Learning from Legos

It’s Christmastime and I have two young children on the “nice list”, which means Santa should be bringing lots of toys this year!  My son is 6 years old and his world revolves around Superheros, ipad games and Legos amongst other things.  He was so excited when an early present arrived in the mail yesterday from his Uncle and I allowed him to open it.   So at 8pm last night he and I built the 300+ piece Lego set together.  This is not my first rodeo- it is probably the 20^th set I’ve helped him build, so by now I’m pretty proficient and efficient and it goes much faster than it used to, still tedious, but faster.  It is fun to see it all come together and to see him playing with it is the best reward.  As I reflected on the experience and Legos in general, I came up with a few valuable lessons for building Legos and of course a better golf game too! : 

1.  Follow professional directions. They don’t include an instruction manual for nothing!  Following the specified order of construction will ensure a strong foundation for your toy.  If you try to wing it and get creative, your final result might be fun to play with at first but it will probably fall apart over time.  Sound like golf? Learn the basics first and correctly, not just from what a buddy tells you.  Also, learn to master short game and short swing skills before expecting to master a perfect full swing.  
2. Every piece counts. To complete a Lego set, every piece is used and builds on each other. So don’t forget any piece!  Similarly in golf, all the pieces to a well rounded game have to be in place for a golfer to reach their potential and shoot a very good score. 
3. One piece at a time.  You can’t rush the build and half the fun of getting a Lego set is building it! Large sets can be very overwhelming too and require patience.  So for all of those reasons in golf, take your game and each round you play one shot at a time, be patient when expecting results and enjoy the process of building and improving your game.  Then, when the work is done, you can enjoy the play time even more! 
4. Pay attention to detail.   A building block laid down in the right place but with the wrong orientation can mess up the whole architectural plan.  In golf for example we can set our grip or our stance in the right place but if we are aimed sideways or our grip is a bit strong, we might not get the best results. 
5. You’ve got to work with what you have.   Each Lego set comes with a set number and styles of pieces, so you can’t try and build a space ship when the set only has pieces to build a motorcycle.  In golf we need to realize that we have to build our swing around our strengths and weaknesses and what we are physically capable of.   Most of us are not built to make a Rory McIlroy swing. 
6. Don’t forget the maintenance & don’t throw out the instruction manual.  Even well built Lego sets can fall apart after a lot of wear and tear and hard play time.  Make sure you take the time to secure the connections and make sure you have all the pieces.  If it does fall apart unexpectedly or after an accident, no problem, get out the instruction manual and revisit the basic directions.  In golf, we can’t ignore the need for regular practice and make it a point to schedule a checkup with your local professional when things are going good as well as bad; this should be normal maintenance for the avid golfer (that most of us don’t do).  If your body changes over time or with injury, we can revisit our fundamentals and rebuild our swing as needed (with workable modifications). 

 I hope this article helps you to better build Lego sets with your kids and a better golf gameJ  Merry Christmas and have fun with you and yours this week! I hope the New Year brings you good health, happiness and lots of birdies!!   

Heavenly Golf

"Is there golf in Heaven?"

 

My beloved grandmother passed on this week and if anyone made it through the pearly gates, she did.  Even though she was not a golfer, I got to thinking… will she play golf up there?  What would her game be like? Are we all relegated to the level of play we had on Earth or can we enjoy a magically perfect game on perfect courses at all times?  God wouldn’t allow shanks and duck hooks, would He?  Or would He?

It’s funny, every golfer and student I know dreams of shooting par and hitting the ball straight and far consistently. If you could actually do that all the time, and have tap-in pars would that even be fun?  I’ve played golf with people who after hitting several errant drives sarcastically say “I guess if I hit it in the fairway every time golf would be boring!”  However, I think there is something very true to that.

In golf, hitting bad shots makes us appreciate our good shots, and the ability to overcome adversity (like making an amazing par from the woods) makes the game exciting and memorable.  Life is similar in that we appreciate the good times in relation to “bad times”, and are thankful for our good health, for example, after overcoming illness or pain. As for my grandmother, even though she was not a golfer during her life, she would have been great at it, with all that she endured in her 93 years!

