Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
What are your Top 10 Golf Books of All Time? This list by Swing by Swing has several that would certainly not make my Top 10! My favorites include the following, some of which appear in Swing by Swings list: Golf is a Game of Confidence by Bob Rotella, The Talent Code by Daniel Boyle, Master Guide to Golf by Dr. Cary Middlecoff (which was my very first golf book) Ben Hogan’s Five Modern Fundamentals, Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible, The Match by Mark Frost, The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost, Swing the Clubhead by Ernest Jones, Final Rounds by James Dodson and Bobby Jones on Golf. List some of your favorites below!
Golf has permeated our very culture. It has found its way into our movies, TV shows, magazines, and books. While the lure of picking up a hardcover book and reading it front to back is fading, that doesn’t diminish the quality of some great books about golf. Keep some great tradition alive by peacefully reading a book about our beloved game. Here is a list of the Top 10 Golf Books out there.
10. A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour by John Feinstein
Courtesy of Amazon
Feinstein paints the world of golf in a way that it has never been captured before. Feinstein gets inside the minds of some of the game’s greatest players but also its struggling newcomers. Journey alongside some great moments in golf, like Davis Love III’s epic comeback victory in the Ryder Cup. Feinstein expertly describes, “One week you’ve discovered the secret to the game; the next week you never want to play it again,” summarizing the every man’s relationship with golf.
9. The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney
Courtesy of Amazon
It is no coincidence that Tiger won six majors during the six-year span the Haney was Tiger’s swing coach. He was at his side on and off the course, streamlining Tiger’s mechanics as well as discovering what made the athlete tick. For all his criticism, he is only on a quest to understand. Tiger’s most dominant fear on the course was “the big miss,” a shot so horrible it ruins the entire round. Haney gives us a metaphoric spin.
8. The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost
Courtesy of Amazon
This is the famous story of blue-collar kid Francis Ouimet, who grew up living across the street from The Country Club and would play the U.S. Open at the very course in 1913. Against all odds, and with his 10-year-old caddie by his side, he takes home the title in an 18-hole playoff against the great Harry Vardon. One of the greatest stories in amateur golf.
7. Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella
Courtesy of Amazon
Rotella’s way of explaining the game that is is so simple and matter of fact that it only makes sense. He helps us realize the stark reality that the most important part of the game of golf is between your ears. He provides a mental perspective that not many other writers can.
6. The Short Game Bible by Dave Pelz
Courtesy of Amazon
This book is considered topical for advanced golfers, so it can be a tad overwhelming. But golfers who understand the importance of the game of golf inside 100 yards are better off than most. Enhance your game a great deal and read up.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Are there golfers in your mix of family coming to visit at Christmas? Spice up the evening with these 10 cocktails for the golfers in the family that will sure to be a big hit. Thanks to Swing by Swing for presenting such an amazing array of cocktails!
Cocktails with a golfing these.
Drinking and golf really do go hand in hand. Whether you are stuffing beers in your golf bag at the turn or enjoying a well-mixed cocktail in the bar after the round, the two activities just go together. Here is a list of the Top 10 Golf Inspired Cocktails.
10. The Scottish Links
The Scottish Links
Credit: foodanddrink.scotsman.com
Mix up this light and fruity cocktail with 50ml Glenmorangie Original, 15ml fresh lemon, 20ml chamomile honey, 15ml fresh pink grapefruit juice, and 10ml Manzanilla sherry. To mix, shake and strain into a rocks glass, then top with soda. For a little extra twirl, garnish this drink with pink grapefruit & chamomile flowers – but don’t say we told you so.
9. The Tee Off
The Tee Off
Credit: foodanddrink.scotsman.com
Step up the tee with this cocktail which calls for 50ml of Glenmorangie Original along with 50ml of cold early grey tea, 20ml of fresh lemon juice, 15ml of simple syrup, and finally bitter lemon. Shake all the ingredients, strain into a highball and then top it off with the bitter lemon. Garnish is optional, but it should be an orange twist if you’re feeling it.
8. The Birdie
The Birdie
Credit: pinterest.com
First, knock it on in regulation. Then pour 50ml of your favorite gin, 15ml of St. Germain, 20ml of lime juice, 10 ml sugar syrup, and five fresh mint leaves. Throw it all together in a Boston shaker, with ice. Shake furiously for 10 seconds, followed by a double strain into a martini glass. You can’t birdie them all if you don’t birdie the first.
7. The Eagle
The Eagle
Credit: foodanddrink.scotsman
This drink will be make you see two-under par. It calls for 35ml of Eden Mill Golf Gin, 12.5ml of fresh lemon juice, 15ml of Maraschino Liqueur, and an optional dash of crème de violette. Combine the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until it is chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish. Drink it in, an eagle always goes down smooth.
