Crosshair Golf Blog
May 26, 2010
Invited to a Private Golf Club? Ten things you should do
Someday, we might get invited to a Private Golf Club to play a round of golf. Playing at a private club is a bit different than playing at your local public course. Most private clubs take etiquette and rules seriously, they also enforce dress codes. Here are 10 tips to make your round enjoyable. Remember, your behavior and manners are a reflection of the person who invited you. Be honored and respectful.
One: Know the Dress Code. You do not want to show up for a round of golf in shorts, no matter how fashionable, if they are not allowed. Make sure your clothes are cleaned and pressed, and your shoes are polished.
Two: Be on time. When I say “Be on time”, I mean “Be Early”. Remember, a private club is not as lenient with their tee times as a public course. If a member is issued a tee time of 10:17am you can bet that you will be teeing off at 10:17am, if you are late, you are at the back of the line, not a very good first impression. Show up early, introduce yourself to the pro-shop and tell them who you are meeting and where you will be. I suggest you hit the putting green and not the bar.
Three: Be prepared to gamble, be prepared to lose. I am not saying “Expect” to gamble or expect to lose, just be prepared. Have cash in your pocket in all denominations. You do not want to lose a wager on who gets closest to the pin on a par 3 and then have to ask for change. Pay quick and don’t ask for what is owed to you.
Four: Buy lunch. You have been invited to a nice morning or afternoon of golf. There is no better way to show your gratitude than to buy lunch for your foursome.
Five: Be prepared to walk. You may be used to riding every time you play golf, but, the person who invited you to play might like to walk. You can’t interact if you are riding and waiting while the walkers catch up to you. You probably need the exercise anyway.
Six: Don’t get drunk. After the round you might be invited into the bar for a cocktail before lunch. Know your limitations. A sure way to NOT get invited back to a private golf club is to be dancing around with a lampshade on your head.
Seven: Walk the course. Most private golf courses have pretty friendly people working there. Show up some late afternoon and introduce yourself to the clubs Pro. Tell him you were invited to play a round by one of the members, tell them which member, and ask if you could familiarize yourself with the course. Tell him you will not get in anyone’s way and you will respect the course. More than likely they will allow you to do that. Make notes and mark yardages, this will help on holes where there is a dogleg, or a hill that you can’t see over. Remember, the folks you are playing with are very familiar with the course and will take it for granted. You will not hold anyone up.
Eight: Be ready to tip. You might have a caddy, so be ready with a tip for them. Discretely ask the pro-shop what you should tip. Don’t forget a snack at the turn or the beverage cart. Most private clubs have teenagers that get your clubs from your car and when the round is done will clean your clubs, these kids need a nice tip.
Nine: Maintain the course. You should take extra care fixing your divots, raking the bunkers, and fixing your ball marks on the green. As I said earlier, private club members have a great degree of pride in their club, you should feel special that you were invited. When you show great care for their course they will be extremely grateful and this will go a long way for future invites or possible sponsorship if you are interested in joining. When you walk onto the green fix a few ball marks, not just your own.
Ten: Tune up your equipment. Make sure your golf clubs are in good repair and don’t look like garage sale used golf clubs. Clean your bag. Buy a new glove. Buy a couple new boxes of balls, don’t show up with an onion bag full of seconds. Make your purchases in the pro-shop.
Bonus Tip: Take a lesson. If you read posts in this blog you will notice I tell people this all the time. Being a guest at a private club is not place to get frustrated and have a bad time. A lesson at any time will take strokes off your game, and better than that, you will gain confidence in your ability.
Above all else. Have Fun.
May 19, 2010
Olympic Golf 2016 “No Caddy’s”
Golf Should be in the 2016 Olympics. I have some thoughts on the rules that should be applied to this event.
Today I will talk about caddy’s, or should I say No Caddy’s. That is right. Golf in the Olympics should be the players only. The players will have to walk the course themselves, keep track of yardages and scores themselves.
I would allow golfers to have bag carriers, but they will be assigned at the beginning of each round, or they could use push carts, it will be up to the player. The only advise that a golfer would be able to get would be from the coach, but he or she would be busy with other team members that might be on a different course.
I want to see these World Class Golfers earn their medals on their own. We might see some higher scores and much frustration, but we will see some real golf
May 11, 2010
May 10, 2010
The Rhythm of the Game
I never really thought about how the Rhythm of the Game of golf could affect my score until I read an article about Skeet and Trap Shooting that involves the rhythm of the match.
When I talk about rhythm I am not talking about waiting, we wait for everything. Think about waiting for a moment. If you come to a four-way intersection and you are 20 cars back, you have to wait your turn. If all goes the way it should, one car at a time from each road goes in turn, you have rhythm. When this occurs you do not feel the wait, but let one person jump the gun and throw off the rhythm of traffic and you are now frustrated. These waiting/rhythm situations occur time and time again in daily life.
What about the rhythm in a game of golf. Here is an example. I was playing a round with some friends. We were waiting to tee off. Groups were teeing off at regular intervals, we were all behind schedule a few minutes but it did not matter as there was a steady flow, there was rhythm. Then behind us came a group, and one woman was complaining so much we let them tee off ahead of us, the first miss-beat in our rhythm. Then, this same woman on the second hole, parked the cart on the cart path, walked across the fairway to her ball walked back to the cart to get her golf club, then walked back across the fairway to play her ball. This totally threw off the rhythm of the game and our scores were not for the record books.
So remember, it is not the waiting, it is the rhythm. As long as you keep a steady rhythm to your game your scores will reflect it. Rhythm is not a fast game or a slow game, it is a steady flowing game of golf.
May 5, 2010
Meet the Clubs #5 The Golf Wedge
So far you have met The Golf Driver, Fairway Woods, Golf Iron Sets, and Hybrid Irons. Now it is time to meet the Golf Wedge.
What is a Wedge? Well, it is pretty much an extension of your Golf Iron Set. Some golfers think of the wedge as its own category. But, no matter how you look at it. it is a higher lofted Golf Iron.
Because wedges are higher lofted clubs they are used for your short game or to get out of trouble. No matter what the reason you choose to use a wedge, do not expect a whole lot of distance. Although, if you watch the Pro’s play, they will hit a wedge 100 plus yards, the average golfer should not expect the same results.
As with all the other Golf Clubs in your bag you need to learn how to use them and then experiment until you find what wedges fit your comfort zone. I, for example, am very comfortable with my iron play. In my set I have opted to not carry a sand wedge and have replaced it with a 60 degree wedge. Find what works for you.
The person who is probably the best wedge player ever is Phil Mickelson. I have seen Phil from about 5 yards off the green, take one of his higher lofted wedges, hit the ball with a full swing, and the ball goes straight up travels about 10 yards and drops on the green. As well as ability, you will need confidence when using your wedges.
What Golf Wedge should I get? Well, I would suggest starting out with a 56 or 60 degree to start, learn to use it, practice with it and go from there. You might find that wedge play is not for you or you might find that you love it.
If you are interested in a new custom discount Golf Wedge give us a look and see if something interests you.
Tim Clark Wins a Major
Tim Clark finally won on the PGA Tour, and what a win to have, a Major.
This was a big performance considering he is only 5′7″. He does not have the distance as some of the big hitters on tour, bet he made up for in in accuracy and putting.
Twelve years on the tour with many runner ups and top tens. In fact, he has amassed a nice nest egg of about 14 million dollars in winnings. That is alot of money, not compared to Phil and Tiger, but I wouldn’t refuse it.
Maybe this is the event that will push him to multiple wins and maybe even a green Jacket.