Periodically I will discuss the rules of golf. There are many rules of golf and many more decisions made throughout the years based on situations that have happened. It is not necessary for someone to learn them all before playing the game, however one should tr over time to learn a few of them.

One thing that I hear sometimes is that the rules can be interpreted differently but this is not true. The rules of golf are very specific. They tell you what to do if this happens. You might have different options but no different meanings.

Some of the rules do not make sense but they are there none the less. I will just generally outline and simplify some of the rules and will continue to do so over the next little while.

Players may carry a maximum of 14 clubs. If your ball goes into water, there is a one stroke penalty if you decide or can not play it. You can always play it out of water at no penalty. If you decide to take the penalty, then there are specific spots where you must drop the ball.

If you lose your ball or if you hit your ball out of bounds, the penalty is stroke and distance, which means there is a one stroke penalty and you must go back to the place where you hit the last ball from.

I have just touch briefly on a few of the rules and I think players should learn the proper way to play this game over time. If you are not sure about the rules ask someone. This is a great game and the only game that I can think of that you call penalties on yourself. I am not saying that if you are just out for fun that you can’t bend the rules to speed up play or to give yourself a good lie as long as you are aware of what you are suppose to do.

Tags: General by John White
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I had the chance to visit one of Canada’s best golf teachers, Bruce McCarrol yesterday at his home course, The Club at Bond Head. What a wonderful teaching facility. It has a very expansive range and he has a building with all the tools to teach with. There are three rooms, the first one is where his physical therapist resides and he does physical screens and assessments on your body to see if there are any limitations or problems with your body. In there they have exercise equipment, a massage table and various other tools.

The middle room is where he does his video analysis, with two high speed cameras and digital software. The door opens to the outside so the student can actually hit balls and he could also use it in poor weather.

The third room is used primarily for 3-D motion analysis, where he can place sensors on the students body and the club and it renders a 3-D image on the computer screen. This room also opens to the outside. He also uses this room for club fitting and has a full time person dedicated to fitting the student’s equipment to his/her game.

He also had a short game area and a par 4 hole for his private use. All in all it was very impressive and first class. All this high tech equipment is great but you also certainly need the person using it to be knowledgeable and a great teacher and Bruce certainly is that. He has study under the best in the business throughout his career. I have total respect for his accomplishments You can see his facility at www.theclubatbondhead.com

Tags: General by John White
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This is one factor that plagues golf in North America. We take too long to play golf. Over in Britain, slow play is not tolerated and one can generally play in three hours. I have even heard of a course that only allows 2’s on the golf course instead of 4’s.

I was playing yesterday and the foursome in front of us was a little late and put us back a few minutes at the start. No one was in front of them for a couple of holes, so off they went. Well we waited on just about every shot. I finally said something about speeding up there play and did I get a dirty look. We still waited, however it started to rain and we drove in. I notice when we got back to the clubhouse when they came in, they all had Taylor Made bags, Callaway bags, and top notch clubs so apparently they thought they were golfers. Let me make this perfectly clear, if you are holding people up and you are not waiting yourself, you are not a golfer and do not know what this game is all about. You should always be aware of your position on the golf course and what is happening in respect to other groups on the course as well as what is happening in your own group. Your position on the golf course is directly behind the group in front of you, not directly in front of the group ahead of you. Try going about 40 km and hour on a busy highway. You will not only get a ticket but you will annoy a lot of people.

I seem to be ranting but if you get upset if someone tells you that you are slow and holding people up then you are not a golfer. You should never get upset. Do something about it. There are situations that do arise that without all the facts, someone could make a mistake and label you slow but in that situation you should be thankful that someone cares enough about other people on the golf course to mention it to you.

There are many ways of speeding up play with out rushing. First if it makes sense, let the fasters players play through. Stop at a tee or green and let the following group play and go ahead of you. Know where to put your clubs so that you can walk off the green and keep going to the next hole. Play ready golf, which means who ever are ready plays. Watching what these players do on TV can certainly slow things down. Do all your preparation for your shot before it is your turn. BE READY. KNOW YOUR POSITION ON THE COURSE. Sorry for shouting. Have a nice day.

Tags: General, Golf General by John White
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I am fascinated by technology and try and stay up on what is new in the marketplace. I will use anything that will help me especially in the game of golf. I use a GPS system whenever I can and this helps me to be exact as possible. Many people are old fashion and are slow to convert to new ways. I think they are doing themselves an injustice. They are making the courses more difficult, longer with more high grass around so using technology to help use is a must to make your game more enjoyable.

New advancements in equipment like drivers and wedges are important to maximizing your golf game. I am not saying that you can by a game or that these new clubs will make your shots go longer and straighter but you should experiment with different clubs. Go to what they call demo days where you can hit different manufacturers clubs and compare them to each other and your old clubs. Many golf shops have demo clubs you can take out to try.

Properly fitted clubs are also very important and usually don’t cost anymore than normal. Ask the person you are buying your equipment from about the fitting process and be careful if they can’t answer you.

I take advantage where I can if the rules allow it. I compete locally in tournaments amongst the pros and they allow the seniors to play from shorter tees. Some of suggested that I shouldn’t move up there but heck we are playing for money. Don’t be afraid to adapt and change for your benefit. Imagine an older hockey player not wanting to make a two line pass after they changed the rule. Have a great day!

Tags: General, Golf General by John White
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There is tremendous value in taking golf lessons from a qualified golf instructor. Learning golf or improving your game is a process and will take time and effort. I do believe that golf is a natural motion, but it is very precise and needs to continually fine tuned. So the value of taking one lesson and only one could be minimal. It might help but if you are going to get better sometimes our initial changes will lead to poorer performances than we are used to. This would lead one to believe that the lesson was not good. I can effectively change a persons golf game in one lesson but to lead to lasting change constant reinforcement is needed to make the changes permanent.

I was talking to a couple of colleagues the other day about this subject. One fellow said he talked to a golf instructor once and he said he charged $150.00 for three lessons or $1000.00 for one. He said if the person thought they could learn everything in one lesson, it would be a miracle and the person should pay for it. The other is a well known golf instructor and if you take a lesson from him there is a mandatory three hour assessment of your game from physical screens to short game analysis for a cost of $295.00. He said he loses some customers however the one he gets are serious about improving their game.

The final note is on the subject of qualified instructor. Just because someone has taken a weekend course or can hit the golf ball far once in awhile or is better than you doesn’t qualify them to be a teacher. I have been teaching for 30 years, studied all the great teachers, read in excess of 1,000 books on human performance and I am still learning about this marvellous game. Do your research on your golf instructor because we are not all the same. I will probably rant about this in future blogs.

Tags: Golf General by John White
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