Obsessing About Golf Much? Not ME!

Written on 11-26-23.

        I read this entire journal today (off and on throughout the day), and I made a few changes.  I am just like Ralphie in the movie A Christmas Story when he reads his own theme about his Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun.  I think my writing is so good.  I wonder if I would get a C+ from Ralphie’s teacher, too, though.

B is in bed at 8:17, and she is reading a book on her iPad, and Christmas Radio Station music is playing on Pandora on my MacBook.  The song that is playing now is Character Dances: Dance of the Reed Pipes.

We just had the best Thanksgiving break, but it ends tomorrow for B and the other teachers.  I go to McCoy on Tuesday, but then I am done with my visits for November.  I have all four of my visits happening in the first two weeks of December, however, so I will be busy (busy for me), too.

Thanksgiving break was wonderful, because we were able to all get together for Thanksmas in Colorado Springs, and for the most part, everyone was healthy.  Bev got sick the day before our holiday celebration, but she felt better pretty quickly.  Then Weston threw up on...

Emily in the parking lot at Legend just before the big dinner, so they went home.  Emily threw up, too, in reaction, so they were miserable.  They were able to participate via FaceTime, though.  

We are truly blessed.  Mom said so with a couple of simple gestures.  Her gift bag for her gift had the word “Blessed” on the outside of it, and I mentioned that.  She gestured to everyone at the table, and then she touched her chest a few times as a way of saying, “All of the people are blessings and thank you.”  It was a beautiful moment, and it summarized how we all felt.

The Broncos won again today against the Cleveland Browns!  The score was 29-12, and Erica, Tim, Bev, and Curt went to the game since it was in Denver.  I don’t know how the Broncos are sneaking into this journal, but they have won five games in a row now, and they are 6 and 5.  It’s probably because they have lost so many times in the past several years, so it’s an incredible change from the norm.

On to golf…

Well, I will be going to pick up my new Wishon EQ1 NX irons in Durango tomorrow!  I am getting super fun feelings in my stomach thinking about this.  Tom Wishon e-mailed me to let me know they were all done and ready.  I wish I could play with them right away, but the weather is awfully cold right now.  The highest temperature I see this week in Farmington is 43º on Friday.  Brrrrrr.  

He is also fixing up those two Sterling clubs, the 5-iron and the pitching wedge, and he said they would be ready, also.  I will pay for and pick all of them up tomorrow at 11:00.

I read a little bit more from Be A Player yesterday when I was kicked out of my own house for a bridal shower for Zoe (last name).  I went to the Edgerton’s, because nobody except Stella, their cat, was there.  Amanda came to the shower, of course, and Eric was up at their Vallecito home.  

I read some more from the Be A Player book that John let me borrow, and it mentioned an Amy Cuddy TED Talk from 2012, so I took a detour and watched it on this computer.  She believes that standing confidently for two minutes in a “power pose” like Wonder Woman can affect your attitude.  Interesting.  I have two big takeaways from her TED Talk.  First, she said to not “Fake it ’til you make it,” but “Fake it ’til you become it.”  Hmmmm. I like that.  I should be “faking” playing like a scratch player until I become one.  This is where creativity and imagination come in, I suspect.

The second lesson was that “Tiny tweaks can lead to BIG CHANGES.”

That’s a good one, too.  I have felt that I have made “tiny tweaks” over the past 24 years, so that is encouraging.  I feel like I am getting closer with every tweak.  I need to find my personal swing that works just for me. 

I think about golf often (understatement).  The last two things I have thought about regarding my swing are 1. a shorter back swing like John Rahm (he seems to get plenty of distance with that swing, and if I make my swing shorter like his, I wouldn’t get off plane) and 2. splitting my hands a tiny bit in order to make more of a split grip swing, which would promote more of a body swing.  I’ve also entertained lifting my lead foot and then planting it on the forward swing for my driver swing due to my Ryp Stick sessions, so that makes three thoughts about my golf swing. 

I just viewed a video on YouTube by Milo Lines Golf that talks about how to turn your upper body open into impact, and that kind of mirrors the split grip idea I am having.  That takes a lot of lower body strength.  He just said to replace your left shoulder with your right.  Luke Tanner said that, too, but it’s easier said than done.  

I feel that I swing slightly over the top to save my lower back from pain sometimes.  When I know that I am tilting down and turning my spine (ouch!), I would rather throw my hands at the ball. When that happens my club goes forward (with my shoulders) and above the plane line.

That’s enough thinking.  I need to go to bed, so I can wake up tomorrow and go get my new irons!  Silver Bells by Perry Como is playing now, and it’s 9:39.  Soon, it will be Christmas day (tomorrow) for me!