Catching Up

I met a girl. Her name is Golf. "Me tink me in love!" At first Golf was like the girl you think is out of your league. I was afraid to ask Golf out on a date. The clubs that my girlfriend Stephanie's dad passed along to me just sat in a corner in our garage for a couple of years. I would look at them. They would look at me. I think we both knew that there was something there. Call it an animal attraction. I was working at Wild Wing Cafe and my buddy Jon Black kept asking me to go play a round with him. Basketball at the gym had lost its luster because the guys bickered like school girls with a crush on the same boy. I needed a new sport. I needed something to occupy my mind and body, but just like a woman I got something to occupy my wallet while simultaneously making me love her and loathe myself.
I finally played with Black and I sucked as expected. There was no "you're a natural" moment. I hit the ball every direction except for straight. Occasionally I'd make decent contact and narrowly miss hitting someone on another fairway, but I could see why people loved the game. I would play sporadically and then Winter came and my mom got sick and I didn't get to play much at all.
It was like a relationship where the timing isn't quite right for one reason or another , but you never stop thinking about being together. For Christmas in 2009 Steph's family, who caught wind of my love affair, bought me a gift card that was good for three lessons at Golf-Tec. My mom was still sick and the weather still crappy, but there was hope that Golf and I would reunite someday soon.
Well, my mom started to recover, which was a relief, and the weather slowly improved enough for me to see my mistress again. I went to see Brad at Golf-Tec, had a swing evaluation and began to work on the fundamentals. Grip, stance, ball position, and so on. I started going to Sunset Hills golf course and practicing as much as I could. I couldn't afford to play every day or even hit range balls but I could chip and putt for free. Long story short, Golf and I were finally able to be together and it has been everything I imagined and more. We're in love!
Since the end of April, I've played at least twenty rounds of golf. I try to play at least once a week but more if I can. I use EZ Links to find cheap tee times so that my other girlfriend doesn't get too upset. She actually has been really supportive. Compared to some of the other ways I've used my time and money, I guess golf is pretty tame and it's a day time activity. I like to think of it as an open relationship. I've even tried to get her to play , but then I thought a threesome might be weird. I might not be able to look at either of the two the same. Or even worse, they may like each other more than me.
I've played in two tournaments. The Wild Wing/ Make A Wish Charity Tournament and The Jonathan Skinner Memorial Tournament. Both were fun and for good causes. I went to Quail Hollow everyday except for Tuesday when it rained. Watching professionals closely really helped me improve my own game. Their swings are so efficient. Everyone says"they're playing a different game." I agree. Maybe it's the equipment or maybe they're just that much better than the average golfer. Either way it is amazing to see in person. I was sitting at the fifteenth green with Steph and my son Elijah when Rory Mcilroy made an eagle on Sunday, before he went on to win the Quail Hollow Championship, and that was a great experience.
All in all, I've had a wonderful time with Golf. I plan to play and watch as much as possible for the rest of my life. I've decided to document my experiences and share them with other Golf lovers. So this is the beginning of my Bad Golf Diary. I hope people will be inspired to play golf or do whatever it is that brings them joy. Invite your friends, leave comments and send pictures to multiplicityservices@gmail.com so that others can share in your experiences as well. Until I write again....So long and hit em good!

Rainchecks

May 5, 2010

Today, my boy Kevin and I went to cash in a couple of rain checks at Highland Creek. Last week we tried to play a round on Tuesday, but the rain was too much. We really only played like six good holes and hurried through the rest and took rain checks fort $19.50 a piece. Well, the guy at the desk was being difficult and trying to charge us an additional $30 for 9 holes today. We had $39 worth of rain checks and he wanted us to pay $30 more dollars for half a round of golf. The twilight rate for 9 holes is like $28 a person which is pricey anyway. So we decided that he was crazy and we'd play somewhere else because the numbers weren't adding up. While we were discussing the situation, the Mr. Potato head looking desk guy stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. So, I guess he heard us calling him out of his name and not using proper golf etiquette because he changed his tune and said his math was wrong and we only needed to pay $8.50 a person. Considering we paid for a full round a week ago it still felt like we got a raw deal, but we agreed to the scam and got our bags. He tried to be nice and gave us a basket of range balls to warm up with. The best part is that we kept the rain checks so we'll be using them another day when he's not working.

As far as actually playing, I hit better than I ever have. My goal is to break 100. My scorecard didn't reflect how well I struck the ball. Especially my driver. My Golf Tec session with Brad was really helpful. Most of my drives were long and if not in the fairway then, at least playable. I decided that I wouldn't play with good balls until I could keep up with them. I can't afford to lose three sleeves a round. So, I played with used balls that I've accumulated while looking for my lost balls since I started playing. I think I only lost one ball and I found two. So I'm up one. I'm still not going to use good balls for a while. I lost strokes chipping and putting like most bad golfers. I need a while to get used to Dinky's putting suggestions. The greens were faster today. Probably due to the rain that was pounding us last week. I shot a 51 through 9 holes with one 'mulligan', and I shot par on three holes. That was progress for me. I'm still looking for birdies, but with some of my drives, I think I'll get there sooner than later. I still need that 200+ yard fairway shot so that I can reach the longer holes in two shots. Obviously it will increase my chances of birdies if I'm on the green in two shots. Overall I just feel more comfortable over a golf ball each day.

