Greetings Golfers,

I don’t watch a lot of television. I’m not trying say that I’m too cool or smart to watch a lot of tv, I just basically don’t have the time.

And what’s funny, even with all the channels, there’s not much that really interests me. Remember when there were only 3 major networks? And a local network such as WTCN had shows like “Lunch with Casey”? Back then I watched a ton of tv – it was the window to the world and we all shared it.

The next day at school we talked about who was on the “Ed Sullivan Show” or how cool Robert Conrad was on the “Wild, Wild, West.”

And every morning before school, my family watched the “Today Show.” Now, I watch “Morning Drive” on the Golf Channel. The Golf Channel began almost 20 years ago with the backing of Arnold Palmer. It was one of those goofy cable channels that didn’t make much sense or know what they’re doing. But a couple of years ago, NBC bought the Golf Channel and they’ve really ramped it up.

I especially enjoy the constant coverage during the major championships. Brandel Chamblee is a very insightful analyst of all aspects of golf – course set-up, golf swings, and especially the psychological. Gary Williams is a smooth host of “Morning Drive” and keeps the flow going. Holly Sonders is also an asset – not just because of her looks – she’s funny and brings a needed irreverence to the boys.

My television viewing has pretty much boiled down to “Madmen”, the History Channel, and the Golf Channel … pretty different from my days of “Lunch with Casey”, the “Beverly Hillbillies” and the “Joe Pine Show.”

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Homer Martinson was one of the icons of the Minnesota golf world. He passed away Wednesday at the age of 88.

Homer was the Head Pro at Wayzata CC for 35 years. Though short and stout, Homer had great hands. He was a very good golfer, and a surprisingly good basketball player at Hopkins High School. But his athletic ability isn’t what Homer was known for… he was one of the funniest people on the planet.

Homer was the Columbo of golf – people always underestimated him and he played on it. He always had a half-lit cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth and just mumbled hilarious comments all day long.

The Wayzata Pro Shop offered free tees as a courtesy to members and guests. One day, a golfer took the whole tray and poured it into his golf bag… Homer asked him if he needed the tees to build a home. My writing doesn’t do his comment justice – you probably had to be there.

I took up golf in college, and about 6 months later after beating balls at a driving range, I took my first golf lesson. I went to the legendary Homer Martinson. The lesson took 5 minutes – I couldn’t believe it – I wanted an analytical dissertation on the golf swing. Instead, Homer told me that I was over rotating my hands and that I should start under rotating my hands. And then he explained, that after awhile I would start slicing because of under rotating, so then I should start rotating again. He summed it up by saying that that is the nature of golf – too much rotation, then not enough, then too much again – you’ll play well when it’s in the middle. I was stunned. It took me years to realize that he was right.

Homer was a great teacher – he taught stars such as Tim Herron and Gary Jacobson. He ran a great shop. He ran great tournaments. He was a great golf pro.

But mostly, Homer was a beloved fellow and the Wayzata members loved him. Like Columbo – he wasn’t fooled – he always knew what was going on. He was as good as it gets.

R.I.P

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

Can’t believe that it’s already the US Open – feels like the golf season just started.

When the US Open was last at Merion, it was in 1981 and the eventual champion – David Graham – played almost perfect golf in the final round and hit all 18 greens in regulation. But the legendary Open at Merion was in 1950, when Hogan hit his famous 1 iron shot on the 72nd hole to make par and be in a playoff the next day.

Yet my favorite, was in 1971 when Lee Trevino beat Jack Nicklaus in a playoff. The day before the playoff, Trevino wore his Sunday power suit – a red shirt and black pants. Tiger did not invent the Sunday red shirt/black pants uniform – that was Trevino’s innovation.

Trevino was innovative in a lot of ways. His golf swing was a thing of genius. He lined-up left of his target, took 3 steps to initiate his swing, then with a big leg drive, he dropped his hands down into the slot and pushed/blocked the ball at the target. His low fade was the most controlled shot on Tour since Hogan’s fade. And he could chip. Pretty good game for US Opens.

In fact, Trevino won 2 US Opens, 2 British Opens, and 2 PGA Championships – one of only 4 players to win 2 of each of those 3 Majors. He never won the Masters.

Augusta National is made for long, high-hitting drawers of the golf ball – the opposite of Trevino’s game. That’s no knock on Trevino nor the Masters. But Trevino has commented that his game would not win on the present day Tour courses that emphasize length over control. I think that’s a shame. The US Open is supposed to be about control. Merion is especially supposed to be that type of a test.

