Golf has always prided itself as a game of integrity. The players self-police without officials watching their every move and calling penalties.

We all know the cheaters. Whether it’s moving the ball from a bad lie or mis-marking the putt or even giving the wrong score. No one is really fooling anyone. Same with handicaps. Some people have “Hollywood Handicaps” so they can brag at the party that they’re a single digit handicap when they’re really a 15. Some people are the opposite – sandbaggers who claim to be a 15 when they’re really a 9. Either way, it’s not cool.

Cheating is the same thing as stealing – it’s really that simple. A lot of bad behavior is at essence stealing … but comes in other forms.

Last week, I caught a guy sneaking on the course and playing a few holes. Not the end of the world, but it’s still basically stealing. And, what if everyone did it? What if every neighbor just hopped on the course and played when they wanted to? Where are these lines drawn? Is it when there is no one around? Who determines that? Also, how is that still not stealing?

Last year, I caught a guy sneaking on the course and playing a few holes. His response was that it wasn’t hurting anybody. My response was that I noticed he had a swimming pool … and would he mind if I just jumped in and went swimming when no one was around? He went nuts and said “That’s not the same thing!”. I told him that it was the same thing … the golf course is private property … just like his swimming pool.

Back to the guy sneaking on last week. He’d just bought an expensive golf cart. This fellow is not starving. He doesn’t want to pay his Trail Fee and doesn’t want to pay green fees. He’s actually proud of the fact that he’s using the golf course for free while he cruises around in his beautiful golf cart.

This guy and the sandbaggers don’t think of themselves as criminals. But they’re not really different from the kids stealing at the convenience store or the guy robbing the bank or the CFO stealing from his company. It’s the same mindset … just different circumstances.

I don’t like to play Sheriff. My nature and my role is to be hospitable. This is a golf course with a range, pub, and shop … it shouldn’t be run like a police state. With freedom comes responsibility.

Fortunately, most of the neighbors at DRGC are great. They get it. They’re respectful and realize that we are neighbors … not just a business – but a neighbor. The point of this blog is to talk about cheaters – not to disparage the neighborhood. And I think it needs to be talked about.

Our society is going through some painful times. We need   to look at ourselves in the mirror and be honest about our behavior. My hunch is that cheaters rationalize what they do … hopefully this is the mirror they need.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

The other day I read an article about the handicaps of Tour players. That basically, you need to be a plus 6 handicap that can play to it anywhere. Not just be the star of your home course.

Also, I don’t think most people understand how crazy good a plus 6 really is. In fact, I don’t think most people understand how good a scratch player is … and a plus 6 Tour player is in a totally different world than a scratch player.

Here’s what I’m talking about. Years ago, when the Oldsmobile Scramble was a big deal, our tournament here was so big that we qualified 4 teams for the State tournament. That meant 4 PGA pros to play with the qualifying teams … so, I needed to invite one or two Pros from different clubs to fill the teams. And, I always invited Pros who were good players.

One year after the State tournament, one of our teams complained to me that their Pro wasn’t great and they didn’t use many of his shots. I asked if he was a consistent player and usually hit playable shots. They agreed that he hit decent shots, but not great shots. I explained that a scratch golfer isn’t always a great scramble partner. He’s scratch because he’s consistent, keeps it in play, plays smart, and has a good short game. They didn’t get what I was saying. They wanted a Tour player – someone who could overpower the golf course.

He was a much better player than they realized. To be in control of your shots is a difficult thing to achieve. To be in control with power and razor-sharp feel … well, that’s freakish … and that’s a Tour player.

A good scramble player is a youngster with a lot of power and an aggressive personality—and is probably about a 12 handicap.

Here’s an analogy: A Tour player is like a race car driver – they can’t take their foot off the gas if they want to win. But, if most of us played golf like that … we’d crash and burn. The scratch golfer won’t win the race … but he won’t have accidents – or at least not fatal ones.

Would it be fun to have a Tour player on your scramble team? Sure, but you probably wouldn’t hit many shots. You’d probably just watch and say “nice shot” … again and again. That’s who a plus 6 handicap is.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

We’re always learning (hopefully) … and usually we learn more when life is hard, rather than when things are easier.

Probably, because when things are good, we take it for granted … and when things are tough, we step back and try to figure out what’s going on.