Learning from our mistakes and constantly trying to improve our minds, bodies and skills is inherently human, however is there such a thing as mastery?…even at Tiger Woods’ level of play he is striving to improve.  So if there is no true mastery on Earth, should we expect that in heaven?

Sports and competition are such an earthly endeavor that brings out the best and sometimes worst in people.  We measure success in sports by how well we played, how hard we played, and if we won or lost.  I might be wrong but don’t see “heaven” as a place where competition and winning matter. But none the less, those are reasons a lot of people play- for the thrill of the game!

After all this discussion and speculation about what golf in heaven would be like, what can we take away to help us play better golf here and now? I say, enjoy this game for the ups and downs, the near misses and unthinkable makes.  Carry hope that the next shot will be magical but find inner peace with the reality that every shot cannot be, because we are not YET in heaven.   While you’re still playing golf on Earth you might as well try and win a few harmless bets because I’m not sure the “big man” allows gambling up there!

Ryer Cup Recap

Fortunately and unfortunately I attended the Sunday Ryder Cup.  I've never seen an atmosphere anything like it in golf in my life. It was unbelievably exciting to be there with all the cheers and wild fans. We saw 6 birdies in the first 1/2 hour right on the first hole, but the crowds were sooo large it was a challenge finding a good place to watch the action without missing all the action after that.  What a golf course- it reminded my of Congressional CC in scope and stature. We saw some good and bad shots including Webb Simpson's shank on #8 following by his amazing out onto the green through the trees and cables.We stayed until the end , which of course was heartbreaking... and witnessed the collapse of USA (from my tippy toes half way down the eighteenth fairway).  You could just feel the pressure in the air and poor Furyk and Stricker... I would not have wanted to be them coming down 18 that day, that is for sure! I can't help wondering if it would have been any different if the lineup on Sunday was reversed?... Just a thought.

So, I can check that day off my bucket list and I'll be watching the next Ryder Cup(s) on TV!

The Masters 2012

The Masters 2012- My 1st journey to Augusta

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I always envied others who had attended the Masters over the years.  Tickets are hard to come by and when you can find one, they are expensive.  

When I earned my Membership to the PGA in 2006, I earned a free ticket every year to attend but between work and having children and the challenge of finding my husband a ticket we didn’t make it to Augusta until this year (thank you Missy).  So I write this recap not to gloat about my experience but to share it with you who have not yet been to this very special place.

We drove down that Monday to Colombia, SC which sits about an hour northeast of Augusta.  From VA to Colombia was about 8 hours with a few pit stops along the way. The hotel room was reasonably priced at $150 a night and we got up early the next day, had breakfast and drove to Augusta for the Tuesday Practice Round! 

There are multiple exits you can get off- we got off right on Washington St. and with a quick two turns we were in the parking lot! We followed the crowd and walked for less than 5 minutes right to the main gate. No shuttles…just walk right up.  Once we got through the metal detectors it was about 9amJ  we walked on and right up the side of the range and practice area.  I didn’t see a ball on the range… the picker cart was picking the balls up as fast as they were being hit.  A few guys were practicing but instead of sticking around to watch, we took a look at the pairings board and tried to see where we wanted to start. We knew we wanted to walk the whole course, but we decided to head for the back nine first.

To get to the clubhouse/ 1^st and 10^th tees you walk through this little “village” where they have refreshments, outdoor seating, restrooms, pay phones(ha) and a merchandise shop.  We were amazed to see the $1.50 pricing on the sandwich menu… $3.00 for domestic drafts very nice. I think we ate and drank all day for $20! The merchandise tent looked a little busy so we figured we would wait until later to shop.

Past the village, on the right, the famous scoreboard… nice and clean and ready for the week. Turn left and up the hill is the clubhouse and the “old oak” which is very large…. And from the top of this hill you see a wide open view of many of the holes (1tee, 2green, 9 green, 18 green, 10 tee, you can almost see down to 15, 16 and Amen Corner if you had binoculars!). I had no idea it was that open and elevated from the back of the clubhouse.  

