This is the perfect beginning for my blog. What follows is the first article I had published in Four Corners Golf Magazine. It's a great preview of what this blog will be all about, and it also gives more information about who I am.
My Top Ten Lessons From My Golf Journal
On September 25th, 1999, I started what I called My Golf Diary. I was a beginning golfer without a handicap or a clue. The idea was to keep a record of my successes because golf can be such a difficult, spirit-crushing, confidence-bashing adventure, and I wanted to have a journal to boost my morale when I needed it. Since that time, I’ve written pages and pages about my experiences and lessons (not only lessons from an instructor, but lessons learned while writing about golf). In this article, I’ve condensed those lessons into a Top Ten List. Because I will be celebrating ten years of playing (and writing about) golf this September, this seemed like a fabulous opportunity to share what I have learned.
10. Read magazines and books about golf.
When I first started playing, I read anything that had to do with golf. I read Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and I checked out books from the library. The first one I checked out was Arnold Palmer’s Play Great Golf. I continue to read books about golf the same way a starved person eats food at a banquet; I can’t get enough, but I am a little more picky now. I read Four Corners Golf Magazine (of course!) and the latest book I read was a Christmas gift from my wife called Tommy’s Honor by Kevin Cook. The more I read, the more I know and understand. Some of what I read is instructional, and some is fictional, but they are all helpful and enjoyable. My favorite by far is The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost, the book that was adapted into the Walt Disney movie of the same name.
9. Get a pro and have clubs fitted to you.
My first pro/teacher/mentor was Mike at the San Juan Country Club. He got me started on the right track, and I am truly thankful for his time and instruction. He accelerated my improvement in drastic ways, and he was extremely patient with my questions and my poor techniques. He also did my first and only club-fitting. With clubs fitted to my height (I’m 6’ 3”) and swing, I play better. I recommend a pro and a club-fitting to any beginner who wants to get better.
Since I coached golf in our home town for two years as the assistant, I have switched to Gary, the head pro at Hidden Valley. Gary has built on what I learned from Mike and helped me take things to an even higher level. Both are intelligent, hardworking, and encouraging, and I am grateful for their expertise.
8. Play in tournaments.
One piece of advice I received from Mike was to play in tournaments. Tournaments help me gauge my improvement, and writing about what happened in those tournaments has given me a greater understanding of how to perform in the future ones. Play in all kinds: stroke play, scrambles, best balls, and even those glow-in-the-dark tournaments at night. Playing in tournaments is not only fun, but it stretches me to be uncomfortable and nervous in pressure situations. Being stretched like that has helped me to grow as a person and a player. And if I lose a tournament or don’t place, I know that my money is almost always going to a good cause.
7. Play different courses.
Hidden Valley is my home course now (the more I play it, the more I appreciate it), but I have played all over this Four Corners area and beyond. I’ve played at Civitan, Pinon Hills, San Juan Country Club, Riverview, Hillcrest, Dalton, Moab, Hunter’s Run, and Conquistador. Farther away from home, I’ve played at Santa Ana in Bernalillo, South Suburban in Littleton, Colorado, Encanto in Phoenix, and several golf courses in Virginia where my brother lives, just to name a few.
When I was on jury duty a few years ago, we the potential jurors were asked what we thought about petty drug charges and the people who got caught with small amounts of drugs. One potential juror said, with his slow, deep-sounding drawl, “I think you should just shoot ‘em. Just shoot ‘em all.” (By the way, for some reason, he was not picked.)
That’s how I feel about playing different golf courses. I think you should just play ‘em. Just play ‘em all.
6. Keep a journal.
When I started writing about my golf experiences, I had no idea what a great resource my journal would become. It has chronicled every birdie I have ever made (and my one and only eagle on Hidden Valley’s Hole #10!), telling not only which course, but which hole, and in what fashion. But it goes deeper than that. I have also kept track of my lessons, my practice sessions, and what has worked best for me, and in some cases what didn’t work at all. Even more importantly, I have included things not related to golf. I usually write when I am on vacation, so I have included anecdotes and stories about my family, a written record of our children growing up and some of the many great adventures we have had together.
5. Don’t practice with a demo club…
…with sweaty hands… inside the house… while lining up at your napping wife… while taking a full swing. The good news, however, is that A. She was not hurt, and B. The hole in the ceiling has been patched and is barely noticeable now.