Well, we’ve been learning at the golf course. Actually, things are tough AND good. Much better than expected or even hoped for. Like most people, we were really worried about our business when the pandemic hit. When would we open? Would we even open? Would people play golf if we opened? Lot’s of questions. Scary questions.

So, we got the green-light from the Governor on Friday, April 17 and opened the next day. That weekend was stuffed. In fact, both days sold-out in 15 minutes right after the Governor’s announcement.

And the barrage of golfers has continued. If the weather is decent, we’re sold-out. And from what I’m hearing … it’s the same at every golf course in the Metro area.

So now the big question for golf operators is: Will this continue?

I’m not sure that this will become the “new normal”. But, I  think golf will see the resurgence that we’ve been hoping for. Ironically, it’s not the result of an initiative or an intense marketing campaign. It’s because people realized it’s a great thing to do outside. And, once they start playing golf with a new awareness … they have a new appreciation of the joys and benefits of the game.

Golf is always waiting there to be discovered … and rediscovered. It’s never needed tricks and gimmicks to keep it going. What it needed, was a slowdown in our normal pace of life. Too often we get too busy for the good things in life. We put off what matters so that we can hurry and get to that place in our life where everything is perfect … and then we can finally have the time for family and friends … and golf.

Well, I’ve been very guilty of putting off what matters until I get “there”. I’m proud of my work ethic … but I’m not so proud of when it dominates my life at the expense of family and friends … and golf.

Maybe the answer is to combine all three: family, friends, and golf.

Another example of learning. I just wish that I didn’t need tough times to wake me up.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

One of the prettiest sights in golf is a good grip. And, unfortunately, it’s a rare occurrence.

If you ever give golf lessons to beginners, you’ll see one of two swings. The first one is the caveman swing. The club is gripped in the palms, squeezed in a death grip, then lifted straight up in the air and then pounded down on the ball as if it’s a deadly snake.

Or, the goal being to get the ball airborne … they close the club face on the back swing while their weight shifts to their front foot so that they can use their wrists to scoop the ball up in the air as they shift their weight to their back foot.

Both are not good ways to use a golf club ( you notice that I didn’t say “swing”).

Ironically, if they used the snake killing method for iron shots … and the scooping method for drivers off a tee … they would be sort of ok. But, they do the opposite. Thus the snake killer breaks the tee and pops-up the ball … and the scooper hits the ball on the way up so that it’s topped and is a wicked grounder.

Both actions are usually performed with the grip of the club in the palms of the hands. The same way that you would grip the rope in a tug-of-war.

The club needs to be held in the fingers … of both hands.

And, the grip should be most felt between the thumb and forefinger of both hands. That’s the start of a good swing. It will feel weak and out of control at first. But, it needs to be learned in order to swing and not hit or scoop.

Here’s a good analogy. When I was a young boy, my stern Scottish grandfather took me to a steak house. I held my knife and fork like a caveman in the palms of my hands and my elbows stuck straight out. He insisted that I hold the silverware in my fingers and tuck in my elbows. I thought I was going to starve. It felt weak and terrible. I was not happy. But, he was right (as always).

I had to go through the same process with a golf club in my hands. Practice gripping the club in your fingers. I used to do it while watching tv – gave me the excuse that I was doing something useful.

Keep at it. Pretty shots will become more common. Pretty shots begin with a pretty grip.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

Some players golf games get better as they older … some get worse. I was one of those “worse” guys.

I started noticing trouble in my 50s … then around 60, it was pretty obvious that things had changed. Not only had I lost distance and swing speed … but I was hitting fat shots and other goofy stuff. And not only were my shots flying shorter, but they were getting lower … and lower.

The problem was that I was more of a “hitter” than a “swinger”. My swing was more of a punch than a sweep. I loved to punch wedges into greens – it was probably my best shot. And, I basically used a long punch swing as my normal golf swing. More of Lee Trevino than Payne Stewart.

It was a good way to play for my job. Was low maintenance … seldom wild … not exciting, but worked. If I chipped and putted decently, I could score decently.

Well, I played the other day with an old friend … and he was going through the same stuff. He’d played college golf at a big-time school … but 40 years later he was struggling. Though not a big guy … he’d been more of a hitter than a swinger. He’d always had a great short game … but you still have to get the ball around the golf course … he’d become short and wild.

