This has been a very controversial topic in sports in years past. Many sports fans, less than a few decades ago, believed that golf  was not an athletic sport and it required no skills or strength to play the game well. In the past fifteen or twenty years that perception has slowly changed and the truth has been revealed as to the true athletic ability required for golf. It is a game that requires dedication, practice and athleticism if one is to master the sport and play it with any degree of expertise. Anyone can swing a golf club but striking the ball with the precision and timing it takes to attain the proper distance and accuracy is a horse of a different color, to quote a line from the “Wizard of Oz”. If you are a disbeliever in what I am stating, visit the nearest driving range and try hitting golf balls and see how well you do. You may be surprised  to see how difficult it may be to accomplish the golf swing without extensive reading, practice or taking golf lessons of any kind.

Golf is a game where it is just you against the golf course or another golfer with whom you may be competing with. There is no one to blame, no team mate to vent on if something goes wrong and the ball is mishit. You alone must take responsibility for your failures, but on the other hand it is you who will revel in victory when you hit a career shot to a tight pin placement, score an eagle, birdie, hole in one or any other milestone achievement which the game will provide you with an opportunity to accomplish. It is the one great shot during the golf round that will keep you coming back for more. If you are competitive, golf is a sport which will keep your interest piqued as you will always have chances to better your last score and you can set that goal in your sights. If you discourage easily if you don’t succeed initially at golf then it may not be the game for you. Many have tried and failed and given up before ever really giving themselves a chance to see if they could improve and play better. Most of the people who fall into this category are the first ones to say that golf is not an athletic sport and it is a silly game. I’ll be the first to admit it is not easy to hit golf balls consistently well time after time. I will never say it does not require skill, stamina and athletic ability to play well because all three components are very much required to play the game of golf with any degree of skill. I have been trying to improve my golf game for over thirty five years now and counting and will probably never quit attempting to shoot par on a regulation 18 hole golf course. This is on my bucket list as I have come close a number of times but I have some work to do if I am to accomplish this goal in the next few years. I am nearing sixty and the physical stamina and strength required for a good golf game fades a bit each year as a person reaches a certain age.

One of the greatest aspects of Golf is that it can be fun no matter what the skill level or age of the golfer may be. It is also human nature to enjoy something more if you are proficient at the techniques or skills necessary for the sport. The young man in the photo above is my nephew James Hopkins, who is in excellent physical condition and is now twenty years old and ready to take on the world. He won the Mr. Teen Long Island contest in his first attempt a few short years ago and will be competing again in August 2010 as an adult. I can attest first hand that he will give any competition a run for the money and I will be surprised if he does not take home the winners trophy in his class becuase he has the proper mindset required for a winner – He believes in himself. I am presently showing him some of the techniques and strategies required for golf and imparting some of the knowledge gained from my thirty plus years of experience playing this incredible sport. He has tremendous potential and the one component that will allow him to succeed is his desire to play well, his enjoyment of the game of golf and as stated previously, the belief in his ability to succeed. I knew of another young man, who entered the golf scene in 1997 and who believed in his abilities like no other since Jack Nicklaus, and that youngster was none other than Tiger Woods, if you did not already guess.  If you want to be successful in golf or in life itself, DO NOT GIVE UP and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Happy Golfing to All!

When I first started writing about golf I wanted to help eliminate or reduce any potential pitfalls a new golfer may encounter when first preparing or learning to play this incredible game. In retrospect and to clarify that statement there are NO real pitfalls to speak of with golf. The pitfalls I was referring to is over spending on your first set of golf clubs, not taking lessons when you may have had the opportunity or giving up on golf before you ever gave the game a real chance. Our nice leisurely round walking the course this past Saturday helped reinforce my belief in the many more benefits to be derived by playing this exhilirating sport. The good exercise, especially if you walk, the banter and comraderie with your friends or significant other, meeting some new and often very nice people who join in your foursome, taking a client out to play, maybe letting them win and signing a huge deal after the round, the wagering and competitive spirit of golf, the exhilaration of hitting a career shot to a tight pin or flag placement, sinking a 40 to 60 foot putt on a double breaking tiered green, winning a $5 Nassau from your best friend or another competitor, coming close to or getting a hole in one, scoring your first par, birdie or eagle, or maybe the enjoyment of lunch or dinner and a few beers with your friends at the 19th hole after you just won the match, now that’s what golf is really all about. So enjoy the collateral benefits of golf and take “A Walk in the Park” every once in awhile, you won’t be disappointed. Have fun and Happy Golfing to all!

