Tales From The Bunker

David Duval was on fire from the end of 1997 to early 1999. He won 11 of 34 tournaments including his infamous 59 to win the Bob Hope Dessert Classic.   The world rankings had made official what had been obvious for months: It was no longer Tiger Woods who was the number one player in the world. It was Duval with his signature Oakley shades.  His sunglasses, worn to correct astigmatism and protect his sensitive eyes, were symbolic of his desire to keep the world from knowing the true Duval. His shyness and social anxiety came across as callow self-absorption.

His glory years were brief and he tumbled quickly. His woes began when a sprained fifth lumbar vertebra threw his back out in early 2000. His swing got out of whack as he tried to compensate for the injury. The great fairway driver would stand on the tee not knowing whether his ball was going left or right. Sometimes his back was so tight he could do nothing but lie down on the floor.

By 2004 Duval had fallen to #434 in the world rankings. Of the 20 tournaments he entered in 2005, he made the cut in one, earning $7,630. He was winless in 2006; winless in 2007, playing on a medical exemption; and winless in 2008 and 2009, playing on the last of his lifetime earnings exemptions. Now he has to rely on the kindness of sponsors to get into fields.

Probably no elite athlete has fallen so far so fast. Those are the facts of his career but to really know who David Duval is you have to go back to when he was a nine year old boy and tragedy struck his family. A tragedy that David took most of his life to recover from.
In our next blog we will examine his tragic childhood and how he finally found happiness in his life.

As always keep ‘em in the fairway.

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As the golf season approaches we want everyone to try and remember that golf is supposed to be fun.  Sure if can be frustrating but ultimately it is only a number. No matter what you shoot your dog will still love you (and maybe your spouse if you are not to upset).  Most importantly the sun will rise again in the east and you can have another chance to play the greatest game ever invented.

Below is a brief video of people who do not understand it is just a form a recreation and it is supposed to be fun.  Remember the old bumper sticker…A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at the office. Believe it!!

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I love golf and have been playing since thirteen. I began playing with my father and I had many great times with him on the course. I now play with my son (who is terrible) and enjoy every minute of the time we spend together on the course.  

However golf is not a religion nor does it nor should it define my life or my relationship with my son. If it does I am a failure as a person and a father. My father always told me to practice hard and never give up on the golf course but my performance was ultimately only a number and should never describe who I am. Of course I feel better when I play well but even if I shoot 110 my self esteem is still intact.

We all take the game much too seriously. Relax; enjoy it and no more club throwing please.

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I firmly believe in not giving anyone  golf lessons as I am far from qualified. It is also not great for a marriage but that is for another blog.

Becky has been playing golf for four years. She has had some success in all phases of the game except for chipping. Once she is on the green she can putt well but it is painful watching her trying to get on the green or roll over the green. It got to the point where it was producing anxiety for her and taking away her enjoyment of the game. So I broke my no golf lesson rule and tried to help her.

We first tried the classic technique of setting up with the majority of the weight on the front foot. The ball played towards the back of the stance and the heads ahead of the ball. The key to success is maintaining the angle of the left wrist.  However Becky consistently tried to flip the ball up with her left wrist.  We tried various aids including taping a comb to the back of her left wrist but nothing seemed to stop her from the “flip”. I threatened to put her wrist in a cast but she failed to find that funny.

We next tried to chip putt. Placing the shaft near vertical, which places the club slightly on its toe, and using her putting stroke also did not work out. She felt that by putting the club on its toe the available hitting area on the face of the club decreased and left her too small of a margin for error. Her efforts proved her to be correct.

Finally we decided that since she has a consistent putting stroke we needed to find a way to make it work for her. Starting with a seven iron, she soled it naturally in the middle of her stance; weight evenly distributed like her putting stance, choked down slightly on the club and simply used her putting stroke. The ball came out cleanly with the appropriate amount of loft. Most importantly it was repeatable. She tried the eight iron, nine iron and pitching wedge and settled on the seven and the wedge as the easiest to handle.  Currently she is using the distance formula for the seven iron of 30% air and 70% roll. The wedge is 60/40. As her works more on her chipping her guesstimates will also improve.

This technique will not get her on the LPGA but it has taken out the frustration and anxiety she felt and has helped her regain the joy of the greatest game of all…Golf    

Tom

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