Ironically, the wilder he got, the more that he “held on”. We all think that “swinging” leads to wildness … that control comes from no hand-action.

Wrong. Here’s why: You need to square-up the clubface at impact. If you don’t square-it-up with your hands … you’ll try to square-it-up with your shoulders.

And, he was trying to get power from his legs. He was trying to drive his legs into the shot. After he told me that’s what he was doing … I asked him to punch me and  drive his legs into it. He couldn’t do it. The leg action stopped his punching motion.

Here’s an analogy: Our high school catcher could throw a rocket to second base without coming out of the crouch position. A pitcher pitches because he can throw. His windup doesn’t throw the ball.

Your golf swing should feel like throwing a golf club. That’s the right motion. But here’s the secret to make it work: The left hand has to throw the club back-handed through the ball like a frisbee. So (if you’re right-handed), the golf swing is like throwing the club sidearm at the target. And … during that motion … the back of the left hand also throws the club out to the right and up. If it doesn’t go right and up … you’ll hit a low hook. But, right and up, you’ll hit a high draw … not a bad little shot to have at your disposal.

In fact, since I first wrote this blog, I played 9 holes with the first Club Champion (1990) here at Deer Run GC. We hadn’t played together in 25 years … and he couldn’t believe how high my tee shots had become and that they drew back in. He was struggling with the same stuff as my old friend – not swinging the golf club. So he tried my left-hand frisbee throw. His last two drives of the day were semi-high draws. He’d never been able to hit that shot. I wish I had a video – he was pretty excited.

That is a free action – not a punch. You’ll need a lighter grip and softer hands and arms … in fact, just a more relaxed body. This is not the Arnold Palmer action. You want more of a Louie Oosthuizen swing. In fact, Tiger Woods has become more of a swinger than he used to be.

If you’re shut in and looking for something to do … take a look at videos by Manuel de la Torre, Ernest Jones, Bob Toski, and Mike Malaska.

And just watch videos of Sam Snead. Snead won on Tour at age 52 … and made the cut in a US Open at age 61. Snead played great golf into his 80s. He played everyday and never had the knee and back problems of modern golfers.

We can play well as we get older … but we need to be “swingers” and not “hitters”.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

You know that saying “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, I think for Minnesota it should be “May showers bring June flowers”. We’re about a month north of most of the country. But, a little rain shouldn’t stop your golf plans. Monday and Tuesday the report was for rain … it missed us and we were fine. But because of this phobia inspired by an over active media to heighten the threat of storms, people waste valuable beautiful Minnesota days.

So, every year I send the following:

Did you ever see the episode of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM when Larry accused the weatherman of manipulating the weather reports so he can have the golf course all to himself?

Did you also know that episode was based on fact and that all weathermen manipulate their weather reports to keep people off the golf courses?

Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit … but not much.

Bad weather makes news. Bad weather keeps everyone tuned in. I get that weathermen have a responsibility and safety concerns. However, if it’s not life-threatening such as a tornado …make your tee times dependent on your schedule – not the weather reports. And, if it’s too nasty of weather – just cancel. In fact, we’d prefer if you don’t cancel. It doesn’t help us. You can decide at the last minute. Try it …  if it’s not fun … get a raincheck, refund, etc.

We’re not trying to take advantage of you trying to play golf in bad weather. I’ve heard of golf courses that won’t give rain checks if you play one hole – that’s not us. We’re not like that. We’ll do whatever is fair. And, we’ll error on the side of getting you on the golf course. That’s what we do. We want people to play golf. We don’t do all of this work just so people can drive by and say “What a beautiful golf course.”

You’re under no risk making a reservation to play golf. And you’re under no risk trying to play if it looks like rain.

Remember those old Alka-Seltzer ads: “Try it – you’ll like it.”

Golf will fix any ailment better than Alka-Seltzer.

So … “Try it – you’ll like it!”

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

So, we’re almost 2 weeks into playing golf in Minnesota.  Thought you might like to hear some of my observations.

First – people are shooting great scores. Why? It’s very simple – the protruding cup is a much easier target than the cup in the ground. Because, if you hit the cup, it counts the same as if you made the putt with a normal hole in the ground.

