I’ve always thought it curious that when actors or musicians get ready to head out for a big performance people say, “Break a leg!”   The origins of this saying are a bit obscure, but the generally excepted explanation is that superstitious performers historically felt that wishing someone good luck right before a performance was actually bad luck, so at some point they began to do the opposite to help cut the tension. When it comes to competitive golf I suppose this would be something akin to saying, “chunk it in the lake!” or “hook it out of bounds!” just prior to a player teeing off in the U.S. Open or some other event of similar significance. Now as superstitious as golfers are, I suppose it’s not all that curious to find that this reverse psychology sort of an approach has failed to find any sort of foothold in the game to date.  In the game of golf would be considered at the least very bad form to mention a potential hazard prior to a fellow competitor playing a shot and at the worst...

     Down in Texas there's an old saying that says "You gotta dance with who ya' brung!" It was a favorite of long-time Texas football coach Darrel Royal, there was a book written with a similar title, and probably most predictably, there's even a country music song by the same name. Growing up in the game of golf, however, I remember it most vividly because it was a stand-by for the old professional I learned the game from due to his disdain for practice and even warming up most of the time. Sam Snead is originally credited with popularizing it in the game and it was one of his favorite go-to sayings throughout his storied career. Unlike most of today’s professionals, who seem obsessed with their swings and the never-ending pursuit of perfecting their mechanics, Sam was loathe to tinkering with his swing and making last minute adjustments. The three time Masters champion preferred rather to go with whatever type of shot his fluid swing was producing that week, or even that day, than spend any time trying to "correct"...

                Last week in my Acorn Academy Class I gave all of our young students a homework assignment. Develop a signature move. What is a signature move you might ask? Well, for simplicity’s sake, let’s just say it is something akin to the saber-rattling move Chi Chi Rodgriguez used to make after he dropped a particularly significant putt. The kids really got a kick out of it, especially when I asked them to make a short putt and then perform it in front of the class. I couldn’t help but notice, however, the half-concerned and somewhat puzzled looks I received from both the casual on-lookers and even some of the parents who looked on from just beyond the edges of the putting green. So before you go and worry that I’m teaching our younger generation to become a bunch of hot-dogging, fist-pumping, you-da-man shouting obnoxious bores out on the golf course, let me assure you there is a method to my madness.

                Golf can be a frustrating game at times, depending upon your perspective and the...

                  I was reading a book the other day in which the author commented that common sense doesn’t necessarily equate to common action. It really struck me at the time as to how true that situation often is. There are so many times in life that we either can do or should do something that would be beneficial to us, but in which we either chose not to or overlook for one reason or another. We know that over-eating and eating the wrong types of foods is unhealthy and leads to unwanted weight gain and negative health consequences, yet we often do it anyways.   We know that exercise is good for us, relieves stress, helps aid weight loss, and has a host of other health benefits, yet we can seem to find a never-ending list of excuses to not engage in it. Some estimates claim up to 90% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, causing all sorts of problems for us, all the while water remains about as close to free as any consumable we have access to and is never likely more than 30 steps away from us at any given moment.   And since golf mirrors life, it isn’t surprising that at least part of the answer to many of our struggles in the game is literally right in front of our faces. Just as in our eternal quest for weight loss and health, we are too often writing off things that are just common sense while we search for more complicated or cryptic solutions. It is that never-ending quest for a magic bullet, miracle cure, or an easier path that seems to too often lead us astray and away from answers that are often so obvious that we instinctively dismiss them. When it comes to golf, one such answer is breathing.

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            The Dutch Scholar Desiderius Erasmus once said “A nail is driven out by another nail; a habit is overcome by a habit.” And while he uttered this saying over 500 years ago, modern brain science has only recently been able to prove scientifically how prescient Erasmus really was. As human beings we are essentially gigantic bundles of habits. Habits that are foundational to how we function and get through each and every day. Almost at birth, we begin to develop innumerable habits; habits which help us perform tasks both complicated and mundane, but without which we would suffer from having to consciously think about every action we make. Some are habits of action and some of thought and while some of these habits are good and healthy, others follow the paths of least resistance and subsequently aren’t necessarily beneficial.  We develop habits in order to obtain rewards that satisfy cravings, cravings that we are often not even consciously aware of. What we generally eat, how much we exercise,...

