No, it is not about the popular movie named "Transformers", which is in theaters currently in the USA. Specifically, Sandy has spent the better part of a day looking for new gawftech. That is, new sticks.
Ahh... but not just any new sticks. Went to the current best fitting around, namely Hotstix in Scottsdale Arizona.
The entire process took 1/2 of a day and was exhausting! I beleive my fitter had watched me dole out nearly 500 golf balls in the process of working out a new game using technology. What is absolutely amazing is the detail and understanding these people have. Sandy's golf swing was never in question, the fine fitter at Hotstix found what worked best for the swing that Sandy has. And since that swing varies from time to time, lots of balls involved with obvious crappyness tossed in the evaluation.
IF you are considering doing this and having them do your full set, do a few things...
(1) Don't play 18 holes before the fitting, play maybe 9. Sandy played 18 in hot Phoenix and was paying the price late in the fitting.
(2) Be sure you have already received funds from selling your extra kidney. It will cost you much much more than you can afford. Take your current set, at list price brand new, and multiply by 4 or even 5. That comes close to what you will need.
Even risking foreclosure of the pad, Sandy did it anyway. Why? Because when I hit balls with the sample clubs that matched my requirements, the difference was beyond expectation. Here is the 'for example' section:
My *carry* on my current driver (Callaway gbb2, 9.5 firm shaft) averaged a paltry 206 yards (my ball must roll the next 60 yards). My *carry* on the new setup is 238 yards average. We are talking 30 more yards of carry. Bot just that, dispersion was 3 times tighter in the shots. It was beyond amazing.
Hotstix told me my custom stix arrive at my door in about 3 weeks. I already have ridiculous statistics saved now. I will report back on the tournament results with the new stix. I anticipate misses will be better.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Mirrors
Many duffers profess that golf is a microcosm of life experiences themselves. While golf is not life, my own behavior on the course reflects almost exactly my approach to various scenarios IRL. There are many times where you plan a shot, visualize it, and execute. For the advanced golfer, the results are pretty close to what you expect. The key phrase here is experience and wisdom.
When bad things happen in golf, what do you do? Sandy likes to play walk-on singe and join groups. So I get to see a vast array of reactions to very tough situations. Rarely does Sandy end up playing with someone that takes good and bad with equanimity. Most people react with verbal hatred of themselves as people and then physical hatred apparently towards the club they just used and slam it into the ground. Basically a show. Is that tantrum what these people really do at their jobs in the office? Can you imagine presenting a wonderful marketing plan to a board of directors, in which you are shot down for some reason or another, and then breaking out into a verbal and physical display of hatred at a board meeting? Of course not, we tend to keep ourselves in check.
So why not the golf course? Why does so many people's sense of self-worth tied to a simple golf shot?
It reminds me of one of my favorite sections of Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent entitled 'Who's to say what is good or bad'. This is later in the book, and it's placement may be overlooked by many people, but I consider it one of the most important life and golf lesson ever. Dr. Parent describes a scenario which did have me asking, what is good and what truly is bad. I've had many real life experiences where things absolutely did not go as planned and results were exactly opposite of what I wanted. We are talking serious life scenarios people, not fufu what am I wearing today stuff. I was not accepted into the first three colleges I applied for, but I was accepted at the fourth. I thought it was going to be terrible not having to go to the places I was planning to go to. But now, many many years later, my entire life, career, friends, nearly everyone that is important to Sandy, all came from the 'bad problem' of going to the college that was 4th on my list.
So what is good and what is bad? How you deal with life's tough situations should mirror how you respond to troubles on the short stuff. If not, why not? You don't yell at yourself and call yourself stupid names when you make a mistake at the office. Why do you murder yourself on the golf course? Try this for one round: when you hit a bad shot, shrug it off. Really, you have to say something like 'this too shall pass' or 'hmm., that is not like me, oh well'. If you live in this game, that may be very tough for you to do, but try it once for a couple holes. Let it go, and you will find you will get there.
