A hole in one for Jordan at the Arnold Palmer! And last I looked he was tied for first. His driving still needs some sharpening, but his putting is starting to look like the Jordan we all remembered him by. He’s coming out of his slump, for sure, as the last three events and this one show. His confidence is soaring. And these are not easy courses. At the Palmer, the rough is murderous and water is in very dangerous spots. Arnie made this a test, all right. And the scores show it.
There should be more courses like it, as tough and challenging. I see too many courses on tour where par is a piece of cake and the greens are as flat as pool tables. Many of the munis I’ve played on have tougher, more undulating greens. They also have poorer bunkers which makes them more penal than the ones the pros play on. In fact, I understand they have similar sand shipped in before each venue so they know what to expect (I haven’t fact checked that. If any of you have, please let me know.). And often there are more intimidating trees on older munis–more of them, taller, with wider canopies. And the fairways are much poorer on a muni, taking “play it as it lies” back to a day when the phrase really meant something. In fact, on a muni, I often think “winter rules” should apply year round.
But I digress. Jordan is showing us a prime lesson for golf, and for life. Stick with it. Despair sure, but don’t let that despair drive you away from the game, or drive you to depression in life. Bad shots or rounds or, in Jordan’s case, careers, can turn around in time. We don’t know exactly how much time it will take, which then requires patience, a trait you often hear touring pros mention as what they need to succeed.
Well, it’s a trait we handicappers need as well to counter the times we are less than pleased with our game. I’ve been struggling lately with a shot that has crept into my game that is driving me crazy. I’ve thought about packing it in, thinking, enough is enough; maybe I should give it up. But then I was browsing through my own past posts and stumbled upon one I wrote about a year ago about a tip I got from Jim Knego, the pro at Bennett Valley, a muni in Santa Rosa CA. I was hitting a lot of shots left so he advised holding off on pronating too soon at impact. Sure enough, my shots, though a bit shorter, straightened out.
That advise also applies to the half-shank I’ve been getting lately. My hands were too active at impact causing the club to strike the ball near the heel and launch about 45 degrees to the right of target. Not a good flight pattern, by any means. This revelation comes just in time as spring is beginning to unfold here in the Pacific Northwest, and golf begins to appear more a possibility.
So it’s back to range to see if I can grove that swing change into my psyche and cells. I’ll keep you posted.
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And the plot thickens…It was a bright and sunny morning and no one else was on the road. Tiger’s car was moving swiftly down a hill that has been the scene of many a crash in SoCal. Later, we were to find out, incredibly, that he was unaware that he was even in the car driving. The initial police report said he was responsive when they found him, able to answer simple questions like his name. But today, a report appears on the Golf Channel, which is not known for controversy, that “a man” who lived nearby heard the crash, walked over to it, and found Tiger “unconscious and unresponsive.” There had been absolutely no report of this first-on-the-scene account of Tiger’s condition immediately after the crash. The police never mentioned it.
A coverup of some sort by the police? It appears so. Now to be clear, I am not insinuating that Tiger committed any crime here, nor had any ill intent whatsoever. He does not remember a single thing about the crash. He apparently made no effort to brake the car during the crash. If I were a detective on the case, here’s what I would ask Tiger.
- What medications, if any, did you take that morning or the night before, and, if so, what were they?
- What is the first and last thing you remember about that morning?
- Do you remember getting into your car to go to your appointment?
- Do you remember anything you did that morning before you got in your car, and, if so, what?
- What did you have for breakfast?
- Did you call anyone before getting in your car?
- Do you remember starting your car? Do you remember leaving the place where the car was parked? Do remember any thought as you got into your car and drove away?
Anyone who’s watched enough crime/detective shows knows that’s how you conduct a thorough investigation. The Keystone cops in that part of California apparently either haven’t been trained very well, or are trying to cover something up.
I’m just saying…
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Stay safe and well. My wife and I get our first vaccine doses this Tuesday. I’m hoping you’ve gotten yours as well.
Richard says
We had our second dose earlier this week. Side affects were headache, aches, no fever, but enough tiredness that we both took two and three hour naps the two days after the shots. Tylenol helped a lot!
Stephen Altschuler says
Thanks, Richard. We’ll keep that in mind.