Greetings Golfers,

“Uncontrolled power is the very devil – in golf or anywhere else.” Words of wisdom from Percy Boomer – probably the wisest golf instructor of all time.

Of course I’m referring to last week’s US Open and Bryson DeChambeau’s amazing victory. As you know, he was the only player who finished under par … and it wasn’t even close – he won by 6 shots.

But the reason for all of the discussion, is that he focused on power – on hitting it as far as he could off the tee … on a course with serious rough.

Commentators keep saying that he defied logic. Just the opposite. His strategy of length, allowed him to hit wedges out of the rough instead of using unmanageable longer clubs. That’s using logic.

So, let’s use logic for your game. Are you a plus 6 handicap Tour player who needs to beat the best players in the world? Probably not. I’m not either. We need to navigate safely around the golf course.

Let me make an analogy to car racing. If you’re going to win a NASCAR race you basically have to keep the pedal to the floor the whole time. If you just drive safely, you’ll get passed continually and never win.

Same with a Tour player. They need to constantly attack the golf course. But remember – these are the best players in the world.

When I play golf … I don’t want to crash and burn. My game is about control. It’s not exciting, but I don’t like making triple bogeys. I don’t want “car accidents”.

Tour players are in control. So much so, that they can keep ramping up the speed – just like a professional race car driver.

When I used to give lessons, very often I took the hard to hit clubs out of my student’s bags. When they complained that I was making it difficult for them to reach par 5s in two shots … I replied that when they were consistently shooting par golf, then we would start working on those clubs.

What separates most players is their short game. Tour players have unbelievable short games. Bryson DeChambeau maximized his power with the strength of his short game. His ability to scramble gave him the luxury of playing super-aggressive golf.

And, the second place finisher – Matthew Wolff – also played aggressive power golf. Wolff also has an unbelievable short game.

If you want to play better golf and shoot lower scores … focus on your short game. If your short game is really good … and the rest of your game is pretty consistent … but a lack of power is your weakness … experiment with a longer driver.

My own bag of clubs is an odd mix. I still use blade irons – I’m not looking for length from my irons … I want feel and control. However, I am using a goofy hot-faced driver with a long, flexible graphite shaft. My swing speed has significantly slowed down over the years. My longest iron is a 6 iron.

For me to try to play power golf is absurd. And it shouldn’t be the focus of most players – even younger players. Control is the name of the game.

Of course I’d like to hit it far. We all want to hit far. I get it.

And, if you don’t really care about your score and just want to whale-away … go for it.

Back to Percy Boomer … out of control power is not a good thing. You can still be aggressive – golf is about strategy and skill. Be smart. Reckless is not smart. But that doesn’t mean to be a wimp.

Take control of your game. That’s what we all need to 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,

This week the US Open returns to Winged Foot (I’m writing this before they play on Thursday). The rumor is that the course is playing very difficult, and that the scores will be high. I heard talk that 8 over par will win.

That’s a big number for the best players in the world.

The 1974 US Open was known as the “Massacre at Winged Foot” … Hale Irwin won at 7 over.

Hale Irwin won 3 US Opens. And he won 45 tournaments on the Champions Tour. His record is crazy good. But do you know much about him? Do you think of him when people talk about golf’s all-time great players?

Speaking of great players, Claude Harmon was the Head Pro at Winged Foot from 1945-1978. He won the Masters in 1948. And, he holds the course record on both the West and East Courses at Winged Foot. To keep himself interested when he played his home courses … he would change his game depending on the wind. One day he would play every shot against the wind … and the next day he would play every shot with the wind … obviously drawing or fading it at will.

No surprise that those Harmon boys became superstar golf instructors.

Butch Harmon wasn’t Phil Mickelson’s instructor in 2006. That was the year that Phil double bogeyed the last hole of the US Open (at Winged Foot) to lose by one shot. It wasn’t pretty. Butch became Phil’s coach in 2007 – probably a year too late.

Can Phil win his coveted US Open this week? He’s 50 years old … so he’s running out of miles … though he doesn’t hit it like a 50 year old. However, Winged Foot is more about control than length.

This has been a weird year. The US Open being played in September? Why not? This year is already upside-down. Maybe this is Phil’s time … could be another “Massacre at Winged Foot”. However, it’s more likely that a Hale Irwin type of player will win – a grinder who hits it straight.

If the winner is 8 over par … imagine what the bad scores will be. They might start wearing full face-masks.

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,

Once upon a time, sports were played for the love of the game. The best in the world were amateurs … the Olympics, the US Amateur in golf and tennis, college sports, etc.

Then, businessmen saw a market … sort of a version of the Barnum & Bailey Circus … and created pro sports.

Professional baseball was the leader of the pack. The NFL, NBA, and NHL didn’t really bloom until the 1960s.

Not surprisingly, in Major League Baseball’s early years, the 1919 World Series was rocked by a betting scandal involving some of the players – the tarnished Chicago “Black Sox”.

When sports are about money instead of honor … cheating scandals are bound to happen.

Professional golf has never been hit with such scandals … it’s not a big betting game for the fans, like it is with the NFL. Probably, more fans care about who wins the Super Bowl because of their bets than the game itself.

Fortunately, most people care about the Masters and US Open for the golf itself, rather than because they are betting on the players.

So, what’s the deal with the FedEx Cup? Does the enormous prize money make you care? Obviously, I can see why the players care … but do you care?

If that’s the motivation … why not just watch people flip a coin to see who wins? I want to watch skill and strategy … I don’t care about how much money they’re playing for.

Even for my own game … I play for the fun and challenge of golf. We all enjoy winning a few bucks or a pro shop chit … but if that’s why we play golf … well, I think that’s missing the beauty of the game.

The love of the game. I hate to see it cluttered up at any level – major league or a friendly round of golf.

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,

Most golfers have heard of Tommy Armour. I don’t mean his grandson – Tommy Armour III – I mean the great man himself, probably the greatest golf instructor of all time.

He was also a big time player. He won the US Open, the British Open, the Western Open … all of the Majors before the Masters.

However, I especially admire his sense of humor. You have to read “How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time”- one of the all time best selling golf instruction books.

And, if you enjoy his writing … you must get “A Round of Golf with Tommy Armour”.

Armour was the rare instructor who knew that golf is more than golf swing. You have to play the game. The golf course is not a driving range … it’s 18 unique holes that have to be navigated with strategy and skill.

We all know average skill-level players who consistently shoot good scores … and some highly-skilled players who seldom score well.

So, in “A Round of Golf with Tommy Armour” he takes you through 9 holes with a fellow named “Bill”.

Bill is an average player who has become so frustrated that he’s decided to quit golf – for good. So, our hero Tommy, convinces him to play one more round … but that Tommy gets to make all of the decisions.

Well, the story is as good as it gets. Thoughtful, insightful, informational, sensible, and likable.

It’s easy to forget that golf is a game. We can get so obsessed with making the perfect swing that we aren’t aware of the challenge that each hole provides. Should we lay-up? Should we play up the left side of the fairway? Is it smarter to try to cut the dog-leg?

Or just simple things like leaving the driver in the bag if you don’t trust it.

Tommy does talk about the golf swing … important thoughts about grip and stance … and why they matter … not just “here – do it”. His whole narrative makes sense. How to swing and how to play … and how to have the right attitude to play well and enjoy the game.

Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

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