6. The Bobby Jones
The Bobby Joones.
Twitter/@Blackbird_Chi
A timeless classic. Fill a cocktail shaker with 4-5 ice cubes. Add 1.5oz of brandy, 1/2oz of crème de cacao, and 1/4 tsp of grenadine. Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice and shake away. Strain this mixture into a chilled tumbler and drink to a legend.
10 ways to make your golf practice more effective!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I agree wholeheartedly with Eric Cogorno, for GolfWrks.com, that 95% of people at the driving range are there just to hit balls and not improve their game. This is evident as I watch golfers on the range next to my teaching area at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club. And, like Eric, I have no problem with that. However, if you are a golfer who goes to the range to improve your game, then here are 10 things that will help you get the most out of your golf practice sessions. Thanks to Eric and GolfWrx.com for sharing!
Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect!
I hate to say it, but many golfers spend a lot of time practicing and don’t get much better.
Why? There are a lot of reasons, but by far the most pressing issue is the structure of their practice in the first place.
I watch a lot of golfers practice as a golf instructor, and I’d estimate that 90 percent or more of their practice is little more than physical exercise; it doesn’t help golfers improve their skills and score better. If your golf goals are to get a little sun on your face, wind in your hair, or enjoy the company of others (or even a bit of solitude), I certainly don’t want you to get the idea that you’re doing things the wrong way. Please, continue to enjoy the game the way you want to enjoy it. This game should be fun, after all.
My experience is, however, that even golfers who play strictly for fun a few times a year would like it more and have more fun if they could play better.
So here is the deal:
There are ways to practice golf (or anything) that are more effective than other ways. We can all agree on that. Below is a list of my top-10 practice principles I recommend to all golfers. What these principles do in a nutshell is guarantee the time you’re spending is as efficient as possible.
You might notice that many of the principles I recommend are used a lot by the good golfers you know, but not as much by the bad ones. That’s no coincidence. Go to a professional golf event, and you’ll see all of these principles in practice.
1. Start each practice by writing down what you’re going to do. List the specifics, the games you’ll play… everything.
2. Do a full routine with tournament-like intensity on every single shot.
3. Play the ball as it lies all the time. Drop it and play it. Don’t fluff.
4. Think about what you’re going to do before you hit every shot, and assess yourself with feedback when necessary. Remember, prepare-perform-review.
5. Always do your putting and short-game practice before full-swing practice. That’s a requirement. Be disciplined with it even when you don’t feel like it.
Take the test to find out if you are a Golf Junkie or not!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Here is the ultimate test to find out if you are a golf junkie! Joel Beall of Golf Digest presents you with 35 easy-to-answer questions. Get more than a 50% grade, and you are standing on the precipice. Get more than 75%, and you are a golf enthusiast. But get 100%, and you are a certified, card-carrying golf junkie. Welcome to the club!
If you’re reading GolfDigest.com, you likely have some interest in the sport. But to many of us, golf is more than a game. It’s our religion, a theology that requires utmost attention. Our leisure periods are devoted to hitting the links; when we’re on the clock, we’re rehashing our rounds or counting the hours until we return. We occasionally curse its name, but will defend it to the death to any that besmirch it. In short, golf is our addiction.
Not sure if you fall under this umbrella? Here are 35 signs that you’re obsessed with golf:
Businessman using an umbrella as a golf club
1. You use an umbrella to work on your takeaway
Be sure not to click the automatic button when bringing it back.
2. When buying a carpet, you don’t care about color or material, only “Can I putt on it?”
Smiling woman customer holding colorful rug before buying in a carpet shop
If the dealer gives you an odd look for bring a Stimpmeter into the store, then clearly they don’t deserve your business.
3. You can’t remember all your fiancé’s friends but can roll-call every Masters champion.
In your defense, “Charles Coody” is an unforgettable name.
4. You have a firm opinion on white belts (or the interlocking grip)
The Golf Digest rule: If your age plus handicap is under 35, you’re in the clear to rock whatever you please.
5. The first week of April is your favorite holiday
If we have to tell you why, then you’re reading the wrong list.
6. You can’t explain Einstein’s theory of relativity but do know the Stableford equation
You might sound like John Nash from “A Beautiful Mind,” but it makes sense to you.
7. Deem only one word an expletive: “Shank.”
Even writing said word makes me shiver.
8. Think Will Smith was robbed of an Oscar in “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”
He at least deserved a nomination!
