Greetings Golfers,

The PGA of America just announced that they have a new CEO – Seth Waugh. Waugh used to be the CEO of Deutsche Bank … so he’s been around the block.

The previous CEO of the PGA of America – Pete Bavacqua – was a star … but Seth Waugh might be just what the PGA needs.

The PGA of America is not the same as the PGA Tour. They were once the same organization, but split-up in 1968. However, the rumor is that they will be united and Seth Waugh will lead the procedure.

But that’s not why I think Waugh could be so important to the members of the PGA of America. Waugh is all about developing a culture … and the PGA of America needs help in that department.

Here’s a quote from Waugh talking about developing a culture at Deutsche Bank “ I tried to create a culture and abide by a culture at all times and always do the right thing. Part of that culture was – No assholes allowed. Everybody knew that.”

Here’s some more “ You try to hire talent but also hire culture. At the end of the day we’ve had to wash a few out. Often times, the better the producer, the bigger the jerk. If you actually take one of them out, particularly if they’re a big producer, people start going, ‘Wow, they’re actually serious about this.’ As much production as somebody does, there is an enormous amount of damage that they do because they bring down the happy factor, bring down the fun, bring down the culture, and zap energy in a way that is divisive, as well as waste management time. You should leave places if you think the bad guys are ruining them.”

How good is that? The golf business is fundamentally about hospitality. The bad guys wreck hospitality. He could be a much needed breath of fresh air.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

Greetings Golfers,

Ben Hogan worked on his golf swing until he died. Of course people can tinker with their golf swing too much … but, that tinkering can lead to more understanding and more variety of golf shots.

You know that saying “If you’re not growing, you’re dying”. It’s probably true about most things. But, growth also has to be managed … it can’t be out of control.

Speaking of growth, it’s been a weird year for growing grass. Barry’s done a great job managing the growth and health of the turf. Rainy, hot, humid weather is far from ideal – that’s when diseases take hold and can be hard to stop. Golf courses all around the state have suffered, and very often it wasn’t anybody’s fault – just Mother Nature playing tricks. However, I’m not complaining … much of the country has had nightmarish weather … our’s has been fine in comparison.

Back to growth. We’re trying to grow as a golf operation – but that doesn’t mean bigger. I mean better. We like our size. But there’s always room for improvement. And that means tinkering with what we do. Does our tinkering always work? Probably not … but that’s the price for growing.

Our staff has to grow too. Not by adding more people … but by growing as individuals. A good sign of growth is patience. I just read a cool saying about patience: “Patience isn’t a virtue – it’s an achievement”. People overreact and freak out too easily. I’m not saying to be apathetic … I’m saying that people have to give situations a little time to settle.

If staff members aren’t growing … there’s either a problem with the culture or it’s a bad fit. Stagnant staff turns into a negative cancer. It’s fun to watch staff members grow – especially the youngsters. But, we oldsters need to keep growing too.

Hey, if Ben Hogan kept trying to get better and learn more into old age … we all can at any age. And not just at golf.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Brandt Snedeker shot 59 yesterday in the first round of the Wyndham Championship. It was the 10th time someone has shot in the 50s on the PGA Tour. And Snedeker is the 9th man to do it. Yes … that means someone has done it twice – Jim Furyk. In fact, Furyk is the only one to have shot 58.

Think about it … a 59 … and a 58!

The other day I was listening to Hank Haney talking about why Tiger was so wild with the driver last week at the PGA Championship. Haney said that Tiger has always been wild with the driver and that it’s a mental thing. Hmmm. Then Haney said that Tiger doesn’t want to play like Jim Furyk … Tiger wants to hit it LONG.

Tiger is not one of the 9 guys to have shot 59 or lower.

Obviously Tiger has a better record than Furyk. But what if Tiger drove it as straight as Furyk? Is Tiger’s obsession with length the reason he hits the driver wild? What about last week’s PGA champion Brooks Koepka? He hits it long and STRAIGHT. Why can’t Tiger do that? And why didn’t he do that?

Jim Furyk is famous for his loopy swing. He takes it almost straight back … and then reroutes on the downswing. It might look funny … but it’s very effective. Furyk definitely gets the club into “the slot” on the downswing. What I mean is that Furyk never comes “over the top” … he always hits from the inside.