I hope that the rain hasn’t softened up the course so much that a bomber can win instead of a Trevino-like control artist.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

A couple of years ago, a golf magazine asked me to write about what keeps me up at night. Here’s what I wrote:

Anybody who runs a golf course knows what worrying at 3:00 o’clock in the morning feels like.

Years ago, Scott Fitzgerald wrote a short story called the CRACKUP, where he detailed his brutal late night self-destructive examinations of his life.

That’s not what I’m talking about (though I’m not saying that I deserve a pass), but what keeps me up at night are the details of running a golf course operation. I wake up worried about the phone call that I forgot to return; the Ranger who couldn’t find a substitute; that we’re getting too low on scorecards; that Monday’s Event needs a tent; the putter I promised to order for the Ladies’ League President; the financials that the bank requested; my monthly column needs to go in; a typo/wrong price on our website; will we get pythium because of the hot, humid weather?; the driving range picker isn’t working right; the fan in the kitchen is screeching; the scoreboard needs paint; the Club Championship needs to be rescheduled; the handicap roster list needs to be up to date; the Senior League shotgun needs to be changed to tee times; the parking lot needs to re-striped; the flower lady quit; the neighbor on hole #5 is running his sump-pump into our fairway; a new ad needs to go on the GPS;… the details never end and never stop nagging at me.

It’s funny, while the day goes on, I can handle the details pretty easily, but the big stuff really gets to me. I worry about where we’re going to be in five years, what’s the future of golf?, and where is this country headed?

The big issues don’t keep me up at night – it’s the never ending details that keep me from being well rested. But then I tell myself that someday I’ll have it wired… that’s the only way I can get back to sleep.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

Did you ever see the episode of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM when Larry accused the weatherman of manipulating the weather reports so he can have the golf course all to himself?

Did you also know that episode was based on fact and that all weathermen manipulate their weather reports to keep people off the golf courses?

Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit… but not much.

Bad weather makes news. Bad weather keeps everyone tuned in. Gee, how did we survive before Doppler Weather reports?

Make your tee times dependent on your schedule – not the dubious reports of the weatherman. And, if it’s too nasty of weather – just cancel. Or, try it out and if it’s not fun, come inside for a raincheck, refund, etc. We’re not trying to take advantage of you trying to play golf in bad weather. I’ve heard of golf courses that won’t give rain checks if you play one hole – that’s real fair. We’re not like that. We’ll do whatever is fair. And, we’ll err on the side of getting you on the golf course. That’s what we do. We want people to play.  We don’t do all of this work just so people can drive by and say “What a beautiful golf course.”

You’re under no risk making a reservation to play golf. And you’re under no risk trying to play if it looks like rain.

Try it – you’ll like it.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

Ken Venturi died a week ago at age 82. Venturi was the voice of CBS Golf for 35 years – he retired 11 years ago.

Venturi was very much an old-school guy. He was good buddies with Frank Sinatra, and he was mentored by Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan. Known as a man of his word and a great guy to his family and friends, Venturi had an amazing life.

But his life wasn’t always easy – he was a tough, resilient fellow. He grew up in San Francisco and was an incredible amateur golfer. As an amateur in 1956, he lost the Masters on the last hole. As a professional, he won the US Open in 1964, and almost died of heat stroke during the last round. Because of carpal tunnel syndrome, his hands deteriorated to a point that he couldn’t play competitive golf.

So, Venturi became a golf announcer – not easy for a guy with a speech impediment. But again, Venturi powered through and became one of the best – if not the best – golf announcers/analysts of all time.

Probably his closest rival as a golf announcer/analyst is also a great golfer from the San Francisco area – Johnny Miller. Miller was also a star amateur player and a US Open champion. Miller didn’t have carpal tunnel – but his hands went crazy with the putting yips… so he turned to the announcer’s booth.

I loved listening to Venturi… and love listening to Miller. They are very different cats – but both know the game – and are honest and sincere. Miller is more of an antagonist and not beloved by the players the way that Venturi was. But Miller is a treasure – I hope he has many more miles.

Still … I miss Ken Venturi. RIP.

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

Tiger Woods. Obviously the man can play golf. No one disputes that. But he is involved in a lot of disputes.

People get pretty wound up about Tiger. The other day, a guy posted on YouTube a recap of Tiger’s shot that went into the water during the last round of the Players Championship. The poster believed that Tiger took an improper drop. The comment section went crazy! Not angry at Woods – but angry at the YouTube poster.

Most of the angry comments were not even rational – just ugly name calling. I have a hard time understanding that kind of hero worship. I respect loyalty – but this is different. This is blindly defending a person they’ve probably never even met, and then reacting by foaming at the mouth – maybe they need rabies shots.