9. You constantly find yourself thinking, “This would make a great par 3.”
True story: I once found myself contemplating this at a cemetery during a funeral.
10. You have some serious year-round tan lines
You don’t get that type of burn from playing softball, my friend.
Playing golf as a single is tough these days – Is there a way?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
When I was an assistant pro at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club, and then again at Reading Country Club just outside Johannesburg, I used to love going out to play solo at around 5 pm. There were very few golfers on the course at that time, and I could play 9 holes in about an hour. Those days are long gone, but I sure miss them. If you also enjoy playing a solo round, but you are not a private club member, there is a way. Go to the pro shop and ask for the last tee time of the day. Chances are, you’ll be out there on your own. Joel Beall of Golf Digest talks about this.
The trials and tribulations of playing golf as a single and trying to get out and play in peace!
A singleton has no rights,” wrote Tom Chiarella in the excellent Thursday’s Game. I remember thinking of this as an antiquated, headstrong belief. Now I realize Chiarella was not opining; he was telling it like it is.
I’ve always been prone to playing solo. A move away from friends and family has made single golf my new norm. Taking on a course alone has its advantages. An in-tune experience with the outdoors, more practice time, quicker rounds, an opportunity to develop tempo and a more leisurely environment, to name a few.
Unfortunately, this past year has reinforced Chiarella’s observation. Singles aren’t treated like first-class citizens. Hell, we’re barely above caddies.
To explain our plight, here are the eight worst things about playing golf alone:
1. Fewer tee-time options.
Many courses won’t book a single until the day of, if at all. This is especially true of online tee-time services. In short, if you’re solo, you are S.O.L. on reservations.
Getty Images
2. Pairing paranoia.
You’re on the practice green, glancing around at the partner prospects. You notice a mid-50s couple skulling chips, clearly new to the game. Hmmm, not sure why they’re laughing at those shanks. Is the guy reallystanding behind and holding her hips? Oh, matching ensembles; that’s cute. C’mon guys, a first-tee selfie? I need to join a countr…
Starter: “On the tee, the Cunninghams and Beall.”
(Begins to cry.)
3. Unable to input score into the GHIN handicap system.
Something odd about calling yourself a game of integrity, only to turn around and say, “But yeah, you need an observer for your round, because we don’t trust you.”
Getty Images
4. No witnesses = no believers.
I’ve had three aces in my life. All have come alone, unless we’re counting the grounds crew at Pound Ridge and a lady walking her dog near the 10th tee at Devou Park. True, the only person you need to prove anything to is yourself. Conversely, it’s only human to want good shots or scores validated by your peers.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Almost every aspiring golfer wants to have a putting green in their garden at one time or another. When I was just starting out at 16 years old, I had a small putting green in the backyard that I tended and nurtured every week. I even had a cup that the greenkeeper at my local course had given me and would stand out there till the late hours, putting away to my heart’s content! Here is a do-it-yourself project presented by Better Homes and Gardens, which gives you a step-by-step method for a green you can be proud of for those of you like me. Get to work!
Every Golfers Dream.
Every budding Greg Norman knows you drive for show and putt for dough, so it makes sense to spend time putting in putting practice. And what better place to do this than in your backyard, with your own personalised green? It requires only basic tools and materials and, by using synthetic turf, you cut out all the issues involved with maintaining real turf – leaving you more time to improve your skills. Time to sink that putt!
How to make a putting green (in your backyard)
Gather your supplies
Synthetic grass
Set-out paint
Vibrating-plate compactor
You’ll also need
Road base; crusher dust; golf cups; golf flagsticks; garden hose or long piece of rope; weed-mat pins or similar; utility knife; landscape rake or soil spreader; mulch; plants; turf; lump hammer; shovel; wheelbarrow; sand; weed mat; garden mix soil; motorised turf cutter (optional); post-hole digger (optional)
Here’s how to Build yourself a putting green at home!
Step 1
Decide where you will position your putting green and roll out synthetic grass. With set-out paint, mark corner points and roll the grass back up, or set it aside if you have room. Then, join the corners to mark out entire area.
Step 2
Remove existing lawn inside set-out area. This part of the job doesn’t have to be perfect as the green will smother the grass. For a large green, you may want to hire a turf cutter; for a small area, you can simply chip the lawn out with a rake and hoe, or a mattock.
Step 3
Using a piece of rope or hose, decide on the shape of your green. We went for a stylish kidney design. Once you’re happy with the shape, mark it out using set-out paint. We included a teardrop-shaped bunker for an extra challenge. This bunker will be excavated to about 300mm, lined with a weed mat and filled with sand.