4. Love the short game.
Many of the books I read are Dr. Bob Rotella’s books. He is a huge advocate for the short game, and my ten years of experience and I agree. One summer I came very close to having knee surgery. My left knee was swollen and not working. I spent that summer practicing pitching, chipping, and putting. After running on the treadmill one day, I decided surgery would really not be necessary. When I returned to using my full swing again, I had learned a very important lesson. First, my full swing was better after all of those pitches; tempo, rhythm, and contact were all solid. Second, if I missed a green, I was more confident than ever that I had a greater chance of getting up and in in two shots, which in turn freed up my full swing to be more aggressive. Third, the best rounds I have had are not the results of long drives and hitting fairways and greens in regulation (although doing those things is always advantageous). Instead, they are rounds that consisted of one-putts, a chip-in, a sand save or two, and some pitches that got my ball on the green and closer to the hole.
3. Play against players who are better.
When I first started, I played with my brother-in-law Eric most of the time. He had the advantage on me every time we played since he had played before, and I was just a rookie. It made me mad! It made me want to get better. After years of playing, I got to the point where he and I would take turns beating each other. Since he and I are married to twin sisters, it was great for us to share this common bond— the desire to beat the tar out of each other. I’ve heard that golfers should have only one opponent, the golf course, but Eric and I always wanted to beat each other, and in turn, that competition helped us both beat the golf courses every once in a while, or at least embarrass a few holes. Now Eric has found a new sport, Xterra, so I have found somebody else to abuse me regularly, Bruce, a teacher friend of mine with about a 9 handicap. Bruce swings smooth circles with his clubs that are as perfect as the circles in his math teacher’s guide. After playing with (and against) Bruce a few months, my journal took on a repeating theme that went like this: Bruce beat me again today. Or: Bruce won the game we chose to play today. Or: After the first few holes, we stopped keeping score since Bruce was too far ahead for me to catch up.
Every once in a while, though, I have bested Bruce (no handicaps involved), and when I do, (and this is meant as the highest compliment), it feels fantastic! I know I’ve done something when that happens.
2. Celebrate and remember the successes.
I tried unsuccessfully to start my handicap in my first year, and it’s a good thing I didn’t. I didn’t even know it cost money to get it going, or that it should be done at the course I played at the most. Eric and I had just played at Riverview, and my handicap would have probably been a 61. Okay, maybe 50, but 61 sounds better since it’s the opposite of what my approximate handicap is now, a 16. Of course I wish it was lower, but just look at that improvement. In my dreams, I picture myself as the published author of a book on golf called From a Zero to a Zero: How I Went From a Golf Nobody to a Zero Handicap. Sounds catchy! No matter what your handicap is, celebrate the good rounds, the long putts that fall in, the huge drives, the victories, and the birdies. Celebrate the improvements! Golf is tough; don’t let it get you down.
1. Find the balance.
I am not talking about staying balanced during the swing here. I am talking about balancing golf with life. I am obsessed with golf in my own weird ways. When I close my eyes, I sometimes see fairways and putting greens. I dream big. I see myself winning more money and donating more of that money than any other player on the Champions Tour some day. Sometimes when I sign my debit receipts at the Giant or Safeway, I pretend I am signing an autograph for someone.
I am somewhat fascinated with Payne Stewart. I feel we are related in some crazy ways, and they are all freaky to me. For example, we have the same initials. I have the same number of letters in my first name as he has in his last name and the same goes with our last and first names. Of the hundreds of extension numbers in the Aztec School District, my extension is the year he was born, 1957. Our birthdays are exactly ten years and two days apart. A priest paid me one of the highest compliments I have ever received when we played together at Hidden Valley one day. He said my swing looked like Payne Stewart’s! I was shocked when he said this. Why did he say his name? I know… weird, huh? Obsessed and obsessive? Yes!
Yet, I do my best to find a balance. I am a family man. I have a steady job. I have other interests besides golf. Golf is great, but it has its place. My world would not stop spinning if I suddenly could not play golf anymore. As much as I enjoy the sport, and I really do enjoy it, I have found a balance. Spend a day with family or spend a day on the golf course? Easy decision. The golf can wait. Next weekend, though, if Bruce calls me and the weather is beautiful, if my family has plans elsewhere, I’ll be teeing it up again.