 

            JFK once said that, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”  The game of golf has been called a game of honor.  It is the only game in which you call penalties on yourself, and so I guess it is not surprising that this game has produced such sportsmen and women of incredible distinction over the years and that it rightly continues to honor them to this very day.  Too often in the modern sports world we hear that our most distinguished athletes shouldn’t be held up as role models, and for good reason, for too often today’s media, the same media that seems to be in such a hurry to build up these athletes to the point of being icons, seems simultaneously just as eager for the opportunity to tear them down from the pedestal upon which they have been placed.  And unfortunately, our modern sports athletes seem to give them ample reason to do so far too often.  Now I understand there are as many reasons for this as there are different situations, and I am not here to debate the problems and pressures faced by today’s sportsmen and women.  What I would rather do is pose a question.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was at least one sport where these unfortunate situations were the exception rather than the norm? A sport that regularly produced men and women of character who truly appreciated the opportunity to be an ambassador for their sport and to honor it by their example.  A sport whose true significance was revealed by the fact that it always gave more than it took, not only to those who played it, but to multitudes who can’t even claim any real association with it. Well this is the unique space in which I believe the game of golf historically resides, and it is where I feel it continues to distinguish itself from all other sports that are played at both the amateur and professional level.

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                        Here’s an updated version of tale I’ve told before, but which I feel is long overdue for re-telling…

 

Once upon a time being known as the best player at any respective golf club was an honor that carried a little more reverence than it does at many clubs today. “The Club Championship” was almost universally regarded as the most important event of the year at every club and being the “Club Champion” was a position of some distinction. For a great many golfers, the annual quest to become their club’s champion was something to plan one’s year around as many relished the opportunity to test his or her mettle and measure their improvement against the club’s elite players. It is not merely a coincidence that most amateur golf information guides still list each club’s men’s and ladies champions in their directory each year and it is still common practice for most clubs to hold their championships during one of the later months of the golf season, the significance of which...

            I know, I know, before I even get started I am sure that many of you are likely wondering either what that means, or what anything French and/or the Arc de Triomphe have to do with or in a discussion about golf, the golf swing, or how to improve your game. If you’re like most Americans, the singular French contribution (if you can call it a contribution) to the game of golf that comes to mind is likely the tragic comedy of Jean Van De Velde in the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, and when you think of France you are more likely to picture croissants, wine, and cheese than you are clubs, bags, and balls. Well, in truth, The Arc itself has little to do with the game, other than symbolically, and the French truly are more famous for their culinary contributions than any of their exploits on the links. The French do, however, have a long history with the game, being initially introduced to it over 400 years ago by French King Francis II. As the Dauphin of France, in 1558 Francis married Mary Queen...

 

There is an old saying which is trotted out just about this time each year which says that, “it’s better to give than to receive.” Well I truly believe that to be true, as I find little more satisfying than when you find that perfect gift for someone and seeing their expression when they first realize they’ve been given something special. It truly is the season of giving, and you needn’t look too far right now to find plenty of worthwhile charities and organizations that could use your help. From the Salvation Army Bell-Ringers that stand vigil in front of our preferred retail outlets to the canned food drives at our local churches to the numerous Toys For Tots type initiatives, in no other time of year are these organizations and their causes so front and center, potentially presenting us with at least a minor dilemma. If we are so inclined to, which of these organizations and causes most deserves our support. Well, in my opinion, one of the most rewarding things is when you find the perfect combination...

 

WARNING: The following is only a partial theory!

            In medical science there is a common phenomenon known as the “Placebo Effect”. Its medical definition is that of an effect which occurs when a treatment or medication without any proven therapeutic value is administered and a patient’s symptoms improve. The patient believes and expects the treatment to work, so it does. In study after study, roughly 40% of people see improvement of their symptoms when administered a placebo, confounding modern medicine and leaving it without adequate explanation; at least maybe until now. 

There are times in life when our ultimate success requires us to take a leap of faith. Believing in the unbelievable or that which is difficult or impossible to understand and/or prove is essentially what the definition of faith is.  And deciding to walk down paths which are unorthodox and which we instinctively question the efficacy of can simultaneously be a test of our faith and a testament to our desire to...