Miles of Blog

I am baring my soul about what happens to my golf game as I mature.  I want to warn you, it is not all good and if you want to read a little upbeat inspirational guide to senior golf, don’t read on.  That said, golf is still great fun if not quite as pretty as it once was.

My confessions are about my Playing Skills, my Equipment and finally my Course Management.

Playing Skills.

Like life in general, my golf games has reached a peak and is in decline.  For the most part I think the decline was rather gradual and consistent, but there is a lot of evidence from the PGA Champions (Senior) Tour that something rather abruptly happens to us in our late 50’s.  It is a rare occurrence when someone in their late 50’s wins on that tour.  I also noticed a rather big change in my golf skill about this age.  There maybe some other milestone years that someone else will have to comment on and I would like to hear from readers about these other milestone years so I will know what to expect.

Why would this happen in our late 50’s?  I personally think that my ball striking skills diminish mostly from reduced flexibility, but I am sure that hand-eye coordination, strength, balance, eyesight, and loss of muscle speed take their toll on our golf games.  I am sure that working on strength, flexibility, and balance help but don’t expect that you will turn back the clock.  I have been on a running and fitness kick the last few years, but my handicap does not know this as it keeps inching up.

In talking with Brent Norton, our club-fitting expert, here are his observations on golfers 55-65 that he has worked with.  The vast majority of golfers that age swing 85-95 mph with their drivers.  Carrying the ball over 210 yards is not common and a drive of 230 yards is about it.  There are exceptions of course.  Two of the better senior amateurs (55 yrs. and up) in the country are from Michigan and have been tested on the Miles of Golf TrackMan monitor. Greg Reynolds who has won the USGA Senior Amateur and finished second another year and is in his early 60s can carry a drive 250 yards. The other, John Lindholm, carries his drives 225-230 yards with monotonous consistency.

Because I am distance challenged, I have to resist doing counterproductive things in attempting to hit it further.  Things like gripping it too tightly, extending my back swing beyond what my body rotation will support, and just plain trying to swing harder.  It is a classic example of the phenomenon “the harder I try, the worse I get.”

A lot of my confessions relate to the fact that I started playing as a youngster.  If you on the other hand started golf late, you have the joy of getting better and this can go on for a long time as your skills improve.  I am envious of you.

Equipment.

If only the game were driving. Ah, let’s talk about driving.  Since I have played the same course a lot for about 20 years, I can with some certainly say that my driving distance has changed less than my irons distance.  Unfortunately, I cannot take the credit.  The ball and driver have improved so much that there is definite evidence where here, indeed, “you can buy a game.”  The trajectory on drives with new balls and new drivers is so much more efficient today than even 7 or 8 years ago it scary.  The correct launch and spin on drives can neutralize a pretty significant decline in ball speed.  I can still hear the hissing sound of a well hit wound golf ball spinning like crazy as it fought its way through the air.  I like today’s jet-like sound much better.

There is help on the way for my irons. Unfortunately, even with improvements in irons, this is where I see the most significant drop off in distance.  To help me with this problem, I seem to be on a hybrid a year program, every year I take out a club and replace it with a hybrid.  First I shelved my #3 iron, than #4, than my #5 wood, and last year the #5 iron departed never to be seen again.   I am not quite sure why hybrids work so much better than long irons as club head speed, and therefore ball speed, decline but they clearly do for me.  The ball goes much higher and carries much further than the irons I am replacing with the only downside being a slight loss in accuracy.   By making these changes in equipment, I am having unbelievably better success with the 160-190 yard range that I was pitiful trying to hit irons.

As time passes, I seem to be going for more forgiving irons.  I have noticed that my ball striking is less consistent.   I am guessing this is from poorer eye hand co-ordination.  The other thing more forgiving irons do for me is get the ball up higher which I seem to need.  There are irons sets in the golf shop that bill themselves as totally hybrid sets which means that every iron head is hollow.  Maybe someday, but not quite yet for me because I still seem to do better with short irons than these clubs.

Give me light ones that do not hurt. The theory calls for lighter more flexible shafts than we used in the past.  I do play with lighter more flexible shafts than I did in the past but all shafts have become lighter over the last few years.  We get into some really deep discussions about the importance of shafts versus heads at our golf shop.  I tend to be more of a head guy.  Give me a club head I like and I can find several shafts that all seem to suit me fine.  The reverse does not work if I do not like a head.  That said, there are clearly some shafts that work better for me than other and it is worth experimenting to find the right ones.  I do play with graphite shafted woods and irons, but although graphite shafted iron are better for me, they are not all that much better.

And why can’t I play with a juiced golf ball? I am still blown away at how good all golf balls are.  I could play with just about any ball on the market now and still be relatively happy.  At this point in my golfing life, I play a ball with a moderate spin rate and good short game feel.  Even though I am distance starved, I think it is foolish to get a ball that may go slightly further if it means I do not do as well around the green.  As times passes, I will probably need a ball that spins more, and don’t give me a chance to play with a good juiced golf ball because I will take it.

Although equipment cannot completely counteract the effects of time, I am convinced equipment changes, especially hybrids, have made the game more fun for me.

Course Management.

I consider the null option. The first rule is should I play this course at all.  Some courses are just not that enjoyable if you cannot consistently fly the ball over a bunch of forced carries.  For me, if the course demands carries of 180 yards, count me out.  Courses with elevated greens and bunkers that do not lend themselves to the occasional run up shot are not favorites of mine.

Design my own course. I make my own course by the tees I pick.  On a short par four, I want to be able to hit a short iron; on a long par four I want to hit something other than a 3 wood.  If I am playing with some big hitters, I want to be able to drive the ball to the same position on the fairway which means I need a head start.  Actually to be fair about it, my tee shot should be ahead of long hitters so I can hit the same iron they hit for their second shot. I don’t hesitate playing tees different from the rest of the group.  It is more fun for everyone if I do.

Just as the universe expands so have distances on golf courses. Something I have been able to avoid but many of my friends have not involves club selection.  Too many of my old buddies can still remember the day when they once connected with a 7 irons that flew 175 yards.  These guys will hit shot after shot after shot short because they have not adjusted to the facts of life that they cannot hit the ball as far as they once did.  I am a big believer in laser range finders for many reasons, but one big reason is to truly understand how far you can carry the ball with each club.  Once you know this, get real.

My need for fuel at the end of a round has become apparent. I do notice some physical and mental changes that I need to consider.  Where once I seemed to never tire when playing golf, I notice that late in the game sometimes I do tire.  Another thing that has affected my game is poor concentration.  I used to have no problem being fully focused on my game for an entire round.  Now I find that I make mental mistakes and suffer from lapses of concentration I never experienced before.  The only thing that seems to help me to some extent is to eat or drink a high carb bit of something late in the round that can perk me up mentally and physically.

Older bodies are not intended to work in certain weather. When we were younger, my very best golfing buddy used to say he can play in two out of these three conditions: cold, wind, and rain.  If all three occur, forget it.  I have had to modify this as I age.  Cold trumps everything, and if it is cold, I do not play, period.  I still can enjoy a round if it is windy or rainy, but when it is cold, my body refuses to move enough to enjoy playing.

My mature nerves are an improvement over the old ones. One very nice little positive thing that has happened to me is that controlling nervousness when playing is less of an issue.  Playing and especially competing can be nerve racking, but I seem to have a better perspective on this than I once did.  Clearly my expectations are different and maybe that has something to do with it.  Unfortunately, I do not think this is a universal phenomenon because I know of other golfers my age that nervousness has become more of an issue.

Everyone who plays golf must come to grips with the fact that inevitable their skills will diminish.  How you deal with it will be different from how I deal with it, but somehow things like this work out.  For me, I would not miss out on an opportunity to be with some good buddies on a golf course even if I just busted one 225 (including roll).

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The Kendall is all abuzz about a student of instructor Tom Tantapanish.  The student is a 13-year-old boy named Henry Finch.  He started taking lessons with Tom in the late summer.  What is amazing and baffling to the Academy, is his ability to hit these gargantuan drives with a very unorthodox swing, a swing no one in the Academy has seen the likes of.  The best way to describe it is a strange combination of Jim Furick and Moe Norman, not very asthetic, but very powerful considering that Henry is a small, 115 lbs., 13 year old.  He is left-handed and at the top of his swing both arms appear to be fully extended and from there things just explode.

Dave Kendall, director of the Academy, thinks that there are certain aspects of Henry’s swing that will revolutionize the way we think about the golf swing sort of the same way the Fosberg Flop changed high jumping.  To give you an idea of what the kid can do, Michael Tooroian, a Miles club-fitter, put Henry on a launch monitor to check his numbers.  At this point Henry is not real consistent, but when he hits one, he gets ball speeds of close to 200 MPH.  That translates into club-head speeds in the 130s and drives well over 300 yards.

Henry’s parents are astonished at Henry’s golf abilities.  He is a rather bookish Greenhills student and it took a little coercion into getting him to take golf lessons. He does come from an athletic family.   His father is Dr. Sidney Finch with the UM Hospital and a former minor league pitcher for the Mets.  His mother is the former Roslyn Ruiz, a distance runner.

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These are some of the major organizations that run golf.  There are many others that are not listed.

United States Golf Association (USGA) – This organization is responsible for running some of our most important golf tournaments in the U.S. like the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Open and the national amateur events like the Men’s and Women’s Amateur.  The USGA determines what the Rules of Golf are for this country so they produce the rulebook.  They also determine what golf balls and clubs are legal and how the handicap system works.  They do various other things to promote golf.  There are other affiliate organizations that are the local arm of the USGA and will do things like conduct state amateur events.  In Michigan, this organization is the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM).

Professional Golf Association (PGA) – This organization represents the interests of its PGA members, runs some national and local professional tournament, and promotes the growth of the game.  Membership into the PGA is a rigorous endeavor requiring several years of classes and internships.  Nationally they conduct the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.  Like the USGA, the PGA has local chapters.  The president of the Michigan Section of the PGA in 2008 will be Dave Kendall, director of the Kendall Academy.

PGA Tour– This organization runs the Men’s Professional Tour and the Nationwide Tour in the U.S.  At one time, these tours were run by the PGA, but years ago, they spun off from the PGA and are an independent organization from the PGA.  Tim Finchem is the Executive Director of the PGA Tour.  Oddly enough, the TPA does not run any of the four majors in golf.  The USGA has the U.S. Open, the PGA has the PGA Championship, the Royal & Ancient (the USGA equivalent for the British Isles) has the British Open, and the Augusta National Golf Club has the Masters.  The Tour owns some golf courses throughout the country like the TPC at Dearborn and the TPC at Sawgrass.

Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) – This is a combination of the PGA and the PGA Tour for women’s golf.  They represent lady golf professionals and they operate the LPGA Tour and the Futures Tour.

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Seems like the world is turning into one hybrid after another. First it was mules and now its cars and golf clubs. The idea behind golf hybrids is just like other hybrids, take the best qualities of two similar things and create a new thing.

For golf hybrids, also called utility clubs, what is combined are the best qualities of fairway woods and long irons. The fairway woods are easily to hit and go high. Long irons go pretty straight. For most golfers, hybrids are easy to hit, go high, and go straight. That’s a pretty nice combination. For some players, like me, these clubs have made the game unbelievable more fun.

So what are hybrids used for? They are a potential replace for high lofted fairway woods and low lofted long irons. By far the most common replacement is for the dreaded #3 iron. It is becoming less and less common that Miles of Golf orders a custom iron set of 3-PW. Usually players are opting out of the #3 and replacing it with a hybrid or a high lofted fairway wood. This is another compelling reason to custom order irons. Not only are the clubs built to your spec, but also you can select what clubs are in your set. If you are not a 3 iron lover, save the money and don’t order it.

When replacing an iron or wood with a hybrid, it can get a little tricky knowing which hybrid to replace it with. Here’s a bit of advice. Look at the loft of the hybrid and try to replace irons with a hybrid of the same or slightly higher loft. For example, most 3 irons are 21 degrees loft. To give you proper spacing of your shots, the hybrid replacement would be 21, 22, or 23 degrees. With fairway wood replacement, do just the opposite. Replace the fairway wood with the same or slightly stronger loft.

For the golfer who wants it all, our new Trackman Monitor knows within 1 foot for every 100 yards how far a shot flies. We use the Trackman to dial in yardages of every club in a player’s bag. With this information, we can make sure that there are not gaps or overlaps in a player’s set including his or her hybrids. We call this our Maxx Gap Fitting. - http://www.milesofgolf.com/maxx.html

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When getting a child started playing golf, there needs to be a “sketchy” plan that addresses certain issues.  This article will help you come up with a plan.  It gives advice on these issues:
•    When to Start.  Ideas on what you can do to determine when a youngster is ready.
•    Equipment.  What is necessary and what is not necessary.
•    Developing Skills.  Learning by watching and formalized instruction.
•    Playing Partners.  Getting friends involved is vital.
•    Courses to Play.  What to look for in courses that are best for juniors.
•    Parental Involvement.  Thing parents need to do and thing parents need to avoid.
•    Helpful Resources.  Organizations that can help a junior golfer get started.

1.    When to Start.  Dave Kendall, director of the Kendall Academy, feels the time to start is when the child appears interested in playing.  I know of some youngsters, besides Tiger, that are totally taken by the game at a very early age, like 3 or 4 years of age.  For most kids this is too young with most starting in the 8-12 range.  For some kids the right time is never because they just have no interest in the game.  I am convinced that at a very early age most of us know sports we like and sports we do not like.  Things you might do to help determine when and if a youngster should start are:
a.    Take them to a golf tournament or watch golf on TV to see good players playing the game.
b.    Give them an opportunity to hit a golf ball without giving them your ideas on how it should be done.  Just let them try it.
c.    Take them to a course and have them watch you play.  Let them hit some shots.

If there seems to be an interest, I would make a sketchy plan to address equipment, playing partners, courses to play, and lessons.

2.    Equipment. The equipment to get started need not be a big expense.  You can get a junior set that includes a bag and enough clubs for $100-$200.  These sets will start with a lofted wood, a mid iron, short iron, and putter.  Most companies have three sizes of junior clubs depending on the youngster’s height.  If a junior is on the fence about playing, even one or two clubs are plenty to get started.  I personally would rather see a youngster with a few clubs that are the right size and moderately priced versus a full set of expensive clubs that are too big. Golf is a hard game to learn and clubs that are not the right size can make it impossibly hard.  When just starting things like golf shoes and gloves are not essential.

3.    Developing Skills.  Most youngsters learn athletics at a young age by mimicking what they see.  Give a kid detailed instruction about the golf swing and watch their eyes glaze over and their excitement about the game float away.  If a child watches good players, most times they will pick up the game in the same natural way kids learn by watching and trying.  I like this plan.  Take a child to a golf tournament, amateur, professional, whatever and than just let them play saying little or nothing to them about how to hit the ball.  My stomach gets upset when I think of all the bad golf advice I have heard given to a child from a parent.  Probably the best formalized instruction for a child getting started is to have the person they will be playing with have a lesson so the child will have something good to emulate.  At some point if a child is interested in the game, you should consider formalized instruction.   There are plenty of good programs in the Ann Arbor area that offer juniors instruction.  See 7. Helpful Resources for information on instruction in the area.

4.    Playing Partners.  If a child is going to become a good player and enjoy the game, the most important thing that must happen is that he or she has buddies to play with.  Parents or grandparents are OK but they must also have golfing buddies their age.  If you have one priority in getting a kid started, this is it.  Get a group of kids interested in the game playing with each other and developing friendships and rivalries.

5.    Courses to Play.  The “best” courses in the area may not be the best place for junior golfers to get started.  In the Ann Arbor area, many of the best junior players started playing at Georgetown, Huron Hills, and Brookside.  These courses have two things in common.  One, they are not real difficult so a kid can be successful relatively early in their playing career and they are not afraid to score low.  Two, kids “rule” at these courses.  They can play in relative equality to adults and they can play a ton for not much money.

6.    Parental Involvement.  As mentioned, I am not big on parents giving their child golf instruction.  Parents need to give thought to developing the “sketchy plan” for getting a child started in golf that addresses things like clubs, playing partners, course to play.  As far a playing with your child, here are some suggestions: (1) Let them play without a lot of helpful hints or instructions.  (2) Sometimes go out with your child and act as a caddie, letting your child be the boss and having the joy of being the center of attention of a parent.  (3) Have the parent use limited flight golf balls so everyone hits it about the same distance. Almost Golf makes my favorite limited flight balls. (4) Set up your own course.  It may be only 2 holes and you may tee off 100 yards from the green.

7.    Helpful Resources.

a.    Kendall Academy – offers after school, spring break camp, summer camp, beginner clinics, and private lessons.  http://www.milesofgolf.com/kendall.html
b.    City of Ann Arbor – offers junior golf programs through the City Recreation Department. www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/CommunityServices/Parks/
c.    Pittsfield Township – offers junior golf programs through the Recreation Department. http://pittsfieldtwp.org/departments/sup/parks/rec_classes/2006springsummer/04youthprograms.pdf
d.    Golfademics – through a grant from the USGA, they offer scholarships for juniors to get golf instruction.  This is a local organization. www.golfademics.org/
e.     First Tee – a national organization teaching kids golf plus life values. www.thefirsttee.org/
f.    Total Golf Adventures – after school golf instruction.  www.totalgolfadventures.com
g.    Michigan PGA – tournaments and instructional programs. http://michigan.pga.com/index.cfm?menu=1450&openitem=1450

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