Greetings Golfers,

Last Friday was a good day for the game of golf: John Daly made his debut on the PGA Champions Tour, and Deer Run GC hosted FunPlayFriday.

Both events had two very talented players gracing their fields – John Daly at the Woodlands GC in Houston, TX, and Tim Herron at Deer Run GC in Victoria, MN.

About 20 years ago John and Tim were two of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour … and probably the best cigarette smokers on Tour. A buddy of mine stopped in to visit the duo when they were roommates while playing at a Tour stop in Tucson. I think they had the Marlboro suite.

Daly hit the scene 25 years ago winning the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana. He was the 9th alternate and got in at the last minute after driving all night from Arkansas. His “grip it and rip it” style blew away the field. Then four years later, he won the British Open at St. Andrews. Sometime take a look at the list of British Open winners at St. Andrews – pretty formidable.

But John also went through four wives and supposedly $50 million in gambling.

On the other hand, Tim has a solid marriage and great kids – Minnesota should take some of the credit.

Daly only won 5 PGA Tour events. I say only because he won 2 Majors before he was 30. Not only could he hit it a mile – his first 10 years on Tour he led in driving distance – but he also had a great touch around the greens. Long John could be a big winner on the Champions Tour (I always want to call it the Senior Tour).

Tim Herron was on the 1993 champion USA Walker Cup team. And he won 4 times on the PGA Tour. Tim is 4 years away from the Champions Tour. FunPlayFridays are probably what he needs to keep his game sharp.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

I just finished reading Brandel Chamblee’s new book “Anatomy of Greatness”. Chamblee is the golf analyst on the Golf Channel who people love … and love to hate.

Chamblee is a smart guy and outspoken. He was pretty tough on Tiger and lots of Tiger fans resented it. But, he focuses quite a bit on Tiger in his book. He is especially impressed with Tiger in his early years on Tour – before Woods went to Hank Haney.

Chamblee is also very impressed with Jack Nicklaus … and Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, and Bobby Jones. I love the book – I think he nails what all of the great players share. And, he’s aware of where instruction goes off the rails. I’ll try to summarize as succinctly as I can:

* He emphasizes a strong grip – not a neutral grip.
* He wants a slightly open stance.
* He likes more of a natural slumped back during set-up, rather than the rigid straight back like Rory McIlroy.
* He stresses the need for the right knee to be kicked in at address.
* He advocates a low and slow take away with a slightly shut clubface.
* He likes a rocking trigger move and lateral body movement to get the backswing going.
* He says the transition from backswing to downswing is the key move – much more important than how you look at the top of the backswing.
* He wants the chin pointed right of the ball during the backswing and at impact.
* He wants the finish to feel “going out and up” – not low left like modern teachers are preaching.

This book will be heresy to many golf instructors. Those who’ve had to listen to me over the years will know that this is what I like. In fact, I’ll probably write about it much more in depth in one of my columns. If interested, you can find my columns at tomabts.com.

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

Good Morning Golfers,

The golf season officially kicks off with the Masters. And Mother Nature agrees – should be beautiful for the next few weeks.

How painful was it to watch Jordan Spieth lose that 5 shot lead? Before this Masters he was liked and admired … now he’s loved. He handled it with such grace and class – and especially humanity. He’s really a special person – I never use the word “special”, but he really is.

The Low Amateur was Bryson DeChambeau – he of the same length irons and disciple of the book “The Golf Machine”. Obviously he’s a great player. But, he has trouble with sidehill lies, funny lies, etc. That Golf Machine swing of his does very well on par 3 holes with flat lies – let’s see if he can become more adaptable with that swing.

On a related note, I received an email the other day from Michael Lavery – the author of “Whole Brain Power” – a book I reviewed last summer. Somehow Mr. Lavery read my review and also read another blog that I wrote about Bryson DeChambeau. He wanted to let me know that he’s been working with Bryson on his training methods such as bouncing a ball on a hammer and hand-writing techniques. I suspect that those hand-eye training methods have helped DeChambeau more than the book “The Golf Machine”.

