Greetings Golfers,

Last Friday I talked a little about a brain power book. To prove how much I need the book, I had the name wrong – I called it “Full Brain Power” – the real name is “Whole Brain Power” by Michael Lavery.

Mr. Lavery is quite the character – take a look at any of his videos on YouTube. But I think he’s really onto something … one of the book’s subtitle’s is “The Phenomenal Discovery: Your Hands Grow Your Brain”.  Lavery proves that you can develop both sides of your brain as you develop your hand-eye coordination in both hands.

Lavery wants us to bounce golf balls on the heads of hammers (even sledge-hammers) with both hands, and to hone our penmanship with each hand. To quote “The one activity that will develop the human brain is the use of both hands equally well in almost everything we do. The development of whole brain power through ambidexterity can lead to improved:

* creativity, especially in concept development
* athletic skills in all sports, especially golf, tennis, baseball
* muscle density and grip strength
* hand-eye coordination
* fine motor skills
* blood volume and circulation in the brain
* musical skills with almost every instrument
* memory improvement
* prevention or delay of the onset on Alzheimer’s

I don’t know about you, but I need help with all the above – especially the last one.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

While out for a walk the other day, I took a look at our neighborhood “library”. One of our neighbors set up a see-through box that holds books. So neighbors take these and replace with other books – it’s pretty cool.

So I grabbed “Mavericks of Golf” … and figured it would be about unique Tour layers like Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros, Chi Chi Rodriguez, and guys like that. Wrong again. It was written by Jim Hansberger, the former owner of Ram Golf.

Hansberger is a classic entrepreneur and his stories about the early days of golf are fascinating. These golf companies basically started out of a garage and evolved into the big names of golf: Wilson, MacGregor, Ping, etc.

Seems like yesterday when everyone played Wilson irons, MacGregor woods (or Powerbuilt) a Ping Anser putter, and used a Titleist balata ball. Wow have things changed!

That leads me to US Amateur Champion Bryson DeChambeau. Have you seen his set of clubs? All of the irons are the same length – he just changes the loft. (I think the Tommy Armour Company tried that about 25 years ago.) Obviously he’s a great player. He’s also smart – a physics’ major at SMU.

While watching a YouTube video of DeChambeau, the next video popped up about some guy doing hand-eye coordination drills. He talked about how these drills develop your brain – especially with the non-dominate hand. And, how these drills can develop your golf game better than anything … he wrote a book called “Whole Brain Power”.

I just ordered the brain power book. Not sure that it will end up in the neighborhood library – I’ll probably need this book the rest of my life.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Have you seen the new tv show “Humans”? It deals with human-like robots and the issues that would come with such a future. That’s not a new theme – the movie “2001” and sci-fi writing have wrestled with the dangers of super intelligent robots.

I’d like to have a robot – to help me with chores, but not to run my life. And, I don’t want to be like a robot. So, why do people try to swing a golf club like a robot?

What matters in the golf swing is impact … and there are many ways to get to a correct impact. A robot golf swing might have a correct way to get to impact – but it’s not the only way. For many people, the way a robot swings will not get them to a correct impact. Think about that. Too many people think that a “proper” set-up and backswing will automatically get them to a correct impact position.

There are fundamentals to the golf swing … and the main fundamental is correct impact. The next fundamental is the position that can get you consistently to the correct impact position – that position is the halfway point of the downswing. Those are by far the most important parts of the golf swing.

Jim Furyk loops the club to get into the correct downswing position so he can get to correct impact. Would a robot make that move? Would Furyk be a better player if he tried to swing like a robot? I bet he couldn’t get the club into the correct position on the downswing. If so, he couldn’t consistently get to correct impact.

We have too many “models” that miss the point. Some business models emphasize “proper” margins in all departments at the demise of the success of the overall operation.

This “robotization” of America disturbs me. I’m glad these shows are bringing up these issues (even the new show “Mr. Robot”). Isn’t America about individuality – “The land of the free and the home of the brave”?

Take ownership of your golf swing. Work on impact with your chipping … then develop a swing that can consistently get you back to correct impact. Unless you’d rather have all of the joy a robot gets from golf.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

I just read an article the other day about a huge golf apparel/equipment company that was wrestling with how to downsize because of their weak sales. Is that a bad sign for golf? I don’t think so.

