Greetings Golfers,

While standing on the edge of a green … could you with an underhand toss, roll the ball close to the pin?

Probably. But it’s not automatic. You have to judge correctly and then throw it how you planned. And if it didn’t turn out ok … you’d know if it was judgement or execution … or both.

It’s really the same thing with a chip shot. You’re using the club instead of throwing it with your hand.

The point that I’m trying to make … is that you’re in control of where the ball goes either with your throw or using a golf club.

However, when I play golf with people, they seem to think that if they make a good swing that the ball will go where it should. I played with a guy who hit every shot left and he asked me what was wrong. I asked him to try to hit the ball at the right side of the fairway. He looked confused. I said “Can you throw a ball at the right side of the fairway?” He said he could. So I told him to do the same thing with his golf club.

Golf shots are a result of swing path and club face. Your swing is just a means to control path and face. This might sound obvious … but I don’t think most golfers understand it. From what I see and hear … they think if they make a good swing that the ball flies in the correct direction and goes the correct distance.

I would like to see people go to the range and try to hit shots to the 100yd sign with every club in the bag. They need to learn to be in control of the golf club – not make a perfect golf swing.

A good golf swing makes it easier to be in control of the golf club. But the goal is to be able to control the club to hit the ball where you want it to go.

Hitting a golf shot should be similar to throwing a ball. A good pitching windup and motion doesn’t throw the ball.  It helps … but a catcher throws pretty well from the crouch.

The golf swing doesn’t hit the ball for you. You do.

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,

We all know the saying: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

It can mean a lot of different things. Someone intends to do the right thing, and does nothing, but feels that’s enough. Or, they did something that turned out to be a disaster though it was well intended.

I give credit for well intentions. That saying almost seems like an excuse not to have good intentions.

Fairly often I read an obituary of a “wonderful” person who was committed to “great causes” … though the obit states that they were cruel to employees and family members. That the “ends justifies the means”. Ugh. Do you buy that? I sure don’t.

Shouldn’t it be both? Good intentions and good works? I don’t trust one without the other.

Or the sweethearts who “just want to help” … while they interfere where they’re not wanted and make things worse and insult people in the process.

Are those really good intentions? I don’t think so. It’s just a power trip disguised as good intentions.

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that Narcissists are the enemy of the human race. They really don’t care about what they do to other people. We have a sign on the #1 tee box that says “No sunflower seeds”. I played with the Mens League yesterday and empty shells were all over the place. It’s really fun to pick up with my hands gross shells from someone’s mouth. A Narcissist will rationalize that the seeds are natural, etc … but, if they get on the green, they get rolled into the putting surface … not conducive to a smooth surface. Or, playing at a slow pace … it’s their “right” to slow up everyone else’s round.

Some people claim a lack of awareness. Hmmm. So, it’s not bad intention? But, isn’t a lack of awareness a lack of intention? And isn’t a lack of intention/awareness just Narcissism?

You  know how you can feel if someone wants to play well … or not play well? Their intention paves the way to a round from Heaven or Hell.

So here’s my saying: “The road AWAY from Hell is paved with good intentions and good deeds”.

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,

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? While playing golf?

Jack Nicklaus has said that the song “Georgy Girl” won a million dollars for him because it kept him in the right rhythm when playing golf. Hmmm.

Golf instructors used to recommend humming a waltz while you played … especially the “Blue Danube”.

Many years ago while playing a State Open qualifier, a guy in our group kept singing the title song from the movie “Shaft”. It got pretty annoying … he would sing as he was setting up to drive … and then hold-up the club and say “Shaft – right on!” But, it must of worked … he was the qualifying medalist.

About 10 years later this same character went on one of our Mens Club winter golf trips to San Diego. To the tune of “Georgy Girl”, he would sing “Hey there, Yogi Bear”, much to annoyance of our foursome. But, it worked again … he shot 67. While flying back to Minnesota – I (of all people) – read in the airline magazine the story about Nicklaus and his success with the song “Georgy Girl” … I couldn’t believe it.