This week the Tour stops at Hilton Head Island and plays at Harbor Town GC. It’s a shame that it comes the week after the Masters. Harbor Town is a great golf course and only top-notch ball strikers win there. It’s similar to Colonial CC in Fort Worth – and only the best ball strikers win at Colonial. One of those Colonial champions is Minnesota’s own Tim Herron. Tim won 4 times on the PGA Tour and hit the ball as well as anyone.

But, Tim knows there’s more to golf than tournament golf. In fact, he and his sister Alissa were here the other day demanding to know when we were hosting the next Fun Play Friday. After things calmed down, we relieved the tension by explaining that the next Fun Play Fridaywas less than a month away – Friday, May 6.

The golf season is upon us. The Masters has been played, the weather is beautiful, and Fun Play Friday is only a few weeks away.

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

Greetings Golfers,

Hemingway described courage as “Grace under pressure.” I think that’s one aspect of courage – though that might also describe a certain type of apathy.

I think most of us would describe courage as doing what we should do when we’re afraid to do it. Courage is more about doing what is difficult than maintaining our cool.

Playing golf can take courage. Playing a shot while strangers are watching is pretty scary for most average golfers. And playing to win can be pretty scary for professional golfers.

That’s what makes the Masters so much fun. The back nine at Augusta National is full of risk/reward holes. It takes courage to go for birdie (or eagle) on those finishing holes. And, the winner goes under par on the back nine – playing safe won’t win the Green Jacket.

I’m not talking reckless – that will usually end in disaster. No, I mean the courage to play smart and be aggressive.

It’s sort of the Wizard of Oz. Like the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Lion – you need Heart, Brains, and Courage. Reckless is Courage without Brains.

As for “Grace under pressure” … yeah, I respect that. But courage is doing the right thing when it’s difficult. Hemingway blew his brains out with a shotgun. He was always obsessed with being cool. When he got older and thought he wasn’t cool anymore … he took a not very courageous way out.

Being courageous is always cool – being cool isn’t always courageous.

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

Greetings Golfers,

We all know the saying “Drive for show – Putt for dough”.

Is it true? Well the goal of golf is to get the ball in the hole. If you can’t putt, it’s pretty tough to get the ball in the hole.

But you also have to get the ball off of the tee box – if you can’t get the ball to the green, it’s pretty difficult to get it in the hole.

A DRGC player just sent me a blog by a PGA Pro advising his members to dedicate themselves to hitting their drives as far as they can. This fellow cited PGA Tour statistics that proved that the 10 longest drivers won more money than the 10 straightest drivers.

I wouldn’t argue with him – I’m sure it’s true. But that doesn’t mean it applies to amateur golfers.

PGA Tour players need to make birdies. Long drives help them reach par 5’s in two shots, and also make par 4’s more birdieable. But, PGA Tour players are also great putters and iron players. Length, if you’re already in control, is a valuable weapon.

Power out of control is as dangerous in golf as it is in life.

Amateur golfers need to make pars and avoid the bad holes. Wild driving is usually the cause for amateurs to make big numbers. Out of bounds can really hurt your score – especially multiple OB shots. And, OB’s are usually the result of trying to hit a drive too far. I haven’t seen many people putt a ball out of bounds.

Of course we all want to hit the ball farther. But most of us should concentrate on our chipping and putting. And learning to hit the driver straight makes golf a lot more fun.

In my lessons I tell people that we’ll start working on reaching par 5’s in two shots after they become a scratch golfer. Or in other words, that when they get sick of shooting par, we’ll start working on birdieing par 5 holes.

One final thought: PGA Tour players can’t move up to shorter tee boxes – the rest of us have that option.

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

Greetings Golfers,

I go to golf meetings and read golf magazines. Though I’m mostly just involved in running Deer Run GC, I do try to know what’s going on in the golf world.

But sometimes what I read and hear bothers me – I feel that too often the “leaders” become too removed from the trenches to really know what’s going on. So, I’m going to talk about what I see as a disconnection. But as Oscar Wilde said “If you want to tell people the truth, make ’em laugh. Otherwise they’ll kill you”.

I’m not sure I’m that funny – so this might be pretty risky.