Hopefully I'll get to play this weekend if not tomorrow. Wild Wing Cafe is having a golf tournament for the Make A Wish Foundation next Monday, May 10, so I need to step up my game up for that. Until then, hit em good!

Going to Golf Tec

May 4, 2010

I went to Golf-Tec at Harris Corners today to see Brad for the last of my three lessons. The lessons were a Christmas gift and I'm thinking about buying a package to get more instruction. I think Brad knows his golf and explains things well. I don't like that it's indoors, but it's fairly easy to transfer what you learn at Golf-Tec to the range or course. Plus the video analysis is helpful. You can access the videos from home and study what you need to improve upon. Brad gave me a few pointers on my driver today. I got strapped in to the harness that he uses to capture swing data about your shoulder turn, hip turn, and other statistical measurements. First he told me to set up as I normally would and hit a few off the tee so he could record my current set up and swing. I was tense because I hadn't swung in a while. I figured what the hell and stepped up to the plate. I started my back swing and let loose with a wild downswing. The ball popped straight up in the air and got stuck in the ceiling tile over head. “Wow!” Brad said. “I've never had that happen before, it was actually pretty amazing!” I wasn't proud.

Basically he told me to soften my right arm at address. The analogy was, “your left arm is like concrete and your right arm is like a wet noodle.” I had a stiff right arm which made me hold my hands too high and curl my right shoulder in. Also, I have to work on swinging through the ball and turning my hips and shoulders in unison as much as possible. There were a few other pointers, but you can go see Brad to get his opinion on your swing.

After the thirty minute session was over, I wanted to apply what I had learned at the range. I spend my practice time at Sunset-Hills Golf Course in Charlotte. I consider it my home course. Some people say it's a crappy course, but I think it serves me well as a beginner. Especially because I practice chipping and putting more than anything and those areas don't cost. Today I wanted to work with my driver though. I bought a large basket of balls and proceeded to the range. Usually I chip first to get a feel for my club and loosen my muscles. It's just like shooting layups in basketball practice before you start shooting free throws or three pointers. Today I thought I'd bypass the chipping because I wanted to work on what I had learned immediately. Bad idea. I started out with my pitching wedge, but last week was Quail Hollow so I didn't swing much. I guess I forgot how to strike the ball in a week. I felt awkward and it took the majority of the bucket for me to feel comfortable hitting anything. So I ended up hitting about fifteen balls with my driver, slicing them all to varying degrees, and then going to get another basket of balls. This time I only got a medium basket.

I pulled out this hybrid that I leased with the option to buy from Dave, my boss at Wild Wing. I needed a 200 yard or more club since I suck with my long irons. I just wanted to see if I could make decent contact. I did and I didn't, but I was satisfied that with more practice it would be a useful club and easier to hit than the good ol' 3 iron. I pulled the big stick back out. I drive with a Taylor Made Burner 07. Just so you know, it has a Tarheel head cover. Not the letters but the actual Ram. I like the driver and the head cover. This time I focused on what Brad told me and not how bad I hit with my irons and started to see less slice. I made a few more adjustment and started to hit straight shots. By the end of the basket I wanted to play nine holes just to see if I could hit the fairways. However it was getting late so I patted myself on the back and headed down to the chipping/putting area.

Some of the older guys who always practice at Sunset Hills were chatting it up. They were talking about a minister who had been convicted of tax evasion the day before. Ironically enough, my girlfriend had been a juror for that trial. I didn't say anything. I just chipped for a while and listened. My girlfriend didn't want to be associated with the trial. She felt bad about the outcome, but the facts were the facts. Most of the older guys left and I started putting. One of the remaining guys saw me and began giving me some pointers. I think his name is Dinky. He said, “When you're trying to get your woman warm, you don't hold her rough. So don't hold your putter like that!” He told me that tension will make you push putts left and right. He adjusted my grip so that the shaft ran down the middle of my left hand and my finger tips were barely touching the club as they curled around it . Then he placed my right hand similarly on the other side just below my left hand with a slight overlap of my left fingers. It felt awkward, but it worked. I had a better feel for the putts and could strike the ball more consistently in he same spot he called the “apex”. Thanks Dinky!

It was a good day of golf and laughs. I got two lessons for the price of none. I had been practicing for at least four hours and now it was late. I was hungry and wanted to see what was on the Golf Channel since this week is The Players Championship. I don't think it can be much better than Quail Hollow, but maybe I'm biased. I think I've got a golf problem. It beats some off the other problems I've had, but is just as expensive. What can you do? Tomorrow I'll actually play. Maybe I can break 100!