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I planned my first golf trip in April of 1990 and decided to go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ”The Golf Capital Of The World”. My experience on that trip gave me a whole new outlook on the game. I guess you can say it was a Turning Point in my perception of what golf was really all about. You can think of it as just a game, like I did for the first 13 years playing, or you can realize and enjoy the more obscure collateral benefits of the game. What are these benefits, you ask ? Take the time to “Stop And Smell The Roses”. What do I mean by that ? Most golf courses are designed utilizing the natural beauty of the surrounding terrain as a backdrop. Beside the intrinsic beauty of the course itself, you can often see nature at its best. When I started visiting Myrtle Beach and subsequently Florida, the wildlife and surrounding fauna and plant life was incredible. Not to mention the huge sprawling Elms, Oaks and Magnificent Cypress Trees and Palms, whose mere existence and appearance exuded a climate of an exhilirating and at times exotic nature. Speaking of Nature, there have been many a morning that I have ventured out onto a course only to encounter a family of deer meandering across the fairway or grazing in the brush adjacent any particular golf hole. Some of my most memorable experiences, where I have encountered nature at its best, were at Pawleys Plantation ( near Pawleys Island – South part of the Grand Strand and a Jack Nicklaus design ), The Witch ( off of Route 544 south of 501) , and Oyster Bay ( Located in North Carolina ). The first time I visited The Witch ( early 1990’s), it was an eerie but exhilirating experience. I normally schedule the tee time early, around 7:00am, so we can play 36 holes if we so choose. When we arrived at the course, we signed in at the pro shop, saw the starter and were sent out to the first tee. The first tee is a good distance from the clubhouse, which by the way is built in the shape of a witches hat. A few minutes later we arrived at a secluded area at the first tee. It was prior to sunrise and I would guess about a quarter mile or so away from the clubhouse. There was a misty fog hovering over the landscape for as far as the eye could see. It appeared to be everywhere and it blanketed the cart paths and the entire golf course. This added an eerie, almost spooky Halloweenish feeling, but appropriate ambiance to the setting of The Witch. The course was named, The Witch – how more appropriate can you get ? Once the sun rose and the fog burned off, the course returned to its normal beauty and personna. On the next hole we were greeted by an alligator attempting to make some unsuspecting bird his prey. I guess the bird was flying too low over one of the ponds where the gator lived and he was looking for breakfast but luckily for the bird, he got away. I have seen at least a dozen or more gators in my last 18 years or so visiting Myrtle Beach and Florida. Most of the time the gator would be resting peacefully along side the golf hole sunning themselves.  Even though the gator appeared to be sleeping, I would not recommend retrieving a golf ball that may have come within close proximity to them. Although I only mentioned three courses as my most memorable experiences, almost every course has so much to offer in the way of natural beauty and wildlife, not to mention the intrinsic beauty of the golf courses themselves. Many golf courses provide homes to many varied forms of wildlife, including families of turtles, ducks, geese and the like abounding in their ponds and man made and natural lakes and streams alike. Swans, Ospreys, Egrets, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and so many other species of birds too numerous to mention also abound around the courses in the temperate southern climate of Myrtle Beach and Florida. Since vacationing in Myrtle Beach almost 18 years ago I have enjoyed the experience of golf so much more. The game of golf in itself is a wonderful experience but coupled with the beauty of nature and the associated wildlife and plant life that abounds on most courses, it provides and unbeatable combination, which compliments the enjoyment of the game. While playing a game that I enjoy more than any other on the planet, the exhiliration and experience is now magnified many times since I have learned to “Stop And Smell The Roses” during the course of my round. We all want to play well but the enjoyment of the golf experience should be your first priority and not just what you score on your card. Take a tip from me - the next time you are on a golf trip or visiting your local course, “Stop And Smell The Roses”. It will add a different perspective to the game that you may have never realized or appreciated before.

I would like to mention another, perhaps, more important collateral benefit of the game. Golf can be a frustrating and delightful experience at the same time. One or two holes you may play well, and then wonder what transpired on the next when you double bogey or worse ? It’s the nature of the game. When I am having a bad day on the golf course I recall a book given to me that taught me some very important aspects of the game. Golf can be a game of enlightment about yourself and about life. I feel compelled to recommend the aforementioned book that I was given as a birthday gift by my sister and mother about a year ago. It is called “Golf For Enlightment” The Seven Lessons Of Life by Deepak Chopra. I had heard of Mr. Chopra before but I am an avid fan of his now. If you take this somewhat spiritual journey with Adam and Leela, Mr. Chopras characters in the book, you may be amazed to see how playing the game of golf could relate to the game of life itself. He can tell it so much better than I and it is a book I would highly recommend for both the beginner and experienced golfer as well. You can visit his website at www.chopra.com or www.randomlargeprint.com It can help you immensely with your outlook of the game, which in turn will give you a much greater chance for success in both the game of golf and maybe life itself. As always, Happy Golfing To All !                                                                                                    

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