Greetings Golfers,

I just read that a major golf club manufacturer is coming out with a set of “longer irons”. What does this really mean? It means that a robot hits their 7 iron longer than someones else’s 7 iron? Would you hit it longer? Maybe. Do you hit your 5 iron longer than your 7 iron? These new “longer irons” are just mis-marked.

Compare a 1976 Wilson Staff 7 iron with any golf company’s latest 7 iron … the new 7 irons are as long as the old 5 irons. Longer shafts and less loft. Why do we now need “gap wedges”? Because the normal gap between irons changed when club companies started to make “longer irons”. The sand wedge length and loft remained standard, so we needed “gap wedges” to fill the new gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Because a modern pitching wedge is like an older 8 or 9 iron.

This is just goofy marketing. A modern 3 iron is the same club as an old 1 iron. Nothing’s changed but the numbers on the clubs.

If I manufactured clubs I’d go the opposite route. Golf is a hard game because of the distance between the grip and the club-face. Think about it. Ping-pong is pretty easy because the grip is next to the paddle-face. Tennis is hard because of the distance between the grip and the racket-face. That’s why those really long drivers are so hard to hit. Tiger Woods used to use a shorter driver so he could hit it solid. If I manufactured clubs – I’d make shorter shafts and more loft. That would make the game EASIER. But … people get weird about how far they hit a club. They feel like a wimp if they’re hitting “more club” on a Par 3 than their friends. So if they have a club that says 7 iron when it’s really a 5 iron, they think they’re powerful.

The number doesn’t matter. It’s what you can hit.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

For many years I’ve been ranting about how golf courses need to be more fun, have faster rounds, know their market, and not get swallowed-up in the discount trap.

Now I have new cause. Brace yourself … hope you don’t get too sick off me talking about this the next few years. I’m talking about course design. Golf was originally a low ball game – sort of a giant croquet course. It was a game of angles … hazards were to be played away from or short of. The fairways were hard and the ball ran … but the greens were not pool table fast.

What happened? Well, the long high shot flew over the fairway bunkers and landed softly on the green … the need for angle play was gone. Just bomb it high, find it, and fly it up on the green … and putt like a freak. I get it. I don’t like it … but it worked and guys like Jack Nicklaus made a lot of money.

But, course design followed suit. Courses got very long and demanded long high shots. I’m down here in South Carolina and the carries to reach the fairways are crazy. And most holes have water in front of the green. Angles are meaningless. Low shots are worthless.

Why is this bad? I’ll tell ya – how’s Tiger Wood’s back doing? How’s your back? I just went to see a doctor about my neck. High shots are for young, flexible, skinny kids with a lot of clubhead speed.

As I talk about … solid contact or proper impact is made with the hands in front of the ball. But that takes loft off of the club. The only way to do that AND hit it high, is to lean way back with the upper body when making contact – what is known as the reverse-C-position.

Sure, some of you hit it high by hitting off your back foot and flipping your hands under the ball – but that’s a poor way to strike the golf ball. The consistent way is to lead with the hands as you shift your weight to your front foot – that’s a good golf swing … and it hits a LOW shot. And it’s a swing you can make all of your life without needing surgery.

You know I have a lot more to say about this. I’m just warming up … but at least I warned you!

Best,

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

Greetings Golfers,

How are you coming with your New Year’s Resolutions?

Don’t get defensive … I’m not trying to run your life. But, most of us do need to work on a few things.

Actually, I have a pretty long list … but I’ve learned not to take on too much (I’m pretty good at rationalizing). So, here’s one that’s staying on my final list: “Just think positive thoughts while playing golf.”

I can hear you laughing. Sounds pretty trite and ridiculous. Though I love to play golf, I can get really frustrated, and get pretty negative. Does that negative attitude help my game? Not so much. How about my enjoyment of the game – does the negative attitude help that? Again – not so much. Then what’s the point? Why be negative?

Well … it is hard to justify. In fact talking about it is kind of embarrassing. What happens, is that it feels like God or the gods of golf have turned on me – that they want me to suffer. Then I get mad and want to fight back. Who? Fight whom? Maybe if I squeeze the club really hard and swing really fast … yeah – that’s real helpful.

The other night we watched “Christmas Vacation”. Do you remember the scene where Chevy Chase is unsuccessfully plugging in his Christmas lights and goes crazy? He starts to kick and punch the yard ornament reindeer and Santa – he snaps – the gods have turned against him. Sometimes golf makes me feel like that … ok – a lot of the time.

That was last year. Oh, I might get that tinge of frustration … but I’m going to shift gears into being Mr. Positive.

Can’t wait.

Happy New Year,

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