Player’s Championship

justoffthefairway — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:24:35 +0000

As I write this, the second round is under way and, as I look at the scoreboard, I am somewhat relieved. I was bumming that I might miss some good stuff on Sunday since Mother’s Day is not generally one where I have the opportunity to lounge around and watch golf. However, the current leader board has me thinking I may not miss much on Sunday. German Alex Cejka has pulled away a bit (I realize it’s early). I saw this guy play in what I still refer to as the GHO (Greater Hartford Open) and his caddy was carrying a regular stand bag instead of the monstrous bags with the bid advertisement like everyone else. I wonder if Alex was lacking sponsorship or he was just being considerate for a caddy who had a physical ailment.

Anywho, if Tiger isn’t going to join the party, I.m rooting for Nick Watney to jump into the fray and take this thing. He is a talented young man who seems like a nice kid. He’s my pick.

A Game of Mistakes

justoffthefairway — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:47:19 +0000

Bob Rotella, the well-known sports psychologist who advises many professional golfers, wrote a book entitled “Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect”. I recently have come to understand how true this statement is. Golf is a game of mistakes. Success in golf depends on minimizing these mistakes and, maybe more importantly, minimizing the negative impact of the mistakes on your scorecard.

A few nights back I played nine holes in the Monday night league I belong to. When I look back at the night, I can only remember two shots that anyone would consider particularly impressive, but somehow I managed to match my lowest 9-hole score ever. I was inconsistent off the tee and didn’t make a putt over four feet. So how did this happen? I played smart, especially after making a mistake.

A good example of this is on short par fives, which this nine holes has two of. On both holes, I pushed the tee shots right suffeciently into the treeline. Both times, after locating my tee shot, I said to myself, “The tee shot sucked but it’s a short par five. If I am smart, par is very much in play and double-bogey is not. Birdie, while not impossible, is no longer a rational goal. On both occasions I punch out, taking my medicine as they say, and post a par and a bogey (mishit my third shot on that one). Scoring one-over for two short par fives is not impressive, but it isn’t a round killer. Last year, those two tee shots would have probably lead to doubles or even snowmen.

Sometimes when you look back on a round, you feel like you played better than you scored and that is frustrating. Sometimes, like the other night for me, you score better than you play. Those are the rounds you made the right decisions – lived with your mistakes rather than letting them ruin the round.

Just Off the Fairway - A Golf Blog

Player’s Championship

A Game of Mistakes