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By Tom Mackin
Steps to a better golf season in 2019
oulda. Woulda. Shoulda. You look back on every golf season thinking those words, don’t you? I know I do. Coulda
practiced more. Woulda played better. Shoulda hit more fairways and made more putts. You’ve got to look backwards to move forward. The former is easy. The latter? No so much. But it’s all out there in front of you. The fresh bucket of balls. A clean scorecard. An open tee sheet. So here are nine things I plan on doing in 2019 in order to play better golf. Call it the front 9. The back 9 will have to wait until 2020. One year at a time, after all.
Get a new grip: It’s probably the least thought of part of your clubs, yet it’s the one you use the
most. And they’re very simple to replace. I’m guilty as charged. I have not changed my grips since I won my current set of clubs at a tournament in 2008. Sure, the arid desert doesn’t lend itself to sweaty palms, but a new grip is a better grip. Which leads me to the next step. . . .
Buy new clubs: Or at least a new driver. The big stick starts the action on more holes than
not, and if it’s not working well, then you’re essentially doomed. Technology has improved dramatically in the past decade. While I’m still not sold on urethane microspheres or soft-carbon steel when it comes to helping my game, if you really take a closer look, it can’t hurt, right? So now I’ve got my eye on some sweet, shiny new Titleist equipment, but not before I….
Get fit: I don’t mean in better shape (more about that later). I mean properly fit for those new
clubs I’m going to buy. There are plenty of places in Arizona, especially in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, that will help all of us do that. HotStix, CoolClubs,
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actually makes the game easier. “They took away good grooves so golfers can’t spin their wedges as much, and they won’t let people anchor their putters, which took away the long putter. But this is a good thing for golfers,” he said. “There’s no question in my testing that the percentage of balls staying in the hole is higher with the flagstick in than out.” Ideally it will slow down the fastballs I uncork every once in a while that rocket well by the hole. And after I make more putts, I’ll walk off the green and benefit from.…
TrueSpec, GOLFTEC, etc. And if you want to get brand-specific, you can head to PING. And once I get fit and have the new sticks in hand I will.…
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Practice more: Which really means practice at all. Didn’t do much of that in 2018. I’m
not talking a bucket before a round. I mean dedicated sessions on the range or putting green without playing. And it will be smarter practice. As in playing shots in the order I would play them on a particular hole or a course. But more practice means.…
Shaping Up: Flexibility equals power. Power equals distance. Distance equals accuracy. Well
maybe not that last part. But more stretching, especially pre- and post- round, is on my menu this year. And while I’m elongating my hamstrings and firing up the glutes, I just might.…
Study the rules: There’s a whole new bunch of changes to the Rules of Golf and one of
them (hopefully) might save you some shots. For me, I’m thinking it might just be keeping the flagstick in the hole while putting. I spoke recently to noted short game guru Dave Pelz, and he thinks it’s the first advantage the USGA has given back to golfers that
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Proper parking: I don’t have many golf peeves, but inefficient cart parking is one
of them. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cart path only day or not, leaving the cart in the wrong place leads to slow play. And no one likes slow play. In fact, to do my part, I plan on.…
Walking more: I know, I know. That’s not always possible on Arizona courses – too much
distance between holes, too hot, and all that – but it doesn’t hurt to try. I always enjoy the stroll at places like the Westin Kierland Golf Club (riding a GolfBike there is a good workout, too), We-Ko-Pa and Grayhawk. While hoofing it means putting a dent in a facility’s cart fee revenue, if I’m walking, I’m healthier. And if I’m healthier, then I’m going to….
Play more golf: All those previous things lead to this, don’t they? Time to put those
new clubs with the new grips into play, especially since I’ll be more flexible and my game will be in better shape from practicing more and knowing the new rules. Whether you’re parking your cart in all the right places, or logging fairway miles with your own two feet, hopefully all of you will play more in 2019, too. n
Tom Mackin writes for numerous national golf publications. He lives in Scotttsdale.
www.azgolf.org
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