It Wasn't that Long Ago

Scott Keenlyside - CPGA Professional 
scottk@islandviewgolf.com

GOLF JOKES OF THE MONTH

Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at it.

-Jimmy Demaret

One of the advantages bowling has over golf is that you seldom lose a bowling ball.

-Don Carter; professional bowler

We learn so many things from golf . . . how to suffer, for instance.

-Bruce Lansky

In case of a thunderstorm, stand in the middle of the fairway and hold up a one iron. Not even God can hit a one iron.

-Lee Trevino

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.-Dean Martin

I know I'm getting better at golf because I'm hitting fewer spectators.

-Gerald Ford

I'll always remember the day I broke ninety. I had a few beers in the clubhouse and was so excited I forgot to play the back nine. 

-Bruce Lansky

It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.

-Hank Aaron

My wife doesn't care what I do when I'm away, as long as I don't have a good time.

-Lee Trevino

The more I practice, the luckier I get.

-Gary Player

The game of Golf, just like everything else in life has changed dramatically over the past few decades. It would seem it wasn’t that long ago when:

I remember in the early 70’s (when I was the assistant at Royal Colwood) a salesman came down to the shop selling an ugly metal driver and telling me about the future. I thought it a little weird and didn’t take much notice of it. The head was really small….I did hit it though on the range at Colwood and in fact bombed the drive onto the 8th green. Wow! Was he right or what!

When I was a kid the big names in golf were Spalding, Wilson, Macgregor, Campbell of Canada and Slazenger. Where did all those guys go!

In the 60’s graphite shafts were just coming into golf. The big innovator was Diawa in shaft production. Diawa was of course the fishing rod folks. 

It wasn’t that long ago when the woods in a golfers bag were 1,2,3 & 4 wood. Now you can go to the teen’s in woods, or better yet how about the hybrid. One cool club!

Perhaps one of the biggest changes in golf are golf bags. Nowadays golf bags have copious amount of pockets, everything departmentalized and how can I forget the double straps. Personally I hate double strapes….much too complicated for this traditionalist!

I recall when I was a young buck I would hit perhaps 500-1500 balls a day. There were very few driving ranges in the lower mainland in the 60’s, maybe 2 or 3. Nobody could afford it. So, me just like all other up and comers picked up our own. Believe me hitting it straight was essential. By the by, all the balls I hit I found (ball hunting) at my club! Don’t see too much of that stuff today.

Is the game any better today?…Who knows, or maybe it’s all about what you make it!!!!! 

Scott

Sean's Teaching Tips

Sean McNulty - General Manager 
seanmc@islandviewgolf.com  

F. A. HAYEK QUOTES 

(May 8, 1899 – March 23, 1992) was an Austrian-British economist and political philosopher known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought in the mid-20th century.

If we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion.

 A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.

 'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded. 

Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand that its effects will be beneficial is not freedom. 

Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom. 

There is, in a competitive society, nobody who can exercise even a fraction of the power which a socialist planning board would possess. 

We must face the fact that the preservation of individual freedom is incompatible with a full satisfaction of our views of distributive justice. 

Before I get started, it is important to note that if you really want to improve your game, see a CPGA professional.

But if your looking to impress a date, I’ve got some tips for you!

First of all, and this applies to everything and anything you do on a date, act confident! Be firm with your suggestions, walk tall and when your watching the swing appear as though you know what you’re looking for!

Secondly, find out a few key things about the golf swing and focus in on them for the duration of the lesson. I recommend two or three and personally start off with alignment, grip and shortening up the swing. It’s important to stay in your circle of knowledge!

Thirdly, tee up the ball slightly and use between a 7 and 9 iron. To ensure a successful date, it’s important that your “student” gets a few solid shots off. Distance isn’t the main factor here, air time and straightness is. If you can get off 10 good shots out of a small bucket (45 balls), your sure to have a follow up lesson!

Sean

Observations from the Fairway

Andrew Wintraub - Class A CPGA Professional 
andrew@islandviewgolf.com

HANDICAP SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE!

To all the avid golfers and golf watchers out there, have you ever pondered these questions: “At the highest levels of golf, what separates the top players each week from those who struggle?” Why is Tiger and Lorena Ochoa so much better than their contemporaries?” 

I believe I was given some insight into these questions when I went out to watch the Canadian Tour stop in Victoria a few weeks ago. I watched Jim Rutledge play, along with some of the best Canadian tour players out there. A few of the guys I watched included Derek Gillespie, Andrew Parr, James Lepp, and Daniel Im, the eventual winner. It was very interesting watching all these guys play. It’s a sad fact, but probably out of even the four guys that I mentioned, probably only one will go on to a career playing golf and earn a decent living.

Why is it some guys struggle, and other guys excel? If you have ever been to a high level golf event, and go to the range, they are all hitting the ball reasonably well, and their swings are all perfect. There are MANY things that go into the building of a champion. While ball striking is an essential component to competing at a high level, there are many intangibles that go into what makes a great golfer, and a golfer that is only average (on tour).

I will not go into the MANY things that separate the greats, as I only have so much room to write, but I will offer this: In the short span that I watched the guys in the Victoria Open, the guys who succeeded had fantastic short games! Daniel Im, for example, wasn’t hitting the ball extremely well, but boy could he chip and putt!! James Lepp, who finished second, is a very exciting player, not always in the way he hits the ball, but because his short game is World Class! Tiger Woods, amidst all his incredible, jaw-dropping shots from the tees, fairways, and rough, is arguably one of the top three chippers and putters OF ALL TIME!!! The same can be said for Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorentstam. 

While the golf swing is an important aspect to the game of golf, it’s not the only aspect. In fact, as I’m sure many golfers know, 60 percent of our shots come from 100 yards and in. I learned a valuable lesson watching these guys live, because I realized it’s not about hitting perfect shots all the time, but doing whatever it takes to get the ball in the hole, and realizing that the lowest SCORE is what wins Championships! 

Andrew

Hot Weather Golf

Hyo Sang Yoon 
hyo@islandviewgolf.com

Finally, it’s summer time. Now we can have some sunshine!! Actually, the last couple days have been really HOT to play 18 holes of golf. Playing a round of golf under scorching sun for almost 5 hours is not very easy and not much fun when you are not prepared properly. 

Here are things to prepare for hot weather golf:

- Water- Drink lots of water even before you feel you are thirsty. Water is going to prevent you from getting dehydrated when you are playing in such hot weather. It will also keep you going at a regular pace, and keep you from getting tired. 

- Sun screen- Put lots of sunscreen on. It will protect your skin from the sun. It will keep your skin cool, lower the chance of getting skin problems in the future, and not to mention prevents you from getting wrinkles! 

- Fruit- Keep your energy level high by eating fruit. You can easily wear yourself out on hot days and lose concentration. Have a banana or two during the round. You probably have seen Tiger or Maria Sharapova eating a banana during play. If they are eating it, why don’t we? Bananas are super fruits! It gives you instant energy so it will help you focus on your game. 

- Clothing- Wear light, bright colored golf shirts. Most of the golf shirts nowadays are dry Fit, which means that they will absorb all the sweat, and keep you dry.

Those might sound like simple suggestions, but it’s amazing how many people don’t follow these tips.

Now go out there and have fun!

Hyo Sang Yoon