The protruding cup has inspired our players to putt aggressively. Basically, just take out most of the break and let it fly. Not only are players making long putts – they almost never miss a short putt.  Think that helps your score?

For our leagues we’re amending the rule. The putt will only count if stays close to the hole after it hits the cup. Remember that saying “within the leather”?. So, if the putt stays within the length of the grip on your putter … it’s good.

What else is happening? Well, we’re running into some folks who have no problem disregarding our rules that comply with the new restrictions. One guy was violating our range policy so I asked him to stop it. He didn’t apologize … instead, he thought about what I said and then replied “That’s ok – I guess”. So … he gave me his approval??? … that, “he guessed” it was ok to him that he shouldn’t violate our policy.

He’s far from the only one to grant us their “forgiveness” when we tell them not to do something. I almost used the word inform … but they already were informed when they read the sign informing them not to do it.

You know that I would love to dive into this philosophically … however, this is a light Friday morning golf blog.

Speaking of philosophy … last week I read an amazing article by a philosophy professor. When I went to look-up some more of his essays, I ran into a RATEMYPROFESSORS.com heading about him. This made me curious to see what his students said about him. Well, every rating was either a 1 or a 5 (highest). Nothing in between. The comments were amazing. Most of the 1 raters said the same thing “He’s mean. Doesn’t let you show up late or leave early … get’s mad when you talk during his lectures.” The 5s said that he was kind and one of the best professors that they’d ever had.

I think we have a new development in America because of a misunderstanding of the concept of “rights” and “tolerance”. Some people think it means that they have a “right” to do anything they want … and that it has to be “tolerated”.

People think they’re special and like being special. I get it. But, that’s not a license to do the wrong thing. Hopefully, putting well with these protruding cups satisfies that “special” need.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

It’s fun writing a weekly blog. People always ask if I’m worried about running out of things to write about … no I’m not. I have a lot of leeway … sure, it’s a golf blog, but that’s not very limiting. And, I don’t have an editor assigning me stories or ripping apart what I write.

The reason I’m saying this, is because lately it seems that a lot of the online golf magazines are loaded with stories that are just space-fillers. I read some of them, and when I’m at the end of the article … I keep looking for more … “that can’t be it?”.

Read one the other day saying that golfers will never shake hands again … ever … even after this crisis is over. And the reasoning was just flat. Could have been interesting … but wasn’t. Just a space-filler.

Our golf course hasn’t needed a space-filler lately … we’ve been stuffed since we opened last Saturday. Thank God. We’ve been grateful … and the golfers have been grateful. It feels really good.

We started pretty bare bones: no carts, no range, no food & beverage. Just wanted make sure everything was manageable.

Of course we were/are concerned about safety … that’s priority #1. Yet, we were/are also concerned about perception. If it seemed like we weren’t taking precautions, we could hurt golf for the rest of the state. As I said, perception is very important. If you remember the show “Bewitched”, they had a neighbor – Gladys Kravitz – who lived for spying on her neighbors. I’m sure there are “Gladyses” out there who would love to take down a course or even golf in Minnesota.

So, we’ve now added carts, the range, and some beverages and snacks. However, the range and other practice areas are only for pre-round warm-up. There’s no other way we could manage it. Imagine if we had 50 people on the putting green … or 100 waiting to hit balls at the range. Gladys would have her big chance.

Hopefully, you’re getting out to play. As much as I love reading about golf … I’d rather play the game.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

Yesterday, golf courses in Wisconsin got the green-light from their governor to open-up … according to safety regulations.

Obviously, we golf course operators in Minnesota hope the green-light flashes our way … soon. When the weather is nice, we have more people walking the course than we do on a normal day of golf. Putting a golf club in their hand wouldn’t hurt social distancing … it would probably spread them further apart!

Golf is such a great game. We can play it all of our life – no matter our physical condition. A few years ago, I helped give golf lessons to disabled military veterans at a course in South Carolina. These guys and gals were beyond amazing. You think you need the perfect swing to play golf? Hardly. These people had found ways to make it work that you couldn’t imagine – you’d have to see it to believe it.

And that’s true for most of us. Not as extreme … but most of us aren’t in perfect shape, really strong, super flexible, with flawless timing, and great feel. However, we can find a way to hit a golf ball with a golf club well enough to play the game.