Step 4
The next step is to add road base. This is coarser than the crusher dust that will be used as a finishing layer. Add the bulk of road base and use a rake or spreader to level out. Aim to fill all hollows and make the area reasonably level.
Step 5
Use the vibrating-plate compactor to compact and further level your putting green. You may wish to introduce a few contours at this stage.
Step 6
Now add the crusher dust and spread it. It is finer and easier to smooth down than the road base. If you wish to add any finishing contours, mound the crusher dust where desired.
Step 7
Use the compactor to bring your crusher dust to the finished form.
7 Things to know when playing with a scratch golfer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Like the writer of this article, Tim Gavrich, editor of Golf Vacation Insider, I moved between a +2 and a 2 handicap over the past 50 years. I have played with hundreds of high handicap players and have enjoyed almost all of them. I say almost because there has been the rare exception where the player is painfully slow, and as a golf professional, I am very aware of keeping up with the group in front. What generally ends up happening is I speed up my play to compensate, and that is not enjoyable for me.
But as I said, those are rare, and I know as a scratch golfer I will always be playing with golfers who have a higher handicap than me. I am often thrilled when a higher handicap asks me to play. So go ahead, don’t be shy. I bet you’ll really enjoy the round. Oh, and another thing, your golf game will improve if you regularly play with golfers who are better than you!
The PGA Tour is holding the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week.
Not only will pros be competing against each other, they’ll be alongside some rank amateurs. Needless to say, there may be some nerves on the part of the higher-handicappers, who will be playing with some incredible golfers…in front of crowds. Believe it or not, this could affect your next golf vacation. Have you gone on a golf vacation as part of a twosome or threesome?
I have a number of times, and that has meant I’ve been paired up with an incredible range of characters over the years, from all across the spectrums of age, golf-seriousness and handicap. My current handicap index is exactly 0.0. I could not possibly be more of a scratch golfer than I am right now. And I’ve been one for a while – my handicap has hovered between 1 and +1 for a number of years.
This is not to brag, but rather to say that I’ve been a low-handicap golfer for long enough to make some observations about how higher-handicap players tend to perceive me and others of my approximate skill level. I’ve joined groups that ranged from threesomes of fellow competitive amateur players to triads of ladies who all shot 100 or higher, and every permutation in between. I’ve gathered a lot of intel over my years of playing golf. So, here are 7 “confessions” from a scratch golfer that might surprise you:
You can benefit from playing with someone with a good swing!
Here are 18 New Year resolutions for golfers – I Love # 8!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Do you make New Year resolutions? I always do. This year my resolutions are: Play more golf. Work out more in the gym. Improve my teaching knowledge and skills. These are all doable, and I’m pretty sure I will be able to attain all 3. When I saw this article by Joel Beall of Golf Digest, I realized that there were some other resolutions that I think I should aim for also, and with my family and friends would do the same. Hint, hint!
Good luck with your golf in the new year. I hope you all improve. Thanks for following me, and I hope I can be of help to your golf game. Please forward it to your friends if you like what you read from me!
Normally I’m against New Year’s resolutions.
Why wait for an arbitrary date to better yourself, rather than begin said improvement immediately? Plus, “New Year’s resolution” is really just a synonym for, “Your gym is going to be a zoo for the next six weeks.”
However, in our realm, New Year’s initiatives are pertinent, as it’s a time of genesis in golf. The PGA Tour season, after a brief sabbatical, returns in January and, as a large chunk of the Midwest and East Coast are experiencing unseasonably warm weather, hackers don’t have to wait until spring to satiate their golf appetite. Plus, according to a 1992 Encyclopaedia Britannica I found, the month of January is named for “Janus,” the Roman god of beginnings, making this a perfect juncture for new resolves.
While lowering one’s handicap or playing more rounds are nice ambitions, they’re not pragmatically attainable, either. Instead, we offer 18 realistic endeavors for golfers seeking New Year’s resolutions:
1.Minimizing on-course cussing
I adhere to Ron Swanson’s view on swearing. Mainly, that there’s only one profanity: Taxes. If any other word is good enough for sailors, it’s good enough for you.
Yet, while cursing is fun, simple and — sometimes — just feels right, it goes against golf’s “gentleman’s game” ethos. It reveals a weak grasp of the English language, and creativity. Furthermore, a curse’s impact losses luster if dropped in every sentence.
In short, try to keep the f-bombs to a minimum.
2. Avoid hyperbolizing the pros
(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Both fans and media are guilty of this faux pas. There is no room for centrism; everyone is the best or a bum.
