Bunkers, Rakes and Etiquette

. . .it's that time of year when I sit back and consider the changes that I've seen on the course this year. . . I come up to the same answer as last year, the year before and every year before that. . . NOTHING NEW. . .there still aren't enough players that know how to use a rake, fix a ball mark, repair a divot, keep pace or show respect for other players. . .maybe the rest of the world has the right approach. . .golfers must pass tests about proper etiquette before being permitted to set foot on a course. . .dress codes(?) are swept aside for one reason or another and enforced randomly. . .recently a course marshal ordered Michael Jordan off of a course because he was wearing a pair of Cargo Shorts

. . .a rules infraction, for sure, on most courses, but why did he get all the way to 13 before anyone realized the crime? Where was the clerk who checked him in, where was the marshal for the first 12 holes? This is a confrontation that needs to happen before a player leaves the first tee. But, on most public courses enforcing the “rules of etiquette” is not a high priority.

. . .seven things that will help you win friends on a golf course.

• repair all divots with either the the sod that was ripped out by your swing or sand and seed
• always enter & exit bunkers from the low side
• use a rake, not your foot or a club, to smooth the surface of the sand
• replace the rake parallel to the line of play
• be sure to check the surface of the green for ball marks and repair them before you leave the green
• park carts or place clubs so you they are between the green you are playing and the next tee.
• follow the dress code of the course

. . .For as long as I have been around golf there has always been a difference of opinion about where the rakes belong . . .in the bunker. . .out of the bunker. . .half in and half out. . .who knows what is best.

Until recently I always believed that the USGA recommendation that rakes be left outside of the bunkers, on the away aide and parallel to the line of play. Lately I have thought, “all players, or at least most of them, don't actually use the rakes . .just get rid of then altogether. . .after all Bunkers are HAZARDS.”

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Breathe Better, Play Better

. . .from time to time we all need to remember the simple things in order to achieve the difficult things in life. . .like making an efficient golf swing. . .and one of those simple things that gets overlooked to often is proper breathing.

. . .the overly loud sounds of Woman’s Tennis. . .believe it or not there is a rational purpose for those “grunts” and “groans”; that sudden expulsion of air actually forces the body to be totally relaxed. . .and we all know that in order to hit a quality golf shot we need to be relaxed. Beginning with the grip and finishing with the swing we need to allow or body to move freely.

. . .I'm not suggesting that we need to sound like Maria Sharapova in order to hit a great golf shot, but I do know that proper breathing improves the rhythm and effectiveness of the golf swing. Besides if we turn a tranquil golf course into something that sounds like Wimbledon's Center Court on the final day of the Open the USGA will come up with a rule to prohibit us from breathing.

. . .go ahead and Google “proper breathing while” and look at the list of activities that Google tosses at you. . .almost any activity you can think of is there, but just for giggles go ahead and complete the phrase “proper breathing while ___________” and search for specific sports or activities. Everywhere you look someone is suggesting that, “you can do it better if you breathe properly”.

. . .so now that you are convinced that you need to breathe better to play better. . .what is better? You just gotta find your own starting point and make sure that you focus on a routine that suits you leading up to the beginning of your back swing. Maybe one or two deep breaths during your pre-shot routine, think of yourself as Pavorotti preparing for the first notes of Nesun Dorma, you breathe deeply enough that your stomach expands and you can feel your body relax. 

 

. . .most Americans have forgotten how to breathe. . .a way to relearn this is to lie on your back on the floor and place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Now breathe deeply and notice which hand feels the most pressure. . .make sure you can feel the most pressure in the stomach area. . .need help? Watch any infant they know the proper breathing technique. . .it's natural. . .not breathing properly seems to be something that we learn how to do.

. . .OK, so now that you know how to breathe, and gone through your pre-shot routine, and addressed the ball take one long deep breath as you make your back swing and begin to exhale as you start your through swing. Your lungs should be completely emptied as you strike the ball.

. . .Tom Watson once suggested that when you are putting you should take a page from the Skeet Shooters Guide and breathe deeply and exhale half way before striking the ball.

. . .no idea why your golf coach doesn't remind you of this important aspect of playing a better game of golf, it could only make his job easier, but most don't.

Think About Playing it Forward

. . .Lots of talk about speeding up play on the Golf Channel and in the Industry pubs, but not much in the local locker rooms. It seems that the industry leaders are raking the “bunkers of their minds” trying to convince us that it is to our benefit to shorten the time it takes us to play a round of golf, a cynical view would take that to mean, “that they can then see an increase in revenue by getting more players on the course in the same amount of time.”

. . .but for me it seems that it is more of an acceptance of the pace of modern life that we have all bought in to and are willing to sacrifice the serenity and tranquility of a more leisurely day at the course in order to appease other “needs”.

. . .tradition be damned!

. . .this is not to say that we shouldn’t take a look at this, almost universal, problem. Not many of us enjoys being stranded behind a group who is loosing contact with the group in front of them little by little hole by hole and, at the same time, has so little regard for the traditions of the game of golf that they refuse a request to “play through”.

. . .I understand that at some courses an average round can take as much as six or seven hours.

. . .maybe Brian Adams has the right idea when he asks if we are playing from the right tees. . .or maybe Jack’s idea of shortening the game to twelve holes would makes sense; although be more difficult to put in to practice.

. . .recently spoke with a golfer who said he hadn’t played the last three holes at his home course in more than a year because, “a round of golf should be played in four hours; when I have played four hours I get off the course”. I told him that the last time I read the rule book I didn’t see a time limit for a round.

. . . know of other golfers who are setting up their own courses, within a course, by electing to play from a mix of tee boxes and effectively shortening the course to suit their game.

. . .less time? Yes.

. . .better experience? Yes.

. . .hitting more appropriate clubs on to greens? Yes.

. . .more enjoyable? Yes.

There are formulas that you can use to recalculate the slope and rating of “your course” and still post scores to allow you to maintain your index.

. . .seems that Brian Adams just might be on the right Fairway. . .try it you just might like it.

Willie