Greetings Golfers,

One of my favorite golf books is “On Learning Golf” by Percy Boomer. Boomer wrote his classic in 1946 and is famous for his concept of “turning your hips in a barrel”.

Boomer’s ideas of the golf swing are pretty sophisticated and I would even go so far as to call him an “intellectual”. I know that sounds ridiculous, but Boomer’s “Interlude” chapters are golf swing discussions with world class mathematicians, dancers, etc that push the boundaries.

Boomer wanted the student to understand the golf swing through mental images and feels. He was not of the learning successive positions during the golf swing, but rather learning proper “controls” that build a reliable swing.

Percy was a very good player, but acknowledged that he wasn’t physically and psychologically strong enough for tournament golf. But his brother Aubrey was, and Aubrey was one of the top players in the world for many years.

Boomer was very open about the difficulties of hitting golf shots under pressure, and he admitted that he rarely hit a solid shot off of the first tee at the club where he was the pro.

Unlike Boomer, I usually hit a pretty solid tee shot off of hole #1 at Deer Run. That’s because I save my choking for the end of the round. For many years now, I can’t finish the last hole with a decent score – gallery or not – it’s almost always ugly.

I think I’d trade with Boomer – I’d rather start bad and finish well. Starting well and finishing bad… not so fun.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Today I have the opposite of writer’s block – I want to write about two things… maybe it’ll work.

First is the British Open – pretty obvious subject. The other is the show “Bar Rescue”… not so obvious.

The Tour Players are talking about how much they love British Open golf – even Phil. Tiger said that normal PGA Tour golf is all about hitting the ball straight up in the air, and that he loves the ground game and shot-making that are necessary to win the Open. Mickelson said the same thing… that he used to hate links golf, but now he appreciates it, and loves hitting low, running shots.

Golf was originally a ground game… but mild weather, and manicured courses turned golf into an air game. The emphasis became about hitting it high, landing it soft, and putting like a freak. Shotmaking became mostly a waste of time – it wasn’t necessary.

But on rock hard fairways with seriously windy conditions – shot-making and strategy become essential. The pot bunkers and rough can be extreme penalties – and not always fair… the lucky bounce – good or bad – may determine the championship.

The lucky bounce won’t save a Bar/Restaurant (how about that segue?)… but the Show’s host – Jon Taffer can save it.

This is already getting too long. I’ll come back to “Bar Rescue” some other time.

So, the Open is the original Major and the world championship of golf. Look for some great shotmaking to “rescue” the champion.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

One of the joys in life are misunderstandings. Maybe not.

We’re always sending out signals, but they can easily be misconstrued and the fun can then begin. But we can’t be so overly sensitive that we have to resolve every perceived slight, yet we do need to clear the air if it becomes obvious that something is afoot.

This clearing of the air can be a very good thing. Usually it leads to a better understanding and a better relationship. I’ve learned that if it doesn’t lead to a better relationship, it’s because one side doesn’t really want a better relationship. They don’t want mutual resolution, understanding, and compromise – they want total victory and someone’s head on a pole.

Thus, all the more reason to try to clear the air. Too often, we just hope the situation will go away. It won’t – it will only get worse. So it’s worth the effort to try to fix it – either it gets better, or you find out that the other person doesn’t want it resolved.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I don’t want to waste my life on grudges and hard feelings. That’s definitely not one of the joys of life.

Cheers,

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