Most days I feel pretty normal. But as soon as I get a club in my hands and step up next to a golf ball the insanity sets in. Albert Einstein once said:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
I’m just guessing that I’m not the only golfer out there that expects better results from doing the same thing over and over again. I’ve been playing golf for just over two years now and I know that my score has not gotten any better. There are around 30 million golfers in America and the average score is still around 100 (that’s >5.5 strokes per hole!). Why aren’t we trying something different? Anything?
I want to try something different…I just don’t know what to try. Maybe that’s why so many of us don’t change. I know that my club face is open and my back swing is too flat, but I don’t know what to do different. I think the main reason that we don’t/can’t change is lack of time. Not everyone has hours to spend on the driving range and in the short game area. Even if I took some lessons, I think it would be a waste because I don’t have time to grove the changes.
How do you “work through” your swing? I’ll let you know what changes I make and if they help.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: Carnoustie, Claret Jug, PGA, dad, father, fedex cup, golf, news, open, open championship, sports, tiger woods
I don’t know about you but telling my wife that I have an early tee time would not work as an excuse to get out of changing diapers in the middle of the night. It might work for Tiger Woods. With the birth of his first child coming some time in June, I wonder how he will balance tee times, practice schedules, and dirty diapers while trying to compete for the FedEx cup.
GOLF365 has an article about the possibility of him missing the OPEN championship this year (July 19-22) because it might interfere with the birth of his child. I wouldn’t have missed the birth of my daughter Olivia for anything, even if I was the defending OPEN champion and trying to get my 4th Claret jug. When the time comes and he can’t tee it up at Carnoustie I hope he stays home and doesn’t play because of pressure from the Tour, the media and his standings in the FedEx Cup.
I’m worried that Tiger will only get better after he becomes a father. I think he’ll become more focused (if that’s even possible) and confident on the course. Since my daughter has a way of putting things into perspective, my golf game included, I don’t get nearly as worked up and frustrated on the course. I can use her as a mental break during the round which helps put bad shots behind you and focus on the next shot. Tiger is already mentally tough…imagine how tough he will be after July.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: blog, golf, inside approach, medicus, memphis, range notes, sports, swingyde
I started a new page called “Range Notes“. Follow me as I work through the trials and tribulations of the golf swing. I will talk about how I have progressed and even post some of my videos so you can see my swing in action.
Here is one of my swings from Range Notes:
I’m just guessing that I am like a lot of golfers out there. My handicap is too high, I don’t play as much as I’d like, and I definitely don’t have the swing or the consistency I would like to have. I’ve used many training aids including The Inside Approach, the Medicus 5 Iron and the Swingyde, and I’m still no better than I was last year.
All I want to do is start working on one swing! No more trying out this tip or that tip! I’ve decided that I don’t really care what my swing looks like as long I can get some consistent results and not lose any distance. I’ll use this page as my own personal swing diary and I’ll be open for any comments you might have. Be sure and let me know how you swing has progressed and how you’ve worked on your swing between jobs, kids, etc.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, aim point, bob hope, fedex cup, golf, golf channel, sports, tour
I don’t think so. I read a post recently…I don’t remember where…but someone was ranting about how they hated the “little blue line” on the green showing where the put will travel. If you haven’t seen this on the Golf Channel, it’s a blue line extended from the ball to an “aim point” near the hole. The aim point is a little bulls eye with a yellow arrow pointing to the center.
To me, one thing that will make golf on better to watch is more visual information about the greens. Depending on the green and camera angle some of the puts look so easy. This visual aid shows a good perspective on how the ball will break.
I’m not a golf pro, but I see all puts as a straight line. It’s the line that you choose to start the ball and the speed you hit the ball are the determining factors that decide it the ball goes in the hole. And I like being able to see how delicate and precise these guys have to be in order to compete day to day.
Let me know if you have seen the “Aim Point” on the TGC and if you like it or if you think it’s just distracting.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, St. Jude, TPC Southwind, fedex cup, golf, memphis, news, sports, tour
The Memphis Commercial Appeal just announced that both Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia have committed to play in the 2007 Stanford St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in June.
Some other notable names that will play this year included David Toms, Camilo Villegas, and the defending champion Jeff Maggert.
We’re still about 5 months away and I’m excited about the possibility of other players committing to the tournament. I think the Fed Ex Cup will drive more top name players to more tournaments over time. If Vijay and Sergio have a good showing it might help drive other players to come to Memphis. Of course I’d like to see Tiger come to town, but I’d also like to see Adam Scott, Ernie Els, and Geoff Ogilvy play.
Let me know who you’d like to see come to town and play. If you not in Memphis and there is a PGA event in your area, tell me your favorite player to follow.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, Sony Open, fedex cup, golf, golfwrx, sports, tour, win zone
Over at my favorite golf message board GolfWRX, there is an interesting discussion about the Win Zone. I’m a pretty analytical guy because of my job. I use spreadsheets and databases all day and I thought the Win Zone was a neat idea. Granted, I haven’t been able to watch a lot of golf this year, but the one round I did watch it was wrong…at least from what I saw.
Although Paul Goydos won by one stroke at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Charles Howell III had a pretty high percentage to win late Sunday afternoon. I think it’s a neat concept, but I’m not sure if it will stand up week in an week out. Golf has too many variables and is ever changing…that’s one thing I love about golf. I’m sure Paul doesn’t care since he’s second in the FedEx cup rankings with 4,500 points – only 121 points shy of Vijay Singh.
Let me know what you think – Good? Bad? Waste of time?
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, blog, bob hope, chrysler classic, fedex cup, golf, sports, tour
Brett Avery, over at PGATOUR.COM, has a pretty good blog about the latest tour event: Running Blog: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Too bad I can’t be there. The Bob Hope is the only 90 hole event on the PGA tour. You can view the pairings through Saturday here. I’ll keep my eye on Chad Campbell (2006 winner) too see if he can be the second back-to-back winner since Johnny Miller back in ‘75 and ‘76.
Have you seen the golf courses around Palm Springs! It looks like a golfers paradise! Almost more so than parts of Florida (Gasp!). If you have Google Earth, search for PGA West and make sure the golf course layer is turned on…there must be 200 courses in the area! Anyone up for a trip?
I’m going to try watching some of the tournament this weekend. I like watching the Pro’s and amatures play together. It makes for some good golf.
–TW
I don’t know about you, but I am excited about following the PGA FedEx cup this year! It will be fun to keep up with who has what points, and I can’t wait until the playoffs in September. I think it will make for some exciting golf. And $10M to the winner…the largest payout in sports history…it’s a little bit of history.
The points system seems fair and I think it will push the bigger names to compete against each other more often. You can download a fan guide/reference so you can learn all about the FedEx Cup.
Let me know what you think about the FedEx Cup. Good? Bad?
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello! My name is Tyler Wainright and I’ve been wanting to start a blog for some time…and here it is. I wanted to create a space where I can share thoughts and ideas about my life. I’ve been reading about how to create and run a successful blog and by all accounts – this blog won’t be. I don’t plan on writing about one specific subject matter, or targeting a specific audience, but I do plan on writing about things that are important to me. Please feel free to leave a comment anytime, and check back for new posts as my blog gets rolling.
Regards,
Tyler