My Top Ten Lessons From My Golf Journal
On September 25th, 1999, I started what I called My Golf Diary. I was a beginning golfer without a handicap or a clue. The idea was to keep a record of my successes because golf can be such a difficult, spirit-crushing, confidence-bashing adventure, and I wanted to have a journal to boost my morale when I needed it. Since that time, I’ve written pages and pages about my experiences and lessons (not only lessons from an instructor, but lessons learned while writing about golf). In this article, I’ve condensed those lessons into a Top Ten List. Because I will be celebrating ten years of playing (and writing about) golf this September, this seemed like a fabulous opportunity to share what I have learned.
10. Read magazines and books about golf.
When I first started playing, I read anything that had to do with golf. I read Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and I checked out books from the library. The first one I checked out was Arnold Palmer’s Play Great Golf. I continue to read books about golf the same way a starved person eats food at a banquet; I can’t get enough, but I am a little more picky now. I read Four Corners Golf Magazine (of course!) and the latest book I read was a Christmas gift from my wife called Tommy’s Honor by Kevin Cook. The more I read, the more I know and understand. Some of what I read is instructional, and some is fictional, but they are all helpful and enjoyable. My favorite by far is The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost, the book that was adapted into the Walt Disney movie of the same name.
9. Get a pro and have clubs fitted to you.
My first pro/teacher/mentor was Mike at the San Juan Country Club. He got me started on the right track, and I am truly thankful for his time and instruction. He accelerated my improvement in drastic ways, and he was extremely patient with my questions and my poor techniques. He also did my first and only club-fitting. With clubs fitted to my height (I’m 6’ 3”) and swing, I play better. I recommend a pro and a club-fitting to any beginner who wants to get better.
Since I coached golf in our home town for two years as the assistant, I have switched to Gary, the head pro at Hidden Valley. Gary has built on what I learned from Mike and helped me take things to an even higher level. Both are intelligent, hardworking, and encouraging, and I am grateful for their expertise.
8. Play in tournaments.
One piece of advice I received from Mike was to play in tournaments. Tournaments help me gauge my improvement, and writing about what happened in those tournaments has given me a greater understanding of how to perform in the future ones. Play in all kinds: stroke play, scrambles, best balls, and even those glow-in-the-dark tournaments at night. Playing in tournaments is not only fun, but it stretches me to be uncomfortable and nervous in pressure situations. Being stretched like that has helped me to grow as a person and a player. And if I lose a tournament or don’t place, I know that my money is almost always going to a good cause.
7. Play different courses.
Hidden Valley is my home course now (the more I play it, the more I appreciate it), but I have played all over this Four Corners area and beyond. I’ve played at Civitan, Pinon Hills, San Juan Country Club, Riverview, Hillcrest, Dalton, Moab, Hunter’s Run, and Conquistador. Farther away from home, I’ve played at Santa Ana in Bernalillo, South Suburban in Littleton, Colorado, Encanto in Phoenix, and several golf courses in Virginia where my brother lives, just to name a few.
When I was on jury duty a few years ago, we the potential jurors were asked what we thought about petty drug charges and the people who got caught with small amounts of drugs. One potential juror said, with his slow, deep-sounding drawl, “I think you should just shoot ‘em. Just shoot ‘em all.” (By the way, for some reason, he was not picked.)
That’s how I feel about playing different golf courses. I think you should just play ‘em. Just play ‘em all.
6. Keep a journal.
When I started writing about my golf experiences, I had no idea what a great resource my journal would become. It has chronicled every birdie I have ever made (and my one and only eagle on Hidden Valley’s Hole #10!), telling not only which course, but which hole, and in what fashion. But it goes deeper than that. I have also kept track of my lessons, my practice sessions, and what has worked best for me, and in some cases what didn’t work at all. Even more importantly, I have included things not related to golf. I usually write when I am on vacation, so I have included anecdotes and stories about my family, a written record of our children growing up and some of the many great adventures we have had together.
5. Don’t practice with a demo club…
…with sweaty hands… inside the house… while lining up at your napping wife… while taking a full swing. The good news, however, is that A. She was not hurt, and B. The hole in the ceiling has been patched and is barely noticeable now.
