Golf Swings

Having spent last week spotting at the Australian National Veteran Golfers Championships held here in Paradise (Cairns, Queensland if you need to ask!)I was struck by the wide variety of golf swings exhibited.

Some of these looked very ungainly, if not downright weird, but nevertheless were quite effective. On reflection it was obvious that many of those of my vintage or older had achieved those swings because they, like myself, had either not had access to professional coaching, or had not been able to afford lessons when they started playing. They had to observe existing players and try to put into practice what they deemed to be the most efficient strokes for the shot being played.

As video cameras were not available/affordable 50 years ago either, they had to rely on a mirror or feel to refine their swing. Naturally, there were some good ball players who achieved a 'natural' swing, but many made do with what worked for them, putting up with a fade/slice or draw/hook and playing for it. They usually made up for defects in their long game by becoming deadly around the green.

These days there is simply no excuse for beginners to go through this trial & error process which was, if we are honest, downright disheartening and frustrating at times. (This was graphically illustrated by some of the language overheard on the hole I was spotting on at the Vets Championships!) In fact many may have quit the game as a result, which is unfortunate. Many more keep struggling, trying this or that temporary remedy & using the excuse that 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' to avoid making a determined effort to get back to basics.

I've ever only had 3 lessons in my 52 years of playing. Two helped me temporarily. One completely threw me off my game for 6 months until I reverted to my old swing. None bothered to explain basic principles behind the swing or the role the big muscles were supposed to play in it. They only addressed my particular problem of the time, namely a slice.

From these experiences I came to the conclusion that before taking any lessons you really need to check out the professional you are intending to go to. He needs to:

- be prepared to actually LISTEN to you,
- be prepared to take you through the basics of why & how the swing works,
- not overload you by changing dozens of things at one time (particularly if you have been playing for years), and
- VIDEO you to demonstrate what you are doing compared with what you should be doing.

Believe me, a 2 minute video of your swing is better than an hour of instruction in that your mind doesn't really take in what you are told until your eyes actually see it.

However, if you can't afford a series of lessons, or can't find a decent instructor, or just plain prefer to do things in your own time at your own pace, there are dozens of golf instructional books, DVDs, tapes and sites out there.

One I discovered recently is by Don Trahan at http://www.peakperformancegolfswing.com.

I consider it the best because it explains things in simple terms, illustrates the swing and various variations, like bunker shot and lobs, and is based on scientific principles. Moreover, if you like what you see on Don's blog & decide to buy his course, he has a very fair refund policy if it doesn't work for you within a year. You can't say that of many courses.

Hooked on Golf - A Slice of a Golf Addict's Tale

This is a first slice of the sad tale of how an addict became hooked on golf, a game invented by sadists for masochists, which should really be called flog.

In 1955 I was staying with my Aunt & Uncle in Scotland prior to attending boarding school. Whilst exploring a garden shed, I found some hickory shafted clubs and small balls with rectangular dimples. On inquiry, my Uncle explained the clubs were for playing golf which consisted of hitting the small ball into a hole some distance away.

He demonstrated the action by hitting a ball into a neighbouring field, and informed me that good players were supposed to play around courses in a certain number of strokes determined by the degree of difficulty of the course. I spent the rest of the day attempting to copy him, which resulted in large lumps being taken out of the lawn until I was banished to an adjoining field.

That was how I became hooked on golf, an addiction which persists to this day despite all my attempts, conscious & unconscious, to overcome it by becoming good enough to play around a variety of courses in the designated number of strokes, preferably also getting a hole in one to demonstrate my superior skill, and therefore having no further need to play the game.

For some books on the early days of golf see Early days of golf

For some prints of the early days of golf see Early golf prints

For a good history of golf & golf equipment see http://www.golfeurope.com/almanac/history/

Travel

Well, I've been off the air for some time because my partner & I have been on an extended holiday to destinations that have beckoned for quite some years, namely Turkey and Egypt.

We decided to go via Thailand, as one of my mates is married to a Thai & lives and works in Phuket. We always enjoy seeing him & his family, and he & I manage a few games of golf on various courses as well, whilst my partner relaxes on the beach, having Thai massages & shopping!

I'll treat all our destinations separately in my blog to keep them simple and short (relatively), as not everyone will be interested in all of them & they were all very different.

Thailand - We love the country & probably the main reason for that is its people, who are so friendly & eager to help without being pushy or intrusive. Of course, it also helps that the exchange rate means that a good time can be had eating out, shopping & enjoying a Thai massage!

We spent a few days last year in Chang Mai in the north, which was cooler but still green & tropical. It is a former capital in a scenic area, quite close to the Burmese border on one side & North Vietnam & Laos on the other. We will return there to explore further. Also last year we went to Kanchanburi to see the Death Railway & Bridge on the River Kwae. Whilst the Railway and cemetery were very moving and the stay in the boatel moored on the banks of the river was relaxing, we found the area quite arid compared to Chang Mai and considerably less scenic.

Our stay this time was in Patong, the major tourist area of Phuket, which has completely recovered from the tsunami. It is brash, with plenty of shopping and nightlife and a crowded beach, although quieter beaches close by, one of which we stayed at. However, if it is shopping you are principally interested in, go to Bangkok instead, as it is cheaper and there is plenty of nightlife and things of interest there too.

Phuket has several world class golf courses, my main interest, most of them carved out of old tin mining areas resulting in large water hazards with steep, deep sides in many cases! Blue Canyon and the Lakes are two adjoining courses near the airport, exclusive with residential facilities attached. Laguna is halfway between the airport and Patong, is flatter and is part of a resort complex. Country Club is near Patong and has 27 holes. Loch Palm is also near Patong and has a second course next to it completed only a couple of years ago, Red Mountain, which I think is the best course of the lot, very scenic and although all these courses are challenging, this is probably the most challenging, with the advantage that if you are not having a good day, you can relax and enjoy the views! There is another course, Mission Hills, which I have not played. Prices vary, but are not cheap by Aussie standards and there are caddy fees and tips on top. I have heard that courses in Pattaya are cheaper, so that will be on the agenda for the ruture.

Hobbies

As my interests are mainly golf, gardening & my dog, I set up a site (with assistance) that reviewed these and a number of other products at http://www.nobullnomad.com.

I also set up a site at http://www.nomadschoice.com that provided news and shopping links.

So far neither seem to have attracted much interest, so I'm clearly either not doing what needs to be done to interest people, or not putting the flags out into the ether that draw attention to those sites.  So, back to study & tweaking this & that to see what happens!

As my old Scoutmaster used to say "Just make a decision & act.  If it's wrong, you can always do something else to rectify the situation."