When bad things happen in golf, what do you do? Sandy likes to play walk-on singe and join groups. So I get to see a vast array of reactions to very tough situations. Rarely does Sandy end up playing with someone that takes good and bad with equanimity. Most people react with verbal hatred of themselves as people and then physical hatred apparently towards the club they just used and slam it into the ground. Basically a show. Is that tantrum what these people really do at their jobs in the office? Can you imagine presenting a wonderful marketing plan to a board of directors, in which you are shot down for some reason or another, and then breaking out into a verbal and physical display of hatred at a board meeting? Of course not, we tend to keep ourselves in check.
So why not the golf course? Why does so many people's sense of self-worth tied to a simple golf shot?
It reminds me of one of my favorite sections of Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent entitled 'Who's to say what is good or bad'. This is later in the book, and it's placement may be overlooked by many people, but I consider it one of the most important life and golf lesson ever. Dr. Parent describes a scenario which did have me asking, what is good and what truly is bad. I've had many real life experiences where things absolutely did not go as planned and results were exactly opposite of what I wanted. We are talking serious life scenarios people, not fufu what am I wearing today stuff. I was not accepted into the first three colleges I applied for, but I was accepted at the fourth. I thought it was going to be terrible not having to go to the places I was planning to go to. But now, many many years later, my entire life, career, friends, nearly everyone that is important to Sandy, all came from the 'bad problem' of going to the college that was 4th on my list.
So what is good and what is bad? How you deal with life's tough situations should mirror how you respond to troubles on the short stuff. If not, why not? You don't yell at yourself and call yourself stupid names when you make a mistake at the office. Why do you murder yourself on the golf course? Try this for one round: when you hit a bad shot, shrug it off. Really, you have to say something like 'this too shall pass' or 'hmm., that is not like me, oh well'. If you live in this game, that may be very tough for you to do, but try it once for a couple holes. Let it go, and you will find you will get there.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Going for it
Why so few entries? Sandy is dang busy. Since leaving the Buffalo Golfer community and relocating to the not-as-much-snow area of Western Michigan, things have been rocky but getting better.
So Sandy has decided (Sandy loves 3rd person references), to give the tours a crack at his majesty. Q-school is not ready to handle it yet, but something smaller can. So I joined up and am playing in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour in Michigan, the Grand Rapids Division.
So far, results have been... humbling. I know many duffers and when I show them the scores that Sandy posted, they sneer at the scores and quickly slip me a scientific calculator for my next rounds.
Little did they realize, that the tournament golf can be an axe or a polishing stone for ones game.
Now Sandy chuckles when they wonder how I beat them in the friendly skins game. Anyone interested in proving your own game needs to put it in play at tournaments. This is the only place you will truly know if you are really able to make the 4 footer for par all your buddies typically 'give' you.
At the time of this post, Sandy is 2nd in Merit points on the Sarazen flight -- attempting to finish first for the season. What comes is what comes. Bring your game
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/GALeagueTournament/tour.asp?source=aagt&detail=1&menuitem=1&TOUR_ID=10000046
So Sandy has decided (Sandy loves 3rd person references), to give the tours a crack at his majesty. Q-school is not ready to handle it yet, but something smaller can. So I joined up and am playing in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour in Michigan, the Grand Rapids Division.
So far, results have been... humbling. I know many duffers and when I show them the scores that Sandy posted, they sneer at the scores and quickly slip me a scientific calculator for my next rounds.
Little did they realize, that the tournament golf can be an axe or a polishing stone for ones game.
Now Sandy chuckles when they wonder how I beat them in the friendly skins game. Anyone interested in proving your own game needs to put it in play at tournaments. This is the only place you will truly know if you are really able to make the 4 footer for par all your buddies typically 'give' you.
At the time of this post, Sandy is 2nd in Merit points on the Sarazen flight -- attempting to finish first for the season. What comes is what comes. Bring your game
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/GALeagueTournament/tour.asp?source=aagt&detail=1&menuitem=1&TOUR_ID=10000046
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