It seems to me that niche markets are growing. Look at craft beers. Our golf shop is doing really well with smaller, unique clothing lines.

Remember when television had 3 networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC? That was it. And everybody bought a Ford or a Chevy. The power in the marketplace was to find the middle-ground – what appealed to the masses. Do you remember that saying “Sell to the Classes and live with the Masses … sell to the Masses and live with the Classes.”

Well, I think the internet changed a lot of that – and so did cable tv. People got used to options and now want options in everything! The middle-ground has become boring – not cool.

I think that golf has a lot of niches and the secret to success is know your niche. The model of trying to be everything to everyone is suicide.

Does that mean being different just to be different? Not at all – it means knowing who you are. Remember when Coca-Cola abandoned Classic Coke? They almost folded. There will always be a market for classic things – especially if what made them classic is continued. Too often, over the years, what made a product classic was cheapened because the company thought that the name and reputation was enough to fool the public.

I’m all for options. But, I’m also for integrity and quality. And I think most people do too. They may not want the same things … but they don’t want junk.

One of those golf companies just kept coming out with a new driver every 6 months – not that it was an improvement … they just wanted to load up the stores and golfers with new, unneeded drivers. That’s not a brilliant business model. So is their decline in business a bad sign for golf? Hardly. It’s a sign that they should start doing things right.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Did you hear about Robert Allenby firing his caddy yesterday mid-round during the Canadian Open? Then he had a fan in the crowd finish the round as his caddy – seriously.

That’s weird. But not as weird as Allenby’s “kidnapping” incident last winter. Remember that deal? He said he was abducted from a wine bar in Hawaii and beaten and then thrown in the trunk of a car. He then said a homeless woman found him 6 miles away after he’d been robbed. The woman – Charade Keane – said that he wasn’t 6 miles away from the wine bar, but just a few yards away sitting on a planter, “bloodied and confused”, and arguing with two homeless men.

The caddy story is bizarre … but the “kidnapping” is REALLY bizarre. What do you think actually happened?

Oh yeah, Allenby’s caddie was with him at the wine bar the night of the kidnapping. Maybe now the caddie might reveal the real story behind the “kidnapping”.

On a better note … the Canadian Open is a big tournament. Not a major – but a big tournament. Yet, being held the week after The Open, hurts the field and takes a lot of the luster out of it. It was first played in 1904 and is the third oldest continuously-running tournament on the PGA Tour – after the The Open and the U.S. Open. And it was a big deal to win all three Opens in the same season (The Triple Crown). In 2000, Tiger Woods was the first man to win the Triple Crown since Lee Trevino in 1971.

It’s sad that Allenby will probably be the big story of the week. The Canadian Open deserves better.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

Last week I wrote about Jackie Burke. Since then, I’ve read his book “It’s Only A Game” … and I want to keep writing about him. But I won’t … buy his book instead … I bought a bunch to hand out to people.

Burke’s love of golf and common sense are so refreshing. Thank God he was a writer … because most of us will probably never meet the man.

Golf continues to bring joy to people’s lives. Yesterday, one of our players had a career round – he shot 68. What a great score! Most people will never shoot in the 60’s – their games aren’t that consistent. One of my other favorite golf pro writers is Percy Boomer. Boomer didn’t give golfers the typical USGA handicap, but rather referred them by how many holes they could play well. For example he would say that someone is a 10 hole player – meaning that they would have 8 poor holes. That’s why 68 is such an usual score … few people can play a solid 18 holes. That’s also why Tour events are 4 rounds … even fewer people can keep it up for 72 holes in a row.

Many years ago I used to play in a two day tournament Up North. The first day was 18 holes of qualifying for your flight. And the second day was a series of 9 hole match play rounds. Well, in 9 holes some crazy things can happen. A bad break and lucky break can give the match to the lesser player. But, amazingly enough, the semifinals seemed to have the same four guys every year.

Luck in golf usually evens out … I know it doesn’t feel like that, but that’s just human nature – we all feel we deserve more than we get.

But this fellow’s 68 wasn’t luck. He has natural talent – but he has also worked very hard at his game. I can take none of the credit. He’s worked the last few years with a very good teacher and they both deserve a lot of credit.

And yet, this player isn’t all about score. He just flat out loves golf – and for all the right reasons. He’s a pleasure to play with and very respectful of his playing partners, the golf course, clubhouse, and our staff.

