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Golf potpourri by Mac Stevenson
Golf Potpourri By Mac Stevenson
Be Organized Before Tee Off
The spring 2006 season is well underway and serious tournament golf is fast approaching. One of the first things you should do each season is check your grips. If they have become slick--and this can happen almost without your noticing it--invest in a new set. When your grips become too slick, you'll tend to hold the club too tightly to keep it from slipping in your hands. This makes for unwanted tension; you must have confidence that the club won't slip while you grip it lightly during your swing. That's why tacky grips are a must.
Distractions that are caused by inattention to seemingly insignificant details result in unnecessary problems during important rounds of golf; the mental part of the game is complex and demanding enough without allowing small annoyances to detract from your game.
Making sure that minor details are taken care of before you start a round can be the difference between a good round and one that is destroyed by disorder.
If you have a game scheduled that is important to you, it's a must that you arrive at your course a minimum of 10-15 minutes early so you can putt and chip before you tee off. If you're late and have to rush to the first tee, it can carry over to your swing and game right from the start of the round. And sometimes a bad beginning becomes a bad day.
Even though it's early spring, applying an SPF (sun protection factor) lotion on your face and arms and legs before you tee off is wise. It will protect your skin from cancer-causing sun rays that are out and about, even in early spring. An SPF factor of 30 is minimum protection and 45 or higher is better.
Don't change shoe types between rounds. If you're used to a golf shoe with a heel on it, don't go to tennis-shoe type footwear unless you try it during a round or two when your scores aren't important.
Before you tee off, wet the end of the towel on your bag so you can easily clean your clubs. Keep part of the towel dry to wipe off the moisture.
Carry a small, dry towel with you on days when there is a lot of dew on the ground. You can tuck it in the belt of your slacks or shorts and use it to clean your ball before putting. This is also useful in cleaning excess moisture and dirt from your ball before a tee shot.
If you wear glasses, always carry a clean handkerchief in your pocket or bag. If your lenses become smeared and you don't have a cleaning cloth, you will have to deal with aggravating, blurry vision.
Make sure you have a divot-repair tool and an abundance of plastic ball markers and tees in your pocket before a round begins. You don't want to be frantically searching for a ball marker in the heat of battle. And select ball markers that are bright in color and easy to see so your opponents won't be tromping on your putting line. Consider the weather conditions carefully before deciding which clubs to carry on any given day. As an example, a seven-wood is not a good club on a windy day; the shots hit with this club fly too high. If you have to choose between a seven-wood and four-iron on a windy day, take the four-iron. And vice versa.
You should always place your ball on a tee when playing par 3's; don't toss your ball on the ground and hit it off the grass. You can tee it low, but you're playing smart golf and will hit more good shots when you use a tee.
Clean the clubfaces thoroughly, rather than just wiping them off. There's packed dirt that collects in the grooves of your clubfaces, and using the end of a sharp nail to clean them will give you more control and spin on your shots.
None of these things seem important by themselves, but if you don't take care of small details before you tee off, they can become a hindrance to your concentration during an important round of golf. And just preparing carefully will put you in a good frame of mind for your upcoming game
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