Greetings Golfers,

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably survived Black Friday. I just read an article saying that since 2006, 11 people have died and more than 100 have been injured while shopping on Black Friday. The biggest cause of injury has been a Stampede … closely followed by Pepper Spray … Shooting comes in 3rd but leads in cause of death. Brawl and Stabbing are also big categories. The video shown as part of the article is pretty horrific (and “humorous” in a sick way) … it looks like those statistics were from that video alone.

From what I read, it doesn’t appear that shopping at golf stores is very dangerous … the culprits seem to be big box stores … and just after the doors open.

I like Thanksgiving – hopefully you enjoyed it yesterday. Maybe the craziness of Black Friday is a result of people not having a good Thanksgiving, so they take out their frustration the next day while shopping. Maybe a family member hogged all of the dressing … or mixed something gross into the cranberries. Who knows? Maybe somebody brought up politics at the table!

Well, hopefully you’re just relaxing. Whether that means savoring an enjoyable Thanksgiving … or relieved that you survived a sometimes stressful event.

I’m definitely relaxing and resting. In fact, I’m taking it easy to get ready for the big game tomorrow between the Gophers and the Badgers. Our home will be anxiously watching the game with rabid supporters of both the Maroon & Gold and the Red & White.

Hopefully, it won’t turn into the violence that I read about Black Friday!

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,

As Bob Dylan said so many years ago: “The times they are a’changing”. I hope so. Went to the MWGCOA Conference a few days ago … a golf course owners conference with speakers, and vendors set-up in another room. It was actually really good. Seriously.

Normally I don’t like stuff like that. It’s usually boring and cliche and pseudo-intellectual.

Then yesterday, I was on an email chain about Golf Now buying EZ-Links. One of the emails was about how golf courses (and all businesses) needed to use data not for the quick sale and the constant sales pitch … but rather to actually understand people and build community through the long term. Yes! He talked about Delivering Value instead of Extracting Value. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. He also talked about building a community that people WANT to be a part of. Yes! Business is not about the best deal or best price … and not just being a non-stop annoying ad. (I used a local company at first … but changed it to “annoying”).

Of course there is always a market for price. But there is also always a market for quality. And for a likable culture. The business world doesn’t and shouldn’t always be about the quick buck. That’s a turn-off.

None of us like feeling used. Too much of business feels like a one-way street. Respect is always the key to healthy relationships.

 I get it. When business gets hard … panic can set in … and thinking becomes short-sighted. And maybe in a crisis situation that’s what has to be done. But it’s no way to run a business for the long term.

When Dylan wrote that song over 50 years ago … things were changing then … I lived through the 60s. But the mantras of the 60s never really took hold … they weren’t really well thought out. It was just basically a bunch of kids – Baby Boomers – who because of their enormous size and percentage of the population – had too much power and influence … and little wisdom. They didn’t really value respect and responsibility … they wanted to change the world NOW!

Well, real change – healthy change – is earned and comes over time by doing the right things. If that MWGCOA Conference and that email chain are what I think they represent … then the Baby Boomers may finally be growing-up.

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,

Maybe it’s the format of the emails….but, whatever the reason may be, I’m getting a lot of questions about the Holiday Passes and our Annual Christmas Sale.

So, this should clear-up things:  The Sale is Saturday, December 7th at the Clubhouse.  The hours are 9am – 2pm.  Everything is 50% off.  Everything.  Even balls, clubs, and shoes which have very little mark-up in the first place.

Of course we want some winter revenue.  But we also want to sell everything and start totally fresh next year.  And, believe it or not, we enjoy giving you a great deal.  What makes the Sale fun is that we have really good stuff left over.  Cool clothes, hats, gloves, bags, etc.  A smart way to Christmas shop…and a reason to buy stuff for yourself.

We also will be selling the Holiday Passes at the Christmas Sale.  We originally intended the passes to be purchased as Christmas presents.  But people got wise and figured out it’s a great opportunity to set themselves up golf-wise for next year.  The passes can be shared and used at anytime.  They also have no expiration date.

As always, we will be serving Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, Baileys, Kaluha, Irish whiskey.  It’s more than a Sale…it’s a Christmas party.

See you then, 
 
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,

Last weekend was fun to be a Minnesota sports fan. Of course, Saturday’s Gopher game was the biggie. But, the Viking’s win on Sunday night was also a big deal.

As usual, I was expecting the worse on the final drives of both games. That both opposing drives failed right in front of our respective end-zone was a miracle. One game? … maybe…both games?…impossible!

All sporting events have a period where a team or players is not sharp. I think the secret to success is to survive that period. Obviously the start is critical. You basically want to find some rhythm and not screw-up.

I always tell my playing partners that the first 3 holes at DRGC are the warm-up holes…that the round really starts on #4. All you need to do is survive and hopefully find some feel and tempo by the 4th hole.

Too often I see someone top their tee-shot on #1, and then try to make up for it with a perfect 3 wood for their second shot (which they then yank out -of-bounds). After the topped drive, I suggest that they just hit a seven iron back in play and relax and just play the hole.

You can be 3 over after 3 holes and still have a very good round. It’s tough to be 10 over after 3 and have a decent round.

Obviously you don’t want to wreck your round at the start. But, you don’t want to wreck it at ANYTIME during the round.

