turn any 18 hole property into a 36 hole masterpiece with just some tree removal and maybe a temporary green or two. There are even courses that have embraced the concept of reserve routing by adding into their design concept such as the Loop, Bobby Jones Park, and The Old Course.

The 2022 United States Open was played at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. It is considered the original country club in the US and its home to 27 holes of golf; the Clyde, the Squirrel, and the Primrose nines. For all the USGA Championship Events they play a composite routing that have holes from all 3 nines … this routing includes a cross country hole.

Its combination of the first & second holes of the Primrose Course. The first hole is a medium length par 4 and you can see still see the first green in play while playing the US Open routing. The second is medium length par 3 over water. The combination of these creates a medium length par 4 that tested the best players in the world. Also now the members have a great little IYKYK moment when playing the Primrose Course.

At Sand Valley Golf Resort, we have many opportunities to play cross country golf. The 6 Hole Loop is available to all Sand Valley Resort Guest after 3pm … which includes an Alternate 6th hole back towards Craig’s Porch. As well, in my time at the Resort I have routed a composite routing of Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes that includes 8 traditional holes on Sand Valley, 7 traditional holes and 3 creative cross country holes on Mammoth Dunes. I have played this routing a few times and looking for a new adventure which would be to play Mammoth in reverse.

Though this task may be difficult to achieve in the near future.

to be continue …

Leaves of Change

We all have the power to influence somebody … in five minutes you can change someone’s life. If you embrace it, it can be a powerful thing

- Stacy Lewis

As my career in golf extends, I’m starting to see that this game could look completely different for the better. We have a very simple game - get the little ball in the little hole - yet often we as an industry do many things backwards.

With the golf boom during COVID, we saw many new players who never even considered playing the game start to enjoy it but I wonder if those players will continue to play after the frustration they receive from being forced to play from tees that weren’t designed for their game.

When I go to play golf its awesome cause I have 4 different tees to play from & almost always I can get to every par 4 in regulation with an iron in hand. This sadly isn’t the case for almost every lady that plays the game.

The average drive on the PGA Tour is 295 yards and if you multiply that by 25 it equals 7375 yards. The average drive on the LPGA Tour is 256 yards and if you multiply that by 25 it equals 6400 yards. The average drive of recreational ladies players is 125 yards and if you multiply that by 25 it equals 3125 yards.

The average approach yardage on a par 4 for a tour pro is 175 … which is about a 7 or 8 iron. When I have had the awesome opportunity to caddie for ladies its often a Driver, a 5 wood, and finally a short iron on to the green on the 4s.

The average course length on the PGA Tour is 7200 yards and the average course on the LPGA Tour is 6400 yards … the average course length for Recreational ladies is 5200 yards.

Does this make any sense?

I don’t know about you but playing four drive-able par 4s, eight par 5s, and six par 6s doesn’t sound that appealing unless you compete on the World Long Drive Tour. And yet we are actively trying to grow ladies golf & its a struggle!

I truly believe that if this problem isn’t tackled, then ladies golf will never grow to 50-50 with men’s golf .

The answer is very simple … all courses should have tee markers set up for all golfers.

Some big name resorts & local munis have accomplished this but as I travel to play course I always look at the bottom of the scorecard and see a number that is not quite right. Sure there are Short Courses that I absolutely love and preach about … but they few and far between compared to style of golf that wrongly represents the game.

The people at US Kids Golf and the LongLeaf Golf & Family Club has developed a system to level the playing field much better than the World Handicap System. This is done through the Longleaf Tee System. This system allows me (27 year old Golf Professional who drives it 285) to compete with lets say a Recreational Women’s Golfer at 65 years old who drives it 125. If she has skill and is playing proper tees suddenly it becomes a competitive match as opposed to simply putting a ton of dots on a scorecard.

If you can hit the ball up in the air and straight … you should be rewarded regardless of the distance it goes.

Longleaf has a great chart on their site that gives you a yardage you should play from for 9 holes based on your Driver carry distance and 7 iron carry distance. Any course could have all these tees in place with a few extra plates in the fairways on all holes that would totally expand the possible golfing population for that complex and open up brand new revenue strings.

Whats stopping golf courses from doing this is simply stone age old beliefs that are as simple as these statements that I hear constantly in life in golf:

I would love to see my wife enjoy golf more so we could have an activity to do together

Women can only play golf on these days because they are slower golfers

The same person will make the same comment in the span of an hour. These remarks are untrue and hurt the game.

Forcing someone to play golf isn’t going to suddenly fix your marriage. Women are more likely to play golf more if their friends play not their husband. As well there is no science to backup that women play slower per shot than men. Most women I have caddie and played with honestly play faster than the men. Where the slow play stigma comes from is the higher scores women shoot but this is do to them playing a golf course that is simply way too long for them. Having to hit fairway woods into every par 4 simply slows down the game; plus many egotistical men do this as well because they refuse to move up to playable tee box as well.

Longleaf recommends that golfers who drive 125 yards in the air play a golf course between 3600 and 3900 yards. I have worked at private clubs and I have yet to see our ladies league play any where near this distance and this is how far they hit it. This recommended yardage would give the following hole types:

Hole 1 Par 4 240 yards : Driver and 6 hybrid

Hole 2 Par 3 85 yards: 7 iron

Hole 3 Par 5 270 yards: Driver and 5 wood

Hole 4 Par 4 260 yards: Drive and 7 wood

Hole 5 Par 4 175 yards: Driver and pitch shot

Hole 6 Par 3 110 yards: 4 hybrid

Hole 7 Par 4 230 yards: Driver and 8 iron

Hole 8 Par 5 320 yards : Driver, 5 wood, and pitch shot

Hole 9 Par 4 210 yards : Driver and SW

These are the same types of holes I play when I play in professional events so shouldn’t Recreational Golf mirror the pro game in this way.

The Industry needs to make a change if it wants to succeed. The change is so simple and very cost less. Yet many golf courses have yet to make this leap that could double their business and fill their complex.

I guess its as simple as they are not smart enough to open their eyes to the possibility that they might be wrong for once

to be continued