Unfortunately, I’ve had songs that I hate stuck in my head before I play golf … and it’s usually a bad omen.

Obviously a fast beat could be trouble. Probably best is an easy melody … with a light-hearted tone. Heavy and depressing is not a plus … golf can do that on its own.

Nicklaus said that he would hum “Georgy Girl”. Sounds like sage advice … most playing partners would probably prefer humming over singing.

“Right on”!

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,

How excited are you about the FedEx Cup?

If you’re a Tour player, it’s probably pretty exciting … because of the opportunity to win a lot of money.

I don’t know about you, but that’s not why I watch golf.

In fact, that kind of hype makes me not want to watch … it’s just annoying and gets in the way.

Too many promoters think “more is good”. Better is good. Too often, more is not a good thing.

We host a lot of golf events – most are charity fund raisers. Too often, the event leaders ruin the event with too much stuff going on. Don’t get me wrong – these are well meaning people … however, when they lose focus of what makes a successful event, it gets ugly.

The same concept applies with most things. A lack of focus and too many moving parts are usually a recipe for failure.

Maybe little kids are excited by non-stop stimulation. But, even they get annoyed with nonsense. Is the FedEx Cup nonsense? Well … it’s sure not the Masters.

I realize that the PGA Tour is a business. But the Tour has a good product … they don’t have to cheese-it-out. A lot of people want to see the best players on the planet play golf – especially at a cool venue.

And, their new schedule is driven by their fear of competing with the NFL. Again, they have a good product … they shouldn’t be running scared. People respect guts and integrity.

Golf’s four Majors are the backbone of professional golf. They should be spread-out so they set a natural rhythm for the golf season. The rest of the Tour events should then fit in around the Majors, with an ebb and flow that gives the golf season meaning and structure. It shouldn’t feel like it’s run by P.T. Barnum.

However, the Tour does have one incredible tournament that should be hyped-up … Q School. Once-upon-a-time … you could take a shot at qualifying for the PGA Tour. The ultimate Rocky story of sports. How did these marketing “geniuses” not take advantage of this rags-to-riches story?

The golf season should end with a Major – the PGA Championship. It should be match-play and they would have a genuine end-of-the-year champion. Not a FedEx champ.

And, over the Winter, they should televise Q-school … play it in Hawaii. Then start the season with that crazy Waste Management tournament in Phoenix.

By the time the golf season would hit the Fall … the NFL would be scared!

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,

The other day on PGA radio, two college golf coaches were talking about the Open. They focused on Brooks Koepka looking at his watch while JB Holmes was taking forever to hit his shot. They both agreed that Brooks was the bad guy for showing his displeasure.

So, Holmes is guilty of ridiculously slow play … and Brooks is the bad guy for pointing at his watch? Really?

One of the coaches even said that Holmes doesn’t want to play slow, but just can’t help it. What – he’s a victim of himself for slow play? It’s asking too much to be ready to play a golf shot?

In my own little world I have to deal with the same thing. Not only with slow play, but any sort of bad behavior. If our Rangers or I confront a slow group that’s ruining the round for everyone behind them … we’re the bad guys – not them. When someone drives their cart on the edge of the green and we tell them not to – we’re the bad guys. When people are rude to our staff and we say that’s not acceptable – we’re the bad guys.

How did this happen? I’m glad that people have freedom and rights. But, they don’t have the right to do whatever they want without consequences. Having rights is not the same as a license to do anything. We also have the right to tell people to do the right thing … or not play here anymore.

Sadly, for some people expulsion is the only thing that they understand. I wish the TOUR had the guts to do the right thing. Obviously JB Holmes will not do the right thing. Brooks Koepka is not the bad guy. The PGA TOUR should step-up and risk being the bad guy because it’s the right thing to do.

As Edmund Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Obviously, Holmes’ slow play isn’t evil. But, the TOUR has a responsibility to its players and fans to do the right thing. Somehow “doing the right thing” now means allowing everyone to do anything. So cowardice has become a virtue?

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