The game of golf is a journey.
If you are like me, you assumed that the game of golf was easy. Before you ever played a round, you watched players, such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Annika Sorenstam and wondered “how hard can it be”?
There is an object, the golf ball, in a fixed position in front of me. The goal of the game is to move said golf ball to a predetermined destination, the Pin, with the least amount of effort.
The natural assumption is that if you swing as hard as you can then that ball will travel as far as it could. If you just laughed at that sentence, then you love the game as much as I do.
Your first experience was probably at a driving range. It doesn’t matter if it is a traditional range, such as Leatherman’s here in Charlotte, or TopGolf, you got the chance to experience the game in the simplest form. Just hitting the ball. Then it happened. At some point, you connected with the ball so purely, you heard the PING of the golf club.
Like the starting shot at a marathon, that PING was the start of a lifelong journey into the game of golf.
For me, it happened on the golf course. I was playing a round with some friends. We were on Cardinal Creek golf course at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois. I was playing terribly. At that time, I had more passion for the game then actual ability. If I remember correctly, we were on the 15th tee box. I hit a drive that was so straight and long it could have been on a string. Both of them looked as me and said, “if you keep hitting them like that you will be on the PGA Tour”.
Those compliments were all I needed. From that point forward, I was a golfer. If you think about it, I’m sure that you can remember the moment that made you golfer.
The journey of the game always seem to start with the driver. Beginners can’t wait to get on the tee box and blast a ball 300 yards down the fairway. Rightfully so. There is a joy to seeing your golf ball fly into the air. It is the positive reinforcement needed to stay committed to the game. Truth be told, there is always a longest drive competition on every hole. The first hard lesson for a beginner is that the joy of the longest drive comes with a lot of pain. Swinging so hard is uncontrollable. There are many books and videos (Tik-Tok and YouTube ) on the mechanics of the swing, so I won’t get into it here. What I will say is that I have personally had a lot of joy watching my golf ball fly into the air only to see it hook left into the trees or drift right near the houses/water. Often times, I would hit the ball so far you couldn’t see where it landed. After a round of applause or celebration from my group of playing partners, I would find the ball in a sand-trap, or behind a tree, or even lost completely. That is the worse.
I take that back. The worse feeling is to have the longest drive. Find your ball in the middle of the fairway and still finish the hole with a bogey or double.
Losing the ball after a long drive is just a hard lesson that golf is about more than how far you can hit the ball.
Low scoring and experienced golfers have learned the hard lesson. The most important club in the bag is the putter, which is counterintuitive and, honestly, not as exciting. Similar to life. Scoring low in golf is not about how you start the hole. Don’t get me wrong a great drive makes it easier but it is not the deciding factor. The most important thing in golf and even life (if I may) is how to finish. On the golf course, I have watched many players, even myself sometimes, have a great drive and still finish a hole with a triple bogey. I have even watched many players start with a terrible tee shot and finish the hole with a par.
To that point, I have been on the course with players who do not hit the ball as far or as hard as I do. However, their scores were lower because they keep the ball in the short grass and more importantly they did not let bad shots bother them (most times). Think about it. Unless you chip the ball into the cup, you use the putter on every hole.
After the putter, you will use an iron/wedge,
then the driver / fairway wood / wedge.
The logic is the exact opposite of the expectation of a beginner.
In order to score low, you need a balance between distance and greenside control. That is why, we crafted the Greenwood GOLF ball. Our three (3) layer urethane cover golf ball was designed to give the perfect balance needed to take your game to the next level.
Whether it is our golf ball, or our apparel we want our customers to be confident that they are ready to take their best shot in every situation.
Keep it in the short grass
Greenwood
Tell us about your journey. Do you remember the moment you were bitten by the golf bug?