Greetings Golfers,

While out for a walk the other day, I took a look at our neighborhood “library”. One of our neighbors set up a see-through box that holds books. So neighbors take these and replace with other books – it’s pretty cool.

So I grabbed “Mavericks of Golf” … and figured it would be about unique Tour layers like Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros, Chi Chi Rodriguez, and guys like that. Wrong again. It was written by Jim Hansberger, the former owner of Ram Golf.

Hansberger is a classic entrepreneur and his stories about the early days of golf are fascinating. These golf companies basically started out of a garage and evolved into the big names of golf: Wilson, MacGregor, Ping, etc.

Seems like yesterday when everyone played Wilson irons, MacGregor woods (or Powerbuilt) a Ping Anser putter, and used a Titleist balata ball. Wow have things changed!

That leads me to US Amateur Champion Bryson DeChambeau. Have you seen his set of clubs? All of the irons are the same length – he just changes the loft. (I think the Tommy Armour Company tried that about 25 years ago.) Obviously he’s a great player. He’s also smart – a physics’ major at SMU.

While watching a YouTube video of DeChambeau, the next video popped up about some guy doing hand-eye coordination drills. He talked about how these drills develop your brain – especially with the non-dominate hand. And, how these drills can develop your golf game better than anything … he wrote a book called “Whole Brain Power”.

I just ordered the brain power book. Not sure that it will end up in the neighborhood library – I’ll probably need this book the rest of my life.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Have you seen the new tv show “Humans”? It deals with human-like robots and the issues that would come with such a future. That’s not a new theme – the movie “2001” and sci-fi writing have wrestled with the dangers of super intelligent robots.

I’d like to have a robot – to help me with chores, but not to run my life. And, I don’t want to be like a robot. So, why do people try to swing a golf club like a robot?

What matters in the golf swing is impact … and there are many ways to get to a correct impact. A robot golf swing might have a correct way to get to impact – but it’s not the only way. For many people, the way a robot swings will not get them to a correct impact. Think about that. Too many people think that a “proper” set-up and backswing will automatically get them to a correct impact position.

There are fundamentals to the golf swing … and the main fundamental is correct impact. The next fundamental is the position that can get you consistently to the correct impact position – that position is the halfway point of the downswing. Those are by far the most important parts of the golf swing.

Jim Furyk loops the club to get into the correct downswing position so he can get to correct impact. Would a robot make that move? Would Furyk be a better player if he tried to swing like a robot? I bet he couldn’t get the club into the correct position on the downswing. If so, he couldn’t consistently get to correct impact.

We have too many “models” that miss the point. Some business models emphasize “proper” margins in all departments at the demise of the success of the overall operation.

This “robotization” of America disturbs me. I’m glad these shows are bringing up these issues (even the new show “Mr. Robot”). Isn’t America about individuality – “The land of the free and the home of the brave”?

Take ownership of your golf swing. Work on impact with your chipping … then develop a swing that can consistently get you back to correct impact. Unless you’d rather have all of the joy a robot gets from golf.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

I just read an article the other day about a huge golf apparel/equipment company that was wrestling with how to downsize because of their weak sales. Is that a bad sign for golf? I don’t think so.

It seems to me that niche markets are growing. Look at craft beers. Our golf shop is doing really well with smaller, unique clothing lines.

Remember when television had 3 networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC? That was it. And everybody bought a Ford or a Chevy. The power in the marketplace was to find the middle-ground – what appealed to the masses. Do you remember that saying “Sell to the Classes and live with the Masses … sell to the Masses and live with the Classes.”

Well, I think the internet changed a lot of that – and so did cable tv. People got used to options and now want options in everything! The middle-ground has become boring – not cool.

I think that golf has a lot of niches and the secret to success is know your niche. The model of trying to be everything to everyone is suicide.

Does that mean being different just to be different? Not at all – it means knowing who you are. Remember when Coca-Cola abandoned Classic Coke? They almost folded. There will always be a market for classic things – especially if what made them classic is continued. Too often, over the years, what made a product classic was cheapened because the company thought that the name and reputation was enough to fool the public.

I’m all for options. But, I’m also for integrity and quality. And I think most people do too. They may not want the same things … but they don’t want junk.

One of those golf companies just kept coming out with a new driver every 6 months – not that it was an improvement … they just wanted to load up the stores and golfers with new, unneeded drivers. That’s not a brilliant business model. So is their decline in business a bad sign for golf? Hardly. It’s a sign that they should start doing things right.

Cheers,

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