I think that Tiger has always come a shade “over the top”. And it shows up with the driver. You can come “over the the top” with an iron or fairway wood because you’re hitting down and trapping the ball – it can stay straight. But sweeping a flat-faced driver off a tee needs to come from the inside. Haney also talked about how Tiger hates to hit it left with a driver … yeah, because he pulls it left – not draws it left … at least not from the right. Think about it – he blocks it right or pulls it left … that’s “over the top”.

Hogan hit a power fade … but he did it coming from the inside. Koepka and Dustin Johnson hit power fades with a closed face at the top of their backswings. Then they just hold on through impact … and the face slightly opens through impact and they get that power fade. You have to be VERY strong and flexible to do that. Can Tiger do that move? I wouldn’t bet on it. I’d rather see him opt for a hair less length and hit more of an inside-out draw.

Tiger’s not a youngster anymore. His comeback is amazing. But he needs to hit more fairways. And he needs a swing that is easier on his body.

By the way, Snedeker played a right-to-left draw yesterday for his 59.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

One of my favorite characters in golf – Judge Tinker – just commented that Tiger Woods’ many different golf swings over the years prove that there’s not just one way to swing. He’s right – there are many effective ways to swing a golf club.

Can the golfer, get the golf club back to the ball with enough speed and control to hit the shot as planned? If so, that’s a good golf swing. Now the fun begins … with stance, grip, alignment, backswing, downswing, contact, and follow-through.

Obviously there are many theories and examples of effective golf swings. I want to talk about the “right-handed golf swing”.

My hunch is that the first Scottish shepherd to take a whack at a rock with his cane probably did it with his dominant hand – not both hands. And later on, he tried it with both hands … though I suspect that his dominant hand was in control of the swing.

In Hogan’s book – “The Five Fundamentals” – he talks about the golf swing being like the sidearm throwing motion of a baseball infielder … or like skipping a stone across the water.

I agree. Those are great images of the golf swing. But, I want to take it even farther. For some people, the WHOLE golf swing should be like a throwing motion – the wind-up and the pitch! And of course, using your throwing hand is using the right-hand for most people.

Is this the magic answer for everyone? Not at all. Some people are not comfortable at throwing. And some people like playing golf with their dominant hand pulling and leading the golf club … for example, a lefty who swings right-handed. But for some of us, the throwing motion is the heart of our golf swing.

I’m definitely one of those people. However, I’m constantly working on my left hand, and trying goofy moves with my body to develop a more conventional golf swing. Usually this works on the range, but not on the golf course.

Ironically, I’m a pretty decent player under pressure … because I usually go back to my right-handed swing … unless I’m determined to stick with some new move that I’ve been working on. Then I can be terrible.

Unlike Tiger Woods … I’m not effective with a new golf swing every 5 years. My right-handed swing is the only one that works for me. Maybe it’s the right one for you too.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

My all-time favorite chapter in any golf book is titled “The Art of Hitting with the Hands” by Tommy Armour.

Another great chapter title is: “Footwork, the Foundation of Best Golf” … also by Tommy Armour.

In fact, I love all of the chapter titles in his famous book “How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time”. Here they are:

*    Why This Book Is as Short and Simple as It Is

*    How to Learn Your Best Golf

*    What Can Your Best Golf Be?

*    Taking You to the Lesson Tee

*    How Your Clubs Can Help You

*    The Grip Holds Your Swing Together

*    How to Get Ready to Swing

*    Footwork, the Foundation of Best Golf

*    The Waggle, Preliminary Swing in Miniture

*    The Art of Hitting with the Hands

*    The Pause That Means Good Timing

*    Saving Strokes with Simple Approach Shots

*    The Fascinating, Frustrating Philosophy of Putting

*    Assembling Your Game in Good Order

The book was published in 1953 when Armour was 57 years old. In his youth, he’d won the Open, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. The Masters was the only Major he never won (it began fairly late in his career).

Not only was Tommy Armour a fantastic player, he was also an excellent club designer. But, his greatest skill was as a golf instructor.

He concludes the book with :

THE SIMPLE ROUTINE OF AN ORDERLY GOLF SHOT

1. Study the shot to be played, particularly in relationship to your capabilities.
2. Select the right club (and the ball correctly if it’s a tee shot).
3. Take the correct grip.
4. Take the correct stance for the shot to be played.
5. Keep your head steady.
6. See that your left knee points behind the ball on the backswing.
7. Have your wrists broken to the fullest extent at the top of the backswing, without loosening the left hand. The right hand grip is firm, but not tight.
8. Pause at the top of the swing.
9. Don’t rush as you start down, but get your right knee in toward the ball.
10. Keep your heady steady.
11. Keep your hands ahead of the clubhead by keeping your wrists cocked, and whip your right hand into the shot at the last second.
12. Keep your head steady

Before you think if you master this routine that you will have mastered golf … think about this fact: Armour still holds the record for the highest score on one hole in PGA history. He made a 23 on a par 5 at the 1927 Shawnee Open.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Last week the StarTribune asked their readers to share their thoughts about speeding. Here’s how they summarized the responses:

“Leadfoots who go 5 to 10 mph over the limit didn’t rankle many drivers. But over and over, readers lambasted the race-car driver wannabes who weave in and out of lanes, the distracted drivers glued to their phones and – their biggest peeve – left lane hogs who play traffic vigilante and don’t move over to let faster-moving drivers pass.”

I’m not surprised – I feel the same way.

And, it’s the same scene on the golf course – though we only have one lane.

As I’ve said before, we feel that playing in 4 hours is like driving at 60mph. No one has the right to go 80mph and run over people … and no one has the right to play at 40mph and back-up the whole golf course.

However, we have people who believe because they paid a green fee that they have the right to play at whatever speed they want to – they don’t understand that they paid for a slot on the golf course. If they want to rent the whole golf course they can play at whatever pace they want … but it will be a really expensive round of golf.

You all know about “road rage” on the freeways … well, we get “road rage” on the golf course. Last weekend a golfer decided to make a phone call while playing. After the round he admitted that he stopped playing for 5 minutes while he was on the phone. I presumed he quit playing and had his playing partners continue without him. Wrong. His foursome stopped playing and waited while he was on the phone. It got worse from there. The guys behind them hit into them … and so the phone group grabbed their shots. Two wrongs don’t make a right … or is this three wrongs? So words were exchanged and a guy in the phone group claimed that he was threatened with a gun and called the police.

No one was threatened with a gun. Some people love drama. It was a waste of police time and an embarrassment to Deer Run – 3 police cars in the parking lot. Ridiculous.

I just don’t get it. A 4 hour pace of play is reasonable. Making your playing partners wait 5 minutes while you talk on the phone is unreasonable. Calling the police for an imaginary threat is unreasonable. Are people really this selfish and self-absorbed? I’m not surprised at the rude drivers I see on the road. But, I expect more from golfers.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

“Courage and the love of golf are two qualities highly-prized in this north country”. That’s a line from an Associated Press article about Ben Hogan’s Open victory at Carnoustie in 1953.

“Where the women are strong and the men are good looking”. As you know, that’s Garrison Keillor’s famous line about our own north country known as Lake Wobegon.

How are these two phrases related? Stay with me as I try to put this together.

This week the Open Championship is being held at Carnoustie. The conditions are said to be extra difficult because of the lack of rain. When Hogan won in 1953 it was dry, too, but also cold – Hogan wore 2 sweaters and long underwear – he was still fragile from his near-death car accident. The Scots are stern people who admired Hogan for his discipline and tenacity.

Last week was the inaugural US Women’s Senior Open. A Brit – Laura Davies – won by 10 shots. But what really struck me is that 4 Minnesota women finished in the top 23 players. Think about that! Not Florida – not Arizona – not Texas – not California – not South Carolina … Minnesota! Do Minnesotans share that Scottish love of “courage and golf”? Well, we’re both definitely “north country”. Maybe our resilience, developed through living in cold winters, makes us temperamentally suited for golf. And maybe that resilience makes us good golfers into our senior years. How else to explain that 4 Minnesota women are among the top 23 senior women golfers in the world?

Courage and the love of golf … it makes us just get better with age!

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Service gets a bad name. Sometimes people think working in a service industry is akin to being a slave.

Serving doesn’t have to mean jumping at the beck and call of someone snapping their fingers. Service is best when it is people doing their best for others. Think of phrases such as “Serve Your Country” or “Service to Your Community” – those are noble concepts.

The key is that they’re voluntary. It’s needs to be a choice that is valued – not something that is demanded. Voluntary service is rewarding. Employment in the service industry is voluntary, though the jobs may have mandatory requirements. It is not a master-slave relationship. When I see people snap their fingers to wait staff or anyone, I cringe at their basic lack of respect.