We saw Jiminez and Olazabal putting on the green up there, so we followed them down 10 and started our journey. We noticed a few things… everything was SO green- if it wasn’t green, it was pine straw.  No brown dead grass, muddy areas anywhere. The put this green spongy gravel  to mask worn out areas… and the staff is very cognicent of moving the ropes around in certain high traffic areas throughout the course of the day so the grass gets a rest. As we made our way around the back nine we noticed a few other things...

Not one tent on the course. Every building is a hard structure and all the camera towers are permanent and painted green of course. No wires! All the wires are underground. No trucks or cart traffic around, I heard there are underground tunnels for food services, etc.The overall vibe is just relaxed and peaceful. Everyone is just so happy to be there.  You never see anyone running, as a matter of fact we saw an official stop someone that was so he would no cause any excitement.

 The practice round was great to go to because you could get right up to the ropes no problem. If you want to bring a chair you can plant it in the designated “sitting” areas” around any of the greens or tee boxes and just leave it there for the day.  They have painted lines on the grounds on certain hilly areas for people to stand and create natural aisle ways for traffic patterns. Speaking of that, the logistics and traffic flow even down to the bathrooms and concessions were so remarkably thought out... they don’t let you go out the in door… everything is first in first out, it moves quick and the beers are already poured and waiting for you.   

Yes we bought some merchandise, you can't go to the Master's and not grab some souvenirs.  Hats for everyone back home a shirt for me:) All the staff sits behind long counters and in front of a wall of shelves holding all the shirts (which are displayed very clearly on manikins above the shelves) to provide you with your selection in your size. No hunting or folding or unfolding on tables or racks... just like everything else, they've got it down to a very organized science- shirt buying, who knew?  Of course they have it all besides shirts- jackets, flags, logo balls, sunglass cases, cashmere sweaters and much much more. We managed to escape just a few hundred dollars lighter, but no regrets other than I wish I had bought more!  We were told they can ship it home for you or check it for the day... but we waited until late in the day to do our shopping and just carried the bag with us.  I would recommend going to the merchandise tent out behind # 5 which was a little less crowded and just as good of a selection as the one by the main entrance.

 

Finally, the golf course…  I guess the thing that I was most amazed about was how hilly the course was and of course right down to the greens how much severe undulation there is compared to what you can see on TV.   I just have such a different appreciation for courses once I see them in person and this is no different. Amen corner was perfectly peaceful just as I had imagined it would be, the only thing missing were the azaleas which were past their bloom. Still just gorgeous.

The fact that I was able to walk on such historic grounds with my husband was definitely a bucket list kind of thing.… I can look forward to this amazing event every year whether or not I ever attend again I will look at it from a whole new perspective and I do hope that you will get your chance to have this great experience one day as well and in the meantime, you can get a little taste of Augusta from my story.  Thanks for reading! 

Teaching with other Teachers

It has been a real pleasure this year to have a few opportunities to teach alongside other teachers. 

Fran Rhoads (left) , PGA Director of Instruction at TPC Avenel approached me about bringing a golf school to Stonewall this year  and it was an awesome experience to spend time with his members and share both of our thoughts with them for a whole day.

This past Sunday, Mark Guttenberg, PGA (below left)  brought Tim Kremer below right) of Spirit of Golf to town from FL and we co-hosted a "Golf and the Mind Game" clinic at the course. I learned a lot from Tim and was able to learn some new mental techniques also help and speak with the participants throughout the day as they tried to apply the new concepts as well.

I typically teach alone and do not get to bounce ideas off others or get feedback from colleagues. I go to many teaching summits and seminars to get fresh ideas and share ideas most of the time.  So to have a chance to do that at my home course and in action is refreshing.  I am definitely going to continue to pursue ways to bring new "blood" and experts and experiences to my students and Stonewall and encourage my fellow professionals to do the same. We should use each other to help each other and everyone will learn more!