A year ago, we crowned Rory McIlroy the new emperor of the golf kingdom; a new era was born. Twelve months later, in a season where McIlroy won four times — an amount that would be a hell of a career, let alone campaign — we chalked 2015 as a “lost year” for Rors.
I’ve certainly harbored these sentiments, particularly at Dustin Johnson’s shortcomings. While he didn’t rise to the occasion this past summer, he did manage to finish in the top 10 at three of the four majors. Impressive in itself, it’s especially true once remembering he took a six-month leave from the game earlier in the year.
So, when someone misses a putt, don’t Tweet “(Player X) is a choke.” Conversely, we’ll cut back on the “Is Jordan Spieth on pace for the greatest career ever?” rhetoric. Deal?
3. Dress the part
The golf dress code has become too casual at public joints. T-shirts, gym shorts, flip flops; somehow golf apparel mirrors the wardrobe of a college freshman who overslept. I’d throw in the lack of tucked-in shirts as well.
You don’t need to wear slacks, or even golf shoes, to the course. But if there’s any question regarding ensembles, always err on the side of dressing up.
4, Campaign to get Bill Murray on the Ryder Cup team
There’s an open assistant spot on the U.S. squad, many presume is saved for Phil Mickelson. But if Lefty makes the team virtue of his play, we need to fill that void. What better presence than Murray?
He’s in the Caddie Hall of Fame, he’s won at Pebble Beach, he’s served his country, and he can keep the mood light, a valuable asset given the uptight nature of the event.
Besides, Michael Jordan has been an assistant at past Presidents Cups, and it’s not like these positions really matter. Davis Love III is accessible via Twitter, so let’s start a year-long social drive to get Murray to Hazeltine.
5, Walk the walk
I get the appeal of carts: Cup holders, GPS, you don’t have to carry your bag…all well and good. But we’re the only country where able-bodied golfers need wheels to get around the links; we look like a nation of sloths. Remember, the game is “a good walk spoiled,” not “enjoyable ride ruined.”
Walking and carrying your bag can burn double the amount of calories as opposed to riding. For those looking to keep the bag weight off their shoulders, grab a caddie or a pull cart.
Last-Minute Gift Ideas – Here are10 of them – I like #3!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
As we get closer to Christmas, we start getting desperate for last-minute gift ideas for the golfers on our list. Here is a great list of 10 easy-to-buy gifts put together by Golf Digest‘s Joel Beall that will make any golfer happy. I can tell you, as a professional golfer, I never tire of getting golf balls and golf shirts. Those are items I can always use! Go forth and shop!
1.Golf Balls
Like pizza, beer, and clips of Robin Lopez mascot fights, you can never get enough golf balls.
2. Golf Shirts
As Marty “Mr. Style” Hackel says, a golfer has extra confidence on the first tee knowing they look good.
3. Golf Lessons
Most people try to improve their game by dropping coin on new clubs when visiting their local pro for instruction. Most teachers offer an introductory or holiday rate. Buy your friend or family member a one-hour lesson; it will do their game wonders.
4. Gloves and Tees
It’s not a “shock and awe” gift, but there’s nothing worse than the moment you’re on the course and realize you’re out of tees or you don’t have a backup glove.
What will we play for – Play for something to make it FUN!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I like playing for a small wager on the golf course to make it fun! If you play well, even if it is only a couple of dollars, you have the bragging rights! A good “needle” is something I have always enjoyed with my golfing friends, particularly the students I play with from time to time. Of course, bets are usually won or lost on the first tee. Negotiating skills are part of the game! If you normally don’t wager when you play golf, the next time you go out, have a small wager and see if you enjoy it. I think you will!
Check out David Owen from Golf Digest‘s take on the subject. Playing for something makes you concentrate more and take the match a little more seriously. Now that’s what I call fun!
What’ll we play for?” I asked.
“Oh, let’s not play for anything,” he said. “Let’s just play for fun.”
So we played for fun, but it wasn’t fun.
Some people have the idea that placing a modest wager on a round of golf is a desecration of some abstract ideal of recreation, or something. But golf without risk is also golf without reward. In my experience, the guys who insist on playing “just for fun” also tend to slap at six-footers as though the point of the game were merely to get on to the next hole. They never experience the exhilaration of sinking a six-foot curler with a 25-cent greenie on the line.
Checking who is the winner after the round!
Hustlers aside, the purpose of playing for money isn’t economic; it’s psychological.
The parties to a $2 Nassau aren’t trying to get rich. They’ve merely agreed to suspend disbelief, for the next few hours, in the significance of what they’re doing. Competing for money is one of the few opportunities a grownup has to play the way children do — to increase the pleasure of a make-believe activity by taking it sort of seriously.
