by Bruce Braun
“I don’t always one putt, but when I do it’s usually for double bogey.” – Unknown
(To begin, I must apologize for my inability to include pictures in this newsletter. I ran into some technical issues and until I can get that sorted out, you will just have to muddle through the text. Hopefully your inbox will have the photographs coming soon.)
Sixty-seven golfers gathered today to enjoy fellowship, fresh air, and a game specifically designed to humble grown men. The weather was cooperative throughout the morning, although the clouds were rolling in as the round progressed. It looked increasingly like we might be testing the waterproof claims of our golf jackets. Fortunately, mother nature showed remarkable restraint. Most of us were likely home before the rain began. The course got watered, the golfers stayed dry, and everyone went home happy – well, as happy as a golfer can be after seeing their scorecard.
One of today’s photos comes courtesy of Darren Ainsworth and last week’s encounter with our resident fox. One week later, the fox has apparently graduated from curious woodland creature to hardened criminal as evidence by the accompanying “WANTED” poster. Guard your snacks, gentleman – you may be her next victim.
On a more serious note, this fox appears quite comfortable around golfers, and unfortunately, the treats golfers sometimes provide. Well, it may seem harmless but feeding wildlife rarely ends well for the animals.
Also included in this week’s newsletter are the latest match play standings and the updated handicap sheet. A big thank you goes to Nelson, our fearless mathematician and guardian of the numbers. Some of you may be surprised to discover what your handicap actually is. Others may wish they hadn’t looked.
Remember that your handicap determines the flight in which you compete each week for stroke play prizes. However, these updated handicaps do not affect this year’s match play competition. Those handicaps were established at the beginning of the season and remain locked-in until the final putt drops.
Currently, 23 golfers carry handicaps of 30 or higher, making them eligible to play from the red tees. This is a new initiative, and the jury is still out on whether it will continue. If you have an opinion, please share it with a member of the executive. We welcome feedback – especially if it comes before the coffee kicks in.
Reminders:
– Tomorrow, 32 league members head to Falcon Lake for one of our favourite annual pilgrimages. May your drives be long, your putts be true, and your scorecard slightly optimist.
IMPORTANT: next week’s league day is Monday, June 29 with our usual 8:30 AM shotgun start
We will not be playing on Tuesday, June 30 as our course is hosting a charity event.
We are doing the right thing.
And because golfers are creatures of habit:
Monday. Not Tuesday. MONDAY.
Write it on your calendar. Tell your partner. Leave yourself a note on the coffee maker.
Ruminations on practice:
I suspect relatively few members of our league actually practice. And by practice, I don’t mean hitting a few balls while discussing fishing, politics, grandchildren, cholesterol levels, and whether the greens were faster back in 1997. I mean, heading to the range with a specific goal and working on a particular aspect of your game.
Beauty Bay offers a putting green, a chipping area, and a net, which is helpful, but true swing practice often requires a trip elsewhere. More importantly, practice and playing are not the same thing. Trying to practice while playing a round with your buddies is like trying to rebuild an engine while driving down the highway. Something usually gets neglected.
Ideally practice is guided by a professional instructor who has analyzed your swing and provided a roadmap to improvement. More commonly, many of us stumble across a YouTube video entitled: “Gain 37 yards instantly with this one weird trick!”
Five minutes later, we’re on the first tee, attempting to move that looks nothing like the instructors and wonder why our ball has just entered another postal code.
A few of us, if any, own a Trackman or launch monitor. These marvelous devices measure swing speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance, and approximately 47 other statistics capable of simultaneously educating and humiliating a golfer.
What I see more often is golfers arriving at the first tee with a simple plan: “Well, let’s see what happens today.”
That strategy sounds familiar because it’s mine.
We proceed to make the same swing we made yesterday, last week, and perhaps continuously since the Mulroney administration. Occasionally we will discover a shiny new tip online and spend three swings trying to implement it before declaring it either genius or garbage. The problem is feedback we think we’re making the move demonstrated by the instructor. In reality, we are performing something that only loosely resembles a golf swing and bears a stronger resemblance to a man trying to swat wasps.
That’s the danger of unguided practice. Practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect. Practice makes permanent. If you’re repeating the wrong move, you’re simply becoming exceptionally good at making the wrong move.
After considerable reflection, and at least several minutes of research, I have reached a profound conclusion:
If you want to get better at golf, take lessons.
If you don’t want to get better, that’s perfectly fine too. You can continue with the strategy many of us have refined over decades: show up, swing enthusiastically, and blame poor shots on the wind, the greens, the clubs, the pollen, your playing partners, a stiff back, or the alignment of Jupiter.
It’s a system that has served senior golfers remarkably well for generations.
Have a great week everyone.
Oh yes, a shout out to Lee Belanger, who recorded a birdie on the third hole today. He caught up with me after today’s round and enthusiastically regaled his incredible artistry. Way to go Lee!
And just one final reminder: see you next Monday. Not Tuesday. Monday.
And (hopefully) look for the accompanying photos and the updated handicap list.
