Greetings Golfers,

My all-time favorite chapter in any golf book is titled “The Art of Hitting with the Hands” by Tommy Armour.

Another great chapter title is: “Footwork, the Foundation of Best Golf” … also by Tommy Armour.

In fact, I love all of the chapter titles in his famous book “How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time”. Here they are:

*    Why This Book Is as Short and Simple as It Is

*    How to Learn Your Best Golf

*    What Can Your Best Golf Be?

*    Taking You to the Lesson Tee

*    How Your Clubs Can Help You

*    The Grip Holds Your Swing Together

*    How to Get Ready to Swing

*    Footwork, the Foundation of Best Golf

*    The Waggle, Preliminary Swing in Miniture

*    The Art of Hitting with the Hands

*    The Pause That Means Good Timing

*    Saving Strokes with Simple Approach Shots

*    The Fascinating, Frustrating Philosophy of Putting

*    Assembling Your Game in Good Order

The book was published in 1953 when Armour was 57 years old. In his youth, he’d won the Open, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. The Masters was the only Major he never won (it began fairly late in his career).

Not only was Tommy Armour a fantastic player, he was also an excellent club designer. But, his greatest skill was as a golf instructor.

He concludes the book with :

THE SIMPLE ROUTINE OF AN ORDERLY GOLF SHOT

1. Study the shot to be played, particularly in relationship to your capabilities.
2. Select the right club (and the ball correctly if it’s a tee shot).
3. Take the correct grip.
4. Take the correct stance for the shot to be played.
5. Keep your head steady.
6. See that your left knee points behind the ball on the backswing.
7. Have your wrists broken to the fullest extent at the top of the backswing, without loosening the left hand. The right hand grip is firm, but not tight.
8. Pause at the top of the swing.
9. Don’t rush as you start down, but get your right knee in toward the ball.
10. Keep your heady steady.
11. Keep your hands ahead of the clubhead by keeping your wrists cocked, and whip your right hand into the shot at the last second.
12. Keep your head steady

Before you think if you master this routine that you will have mastered golf … think about this fact: Armour still holds the record for the highest score on one hole in PGA history. He made a 23 on a par 5 at the 1927 Shawnee Open.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Last week the StarTribune asked their readers to share their thoughts about speeding. Here’s how they summarized the responses:

“Leadfoots who go 5 to 10 mph over the limit didn’t rankle many drivers. But over and over, readers lambasted the race-car driver wannabes who weave in and out of lanes, the distracted drivers glued to their phones and – their biggest peeve – left lane hogs who play traffic vigilante and don’t move over to let faster-moving drivers pass.”

I’m not surprised – I feel the same way.

And, it’s the same scene on the golf course – though we only have one lane.

As I’ve said before, we feel that playing in 4 hours is like driving at 60mph. No one has the right to go 80mph and run over people … and no one has the right to play at 40mph and back-up the whole golf course.

However, we have people who believe because they paid a green fee that they have the right to play at whatever speed they want to – they don’t understand that they paid for a slot on the golf course. If they want to rent the whole golf course they can play at whatever pace they want … but it will be a really expensive round of golf.

You all know about “road rage” on the freeways … well, we get “road rage” on the golf course. Last weekend a golfer decided to make a phone call while playing. After the round he admitted that he stopped playing for 5 minutes while he was on the phone. I presumed he quit playing and had his playing partners continue without him. Wrong. His foursome stopped playing and waited while he was on the phone. It got worse from there. The guys behind them hit into them … and so the phone group grabbed their shots. Two wrongs don’t make a right … or is this three wrongs? So words were exchanged and a guy in the phone group claimed that he was threatened with a gun and called the police.

No one was threatened with a gun. Some people love drama. It was a waste of police time and an embarrassment to Deer Run – 3 police cars in the parking lot. Ridiculous.

I just don’t get it. A 4 hour pace of play is reasonable. Making your playing partners wait 5 minutes while you talk on the phone is unreasonable. Calling the police for an imaginary threat is unreasonable. Are people really this selfish and self-absorbed? I’m not surprised at the rude drivers I see on the road. But, I expect more from golfers.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

“Courage and the love of golf are two qualities highly-prized in this north country”. That’s a line from an Associated Press article about Ben Hogan’s Open victory at Carnoustie in 1953.

“Where the women are strong and the men are good looking”. As you know, that’s Garrison Keillor’s famous line about our own north country known as Lake Wobegon.

How are these two phrases related? Stay with me as I try to put this together.

This week the Open Championship is being held at Carnoustie. The conditions are said to be extra difficult because of the lack of rain. When Hogan won in 1953 it was dry, too, but also cold – Hogan wore 2 sweaters and long underwear – he was still fragile from his near-death car accident. The Scots are stern people who admired Hogan for his discipline and tenacity.

Last week was the inaugural US Women’s Senior Open. A Brit – Laura Davies – won by 10 shots. But what really struck me is that 4 Minnesota women finished in the top 23 players. Think about that! Not Florida – not Arizona – not Texas – not California – not South Carolina … Minnesota! Do Minnesotans share that Scottish love of “courage and golf”? Well, we’re both definitely “north country”. Maybe our resilience, developed through living in cold winters, makes us temperamentally suited for golf. And maybe that resilience makes us good golfers into our senior years. How else to explain that 4 Minnesota women are among the top 23 senior women golfers in the world?

Courage and the love of golf … it makes us just get better with age!

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Service gets a bad name. Sometimes people think working in a service industry is akin to being a slave.

Serving doesn’t have to mean jumping at the beck and call of someone snapping their fingers. Service is best when it is people doing their best for others. Think of phrases such as “Serve Your Country” or “Service to Your Community” – those are noble concepts.

The key is that they’re voluntary. It’s needs to be a choice that is valued – not something that is demanded. Voluntary service is rewarding. Employment in the service industry is voluntary, though the jobs may have mandatory requirements. It is not a master-slave relationship. When I see people snap their fingers to wait staff or anyone, I cringe at their basic lack of respect.

I’m trying to say that the world of service is a two-way street between server and servee.

Service is also at the heart of leadership. Here’s a cool quote “If Service is Beneath You – Leadership is Beyond You”. A good leader is of service to staff and customers, and of service to healthy ethics and values.

One of my favorite books is “The Power of Servant Leadership” by Robert Greenleaf. Mr. Greenleaf was a Director at AT&T for many years and a lecturer at MIT. Those are great credentials … yet they don’t necessarily mean that he gets it. But, he does get it. I highly recommend reading it.

And I highly recommend thinking about service and what it means. It’s one of the keys to a meaningful life and a healthy society.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

(I sent this out last year … but probably needs to be sent out every year. Enjoy!)

In the early 90’s … Deer Run was cursed with slow play. So, we came up with Fast Play Friday, which put us on the map and changed our culture. We became know as a course that you could play in around 4 hours every day of the week.

The challenge is to maintain that pace when the golf course is continually full from sunrise to sunset. Yesterday, we did just that. We were stuffed all day and it never got over the 4 hour mark for a round of golf.

I don’t say that to be smug or self-congratulatory … I say that to emphasize that it is a result of a culture that has developed and been continued for 20 years.

However, not everyone is acquainted with the nuances of playing golf at a reasonable pace.

So, hopefully without sounding tiresome, here are some tips to keep your round moving at a nice pace:

*    Play from the right set of tees.

*    If walking, don’t travel as a member of a pack all going to each others’ ball – go to your own ball.

*    If riding in a cart, go to the first ball and drop off the first player with a few clubs … then the other player goes to their ball.

*    Begin reading the green and lining up your putt as you walk to the green.

*    Get off the green after you putt … and write down the scores at the next tee box.

*    Keep your putter in your hand when you get to the cart and put it in your bag at the next tee box when you take out your club to use on the next hole’s tee box. Same thing with your driver – don’t put it in your bag until you’ve driven to your next shot.

*    Be considerate about lost balls. If it’s obviously way in the jungle, don’t waste your time. And don’t ask your playing partners to waste their time looking for your lost ball – they should be going to their next shot.

*    Don’t hunt for golf balls when playing golf.

*    Save your funny stories for waiting situations such as second shots on par 5s.

*    Don’t use a long set-up routine … it doesn’t help your game and is just annoying.

I hope those help. Golf should be fun and relaxing – not a race track. But, slow play is not fun and relaxing – it’s frustrating for your playing partners and the people behind you.

A 4 hour round is not “fast”. It’s equivalent to driving 60 mph on the freeway.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Just had a guy tell me that he’d be a really good golfer if he didn’t have so many penalty strokes. He was serious. Actually, I’ve heard that a lot over the years.

That’s like saying “I’d be a really good driver if I didn’t have so many accidents”.

Since I started with a car analogy, I’m going to stay with it. PGA Tour players are like NASCAR drivers – they have to keep it floored. If a NASCAR driver isn’t going full speed, he’ll get passed. If a PGA Tour player isn’t making birdies, he’ll get passed by someone who is.

Well, I don’t know about you … but I don’t like having car accidents. I try to drive to my destination and arrive safe and sound. I also try to drive a golf ball to my destination and arrive safe and sound. I’m not playing on the Tour – I like making pars. I’m not driving in NASCAR – I want to get to my destination at a reasonable pace … but I don’t want to risk my life to save a few minutes.

It’s fun to drive fast – I get it. It’s fun to swing the driver really fast – I get it. But, I also like to shoot a good score, and wild drives turn into penalty shots. And penalty shots make it pretty hard to have a good score. Just like driving fast turns into tickets and car accidents.

Obviously, there is a happy medium. Driving a car at 10 mph would be pretty safe, but it would take way too long to get to your destination. Sounds like another example of risk/reward. Same with using a driver.

It’s not just swinging too hard with the driver – it’s also trying crazy shots. Here’s a typical example: A player rushes to the first tee and tops their drive. It only goes about 50 yards, and it goes into the rough. Rather than just slowing down and hitting a 7 iron into the fairway leaving an easy third shot … they try to hit a miracle 3 wood out of the rough and hit it out of bounds. This player has already crashed and burned on the first hole … needlessly.

Tour players are not good role models. NASCAR drivers are not good role models. Common sense is a good role model.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

Greetings Golfers,

“As soon as laws are necessary for men, they are no longer fit for freedom.” That was said 2500 years ago by Pythagorus – the Ancient Greek of mathematical fame.

The less of a need for rules and laws, the purer the game or a society. Golf is fundamentally a game of hitting a ball where it lies – from the tee to the cup … that’s about as pure as a game can get. Obviously the ball can’t be moving … the object is to hit it from where it lies.

As you all know, last week at the U.S. Open, Phil Mickleson hit a putt while it was still moving. On Wednesday, Phil apologized via a text to some sports writers. Damage control – or a real apology? After the incident on Saturday, Phil tried to explain that he knew the rule he was violating, and thought it was smart to violate the rule and take the penalty.

There’s the Letter of the Law … and the Spirit of the Law. You can learn a lot about someone by which they prefer. The Spirit of the Law is about doing the right thing for the right reason. The Letter of the Law is about what you can get away with … or use as a weapon.

If Mickleson really was remorseful about what he did, he would have withdrawn after his round. On Sunday, he tried to make it into a joke as played the hole that he disrespected the day before.

Mickleson also tried to spin his way out of it by saying it was an act of rebellion against the USGA for their unfair set-up of the golf course. Did the USGA screw-up with their set-up of Shinnecock? Yes. Was Phil’s antic a valid way to make a point? Of course not. He only proved that he thinks he’s above the rules. Not just the USGA Rules … but the Spirit of the Game.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

This week the U.S. Open is at Shinnecock – the venerable old-school golf club in New York. I’m sure it’s a very cool place and an incredible golf course. I’ve never been there and probably never will. However, I would love to play Shinnecock and a bunch of those other courses on the U.S. Open rotation. Once.

Why only once? Because a steady diet of getting my brains beat in is not how I want to spend the rest of my golfing days. Golf for me is a chance to get outside and play a game I love with friends and family. I want it not too hard and not too easy … like Mama Bear, I want it just right.

What do I mean by too easy? This: no rough, no curvature from the tee to the green, no elevation changes, no hazards, no OB … just basically a flat, boring golf course where every hole looks exactly the same.

What do I mean by too hard? This: high thick rough, super narrow fairways, constant carries over water, bunkers in the landing zones, too many blind shots, narrow elevated greens that slope off the edges, super fast greens with huge humps … basically courses designed by guys who hate golfers and hate life as we know it. Welcome to the U.S. Open!

Do you remember in 2004 during the U.S. Open at Shinnecock when the green on #7 died? It was just a crusty piece of dirt. They tried to water it during the middle of the round (how “fair” was that?). Should the U.S. Open be a great test of the best players in the world? Of course. They shouldn’t be able to scrape it around and score well. Their shotmaking should need to be precise and their putting should need to be excellent.

That should be the goal of the U.S. Open and those type of courses should be part of the rotation.

I’m not a bicyclist, but I’m sure that the Tour de France is a U.S. Open type of test for bicyclists. Is that what your recreational bicyclist wants for their Sunday afternoon bike ride? Probably not. So, why are there so many crazy difficult golf courses out there? Because lots of club members thought it was cool that their course was known as being impossible to play well. How goofy is that? “I don’t want to enjoy playing my course, what I really enjoy is that my course makes people feel frustrated and inadequate”.

I enjoy seeing new places and trying new things … to add spice to my life. But, what I really value is what I’ve learned over time makes me happy … family, friends, home, my community … and a golf course that I want to play over and over again … not just once!

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Last weekend, Bryson DeChambeau won the Memorial Golf Tournament in Ohio. Did you watch it on television? I tried to. Though he was only playing in a 2some, DeChambeau took 5 1/2 hours to play the final round. In between his round of golf: I drove to Deer Run GC, played 18 holes, wrote a golf column, had lunch, went to a graduation party, took a nap, and drove home. Ok … I didn’t really do all of that … but I probably could have.

Golf is not supposed to be a race. It’s a leisurely game … and 4 hours is a leisurely pace. But 5 1/2 hours is a death march.

DeChambeau is the guy with the odd swing that he developed from the book “The Golfing Machine” by Homer Kelley. DeChambeau considers himself a modern day Einstein. I believe he majored in Physics at SMU … and while at SMU he did win the NCAA Championship. The guy is an incredible golfer – no doubt about that.

However, DeChambeau is not a good model for recreational golfers. Obviously, his pace of play is ridiculous. And his golf swing is based on what he believes is science. Ironically, his belief is probably his greatest strength – sort of like those yogis who walk over burning coals. But, I would recommend his swing as much as I would recommend walking over burning coals.

Don’t forget the word “swing”. It’s a golf swing. Body movements can help with consistency and leverage, but they can’t swing the golf club. Sort of like throwing a ball. A pitcher’s windup doesn’t throw the ball – it can help with consistency and leverage – but it doesn’t throw the ball.

Of course DeChambeau hit the ball well last week. But what he did really well was putt. He putted better than anyone else in the tournament. People don’t talk enough about how important putting is. I don’t enjoy watching putting on tv unless the putt matters. But, tv loves to show some player make a long meaningless putt. Though not very fun to watch, putting is vital to a good score – your’s or a Tour player’s.

Is Bryson Chambeau fun to watch? Maybe at first – like a freak show … but it wears off quickly … and his slow play only makes it more annoying. But – he can definitely play and especially putt. I’d recommend to find your own method based more on a “swing” and less on “science” … and to play faster than a funeral procession.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Golf is known as being a game of honor. The concept of honor has moved around from a public to a private virtue. And ways of defending honor have bounced from public (a duel) to private (don’t lose your cool).

Yet, the concept of honor has always been based on being the best you can be – rising above our base instincts.

And I believe that being honorable also means being respectful. That means not being a selfish narcissist. In golf that means not being an annoyance to your playing partners.

Being honorable also involves how to treat other people – not just your playing partners. Last week we had two guys who felt entitled to berate our staff because we were mowing the driving range. They yelled at and insulted everyone from the guys working the range to our maintenance staff to our starters.

After their round, I explained to them that their behavior was unacceptable, refunded their green fees, and told them not to come back. They couldn’t believe it. I guess that they’re normally rewarded for such behavior.

But there is hope – here’s a good story. About a month ago, we were hosting a high school golf tournament. One of the players buried his club into the ground next to 18th green. After he finished his round, I confronted him about his behavior. He was surly and unapologetic. One of the coaches witnessed our exchange, was shocked, and relayed the situation to the player’s coach. The coach asked me what he should do. I told him to have the player send me an email apology that evening. He did … it was lame … but I couldn’t tell if it was his attitude or if he was just a poor writer. I responded that it’s a small world, and that his reputation would precede him the rest of his life. And, that he needed to become these 3 things: Strong – Kind – Respectful.

The next night, his coach sent me an email that the player that afternoon had been the most positive and respectful that he’d been in his three years on the team … and that he’d had his best score ever in a high school tournament.

Was this a life-changer for this kid? Maybe. I hope so. But at least it was a wake-up call. And, I’m glad he was rewarded with a good round of golf.

Honor has its own rewards. Golf is a good test of honor. I wish everyone played golf.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com