Greetings Golfers,

Halloween marks the middle of the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. Which means a change in the seasons. And a change at Deer Run GC – closing for the winter.

We might stay open through Sunday, Nov. 3 if the weather looks promising. At the moment, the forecast looks about as promising as the Vikings.

But the weather for this weekend should be pretty good – especially Sunday.

When we were kids, Halloween was my brother Rick’s favorite holiday. It was a great time to be a baby-boomer… the neighborhoods were packed with kids – Halloween looked like New Year’s Eve in Time Square. We would Trick-or-Treat for 3 hours and get enough candy to last until Christmas.

Ah, the good old days. Some things get better – but not everything. I don’t believe that everything has gotten worse – I haven’t turned into that guy. But the future isn’t always better.

Halloween used to be better … and the Vikings used to be better. Ah, the days of Bud Grant and the Purple People Eaters.

Hope to see you before we close.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Do you let a bad shot bother you? Be honest. How about a REALLY bad shot? I mean a shot that you can’t even imagine?

Though I’ve really mellowed a lot over the years, bad shots still bug me. I’m not very good at letting it go and moving on … but I usually do, and am ok after the next hole. Not the same hole … after the next hole.

But, a few weeks ago, I hit a shot that bothered me for weeks. I know that’s ridiculous – but true.

Don’t get me wrong … I hit a lot of bad shots. In fact now- a-days I hit very few good shots. But, my bad shots usually aren’t wild. They aren’t solid, but they go fairly straight. They don’t look good or sound good, but they’re usually fairly serviceable.

But this shot was incredibly wild. And it wasn’t with a long club like a driver – I was using an 8 iron. I was playing a match. My opponent was very kind and said that it bounced back into the fairway – I didn’t even know where it went. I vaguely remember the holes we played after that shot.

Why am I boring you with this confession? Because I learned something – I didn’t process the shot. I was trying so hard to be a good sport, that I didn’t deal with it. I tried to ignore it instead of deal with it. But my subconscious wouldn’t let me move on. I became a zombie – for two days. Seriously.

How should you handle a bad shot? I’m not sure – it depends on your personality. But you do have to deal with it. I am not someone who is good at stuffing things – I have to clear the air, deal with the problem, learn something and then move onto the next hole.

Golf/life … I’m still learning how to deal with it.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Lots of talk this week about about the National Budget and Gophers Football coach Jerry Kill – both are not very healthy.

I’m sure not an expert on either situation, but I do have thoughts on how we get in these situations. I don’t mean Coach Kill’s health issues – but rather the continued troubles of the Minnesota football program.

Human nature always wants the best deal – makes sense – who would want a bad deal? But, that can lead to unfair deals. And… unfair deals usually lead to problems.

For example: College football fans, alumni, regents and presidents, want winning football programs. And they want it now. And they don’t want violations and an unclean program. OK… how can the new coach perform this magic? Especially at a cold weather university… and a state not overloaded with high school football stars.

People want a 5 star hotel for 3 star prices. People want a consistent high return on their investments. Of course. I get it. That’s what we all want… but how does that work? Isn’t that how we get con men like Bernie Maddoff promising 12% returns? Or football coaches who pull every recruiting stunt imaginable? Or politicians who promise the moon? Or businesses who take advantage of employees to make their numbers?

I’m just trying to say that too good to be true comes with a price.

The reality is that the U of M needs a coach who will commit to twenty years of building a strong program. And during those years, if things fall right, they might once or twice have a championship team.

I know I sound like an old fogy… but cutting corners and taking advantage of people doesn’t work in the long run… no matter how it’s spun.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Every week I try to write something that you would want to read. If it’s just “same-old, same-old”… what’s the point? My favorites are when I write something that you know – but no one says it… and needs to be said.

I try not be be self-serving. That’s not always easy – I can be shamelessly self-serving and self-promoting. So I try to keep these weekly emails free and pure (try).

But, this time I need to “jump the shark”.  Let’s call it “informational” instead of “promotional”.

First off… Senior Rates for everyone during the month of October. Everyday. All day. Everyone.

Secondly… For the second year in a row… the readers of Tee Times Magazine voted Deer Run Golf Club the “Best Hospitality Award”. Obviously we would like to win every award. But some awards are really more about how much money you spend on the golf course, clubhouse, etc … sort of like the Yankees. But, the Hospitality award is not about who has the deepest pockets… it’s about attitude… the friendly and helpful attitude of our staff.

That’s it. Hope it wasn’t too obnoxious. Hope to see you a lot in October.

Cheers,

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