Greetings Golfers,

Yesterday was the opening day of Men’s League. As usual, guys were telling golf stories up in my office.

One guy was talking about while having the best round of his life, one of the guys in his group was secretly hoping for him to blow it. We’ve all felt the vibes of our playing partners, whether rooting for us or against us.

They asked me if I’ve ever had that happen in a Pro-Am tournament. Very insightful question. During the 90’s, I used to play in a big Pro-Am … it was held at 2 courses and really a lot of fun. The format was an A player, B, and a C player team game. But one year, my A player didn’t care about the team game, he just wanted to beat me. So, while waiting to hit our second shots on a par 4, I asked him what club he was going to use – he said a 6 iron. I was a little ahead of him, so I decided to hit a 7 iron. I hit it a mile over the green. He then said “Sorry, I used a 9 iron and had it upside down. I thought it was a 6 iron”. Right. This was a 2 handicap player and this was his home course. (My brother Dan still laughs about it).

But a much goofier story happened the next year in this same Pro-Am. I got what I thought was a great team. The A player had been the low-amateur a couple of times, the B player was better than his handicap, and the C player had the max handicap of 36. Here we go! Well, on the first green, while the C player was lining-up his putt, our A player encouraged him by saying “Make it Russ”. So, Russ turned around and told the A player “F-you! Never tell me what to do”. It got worse from there. Our A player usually shot around 70 … shot 90. And our buddy Russ, shot over 200. Seriously.

So the next day at the other course, I didn’t think Russ would show-up. He did. On #1 tee, he whiffed, then topped his next attempt into the water. Another 200+ round with Russ yelling at us every step of the way.

The next year after the first round, I walk in the porch and see a nice young Pro from Sioux Falls with his head in his hands. I asked how his round was. He said he played with a guy who shot over 200 and was the meanest man he’d ever met. I asked “Was his name Russ?” … he said “How’d you know?”

Really glad that Russ isn’t in our Men’s League!

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

“And the pursuit of Happiness”.

We all know the phrase from the Declaration of Independence (yes – happiness is capitalized).

The pursuit. The pursuit of money, power, fame, the perfect golf swing, the perfect martini … or the pursuit of the great, white whale.

What am I babbling about? Well, Tiger Woods is a pursuer.

After he’d torn-up the PGA TOUR as a young man, he left his coach Butch Harmon in pursuit of the perfect golf swing. Winning wasn’t enough – even winning Majors.

Was his pursuit of the perfect swing the reason why he didn’t win a Major after the age of 32? (I’m not going to go into his other “pursuits”).

I believe his comeback reflects his new pursuit of being a controlled shotmaker. Last week at the Masters, he was #1 in Greens in Regulation. The former  Tiger tried to overpower the golf course and back it up with making every putt he looked at.

However, at August National, the new Tiger was in control of his shots … and his strategy was that of an old pro … wisdom has come to Mr. Woods.

Back to the pursuit of happiness. Tiger finally looks happy. His demeanor on the course has completely changed. And his interviews aren’t robotic and hostile anymore.

If you didn’t love the happening on #18 green on Sunday you aren’t human. His reaction, his kids, his mom, the fans … the whole scene was spine-tingling/goose-bumping/tear-jerking.

We all love the triumph of the human spirit. Maybe that’s at the root of the “pursuit of Happiness”.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub

Greetings Golfers,

This weekend, those of us who live in Minnesota won’t have to choose between playing golf or watching the Masters.

If we have to have snow in April, might as well be during the Masters.

Bobby Jones once said about the Masters, “We want bogeys easy if frankly sought, pars readily obtainable by standard good play, and birdies – except on par 5s – dearly bought”.

And, we all know the saying that the Masters “begins on the back nine on Sunday” … because the lead can change quickly.

So which is it? Safe and steady … or risky and aggressive?

Well, the devil is in the details. The golf course is much more difficult than it seems. Conventional wisdom is that the winner needs to be able to hit it high and far, and move it from right to left, and putt great. But, it’s more than that – much more. It’s mostly a position/strategy golf course. Power is great … but no one is going to overpower Augusta National.

Of course good putting is vital. But the putting is dependent on position. You can hit a lot of greens during the Masters and still not score. You have to be in the correct position on the green or off the green. The key is to drive the ball into the right spots to give you a chance to hit your iron shot to the right spot on the green.

The Masters is all about strategy and the ability to control the ball to use that strategy. That’s what the term “master” means. This is not a tournament for one-dimensional players. Or knuckleheads.

The first six holes seem to fly under the radar. They’re not sexy like the back nine … but they are very important. If you don’t survive those holes – playing them in even par is a victory – you won’t have a chance to show your stuff on the back nine on Sunday.

John F. Kennedy once described Washington, D.C. as “A community of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” Well, the Masters is the opposite … it’s the perfect blend of Southern charm and Northern efficiency.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
www.facebook.com/DeerRunGolf
www.twitter.com/DeerRunGolfClub