Earlier in the Players Championship, while playing in a twosome with Sergio, Tiger pulled out his club while Sergio was in the middle of his swing – the crowd roared and Sergio hit a poor shot. After the round, Sergio complained about Tiger’s action, and Tiger replied that the Marshal had told him that Sergio had already hit his shot. The other day, two Marshals denied telling Tiger that Sergio had hit his shot. And the next day, two other Marshals announced that they did tell Tiger that Sergio had hit his shot. What do you think really happened?

Let’s go back to Tiger’s drop on Sunday. The YouTube poster believes that Tiger’s shot immediately went over the water and that Tiger shouldn’t have dropped so far up the fairway. Tiger’s playing opponent – Casey Wittenberg – agreed with Tiger’s drop, so the Rules Officials didn’t need to get involved – all you need is the agreement of your playing opponent. So… what if Sergio had been Tiger’s playing opponent on Sunday when Tiger hit that ball in the water?  How much of a “dispute” do you think that would have turned into?

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

It’s been a wobbly start to the golf season. Usually the first week of April is the Masters, ice out on the lakes, and the start of the MN golf season.

This year, the first/second week of May is the Players Championship, ice out/fishing opener, Mother’s Day, and the start of the MN golf season.

Pretty different start.

But now we’re rocking – wobbly no more. In fact, to celebrate the new season, we are hosting FunPlayFriday on May 17.

We have been bombarded with requests for the FPF schedule for 2013. Though such a schedule does not exist, we hope to host a FPF every month.

Our mantra for the last five years was “Fun at the Run”. Our new mantra is “Welcome to the Real Magic Kingdom”. Thus the theme for next week’s FunPlayFriday. Does this new theme mean that the fun is gone from Deer Run? Hardly. We will always have fun at the Run. But DRGC is even more than fun. DRGC has always respected the roots of this game of Scottish shepherds – the ancient, magical, mystical experience that is golf.

Maybe we started a little late this year, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a great year at “The Real Magic Kingdom”.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

The latest issue of GOLF WORLD is all about slow play. It’s mostly focused on the PGA Tour, but also on how Tour slow play affects recreational golf.

What’s hilarious, is that the article cites a 1965 GOLF DIGEST cover story headlined “Crisis in American Golf”, that’s all about slow play. Think about it – that was almost 50 years ago – not a lot of progress has been made on the Tour or with recreational golf. That’s because both controlling organizations – the PGA Tour and the PGA of America – don’t want to make anyone mad. That’s a pretty wimpy attitude. They’d rather make a lot of people angry than have to deal with a confrontational situation.

So, the Masters got “tough” and penalized a 14-year-old amateur from China for slow play… on the 17th hole! Really? Go after the big-name guys who are slow – there’s a ton of ‘em.

And golf courses need to enforce pace of play. Obviously this involves common sense – a quality not so common. For years, my Ranger meetings were all about the 3 C’s – Courtesy, Communication, and Common Sense. That pretty much handles every situation for a Ranger. But, I once had a Ranger who used to plant himself on the 17th hole… he never thought that hole 17 is a little late in the round to ranger people?

Why was he on #17? Because he didn’t like confrontations. Most of us don’t. But, some of us have a responsibility to keep play moving at a reasonable rate – the PGA Tour and PGA Club Pros have that responsibility.

If slow play wasn’t tolerated on Tour or on golf courses, GOLF WORLD could have articles about fast play. How about an article about the 3 C’s – Courtesy, Communication, and Common Sense?

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfer,

The big word in sales nowadays is connection. I love it. In my youth, I went through a lot of sales training and sales seminars – they were not about connection. They were about manipulation.

If you want to break a connection with someone – make them feel manipulated.

Ignoring isn’t good either. Ironically, people connecting on cell phones are often ignoring the people they’re with. How messed up is that?

There has been a lot of emphasis on connection in the golf swing. Jimmy Ballard was probably the first teacher to emphasize connection. Ballard also emphasized “firing the right side” – which I love. The old Jack Nicklaus idea of pulling the club down with the left side doesn’t work for most people. If you’re swinging right-handed, you’re probably better off firing the right side, rather than pulling down with the left.

Here’s the test – would you deliver a more powerful blow by back-handing someone with your left hand, or punching them with your right hand?

Most people’s golf swings becomes disconnected because they don’t fire the right side – they hang back and slap at the ball.

So, this is our year for connection. Let’s connect with the people in our life… and keep our swing connected by firing the right side.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com