This will be a blog I will be writing on my golf experience for the summer of 2010.  I am Kim’s nephew and she has taught me a lot about golf.  I am playing in a 7-up Tour in Northern Kentucky.  Through my writing and my experiences, I hope to reflect on my golf game, share my experiences and hopefully make improvements on my game.  My goal is that sharing my writing may help others to think differently about their game and I hope to hear from you.  Sharing our experiences may be a way of helping each other “network across the courses of America”.

Happy Golfing!

Everything in the world has to be taken care of to have value. In golf, there are a lot of people working hard to keep golf courses up and running. A clean golf course helps to develop better skills. One aspect of a good course is being maintained and groomed properly. I enjoy playing when the tee boxes are fixed, fairways are watered and greens are cut. I would rather play with forest surrounding me rather than loud highways or suburb houses. I thank the people who take care of the course and as a golfer I have to respect their work and the golf course. Like I said in my last post, golf is all about fun. 75% of that fun comes from you and the other 25% comes from the course. The layout of the course helps me to enjoy my game. The number one thing that makes golf fun for me is talking. When I walk 18 hilly holes and out of breath I can’t converse with my golf mates. I prefer to get a cart on hilly courses and walk on flat courses. Another characteristic of a playable course is the staff. It is not very welcoming to go to a golf course and the cashier is in a grumpy mood. It can put me in a negative mood. When the staff in a pro shop cheers you on like fans at a basketball game it helps develop a positive mood for my game. A maintained golf course and a supportive staff makes the golf world go round. If the golf world goes down I go down with it.

Do you ever notice that when a famous person gets an award the first thing they do is thank their family. That is because family is the best motivator. If it wasn’t for my family I would not be playing golf. My Dad takes me golfing a lot. I went on a huge trip to Florida to visit Kim when she worked at Windstar. I got to have lesson with Kim and play with her and her friends. So if I did not have my family support I would be a wreck. Golf is a life time sport different from basketball or baseball because you can play it for a lifetime and the more you play the more you know. I know I am getting better. It is just that I haven’t reached my full potential. So I am going to keep playing golf so that I can reach my potential. The feeling of a good shot is great and I work my hardest to make it happen every time. Then let’s says I have a 20 foot birdie putt or a chip. When I make those putts or chips I feel like a pro and that makes me want to come for more. Golf is a social sport. Some of my friends play golf. On Monday my friend and I played 9 holes and it was really fun. One of my other friends wants to play golf and because of golf he and I are becoming better friends. What I hate the most is when someone says golf is for old people. Tons of young people play too. Do you know why? It fun!! That is the #1 reason I play golf.

Golf Talk

I know that you are not supposed to talk while someone is swinging but I always converse with my peers. I get to talk to some very good golfers in my league and sometime learn from them by watching them. I like to play with people that are better than me because I learn from them and plus it motivates me to play better and not embarrass myself. But no matter how bad I play I will always have fun. Even though we all are against each other, the game of golf is a friendly game. The first thing I ask the guys I play with is where they go to school. Most kids go to Gray, Highland or Grant County. Another question I ask is do you play another sport and most of them say basketball and then I remember seeing them play for their school in basketball. Most of the guys take lessons and have experience with playing the tour. They have experienced all the courses and they know what to do on certain holes. I have enjoyed playing and getting to know these guys and their skills at golf. Well in the world of golf at my age, it is all about who has the newest or coolest stuff so during the tournament we talk about the best equipment. The thing we talk about the most is the best clubs. They will talk about getting clubs re-gripped or getting a new shaft. They are always talking about the best driver like the burner or the R9 and how far they can hit the ball. We also asked people what is their par and usually I am 15 over or something like that. We also talk about the course and what we need to do on the hardest hole. The discussion about the course helps us make our individual plans. The conversations with are peers help us with the mental game we call golf. What is your “Golf Talk”?

When I first show up to a tournament I just try to clear my mind and just focus on golf. Then when I step up to the ball, I try to visualize on where I want the ball to go. I need to get a firm stance and make sure it is line up with the ball. Next, I take a deep breath and swing. Now I watch my ball goes where I want it to go to if it goes where I want it to I think to myself “Great Shot”.
Right now I have an assortment of clubs that make up my golf set. My driver and my irons are two different sizes so I have to adjust every shot. Sometimes I forget to step close with my driver and step back with my irons so it goes left or right. My Dad want me to straighten my wrist when I grip the club and I am just getting use to that technique also. By the end of the golf season I will have a new driver and that will help me hit the ball farther.
Golf is a thinking sport. Sometimes I think about that stuff to much and lose focus and start messing up . Then I start getting nervous and wonder what the other guys that I play with think of me. But next thing you know I will get a good hit and forget all about that stuff. What do you think about during your golf game?

The Start of the 2010  7- up junior Golf tour was at Hickory Golf course. It is a shotgun which means you start at a random hole and that is your first hole then you just go to the next hole and so on. I started on Hole 14. It was  156 Yards to the green. I went first. So I tee up and do three amazing practice swings. I step up to the ball and … sliced it right in the woods. Yep, first hit of the year it goes straight in the woods. Well,  a great way to start out the year! Well I got out of there with a double bogey and bogeyed the next three holes. Then  I was at 17 and  it was a down hill over the lake par 5. I didn’t want to use my new driver so I took out my old one that was too short for me. I hit  the ball about 200 yards and it was down hill so it rolled another 50. I  was about 50 yards away from the lake and  the lake itself was another 25. I was not hitting good with my hybrid so I got my pitching wedge out and chipped it 20 yards so then I  could hit it across the lake. I ended getting a 8 because of bad chipping. The rest of the day I got bogeys. I got one par on hole 12. I ended getting 101 and that is two strokes better than last year. Well at least I improved:).

Did you ever have a game where you thought you were getting better but only improved a little?