Monthly Newsletter

   If anyone knows how to improve on this system, we need to talk about it at the next Team Reps meeting in January.  I wish we had some way to have more influence on foul weather cancelations.

SUBMITTED ARTICLE by Tex Blinn (HH)

Gain a three stroke advantage in your next tournament round!

By Lewis “Tex” Blinn

   Do you every wonder why the same people seem to win or at least score above average in most of the tournaments they play. Your first response is probably “they cheat on their handicap” and that is one way to do it, but it is not the right way. Golf is a game of honor and if you cheat you cheat yourself because then winning has no value. But there is a way to gain a distinct advantage over many of the people you play against. Not only is it honorable it is also admirable and promotes the game of golf.

   When I was 38 years old I started learning how to play golf. At 65 I am still learning. As a matter of fact if I worked as long and as hard doing anything else and was still as bad as I am at golf (15 Handicap) I would have quit by now. But golf is my addiction. I try to play three times a week and would probably play more if I could find the time.

   Ever since I have started playing in club tournaments I have done better than average. Last year my partner and I won our Member / Guest tournament and this year we finished second. It’s a pretty big deal at our club and both of us are proud of our accomplishments. But we do have some detractors. “Sandbaggers” they say. By the way that is the term losers often apply to winners. But are we sandbaggers? No we're not. We post every score every time we play. We try our best on every shot and every putt whether it means anything or not. Sure, some days I may not be as focused as others but I play golf for fun, not for a living.

   So here is the secret to a three stroke advantage over much of your competition. Play by the rules! It’s that simple. Do it all the time. Do it when you are playing with your foursome on Saturday, when you are playing by yourself, when you are playing couples golf. Do it all the time. Sure you play by the rules when you play in a tournament and that is the problem. If you don’t play by the rules of golf on a daily basis your handicap is too low to compete with someone who does when tournament time comes. Think about how you play. Do you take a mulligan on the first tee? Do you “roll the ball” in your fairway to avoid a tight lie? Do you move your ball from a divot when it lands in one? Do you take 'gimme' putts? Do you follow the rules in hazards and bunkers? Do you take the penalties that you earn?

   You say “that is the way my group plays and if I don’t play that way then I will be at a disadvantage in our matches”. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Once your handicap adjusts it stops making any difference. Sure that mulligan on the first tee may put them in the fairway instead of the trees but it all averages out. You will be more likely to hit your first shot in the fairway if you know you are not going to take a mulligan. Play the ball down. Putt everything out. I can always tell a person who is used to taking 'gimme' putts because he will miss some short putts when he has to make them. How can you learn to hit from a tight lie if you always improve your lie? You cannot compete by the rules if your handicap is not based on playing by them.

   Okay, so now you know how to get a three stroke advantage in your next tournament but here is the real advantage to playing by the rules. It’s fun! If you shoot a low round, you know you earned your score. If you cut one stroke off your all time low it means something. It’s the only way you know what your score means. It is being honest with yourself and the world. Golf is one of the great games. It doesn’t matter how good you are because you compete with yourself. Now go buy a “Rules of Golf” book, read it, play by it and have fun!