It’s fun to see the good guys do well. Now all he needs to do is read Jackie Burke.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

For the past few weeks I kept hearing about Jackie Burke. I thought I was a fairly decent student of golf, but I didn’t really know who they were referring to.

Well, John Joseph (Jackie) Burke should not fly under the radar. He’s still going strong at 92 years old. He owns the Champions Golf Club in Houston – and has since it opened in 1957. The year before – 1956 – he won the Masters and the PGA Championship … thus putting him in position to get off the Tour and own his own golf club.

Mr. Burke is very old school. He grew up in Texas and his buddies were Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Henry Picard, and Claude Harmon. Most good golf instruction comes from those guys. Jim McLean and Steve Elkington have great YouTube interviews with Burke. Jackie talks about how he focused on hitting the inside corner of the golf ball – not the direct back of the ball. And he was a putting wizard and teacher – very influential on Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickleson. He believed in rolling the ball into the hole at a slow pace.

About 10 years ago GOLF DIGEST magazine did a great interview with Mr. Burke. Here are some of his quotes:

* To succeed at golf you have to master the art of not being embarrassed.
* Stomping around looking for the sprinkler head that has “162” marked on it is a complete waste of time. Before they invented 150 markers we had a formula that worked better than numbers. Determine what club you need that will fly the ball over the green. Then use one club less and hit it soft, medium, or hard depending on where the flag is. It never fails. And it will save half an hour off your round.

* I was raised in a good home. The worst luck someone can have is coming up in a bad home. It can be too much to overcome. Remember that when looking around.

* Hang the Mona Lisa in a country club boardroom, and sooner or later an incoming president will lobby to repaint the color of her hair.

* Live your life so that when you die your funeral will fill up the church. A big funeral says something about how much you were loved, or at least respected. These people who get to church by way of the electric chair don’t get much of a turnout. They have to rent the pallbearers.

I think you get the flavor of the man. To me he’s an American at its best – independent, original, thoughtful, considerate, and warm hearted. A good model for this 4th of Julyweekend.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

I have to talk about last week’s US Open. I’m sure you’ve read articles about it and talked to your friends about it … but, this one deserves a lot of review.

First off – how great is Jordan Spieth? It was a roller coaster finish – especially the last hole. Yet the last three holes were amazing – Spieth’s birdie putt on #16, Grace’s OB drive also on “16, Spieth’s double bogey on #17, and Dustin Johnson’s birdie on #17.

But #18 was mind boggling. Spieth hitting that incredible second shot to set up an eagle putt – which he wisely cozied-up to leave himself a tap-in birdie … and then Johnson hitting a perfect drive and second shot to give himself an even closer eagle putt. And then Johnson rolling his eagle attempt four feet by and missing the comeback putt to lose by one shot. Unbelievable drama!

I have to admit that I’m not a DJ fan. He’s probably my least favorite guy on Tour. And that Jordan Spieth is probably my favorite guy on Tour. But, I wanted Johnson to make that comeback putt for birdie and the tie. I actually felt sick when he missed it. I never want to see someone lose a tournament – I want to see someone win it.

The golf course. The players and the media really went after Chambers Bay. Gary Player’s rant was especially vicious. I liked Player’s comments about the state of golf and golf architecture – but I completely disagreed with his comments about Chambers Bay as a US Open venue. Was the golf course extremely difficult? Yes. But Adam Scott shot 64 on the final round. The best players in the world did rise to the top of the leader board – isn’t that the point of the US Open? And, this was not played for fun – this was a test – a brutal test. Professional golfers need to deal with the conditions. Professional football players sometimes play in terrible conditions … they have to deal with it. Professional golfers should not be exempt from difficult conditions.

Do I want to play Chambers Bay? Not really. Is it a public golf course? Sort of. It was built to host the US Open – not for the golfing needs of the residents of Tacoma. The USGA playing the public course card was a farce – the green fee is $200+ … not exactly your typical muni.

In summary: Jordan Spieth has emerged as a true superstar who is wise beyond his years. Dustin Johnson continues to implode under pressure – I feel sorry for him, but just can’t seem to like him. Chambers Bay was a good venue for a US Open … but a bad golf course for public play.

What a paradox of a US Open.

