Greetings Golfers,

In America it’s spelled “rumor” and elsewhere it’s “rumour”. Remember the big Fleetwood Mac album in 1977 – they spelled it “Rumours”.

Fleetwood Mac named the album “Rumours” because of all the rumors flying around at that time about the band. I think it was their biggest album … but of course I liked them before “Rumours” when they were a blues band and Bob Welch wrote their best songs.

I’ve never really been with the current culture – even back in my youth.

But, we are in the middle of the culture as far as rumors … so I thought I’d tackle some of what’s floating around out there:

* We are not renting out the golf course for a zillion dollars during the Ryder Cup. We do have a deal with a company out of Chicago for 4 days (Thursday–Sunday) during the Ryder Cup … but we won’t have gold-plated golf carts next year.
* Telephone poles will not be strung along the golf course. I seriously thought that telephone poles were a thing of the past. I couldn’t believe it was a possibility. It was an option – but thankfully it’s not happening.
* Our staff is not leaving. They claim to be happy and not leaving for greener pastures (do such places even exist?).
* Harvey will not be our official mascot. He rejected our offer.
* Marty Lass – the venerable Head Pro at Edina CC – has challenged me to a duel. True. But it’s a duel of words. He wants to take a team before the Ryder Cup and beat yours truly with his vaunted verbal attack.

Whether it’s spelled rumor or rumour – it still means the same thing.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

I’ve got golf instruction on my mind. I hope it’s not too boring – I think it’s a fascinating subject … it’s like solving a mystery or a puzzle.

I’m a member of a few internet groups that discuss the golf swing. What blows my mind is that no one wants to go deep … the discussions are pretty superficial (that’s what I think is boring).

For example: Should the hands be quiet or active? Why? Should the legs be quiet or active? Why? Is a one-plane swing better than a two-plane swing?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Should everyone swing exactly the same? Is there a perfect model swing for everyone to emulate? Or, does every good swing have certain fundamentals which must be mastered? Should the golfer focus on the result or the process? Should the golfer be emotionless or use their emotions? Should the golfer have a set routine or be spontaneous?

Those questions open the door to age-old questions such as: Do you believe in the “Great Man Theory of History” or would history have evolved the same way no matter who lived? Is intuition real or just nonsense? Do people have free will or are their actions predetermined by their environment and genetics?

Then you can get into cultural differences. Why are Spanish players like Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia, etc such feel players? And why do the Korean women have such a disproportionate amount of success on the LPGA?

Every time I go down these lines of questioning – the discussions stop. Are these questions threatening – or just boring? I’m flabbergasted … if you have thoughts and insights as to why my questions are ignored … please let me know.

Cheers,

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