Golf Lesson #1

I had a terrific golf lesson yesterday - within 10 swings I had adjusted my alignment and swing mechanics and my slice was all but gone - we'll see what happens tomorrow on the course.

You get so many different pieces of advice from magazines, tv shows and other players - it turns out that I was simply not sticking with the basics.

• More bend in my stance - my angles were all messed up
• I need to bend my front knee to give me more rotation - and when I did the ball literally jumped off my club
• I need to work hard to get my club face around and in position - I get lazy sometimes on my swing and that creates my incredible slice
• And when I get lazy, I get real lazy and don't finish well. I'm working on really getting around on the swing - blasting open my hips and finishing all the way around
• The proper driver position feels completely awkward - but it works. Because I can't get my shoulders in alignment, I actually start my swing with the driver head about 8-10 inches BEHIND the ball which gives my shoulders room to pull into alignment.
  

Can't wait to play a round and see what happens.

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Golf Joke

A friend sent this to me - no idea who to credit - but it is funny.

Two women were playing golf. One teed off and watched in horror as her ball headed directly toward a foursome of men playing the next hole. The ball hit one of the men.

He immediately clasped his hands together at his groin, fell to the ground and proceeded to roll around in agony.

The woman rushed down to the man, and immediately began to apologize, " Please allow me to help. I'm a physical therapist and I know I could relieve your pain if you'd allow me," she told him.

"Oh, no, I'll be all right. I'll be fine in a few minutes," the man replied. He was in obvious agony, lying in the fetal position, still clasping his hands together at his groin.

At her persistence, however, he finally allowed her to help. She gently took his hands away and laid them to the side, loosened his pants and put her hands inside. She administered tender and artful massage for several long moments and asked, "How does that feel?"

He replied, "It feels great .....but my thumb still hurts like hell.

If you have any good golf jokes - post them as comments.

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Hmmm

I played last Friday with a guy who used to be a golf pro - he gave me what amounted to on course lessons - and ended up changing my swing and my grip. Needless to say, I played lousy, shooting 110. On Sunday, I took the girls back out and shot a horrible 46 on the par 33 Glen course - struggling with grip, swing and swing speed.

That said, I realize that I'm on to something because when I hit it, I hit it a lot further than before, and a heck of a lot straighter. Perhaps a tiny light at the end of the tunnel? Doubtful, but we'll see.

I add a 52 degree wedge to the bag as well, and played the hell out of it. Problem is, I don't have sense of distance with the thing - I need to hit the range with it.

My first lesson is coming up Friday - I have very high hopes which are most likely totally irrational.

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3 Lessons, coming right up

For father's day, my family gave me a hint - and 3 lessons with the local pro... I hope to take them soon - and stop sucking so bad!

Sub 100 can you hear me? I'm coming for you!

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First Timers

Both my girls have been doing a Girl Scout golf program for a few months and we decided that it was time to hit the links.

For me, seeing them on a golf course was pretty incredible - they seem to get it immediately; from teeing off, to chipping and putting. We played Tashua Glen, which incredibly includes markers at 150 yards for kids. We spotted them after driving off the women's tees and realized that without those markers, playing 9 holes would take forever. Instead, the course immediately became manageable and fun for the kids.

My 9 year old (between eating snacks and yelling at me for trying to help her swing) parred the 4th hole. She was so excited it was incredible. She sank a 15 footer for par and when she realized it, she was jumping up and down.

Teaching green etiquette was equally interesting, the kids kept stepping on everyone else's lines - not a big deal given how lousy the greens were (so slow, so bumpy).

All in all, an amazing experience for all of us!

As for me, I was +1 after 3 holes before it all fell apart. I literally cannot drive the ball. I shot 42 (+9) with 2 birdies.

Most importantly however, both kids want to go again as soon as possible!

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