I just heard that a course on the Wisconsin border filled their Saturday tee sheet in 45 minutes. Not exactly shocking.

If you are in a state that is playing golf – lucky you! And for those of us who aren’t … let’s not take it for granted when we can tee-it-up.

Remember this verse from that Joni Mitchell song:

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Better not start paving golf courses!

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

The other day I was talking to a local PGA teaching pro. He’s a smart guy and I always enjoy his stories and insights. He gets it. Doesn’t get caught up in the frills – he has a real sense for the bottom line. And what really makes him a good instructor, is that he can figure how to get a student to that bottom line.

He’s also figured it out for his own game. He’s a very good player. And gets better every year. I want to emphasize that point … he gets better every year. That’s a rare thing … not just in golf, but in anything.

Too often we try to make the big jump to “perfect” … it doesn’t happen … so we quit.

There’s an old saying that I love: “Perfect is the enemy of good”. Think about that. Not “bad” is the enemy of good … bit it’s “perfect”. People are not perfect. Life is not perfect. But, we can get “better”.

We’ve all been around nit-pickers. All they see are the flaws … no matter how small – they focus on the flaws. Gee, what a talent! Obviously, I’m kidding. That takes zero talent or awareness. Understanding how things work and why a flaw may be part of the picture takes a lot more insight.

For example, someone’s golf swing might have a little too much lateral motion, but they need it to get movement in their swing because they aren’t very flexible – yet their swing gets them in the proper position to hit the golf ball. A golf course might have some bad spots on the course … but 95% is well-maintained and the superintendent  doesn’t have a giant staff because his budget isn’t huge because the course doesn’t charge $200 a round.

The nit-picker/perfectionist doesn’t see the picture … just focuses in with the microscope to find flaws. Micromanaging is not a skill.

Am I defending bad business, or faulty golf swings, etc? Not at all. I’m trying to put things in perspective.

And … I’m trying to bring up how destructive that perfectionist attitude is. Not just to everyone and everything around a “perfectionist”, but especially to themselves. Being a perfectionist is debilitating. They can’t attempt anything because they can’t do it perfectly.

Many years ago when my sons were in Little League … one son was making the change from a season of “Coach Pitch” where the coach would lob the pitch into where the kid wanted it. The next year … was completely different … now the pitcher was trying get the batter to strike out – not to hit the ball. Also, these pitchers were kids and usually a little wild … not exactly their coach lobbing it into the perfect spot.

So, the Head Coach asked me to be the Batting Coach. (A move he soon regretted!) When we would scrimmage between ourselves … the kids wouldn’t swing the bat. They all wanted to “walk”. It got so bad that I insisted that they swing at EVERY pitch. You should have seen those first few games: kids swinging at balls over their head, or in the dirt, etc … and usually everyone striking out at every at bat. The parents went crazy. I kept asking the Head Coach to hang-in-there with me. He did. Wow.

Well, the season had two divisions: First Half and Second Half. We finished dead-last in the First Half. However, we never lost a game in the Second Half. We could hit. By swinging at every pitch … the kids learned how to get the bat on the ball. After they became good aggressive hitters … I let them choose when to swing. Then they got really good. And, they couldn’t wait for their turn to go to bat.

Did every kid get a hit every time at bat? Of course not. But, now they loved playing baseball. They could deal with the fear of failure at the plate.

There’s even a happy ending to this story. At the end of the season … the First Half champs played the Second Half champs. We won – handedly. The other team had won the First Half because they always walked. They never learned how to hit. Well, not just did we win … our kids were full of energy and confident. The other team was just a bunch of scared kids. It wasn’t pretty.

I know, I know … this blog is too long. But, you’re probably wasting time at home anyway.

Before I end this blog … I want to make it clear that I’m not advocating recklessness. Everything is risk/reward … reckless is just plain dumb. And perfectionism is also dumb … though it’s usually accompanied with a smug attitude – what a combination.

The goal is “better” … not “perfect”. We can get better. It’s a constant process. Usually just baby steps.

But it sure beats sitting on the side-lines of life and just pointing out everyone’s and everything’s flaws.

It’s all about “better” … not “perfect”.

Take care,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub