Greetings Golfers,

Some people see adversity as an opportunity. Other people believe that they are entitled to whatever they want.

Obviously, these are very different attitudes.

What does this have to do with golf? Everything. Are you entitled to perfect conditions when you play golf? Or do you see imperfect conditions as a challenge?

Were the Wild entitled to beat the Blues the other night? Will they come back with extra intensity tonight?

Have you ever argued with someone who has an entitlement attitude? They are demanding and illogical. They want what they want and that’s all there is to it. And if they don’t get it – the temper tantrum begins … followed by blaming and name calling.

Other ways to define these two attitudes are maturity versus immaturity.

One of my weaknesses is that I try to deal rationally with entitled, immature people. I always think that they will “get it”. I’ve been advised all of my life to “not engage” – but I always do.

Here’s a pretty cool quote from William Arthur Ward:
“Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records”.

I hope the Wild can overcome this latest adversity. They overcame a lot this season … but they aren’t entitled to the Stanley Cup … they still have to fight for it.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

The other day I was listening to the Golf Station on the radio, and they were talking about if instructors were paid by how much they improved the student’s handicap. Pretty interesting concept and conversation. Before I start a lesson, I ask the student if they want a band-aid or surgery. Most of the time surgery is too expensive (time and money-wise) and not necessary for their goals. Most people just want to play well enough so that it’s actually a game.

That’s where strategy comes in. They want to play well enough so that their game actually can use strategy. If you can’t even hit the ball or if every shot is just random and wild – it’s not even a game. There needs to be a certain amount of control of the ball to be able to play golf as a game of strategy and skill.

Strategy is based on a realistic assessment of your skill. Tour Players need to make birdies to make money. They are keeping their foot on the gas all of the time. If most of us played like that, we’d just crash and burn. Scratch players are mostly trying to make pars and only trying to make birdie with a wedge in their hand – and a pretty accessible pin. Too often average players try to play too aggressively. Golf is very much a risk/reward game … and the risks usually out weigh the rewards. Consistency is highly rewarded in golf.

I can’t tell you how many players tell me that they would be good golfers if they were consistent. Wow – that shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the game. The random great shot is basically irrelevant. It’s the bad shots that ruin your score. The secret is to have playable bad shots – your mishits have to stay in the park.

Of course some people don’t care about score and just want to hit the random 300 yard drive or the 150 yard wedge. And of course they have every right to do that. But that’s not really playing golf – they can do that at the driving range. The game of golf is about keeping score over 18 holes.

Does being consistent mean having a perfect swing? No. Lee Trevino was probably the most consistent player of all time … definitely not a “perfect” swing. My rule is to not attempt shots that won’t work most of the time. Here’s a classic situation that I see all of the time: A player hits a crummy drive off of hole #1. Then – while upset – he tries to hit a 3 wood out of the rough to make up for the poor drive … which usually is a grounder or a wild shot out of bounds. Thus he winds up making 8 on the first hole (or worse) and is freaked out for the rest of the round. After the crummy drive, he should of hit a 7 iron just to get the ball back in play and get back some confidence hitting the ball … make bogey and move on. I try to survive the first 3 holes … and hope by then I’ve found some feel and rhythm so that I can try some shotmaking the rest of the round.

That’s at the heart of strategy – knowing what you can do.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

While watching the pre-Masters hype the other night, one of the analysts proclaimed that most of the multi-winners of the Masters lifted their left heel on the backswing. He said that this move allowed them to make a bigger turn and a longer swing which allowed them to hit more of a variety of shots. Some of the examples were: Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer (and lefties who lift the right heel – Bubba Watson and Phil Mickleson).

I agree. I like a fuller, freer swing. The short, tight swing that emphasizes resistance is too hard on the body and really limits shot making. And, if you’re not young and flexible it’s almost impossible to do it.

Years ago when I used to give clinics for juniors, the first thing I would teach them was to make a full backswing. After I got their attention … I would make each junior lift the left heel all the way up in the air and turn the foot so that the weight was only on the toe … while they made a complete turn of the body and held the position at the top of the backswing. Then after holding the position for a minute, they would then swing the club to the follow-through into the exact reverse position (full-turn and right heel all the way up in the air with the weight only on the toe). Then I would have them swing from the end of the follow-through back to the top of the backswing, and then back to follow-through … and just keep on going back and forth … that is the feeling of a full golf swing.

The next drill for them was to just swing the club waist-high on the backswing so that the right arm folded and that the toe of the club pointed straight up. And then swing through waist-high and roll over the hands so that the left arm folds and the toe is pointed straight up. Then, swing from waist-high to waist-high … back and forth to get the feeling of releasing the golf club.

Those two drills put together are the basis of the golf swing.

The little shots have no wrist action – they are for control. But as the club is swung waist-high … it needs to add wrist action – the kind developed in the waist-high drill. Then as the swing becomes fuller … the body needs to turn and shift the weight to the back foot … and then shift the weight and turn to the front foot on the forward swing – just like in the first drill.

Those three drills will give you a fundamentally solid golf swing that you can use all of your life.

I hope Tom Watson makes the cut. He’s 65 years old and makes those moves as well as anyone. He also eats the pimento cheese sandwiches that they sell at the Masters. And this weekend, so will we … and for only $1.50 like they do at Augusta National.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

I just received this fascinating information about the Masters. I hope you find it as interesting as I did:

1. In the Beginning
The Masters as we know it would never have been, if the USGA hadn’t turned down Bobby Jones’ request to host the 1934 US Open. Angry at the rebuff, Jones and Clifford Roberts decided to stage their own event.

2. Bitter Sweet
Course architect, Alister McKenzie, never saw his famous course completed. He died January 6th 1934, just 2 months before the Inaugural Masters Tournament.

3. The Language
You should never hear the word “championship” on the telecast. The U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA are championships held by the major ruling and organizing bodies of the sport (or a vestige thereof in the case of the PGA). The Masters is an invitational tournament held at a very pretty golf course, given prestige by the involvement of Bobby Jones. The winner is not the champion of anything.
Other words you shouldn’t hear: “fans,” “bleachers,” “sand traps,” “front/back nine.” The officially preferred words are “patrons,” “observation stands,” “bunkers,” and “first/second nine.” That last distinction is aimed at avoiding use of the phrase “front side” for the first nine holes, leading inevitably to the so, so vulgar “back side” for the next nine.

4. Respect
Some amateurs have always been invited to the Masters, out of respect for the career of club founder Bobby Jones. But Jones himself was no longer considered an amateur by the USGA by the time Augusta National opened. He never competed for prize money, but his equipment deals and Hollywood instructional short films made him a professional in the eyes of all, except for the eyes of the Masters hierarchy, of which he was a part of.

5. Ahhh…the Green Jacket
If you just happen to be the winner of the Masters, you get the honor of topping off the standard ensemble with a shamrock green blazer. Professional golf’s version of a beauty queen crowning ceremony, the presenting of the Green Jacket by the previous year’s champion to the current champion at the conclusion of the tournament dates back to 1949, when Sam Snead won the Masters. However, the signature jackets started appearing at Augusta National 12 years prior, when members started sporting them during the tournament so that they would be easily identifiable by patrons in need of assistance or directions. Also, when a member hosts guests in the clubhouse, the green jacket designates who gets the bill. The Masters website has more on the sartorial back story:
“The club purchased the Jackets from the Brooks Uniform Company in New York and urged members to buy and wear them at the Masters. Initially, the idea met a lukewarm reception from the membership, for the heft of the coats made them warm to wear during a typical April in Augusta. Within a few years, the Club introduced a lighter-weight version more suited to the season. Today’s single-breasted, single-vent Jacket bears the Club’s logo on the left chest pocket and on the brass buttons adorning the front of the coat and each sleeve. The unmistakable color is known, simply, as Masters Green.”
So does the Masters winner get to take home that fetching piece of outerwear? He sure does. After the presentation ceremony, a custom version of the Green Jacket is tailored to the champ’s exact measurements and he gets to call it his own for an entire year. So, to be clear, a single jacket isn’t passed on from winner to winner. During the following year’s tournament, he must return to Augusta National and relinquish the Green Jacket, at which point it’s placed in a locker but available any time he returns to play at the club. Seve Ballesteros famously challenged the decision by saying to the Augusta committee: “If they want it, they can fly to Spain and come and get it.”

6. The Template
The Masters invented the template for what we know as tournament golf. It was the first 72-hole four day event and the first to use the over/under par system. The Masters also saw the first grandstands for viewers.

7. Strict But Polite
The level of respect that the patrons of The Master’s have is only surpassed by their understanding of the game. It is awesome to witness. In the 10+ years I have been to this tournament, I have never seen a single spectator get out of line, say something in appropriate or make a scene. It is as if everyone has collectively agreed to be on their best behavior. There is no need for marshals to hold “Quiet Please” signs because everyone respects the tournament so much.
As mentioned earlier, they are not fans, they are not a crowd or even a gallery. They are patrons. You’ll hear it often during the CBS broadcast. Also, while on the grounds, patrons are told not to run. Walking only.
If you watch any pro tournament, behind the golfers you’ll see a cadre of sign-bearers, reporters, photographers, broadcast personnel and cameramen. Not at Augusta. Between the ropes, competitors, caddies and rules officials only.
Patrons who show up early and place their chairs and leave will find their chairs waiting for them when they return. Try that at any other PGA event and let me know what happens
More than 40 years ago, during one tense moment, CBS commentator Jack Whitaker used the term “mob” to describe the scene around a green. The Masters leadership let his bosses know that he wouldn’t be invited back, and he wasn’t.

8. Value
It’s one of the best-kept numbers in sports—the initiation fee to Augusta National. With barons like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, among others, as members it goes without saying that money isn’t the object. And it isn’t. To join is reportedly under $100,000, which might be one-tenth of other high profile clubs in the country. And if you were lucky enough to play the course with a member, you can probably afford it. Guest fees are said to be about $40.

9. The Reagan Appointment
On October 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan was playing at Augusta National as a guest of his secretary of state (and club member) George Schultz when his round was interrupted at the 16th hole by a disgruntled local named Charles Harris, who had crashed his truck through the gate and was demanding to see the President. Harris held hostages at gunpoint in the pro shop for two hours before Secret Service agents subdued him.

10. Clifford Roberts’ Demise
Augusta National’s co-founder Clifford Roberts, a quiet investor turned autocrat, was at turns beloved and despised. In the fall of 1977, at age 83 and in failing health, Roberts walked to a slope next to Ike’s Pond and ended his own life with a single pistol shot to the temple.

11. The Crow’s Nest
Located above the main clubhouse at Augusta, this is where the amateurs stay for the Masters week. Bobby Jones spawned the idea and the rest is quite literally history, lots of it. Eight youngsters who stayed in this infamous bedroom and gone on to win the green jacket; Nicklaus, Aaron, Watson, Crenshaw, Stadler, O’Meara, Mickelson and Woods – that’s quite a list. There are four beds, a bathroom and a living area which is lined with paintings of historical moments at the Masters and books about the history of the game.

12. Sweet Georgia Peaches
The history of Augusta is much more than golf; it was once home to Fruitland Nurseries. Owned and operated by P.J. Berckmans and his family the nursery was one of the most successful horticultural sites of its time in the South. Located on Washington Road, approximately 3 miles northwest of downtown Augusta, Fruitland planted millions of peach trees in the 1800s and early 1900s and made Georgia famous for its sweet Georgia peaches. In 1931, the land was purchased and transformed into the most famous golf course in the world, Augusta National. The Berckmans’ family home still remains on the Augusta National property and serves as the clubhouse.

It’s only a week away!

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Tomorrow is our annual Ranger/Starter meeting. We always have it on the last Saturday of March. Usually, we open the first week of April … so normally it’s pretty good timing.

We haven’t opened and probably won’t until Tuesday. We still have a lot of snow – seriously. That latest snowstorm fell unevenly over the Metro area … but those nitrates in the snow will really green us up – maybe that extra snow will be worth it.

Speaking about being optimistic …I think we’re going to have a nice Spring. Every year I really look forward to the new season … but this one really feels good.

Our Rangers and Starters are also really fired up – they’ve been stopping over at the clubhouse the last few weeks. Their annual meeting is always a lot of fun – these guys (and gals) are really into it and really enjoy each other – it always feels like a family reunion.

What do we talk about? Same old stuff like our 3 C’s:
* Common sense
* Courtesy
* Communication

And that a golf course is like a one-lane freeway. There’s not a passing lane, so everyone needs to go about 60mph (a four hour round). No one has the right to go 90mph and run over people … and no one has the right to go 40mph and slow everyone down. The Rangers need to keep all players aware of playing at a 4 hour pace.

The Starters need to welcome all of the golfers – they are the hosts of the party – and they need to keep them apprised of what’s expected and what’s going on.

Tomorrow is the 23rd Annual Ranger/Starter Meeting – I’m glad it’s still fun.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

I watch golf on tv … especially in the winter. And I like it … but I don’t love it – except for the Majors – I love the Majors! The Majors have the natural excitement that comes from being the big game. They don’t need to hype it – in fact too much hype gets in the way. For example, I love football but I haven’t watched the Super Bowl for the past 10 years because all of the hoopla drives me crazy.

I like team sports. I like the strategy and the physical skill involved … and it helps if I like the culture of the team. Some teams I’ve hated since I was a kid – they’ve had the same gross culture for 50 years.

Because golf doesn’t have teams … it needs interesting golfers. It’s not enough just to be a good player … people are attracted to personality – that’s what makes them care.  It’s hard to care about a robot.

And maybe that’s what’s lacking on the PGA Tour – not enough interesting personalities. Nice maybe … but too bland. The problem is that the commissioner – Tim Finchem – has promised the corporate sponsors a Tour of squeaky clean players. I get it … I’m not a big fan of thugs … but I also want real people – not sanitized Stepford Wives and Husbands.

Why did Dustin Johnson leave the Tour? Do we really know? Do we ever get a straight answer on anything? Here’s Commissioner Finchem’s response to his wall of silence “I think it raises a good point when you say, well, if it triggers a situation where a player is stepping away from the game or getting, maybe being suspended but we really don’t know, does that create confusion, and that’s one point that we are giving some thought to on that particular situation”.

Huh? That was crazy double-talk … remember, Finchem was a political lobbyist. But we don’t need the Tour players to talk like that.

Again … I get it – I don’t want “The Real Players of the PGA Tour” reality show … but I do want to know who they really are – not some scrubbed version of a real person.

Then I’d probably love all Tour events – not just the Majors.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Oh, the winds of change. I’m just referring to the weather – not making any profound historical reference.

But the change in weather from last March to this March is profound. In fact the change from last week is amazing – last Wednesday was below zero.

Normal opening day for us is April 6. So anything before that is a bonus. Do we want a big bonus? Of course – but not at the expense of the golf course. So, we’re planning on openingTuesday, March 24. That’s still two weeks ahead of schedule. Hurrah!

What do we have new for this year? I’m so glad you asked. Over the years the green on #9 has been settling toward the water on the right. So, last fall we rebuilt the area surrounding the green on the right and the back. We also removed some trees to give the green much needed sunlight. It’s a much better hole – still a challenge – but not unfair.

We’ve also added a new menu called “At the Turn”. So after you hit your tee shot on hole #10, you can come in and pick up your food – a tasty selection of brats, dogs, and sandwiches – and not slow down play … the best of all worlds.

Also, we are offering complimentary lemonade and iced tea next to the Culligan water dispenser in the Pub. You can even make your own version of an Arnie Palmer. And also look for some new very cool items on the menu and the tap beer selection.

Probably not all of you saw the new Power Tee driving range that we added last fall. This is my kind of practice/warm-up … no more bending down to tee-up the ball … it just does it itself. Golf is strenuous enough.

Not only has the weather changed (and for the better) … but so has Deer Run GC.

See you soon,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

I just watched a video discussion called “Is Donald Trump good for golf?”

Was Donald Trump good for football? Remember when he tried to start his own league in the 80s?

And that’s maybe the issue – are we talking PGA Tour golf or the overall game of golf? Trump didn’t affect amateur football – maybe he affected professional football.

Trump is your classic top-down guy. He would never build something at a grassroots level. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong or a terrible guy … just that he probably won’t have a big affect on the game of golf except for the Tour and high-end resorts.

But I’m not in love with the affect that the PGA Tour has on golf. Too many people watch televised golf and think that is “real golf”. They think that golf has to be played on pristine courses, take 5 hours, line up every putt from all directions, obsess over every arcane rule, and be perfectly quiet. That’s not golf … that’s tournament golf played by people trying to make their living. They’re not having fun – it’s an intense, nerve wracking job.

Last summer, Trump blasted the changes to the Pinehurst #2 golf course … it wasn’t resorty enough for him. It’s hard not to think that Trump prefers image over authentic … how about his hair?

At least he’s not into all of the cutesy stuff trying to “save” golf. But the emphasis on “Championship” courses and perfect conditions and over-the-top seriousness wasn’t good for golf … all of the stuff that Trump loves. I think golf should go back more to its roots – that’s where the real charm of the game resides – not golf courses that have the charm of Trump Towers.

Is Trump good for golf? Here’s my answer to him: You’re fired!

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Last week, only 19 of the 144 players at the Honda Classic Tournament broke par on the first day. The tournament is played at the PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

About 30 years ago I played at PGA National, and after the round ran into an old friend. This old friend and I had played many rounds together while in our early 20’s. We had been at about the same level and played for beers – intense matches that basically broke even.

So here we were about 10 years later … and he’d just finished his first year on the PGA Tour. I couldn’t believe it – how did he get so good? What happened? Well, I was about to find out – he invited me to play the next morning.

I remembered everything about his swing. He had a strong grip and swayed off the ball while he lifted the club to the top of his backswing – not exactly your classic swing. So, as he stepped to his first shot, I could see that he’d made changes. His grip was now neutral and his posture was perfect. But then, he took a few waggles, and his grip slipped back into his old style, he swayed off the ball and lifted the club back to the top of backswing … huh!

Well, after a few holes it became pretty clear what had happened – he’d developed an amazing short game. He didn’t hit the ball that great, but his wedge play was ridiculous. He was aiming for areas of the green to spin the ball to the pin – and he was doing it. And he could putt – he could really putt.

That day was not lovely Florida weather. It was cold, windy, and rainy … really nasty. And he broke par. He was like one of those 19 guys who broke par last week – maybe not pretty … but effective.

Bad weather is good for the guys with the great short games. If no one is hitting greens – they’ll win. My buddy never lasted on the Tour – the rest of his game wasn’t good enough – but his short game got him to the big time … at least for awhile.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com