The United States Golf Association has a new President – Diana Murphy – and Golf Digest recently interviewed her. Their first question was: “What do you hope to accomplish as USGA President?” Mrs. Murphy’s response was “Obviously championships are our heart and soul”.

She was referring to championships such as the US Open and the US Amateur.

I think those tournaments are very cool and good for golf. But … the “heart and soul” of the USGA?

Obviously, (I had to use it) the average golfer is not the heart and soul of the USGA. But, she does care about the average golfer … just listen to her response to this next question: “Golfer retention is still an issue – what can the USGA do to help?” She replied, “You don’t have to be a scratch golfer to come to a championship”.

How refreshing! You don’t have to be a scratch player to watch a golf tournament! … and that’s the secret to retaining golfers? Really?

What about retaining golfers with these options:
* design more player-friendly courses
* improve and simplify golf instruction
* simplify the handicap system
* simplify the golf rule book
* emphasize hospitality at golf clubs

That’s how I see it. I hope Oscar Wilde was wrong.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Why does Adam Scott fly under the radar? He’s got a perfect swing and is a great shot maker – has been for 15 years. Is it because he’s never really dominated? He seems like a really nice guy … and my wife thinks he’s great looking.

Maybe it was because he was using that long putter. But he’s won two tournaments this year without it. People go to the long putter when they get yippy with little putts. It’s usually not about medium length or long putts … but the tall putter seems to help people make those testy short putts.

Well I’ve got some thoughts on that subject – hang in there while I try to make my point. Everybody goes through a phase when they miss little putts. But sometimes it becomes a phobia and can really become a problem. The typical analysis is that the player is using too much right hand and is too “flippy”. So, the recommended fix is to putt cross-handed or as they say “left hand low”. The reasoning is that it’s a good way to take the right hand out of the stroke.

But what if that doesn’t work? Well the next step was the tall putter. That style meant anchoring the top of the putter on your chest and stroking the putt with your right hand.

Yeah … I said “stroking the putt with your right hand”. And, with a somewhat “flippy” stroke.

I think the yips are a result of NOT using your right hand in a natural flippy stroke. How often have you left yourself a short putt and just tapped it in with your right hand only? I bet you never miss.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, I believe that you should hit up on the ball with the putter – and with a wristy action especially of your right hand. You then use more of a swinging arm stroke as the putt becomes longer.

The problem with all of this started because too many people tried to scoop the ball on their full shots. That wristy scooping action leads to hitting behind the ball or hitting the top of the ball. Trying to get the clubhead under the ball is the opposite of the proper impact with an iron shot.

But the goal of putting is not the same impact position as that of hitting an iron. Putting is about rolling the ball. You roll the ball with a flat-faced club on a smooth surface. The best and easiest way is to use your right hand and wrist to hit the ball on the way up and impart topspin to your putt.

There is no need for the long putter. Just use your right hand on a normal size putter and your yips and fear of short putts will be gone.

Adam Scott might become the superstar he seemed destined to be … if he starts putting more with his right hand!

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Four years ago we opened the golf course on March 16. That seemed crazy … our average opening date is April 6. But, the record is about to be broken – we’re going to open onMonday, March 14.

I’m tempted to rant about what is new for this season at Deer Run GC … but I’m not going to do it now (wait a few weeks!).

We’ll be good – Barry says the turf is perfect – but we’re not in mid-season form. So, we’ll have Senior Rates for everyone-all day-every day during March and April. This is our preseason – just like the Twins in Ft. Meyers. May 1 is our Big League Season opening day.

That’s my story – what’s yours? Are you ready to play? Have you practiced over the winter? Do you have new clubs? Have you got a new swing theory?

Swing theory. The secret is in the word swing. When I play poorly I don’t swing – I try to hit the ball with a golf club. Though I know that, I still need ideas to help me swing and not hit. Here’s a thought that helped me this winter: “Take the club back low and slow”. That helps me find some rhythm right away in the backswing.

The other day I saw a golf swing video by Rick Smith. I loved it. Smith had a drill to get golfers to swing low to high with a lot of hand rotation. It’s a great drill to overcome the tendency to come over-the-top and smash down on the golf ball.