I’m trying to say that the world of service is a two-way street between server and servee.

Service is also at the heart of leadership. Here’s a cool quote “If Service is Beneath You – Leadership is Beyond You”. A good leader is of service to staff and customers, and of service to healthy ethics and values.

One of my favorite books is “The Power of Servant Leadership” by Robert Greenleaf. Mr. Greenleaf was a Director at AT&T for many years and a lecturer at MIT. Those are great credentials … yet they don’t necessarily mean that he gets it. But, he does get it. I highly recommend reading it.

And I highly recommend thinking about service and what it means. It’s one of the keys to a meaningful life and a healthy society.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

(I sent this out last year … but probably needs to be sent out every year. Enjoy!)

In the early 90’s … Deer Run was cursed with slow play. So, we came up with Fast Play Friday, which put us on the map and changed our culture. We became know as a course that you could play in around 4 hours every day of the week.

The challenge is to maintain that pace when the golf course is continually full from sunrise to sunset. Yesterday, we did just that. We were stuffed all day and it never got over the 4 hour mark for a round of golf.

I don’t say that to be smug or self-congratulatory … I say that to emphasize that it is a result of a culture that has developed and been continued for 20 years.

However, not everyone is acquainted with the nuances of playing golf at a reasonable pace.

So, hopefully without sounding tiresome, here are some tips to keep your round moving at a nice pace:

*    Play from the right set of tees.

*    If walking, don’t travel as a member of a pack all going to each others’ ball – go to your own ball.

*    If riding in a cart, go to the first ball and drop off the first player with a few clubs … then the other player goes to their ball.

*    Begin reading the green and lining up your putt as you walk to the green.

*    Get off the green after you putt … and write down the scores at the next tee box.

*    Keep your putter in your hand when you get to the cart and put it in your bag at the next tee box when you take out your club to use on the next hole’s tee box. Same thing with your driver – don’t put it in your bag until you’ve driven to your next shot.

*    Be considerate about lost balls. If it’s obviously way in the jungle, don’t waste your time. And don’t ask your playing partners to waste their time looking for your lost ball – they should be going to their next shot.

*    Don’t hunt for golf balls when playing golf.

*    Save your funny stories for waiting situations such as second shots on par 5s.

*    Don’t use a long set-up routine … it doesn’t help your game and is just annoying.

I hope those help. Golf should be fun and relaxing – not a race track. But, slow play is not fun and relaxing – it’s frustrating for your playing partners and the people behind you.

A 4 hour round is not “fast”. It’s equivalent to driving 60 mph on the freeway.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Just had a guy tell me that he’d be a really good golfer if he didn’t have so many penalty strokes. He was serious. Actually, I’ve heard that a lot over the years.

That’s like saying “I’d be a really good driver if I didn’t have so many accidents”.

Since I started with a car analogy, I’m going to stay with it. PGA Tour players are like NASCAR drivers – they have to keep it floored. If a NASCAR driver isn’t going full speed, he’ll get passed. If a PGA Tour player isn’t making birdies, he’ll get passed by someone who is.

Well, I don’t know about you … but I don’t like having car accidents. I try to drive to my destination and arrive safe and sound. I also try to drive a golf ball to my destination and arrive safe and sound. I’m not playing on the Tour – I like making pars. I’m not driving in NASCAR – I want to get to my destination at a reasonable pace … but I don’t want to risk my life to save a few minutes.

It’s fun to drive fast – I get it. It’s fun to swing the driver really fast – I get it. But, I also like to shoot a good score, and wild drives turn into penalty shots. And penalty shots make it pretty hard to have a good score. Just like driving fast turns into tickets and car accidents.

Obviously, there is a happy medium. Driving a car at 10 mph would be pretty safe, but it would take way too long to get to your destination. Sounds like another example of risk/reward. Same with using a driver.

It’s not just swinging too hard with the driver – it’s also trying crazy shots. Here’s a typical example: A player rushes to the first tee and tops their drive. It only goes about 50 yards, and it goes into the rough. Rather than just slowing down and hitting a 7 iron into the fairway leaving an easy third shot … they try to hit a miracle 3 wood out of the rough and hit it out of bounds. This player has already crashed and burned on the first hole … needlessly.

Tour players are not good role models. NASCAR drivers are not good role models. Common sense is a good role model.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional