Author: graubergerkyle@gmail.com

Greetings Golfers,

I just watched P.J. Fleck’s latest press conference. Wow. He’s got a lot of energy… and passion. Necessary qualities for turning around a culture. And that’s what he’s best talking about – he’s obsessed with building his culture at the U of M.

Is he the real deal? I think so. Obviously, we’ll know in a few years. But it’s going to take time for him to install his culture and bring in his players.

What you don’t want to see is a coach trying for quick wins at the expense of developing a program. They were talking on the radio last night about NFL coaches who play hurt players at the expense of the future of the team because they’re trying to save their job. The Indianapolis Colts were playing Andrew Luck last year when he should have been healing … and now this year he isn’t ready to play. They then talked about how Bill Belichek is the only coach who does the right thing for the team because his job is secure … and he’s proven he deserves that respect.

I’m not saying that P.J. Fleck will be another Belichek … but he does deserve the time to build a program … and that might mean this season might have few wins … and maybe another bad season next year too.

But, as a long time Gopher Football fan, I’m excited about what’s happening. When I was in Junior High, a buddy and I used to go over to the Hopkins House on fall Saturday mornings and ride the bus with the “old folks” to Gopher games at the U of M. Obviously this was way before the disaster known as the Metrodome … and that old brick stadium was very cool. Fleck said that the Gophers haven’t had a winning culture in 50 years … he’s right. People might not want to hear that – but it’s true.

I hope he builds an amazing culture and strong relationships with Minnesota high school coaches. And that he stays. Most of these guys want to hop around. However, the best ones stay and develop a powerhouse … built on culture.

Too much of American culture has become short term – day trading, quarterly business goals, fast food restaurants, throw-away products and relationships. I think the antidote is a focus on quality and the long term. U of M Football could set a great example.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Having bad manners is really just being disrespectful.

Nitpicking is disrespectful. The dictionary defines nitpicking as “ Looking for small or unimportant errors or faults, in order to criticize unnecessarily”.

Nitpicking is bad manners.

Nitpickers like to pretend that they’re being helpful … that they’re pointing out what needs to be done. They’re the people who look at our beautiful flower gardens and point out a weed.

It’s a power play. And mean-spirited. It’s an attack – and often in a passive-aggressive form. Then when you defend yourself … they act like you’re the bad guy.

There’s the Letter of the Law … and the Spirit of the Law. It applies to the Rules of Golf – not just to our legal system. Some people love the Rules of Golf as a weapon in their arsenal of nitpicking.

Of course there are reasonable reasons to complain. But complaining is seldom charming. It usually brings a damper to the situation … and it better be a big deal to be worth it.

I love it when nitpickers start their harangue with “You know I love you, but” … then they start the barrage. They feel they now have a license to be hyper critical and offensive.

Or the “I tell it like it is” mentality. They aren’t asked for advice, but they can’t wait to tell people what isn’t perfect.

And of course we all have our nitpicking moments. But it’s not something to be proud of.

Nitpicking is just another form of insulting behavior. The dictionary defines insulting as “disrespectful or scornfully abusive”.

Ironically, nitpickers don’t think of themselves as having bad manners. They do.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Yesterday afternoon, a fellow around 70 years old told me he just shot 76. Last week was his previous best score – 82. The week before that was his typical 96. What happened? He just focused on making a golf swing on every shot. A golf SWING.

Last night, a Men’s League member told me that he had just shot 75. Last weekend we talked about how he needed to swing through the shot and not beat down on it. He was worried that his backswing was too steep. I told him that what mattered was that his downswing shouldn’t be too steep. He needed to swing through the ball – not hit at the ball.

On Wednesday we hosted an event, and the guys were warming up at the range. One guy had the biggest shoulder turn I’ve ever seen. That’s all he focused on and he hit it a mile … everywhere. I tried to get him to just swing the club on the backswing, and then swing the club at the target on the downswing. When he did it … he hit it straight and beautifully. But, I don’t think that interested him. After the round, I asked him how he played – he said he hit 5 drives out-of-bounds. He just shrugged it off to the price of hitting it far. Ironically, he could hit it crazy far and straight if he just swung the golf club.

When Vijay Singh would practice … he would say 17 with each swing … 7 on the backswing, and teen on the downswing.

When you go out to play … forget all of the “stuff” and focus on making a swing. Maybe saying 17 will work for you. Remember … it’s a golf SWING.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Arnold Palmer was a wise man. Here are Arnie’s 10 Rules for Golf Etiquette … published back in 2008 in GOLF DIGEST magazine.

I. DON’T BE THE SLOWEST PLAYER
In my casual games at Bay Hill, we get around in under four hours — and that’s in fivesomes. Evaluate your pace of play honestly and often, and if you’re consistently the slowest one in your group, you’re a slow player, period. Encourage everyone to move quickly enough so you find yourself right behind the group in front several times, both early and late in the round.

Remember the old staples of getting around in good time: Play “ready golf” (hit when ready, even if you aren’t away) until you reach the green, be prepared to play when it’s your turn on the tee and green, and never search for a lost ball for more than five minutes.

II. KEEP YOUR TEMPER UNDER CONTROL
In the final of the Western Pennsylvania Junior when I was 17, I let my putter fly over the gallery after missing a short putt. I won the match, but when I got in the car with my parents for the ride home, there were no congratulations, just dead silence. Eventually my father said, “If I ever see you throw a club again, you will never play in another golf tournament.” That wake-up call stayed with me. I haven’t thrown a club since.

Throwing clubs, sulking and barking profanity make everyone uneasy. We all have our moments of frustration, but the trick is to vent in an inoffensive way. For example, I often follow a bad hole by hitting the next tee shot a little harder — for better or worse.

III. RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S TIME
Because time is our most valuable commodity, there are few good reasons for breaking a golf date. Deciding last-minute to clean the garage on Saturday, or getting a call that the auto-repair shop can move up your appointment by a day, just doesn’t cut it.

Always make your tee times, and show up for your lesson with the pro a little early. Social functions are no exception.

IV. REPAIR THE GROUND YOU PLAY ON
I have a penknife that’s my pet tool for fixing ball marks, but a tee or one of those two-pronged devices is fine. As for divots, replace them or use the seed mix packed on the side of your cart.

Rake bunkers like you mean it. Ever notice that the worse the bunker shot, the poorer the job a guy does raking the sand? Make the area nice and smooth — don’t leave deep furrows from the rake. Before you exit the bunker, ask yourself, Would I be upset if I had to play from that spot?

V. BE A SILENT PARTNER
During one of my last tour events as a player, I noticed another pro making practice swings in my field of vision as I was getting ready to hit a shot. I stopped, walked over and reminded him (maybe too sternly) that it was my turn to play. The point is, stand still from the time a player sets himself until the ball has left the club.

Even with the advent of spikeless shoes, the etiquette rule of never walking in someone’s line of play on the putting green is an absolute. The area around the hole in particular is sacred ground. The first thing to note when you walk onto a green is the location of every ball in your group, then steer clear of their lines to the hole.

Know where to stand and when to keep quiet. Position yourself directly across or at a diagonal from a player setting up. Never stand on the line of play, either beyond the hole or directly behind the ball. When a player is about to hit a shot, think of the fairway as a cathedral, the green a library.

VI. MAKE YOUR GOLF CART ‘INVISIBLE’
Carts are very much a part of the modern game. Think about it: They’re mentioned on the backs of scorecards, discussed in the Decisions on the Rules of Golf, bags and other items are designed specifically for them, and they’re used at most courses. The sheer pervasiveness of them makes cart etiquette vitally important.

Your goal when driving a cart should be to leave no trace you were there. Because we tend to look where we’re going and not where we’ve been, it’s easy to damage the turf and not realize it. Avoid wet areas and spots that are getting beaten up from traffic. Golfers tend to play “follow the leader” and drive in single file out to the fairway before branching off. It’s usually better to “scatter” — everyone take a different route — so cart traffic is spread out.

VII. ALWAYS LOOK YOUR BEST
From Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen to Ben Hogan and Sam Snead to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the best players have been meticulous about their appearance. Their clothing has been sharp, and not one of them has shown up on the first tee with his cap backward, mud caked on his shoes, or his shirttail hanging out. (My shirt often came untucked, but it was my swing that did it. I started with it tucked in!)

Your appearance speaks volumes about you as a person, and the neatly appointed golfer, like a businessman or someone headed to church, gives the impression he thinks the golf course and the people there are special.

VIII. TURN OFF THE CELL PHONE
Nobody knows less about technology than I do. But I know enough to recognize a cell phone when it rings in my backswing. If I had my way, cell phones would be turned off at all times on the course, but most clubs have given in to the fact that people are going to use them. I don’t know all the gadgets and settings on those phones, but do whatever you have to do to keep it quiet. And if you absolutely have to make a call, move away from the other players. And keep the call so brief that they don’t even know you made it.