A few years ago I was at a seminar by a semi-famous golf instructor who mostly works with PGA Tour players. He talked about how the new swing technique on Tour was to finish the swing “low and left”. Of course I had to disagree. Finishing “low and left” for most players is a disaster – they need to finish “high and right” like in the Rick Smith drill. Maybe that move works for Tour players (maybe), but that’s not what the other MN Golf Pros at the seminar should be instructing their students.

As I said, this is the pre-season. Let’s get out and play golf and try to swing. Hopefully some of these ideas and drills will help – but remember … it’s a golf “swing”.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Tiger Woods is still in the news. This time as an example for Rory McIlroy … and Brandel Chamblee says he’s a BAD example! Not Woods’ personal life – but his work-out life. Brandel expressed concern that Rory was getting too big from lifting weights and that it would mess him up like it messed up Tiger.

Of course Rory appreciated Chamblee’s public comments. Not so much! Rory came back on Twitter saying that he lifts weights but is not trying to be a body-builder.

I’m old school on this one. I think Tiger got way too big and it changed his golf swing (not for the better). And, I think it is directly linked to the back problems he’s having now.

As far as wanting more distance … look at Sam Snead. Or look at Bubba Watson. Who hits it farther than Bubba? Is he some weight lifting beast? Sam Snead was as long as anyone and played well until he was an old man. And he played every day!

Golfers need strong legs … but walking will strengthen your legs all you need. And we need strong hands and forearms – squeeze a tennis ball or some such thing. But what we really need is flexibility. That’s what I’ve lost as I’ve gotten older and it’s the main reason for the distance I’ve lost over the years.

In the 1996 Masters, skinny Tiger Woods averaged 342 yards off the tee. In the 2002 Masters, bulked up Tiger averaged 293 yards off the tee.

Sam Snead was unbelievably flexible – the secret to his beautiful and long lasting golf swing. Snead should be Rory’s model – not Tiger.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

A few weeks ago, GOLF DIGEST magazine had an article about celebrities’ USGA handicaps. These celebrities are a combination of actors, athletes, and musicians. I thought it was an interesting article – a person’s golf handicap can add some insight into who they are.

But what really hit me, was how much lower the handicaps were than their normal scores. I’m not saying that these people have phony handicaps to look good … I’m saying that the way the system works is that it’s rare to play to your handicap – or even to play NEAR your handicap.

Here are some examples from the article. Each of these celebrities had 20 scores on their card and their corresponding USGA handicap. I’m going to go from best to worst. John Smoltz leads us off with a plus 1.7 handicap – that means he ADDS shots to his score!

John Smoltz          +1.7    12 scores over 78 out of 20 scores
Steph Curry            0.2     9 scores over 77 out of 20 scores
Michael Jordan     1.9     10 scores over 80 out of 20 scores
Jake Owen             2.8     11 scores over 79 out of 20 scores
Kenny G                  3.5     12 scores over 80 out of 20 scores
Steve Kerr               4.5     10 scores over 84 out of 20 scores
Samuel Jackson     6.9     10 scores over 84 out of 20 scores
Wayne Gretzky       8.5     13 scores over 86 out of 20 scores
Tom Brady               9.2    11 scores over 87 out of 20 scores
Mark Wahlberg     13.0    15 scores over 90 out of 20 scores
Dennis Haysbert   13.4    14 scores over 90 out of 20 scores
Ray Romano          16.2    13 scores over 97 out of 20 scores

I found this shocking. You hear that someone is a plus handicap and you expect them to break par, not to probably shoot over 78 like John Smoltz. Or that a 3.5 handicap player like Kenny G is probably not going to break 80? How about a 4.5 like Steve Kerr probably going to shoot over 84? Or a single digit (8.5) player like Wayne Gretzky normally shooting in the high 80s? And then a 16.2 like Ray Romano not likely to break 100?

What’s going on? Do you want these guys as your partner in a match?

Why can’t the USGA handicap system just average the scores?

I realize that the USGA is doing everything to make handicaps fair and equitable – but am I the only one who thinks these handicaps are misleading? And it seems to me that misleading handicaps lead to manipulation.

How would like your USGA Handicap card with your last 20 scores and handicap printed in a national magazine?

Cheers,

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