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

This week the U.S. Open is being played at Chambers Bay in Seattle – the first Open held in the Pacific Northwest. Though the Seattle area is like a rainforest, this golf course is more like a Scottish links course. In fact, it’s so hard and dry, that I saw a video of a player bouncing a golf ball on a fairway like a basketball – not exactly soft and lush.

Even though Chambers Bay is like Scotland, this is the U.S. Open and I expect an American to win. (Note – I’m writing this before play has begun.) America is a young country – we are enthusiastic like young people – and I think optimistic enthusiasm is needed to win this tournament. Henrik Stenson made a negative comment about the course this week – Jordan Spieth responded by saying “If you’re going to talk negative about a place, you’re almost throwing yourself out to begin with, because golf is a mental game”. Patience and wisdom are also needed on this golf course. Enthusiasm and wisdom – isn’t that the perfect combination? Spieth seems to have it. Colin Montgomery said that Jordan has an old head – Spieth is definitely wise beyond his years.

Phil Mickleson has never won a U.S. Open – the only Major he’s never won. He running out of time to complete the Slam … but he could win this week. Phil’s a weird cat. He won a PGA Tour event while he was an amateur at ASU. It looked like he’d be the next Nicklaus. Sure, Tiger Woods came along and made Phil’s path a lot more difficult … but Phil never really lived up to his talent.

Phil lost the 1999 U.S. Open to Payne Stewart. Stewart was a brash, enthusiastic guy when he won the 1989 PGA Championship. But he grew up a lot and was a different guy when he won the 1999 U.S. Open – he was pretty close to being that enthusiastic and wise combination. I think if Payne hadn’t died later that year in that bizarre plane crash, he would’ve given Tiger Woods a serious challenge during Tiger’s heyday. Tiger intimidated everyone – even Phil – but I don’t think he would’ve intimidated Payne Stewart.

Is this Tiger’s week for redemption? He could do it – but I’d be really surprised. Yet, if Woods can be enthusiastic and wise…

Cheers,

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

Greetings Golfers,

A few months ago I wrote a column about how people like tv shows that show life as la-la-land rather than the reality of life. I think that this constant portrayal of life as beautiful people living in beautiful homes whose problems are only dramatic misunderstandings … leads to a lot of unhappiness by the viewers who believe that they’re missing out.

Forty years ago the movie “Network” was about a tv anchorman trying to tell people that television wasn’t real – that their lives are real … not the other way around.

I feel the same way about televised golf. People believe that the PGA Tour is what golf is all about … that what they are watching is “real” golf.

I couldn’t disagree more. Tour players are playing for serious money … they are professional golfers – that’s how they are earning their living. Their courses are ridiculously difficult … and ridiculously manicured. Their attention to every shot is ridiculous. Their pace of play is ridiculous. The need for perfect silence is ridiculous. The amount of money they play for is ridiculous. Is it fun to watch? Yeah – it’s a gas … but that’s not golf … that’s a cartoon.

But, the images are so powerful that people think that’s how they should play golf. The same way that people used to think that “Leave to Beaver” was normal … that Mom (June) should come to dinner in pearls, and that Beaver losing Wally’s homework was a tragedy.

So, if you don’t swing like Rory McElroy and use the latest driver and back-up your 7 iron shots and have matching headcovers and play on a flawless course … you can’t have fun playing golf.

Probably the most fun I had playing golf was when I went to ASU and used to play Papago Park every afternoon. Papago was a great muni golf course right near the Phoenix airport. My partner in crime was Todd – who is still a golf pro in Phoenix. Todd and I had goofy homemade swings and we both had taped-up old Vagabond golf bags (Todd had gym socks as head covers) … and we usually played in flip-flop sandals. Because Papago was near the airport, it got a lot of golf obsessed businessmen ready to show off their “Tour” style golf games. These guys had the “style” but not the game. They especially loved having the big Tour bag. I know, I know … you know where this is going … we couldn’t help it … these guys always wanted to play us for money.

Watching the Tour on tv is great. But playing golf is even better. Not the uptight weird version where people aren’t playing golf as much as they’re trying to play some imaginary version of “golf”. Golf should be as much fun and as casual as a game of pick-up basketball.

Television can be a fun distraction … but that’s all it is. Playing golf is a real experience … and a lot better than television.

Cheers,

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