Usually teams and golfers have a mid-second-half slump. Maybe it’s lack of concentration…but whatever, it seems to happen…just basically sloppy play. If they can just not get too sloppy…(compounding penalties or errors or 3 putting after a chip)…things will come back.

Then, I think all players in all sports have to play aggressive at the end. Playing safe at the end of the game or at the end of the round usually turns into failure – and an ugly failure at that.

Here’s what I recommend: conservative at first while finding your rhythm; avoid getting sloppy in the mid-second-half; and then finishing aggressively.

The worst of all worlds is the opposite: reckless at the start; sloppy in the middle; playing safe at the end.

I’ve told my sons that I hope to see the Vikings win the Super Bowl before I die. I never even dreamed that the Gophers would play for the National Championship. Maybe the impossible is the new reality. We deserve it.

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,

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been the Administrator for a site called Old School Golf. I used to read it pretty frequently and post on it fairly regularly. So, when the former Admin left, he chose me to take over. Also, he knew that I didn’t want to monetize it or have that sort of an agenda. But, I did have an agenda – I wanted to spur interesting discussions about golf. And all aspects of golf: playing, teaching, managing, history, the Tour, etc.

It’s a pretty good site. However, I haven’t exactly taken it to a new level. Some of my “conversation starters” have been successful, but most seem to fall pretty flat. Actually, I get much more interesting responses to my blog … but that’s not an online discussion. Maybe people don’t want to risk saying what they really think in a public forum. When you say something online … it just sits there … you can’t take it back. And sometimes if it gets heated, people get nasty.

G.K. Chesterton said: “It is generally the man that is not ready to argue, who is ready to sneer”. Sneering shuts down interesting arguments … and the threat of sneering probably stops a lot people from even posting. Being the Admin, I can boot out hostile people, but it’s been harder to create the culture I want than I thought it would be.

The name isn’t just Old School Golf … it’s actually: Old School Golf – with new tools. Fine with me either way. I get it. It’s not just a site for golf reactionaries … but for people who respect golf’s past and are still interested in the modern game. And the culture that I’m trying to create is based on the human side of golf. I have no problem with the “new tools” side of golf … I just don’t want it to be the focus. Personally, I’m not using wooden shafts and feathery golf balls … in fact I’m using a ridiculously modern goofy driver from Japan. But what really interests me is the human aspect of golf and I want to drive those discussions.

As I said, I’ve only been the Admin since early this year. It takes time to build a culture – just ask PJ Fleck. But even if I get everyone to “row the boat” on OSG … I probably won’t get PJ’s salary.

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,

I played twice last weekend – Saturday and Sunday. Not exactly great weather … especially on Sunday … but, it was maybe the last golf weather until Spring.

Played a really old course on Saturday with my sons. Hadn’t played there in 40 years.  It was a good layout for my old-man game. Pretty narrow and pretty short. Most holes favored a right-to-left drive and usually a nice wide, long entrance into the green. Meaning that I could hit my sleazy running draw off the tee … then run some sort of low, skanky iron-shot onto the green. My game is the opposite of the modern hit-it-far and hit-it-high style of golf.

Before Jack Nicklaus, most good players drew their shots and played angles. Courses were pretty firm and dry … and the layouts rewarded controlled low, running shots. Jack came around the time of improved course conditions – especially watering. So … Jack developed a swing based on power … a high fade that flew over the trouble and landed softly. Then he’d hit a moon shot iron into the middle of the green and putt well. Because of Jack’s length with the driver … the par 5s were really par 4s for him. So par for Jack was 68 – not 72. He was already -4 before the round started.

But … but … but … Jack’s style of golf was not good for most golfers. Most people naturally slice … calling it a “fade” would be kind. And most people naturally scoop their iron shots trying to hit it up in the air. When looking for someone’s lost ball … I always go short and right of where they think it went. They don’t hit Jack’s “power fade”.

Now, especially as we get older … Jack’s “power fade” is really the wrong swing. You need to be young and strong and flexible for the power fade. And, willing to destroy your body. Those old-time drawers of the ball could play into old-age and not have all the problems you see in modern Tour players.

I recommend a loose swing that is more of a sweep than a hit. The driver should be the easiest club to use  … and easiest to use well. It has a huge head and you can hit it off of a tee. A sweeping swing can do that all day. Iron shots with a sweep work pretty well too. However, I struggled with iron shots at both courses because they had really tight fairways. The only good high iron shots I hit over the weekend were on par 3s where I could tee-it-up. My fairway iron shots on Saturday worked because I could hit low runners onto the green. The course on Sunday was more modern and demanded higher iron shots into the greens. I needed to tee-it-up in the fairway! But seriously, I would prefer lush fairways with some cushion. 

What I’m trying to say is that most of us should play with an old-school sweeping swing. And most golf courses should be designed for that swing. For most of us, golf is recreation … few are needing to play well to feed their families. A sweeping swing is easier on the body and easier to do. It feels a little unnatural at first – the desire to “hit” is natural, but not a good feel to build a swing on. Even a putting stroke is a sweep. And a sweeping draw goes farther than most people’s hit-type-slice … and is much more controllable.

Now we just need to adjust these modern courses to a sweeping swing.

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