4. Love the short game.
Many of the books I read are Dr. Bob Rotella’s books. He is a huge advocate for the short game, and my ten years of experience and I agree. One summer I came very close to having knee surgery. My left knee was swollen and not working. I spent that summer practicing pitching, chipping, and putting. After running on the treadmill one day, I decided surgery would really not be necessary. When I returned to using my full swing again, I had learned a very important lesson. First, my full swing was better after all of those pitches; tempo, rhythm, and contact were all solid. Second, if I missed a green, I was more confident than ever that I had a greater chance of getting up and in in two shots, which in turn freed up my full swing to be more aggressive. Third, the best rounds I have had are not the results of long drives and hitting fairways and greens in regulation (although doing those things is always advantageous). Instead, they are rounds that consisted of one-putts, a chip-in, a sand save or two, and some pitches that got my ball on the green and closer to the hole.
3. Play against players who are better.
When I first started, I played with my brother-in-law Eric most of the time. He had the advantage on me every time we played since he had played before, and I was just a rookie. It made me mad! It made me want to get better. After years of playing, I got to the point where he and I would take turns beating each other. Since he and I are married to twin sisters, it was great for us to share this common bond— the desire to beat the tar out of each other. I’ve heard that golfers should have only one opponent, the golf course, but Eric and I always wanted to beat each other, and in turn, that competition helped us both beat the golf courses every once in a while, or at least embarrass a few holes. Now Eric has found a new sport, Xterra, so I have found somebody else to abuse me regularly, Bruce, a teacher friend of mine with about a 9 handicap. Bruce swings smooth circles with his clubs that are as perfect as the circles in his math teacher’s guide. After playing with (and against) Bruce a few months, my journal took on a repeating theme that went like this: Bruce beat me again today. Or: Bruce won the game we chose to play today. Or: After the first few holes, we stopped keeping score since Bruce was too far ahead for me to catch up.
Every once in a while, though, I have bested Bruce (no handicaps involved), and when I do, (and this is meant as the highest compliment), it feels fantastic! I know I’ve done something when that happens.
2. Celebrate and remember the successes.
I tried unsuccessfully to start my handicap in my first year, and it’s a good thing I didn’t. I didn’t even know it cost money to get it going, or that it should be done at the course I played at the most. Eric and I had just played at Riverview, and my handicap would have probably been a 61. Okay, maybe 50, but 61 sounds better since it’s the opposite of what my approximate handicap is now, a 16. Of course I wish it was lower, but just look at that improvement. In my dreams, I picture myself as the published author of a book on golf called From a Zero to a Zero: How I Went From a Golf Nobody to a Zero Handicap. Sounds catchy! No matter what your handicap is, celebrate the good rounds, the long putts that fall in, the huge drives, the victories, and the birdies. Celebrate the improvements! Golf is tough; don’t let it get you down.
1. Find the balance.
I am not talking about staying balanced during the swing here. I am talking about balancing golf with life. I am obsessed with golf in my own weird ways. When I close my eyes, I sometimes see fairways and putting greens. I dream big. I see myself winning more money and donating more of that money than any other player on the Champions Tour some day. Sometimes when I sign my debit receipts at the Giant or Safeway, I pretend I am signing an autograph for someone.
I am somewhat fascinated with Payne Stewart. I feel we are related in some crazy ways, and they are all freaky to me. For example, we have the same initials. I have the same number of letters in my first name as he has in his last name and the same goes with our last and first names. Of the hundreds of extension numbers in the Aztec School District, my extension is the year he was born, 1957. Our birthdays are exactly ten years and two days apart. A priest paid me one of the highest compliments I have ever received when we played together at Hidden Valley one day. He said my swing looked like Payne Stewart’s! I was shocked when he said this. Why did he say his name? I know… weird, huh? Obsessed and obsessive? Yes!
Yet, I do my best to find a balance. I am a family man. I have a steady job. I have other interests besides golf. Golf is great, but it has its place. My world would not stop spinning if I suddenly could not play golf anymore. As much as I enjoy the sport, and I really do enjoy it, I have found a balance. Spend a day with family or spend a day on the golf course? Easy decision. The golf can wait. Next weekend, though, if Bruce calls me and the weather is beautiful, if my family has plans elsewhere, I’ll be teeing it up again.
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