IX. LEND A HAND WHEN YOU CAN
It’s easy to help out your fellow players, if you just pay attention. One obvious way is looking for lost balls — better yet, watching errant shots so they don’t turn into lost balls. Pick up that extra club left on the fringe or the headcover dropped next to the tee, and return it to its owner after saying, “Nice shot!” And if you see a cart out of position or a provisional ball that needs picking up, don’t just walk by.

X. LEARN THE LITTLE THINGS
There are a hundred bits of etiquette I haven’t mentioned, like laying the flagstick down carefully, tamping down spike marks when you’re walking off a green, letting faster groups play through, and so on. All of these things are learned by observing, with a sharp eye and a considerate heart. Just know that golf has a way of returning favors, and every piece of etiquette you practice will be repaid tenfold.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

So the PGA of America has decided to move the PGA Championship to May. Sure, the PGA has been the weak sister of the 4 Majors … but is moving it to May the magic answer?

The other 3 Majors have tradition on their side. The PGA has a long history, but doesn’t have that same sense of tradition as the other Majors. It used to be a match-play tournament … they should have kept that format and been a special Major.

This is not a good move for Northern courses. The PGA needs a 100 days to set up the tournament. Hazeltine may have hosted its last PGA Championship.

But Minnesota will still host good golf. In fact, the Women’s State Open will be held at Deer Run GC next week. The first round will be Tuesday afternoon, and the final round will be Wednesday morning.

We’re rooting for two locals to do well in the big event. Christine Piwnica grew up on Deer Run and is a star player at Bethel College. Also in the field is Deer Run GC Assistant Pro Lori Money. Lori was the MN PGA Women’s Player of the Year in 2015.

August can be a great month for Major golf tournaments. The Fed Ex Cup is moving up to August. Are you as bored with the Fed Ex Cup as I am?  I’d rather play golf and watch local Majors.

Hope to see you next week here at Deer Run GC watching the best women players in Minnesota.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Most acquired skills take time and practice … and then the technique evolves. Golf is no exception. As Hogan said in his famous book “The Five Fundamentals”, most natural ways to hit a golf ball are wrong.

The two typical ways to hit a golf ball are to scoop it up in the air … and to beat down on it like killing a snake. Neither way is very successful or consistently successful.

Control is needed for the short shots and power is needed for long shots. Firm wrists are the key to controlling the short shots. And looser arms and rotating wrists are the key to longer shots.

Most people slice because of the two methods mentioned earlier. The scooped shot opens up the clubface and sends the ball right of the target. Iron shots won’t slice much – especially short irons – because the loft of the club counteracts the slice side-spin. Low lofted clubs – especially the driver – will really slice because there is not enough loft to counteract the side spin put on the ball. Usually by swinging hard, the player comes over-the-top and cuts across the ball with an open clubface … a perfect recipe for a big slice.

So, golfers have to learn to close the clubface with a counter clockwise wrist/hand action to overcome slicing the ball. Then, when confident the ball won’t slice, they can swing right of the target and draw the ball back in.

Hopefully this technique will last the rest of their golfing days. But, that draw can turn into a hook – especially as the golfer gets older and doesn’t have strong enough leg action to counter balance the strong hand/wrist action.

Many Tour players develop an anti-hook swing … not because of weak legs … but just because they want even more control of the golf ball. Thus the power fade.

But – the power fade is a bad model for golfers who have not progressed to the draw/hook phase of the golf swing. Many Tour players’ swings are not good models for most golfers. And many books and videos are not good for the golfer who hasn’t learned to draw/hook the ball.

You know those drawings of Darwin’s evolutionary model of human beings evolving from creatures in the sea? We need a drawing of the steps of an evolving golf swing … from scooping all the way up to Hogan’s power fade.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Have you read the book “The Halo Effect” by Phil Rosenzweig? He debunks many of the popular business books that promise easy answers to success. The “halo” means that when a business is rocking that the halo blinds people to believing that everything they do is right … though, when they start failing and the halo dims, they are still doing the same things that were once praised.

I think he brings some much needed clarity and sanity, but he doesn’t offer any options to success.

Most business books talk about strategy and execution. Most sports teams talk about strategy and execution. Most generals talk about strategy and execution. But few businesses or teams or armies continue to succeed, because most can’t change their strategies. They rely too much on execution.

Do you remember when Childress had the Vikings running AP only in obvious situations? He’d gain one yard and then Chilly would blame the offensive line for poor execution. How about blaming himself for poor strategy?

The key to success is to execute a successful strategy. For guys like Chilly, strategy was by the book and the total emphasis was on execution. That only works if your talent is WAY better than the competition. Or, in business if your product is WAY better than the competition. Or in war, if your army is WAY more powerful than the enemy.

Years ago I played golf with a college player who hit the ball beautifully and shot 80. I scraped it around and shot 72. We talked about strategy after the round – he had no clue. He tried to hit the perfect shot every time – with no margin of error. Good shots were a yard off and turned into nightmares.

As good as Adrian Peterson was, he couldn’t run through a defense that was expecting him to get the ball.

Years ago, I beat a local tennis pro in a match – he then threw his racket at the clock and it exploded. He was an excellent player with beautiful strokes … I was a garbage player like Bobby Riggs. I never got into a rally with him – why would I try to beat him at his own game?

Your strategy has to be based on what you can do. Not based on some perfect model. The perfect model will work if everything is perfect. Talk about La-la land.

I believe in creative and realistic strategies that allow for a large margin of error. We need a book called “The Reality Effect”.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

How good is the Open? It just has such a great feel about it – I’d love to see it in person. The Masters also has a unique and great feel. The US Open used to, but it’s starting to feel more like a PGA Championship (and that’s not a compliment).

The first round leader board is excellent – Spieth and Koepka and Kuchar lead at 5 under. Three Americans are leading the Open … but England’s Paul Casey is right behind them – don’t be surprised if Casey wins his first Major – he’s the real deal.

Today (Friday) is supposed to get nasty – rainy and windy and cold … it’s Britain! Then the fun begins. I love links golf – especially bad weather links golf. I want to see shot making and course management and resiliency. The winner will definitely have those qualities.

How’s this for goofy – Tom Lehman beat Sergio and Phil in the first round. If the weather gets crazy, crafty Tom could sneak his way up the leaderboard … like another Tom did a few years ago (Watson).

Justin Thomas played great and is at 3 under. He also wore a cardigan sweater and a tie. But Jordan Spieth is probably the guy to watch. He just knows how to play golf.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Golf can be very frustrating. Life can be very frustrating. Some people deal with these frustrations with grace. I used to think their graciousness was the result of being relaxed and easy going. Now I think it comes from having the heart of a lion.

Yesterday, Don Ellwood, playing in our Thursday Men’s League, made a Hole-in-One. Though only in his 50’s … Don’s body has been breaking down for at least 10 years. In fact, I can’t believe he can play golf. Is Don one of those relaxed, easy going guys? No. Is he cheerful, and kind, and warm spirited? Yes.

After Don made his Ace on hole #2 … the word spread like wildfire across the golf course and clubhouse. I figured that he’d come in after 9 holes and celebrate his amazing achievement. He was tired – really tired. But, he was determined to finish his round. Which he did. All 18 holes.

The story gets better. He shot 89. I can’t tell you how amazing that score is. That score was the result of having the heart of a lion. Most of us would have quit after 9. Heck, most of us in Don’s condition wouldn’t have even played.

The heart of a lion doesn’t show itself in pointless displays of roaring. It tackles life’s challenges with grace and class.

Cheers to Don Ellwood,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Ratings were down for last week’s US Open. Was the problem the course, FOX’s coverage, or just golf itself?

I think it was all three. Ironically, I love Erin Hills … but I don’t think it’s a US Open course … more of a PGA Championship golf course. Too long and too wide open … plays into the hands of bombers instead of Hogan-type control shotmakers.

FOX’s coverage was boring … but I think most televised golf coverage is boring. Way too much putting … way too much hopping around … too much dumb swing analysis … not enough strategy analysis … too much of a phony tone. I don’t want loud and obnoxious like it’s “Pro” Wrestling … but I’d like a tone that feels more like a conversation between real people.

Real people = Tour players and Tour swings. Is that a fit? Not for me. I feel like these kids were just shoved out on Tour out of a life-long golf camp. Tennis went through that stage and died. Around 30 years ago I went to a tennis camp in Tampa that had those year round “students”. It was really creepy. They took that “charm” to the Pro Circuit.

What is “pure” golf? I think it’s more like the Scottish shepherds who invented the game by hitting rocks with their walking canes and winning a shot of whisky. Or when we played neighborhood sports as a kid.

I like the modern stuff to make golf easier – clubs, balls, carts, etc. But, I don’t like the modern atmosphere that is sterile, lifeless, and false.

I’d like to see the US Open adopt a rotation of courses – like they do at the British Open. Old school venues like Merion, Oakmont, etc. Because that’s the US Open. I also enjoy crazy tournaments like the Phoenix Open or last year’s Ryder Cup. There’s room for both. But I think the hybrid is neither fish nor fowl.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com