Duffers Corner

You know, I had been warned! It never really crossed my mind that things would change this drastically, but they have. Golf has never been a #1 priority in my life but I have easily allowed it to dominate my time. It has never interfered with my work, nor has it ever forged a wedge in any of my past relationships. But a couple of year’s back, when the wife and I decided to start a family, my friends warned me that things would be different. Oh how that was an understatement!

Fast forward to today, with 3 kids under the age of 2 and a couple of weeks away from Father’s Day, I reflect on what golf used to mean to me. How it used to dominate my conversations. How I used to look forward to the after work practice sessions at the range. How I used to blog about the raves & the pitfalls of the golf industry. Spending countless hours after each round, dissecting my shots & looking for ways to improve, that was my norm.

Life now is full of nursery rhymes and diaper changes!

It’s that second job you got that was supposed to be part time; well…it just went full time!

It’s like the in-laws coming over for a visit and deciding to move in and stay!

I am kidding of course, but really, what a turn of events it has been!  I have not played golf since November. I have not hit a range ball since late February. It’s even difficult to catch a Sunday final round on TV; I have to settle for updates via the radio!

Has it been a sacrifice? No, just a redistribution of priorities! The passion is not gone, just in hibernation for a little while. And what do I think about the kids? They’re like a daily hole-in-one!

From the Golf.com article “LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009″

The LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009, with players who have been LPGA members for two years facing suspension if they can’t pass an oral evaluation of English skills. The rule is effective immediately for new players.
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1836145,00.html

Here is another example of how smart people can be so dumb! Having all foreign players learn a little English is a great idea – Better interaction with sponsors, helping promote the game on a global level, a win/win on all sides, but a poor choice of how the LPGA has handled it. They should have taken a “we will work with you” approach instead of a “Learn it or you’re gone” position.

We live in a media hungry world where access to anybody’s background is deemed a right to know, publish and discuss. When you are in a profession where a camera and microphone can be whisked in front of you at any moment, you need to choose your words carefully, as they are documented, published and filed away to be brought up and cast upon you in a positive or negative light at anytime. One little slip of the tongue and you will be mocked in every global newspaper and magazine. Sure it can be humorous to hear a foreigner misinterpret an English word or phrase, but the media is not very forgiving or forgetful.

Ichiro Suzuki is a Japanese baseball player here in Seattle and since coming to the U.S he has chosen to speak publicly only through and interpreter, even though he is said to be fluent in English. Has this hurt Baseballs image or even Ichiro’s popularity? Not for a second! Why doesn’t he speak English? I don’t really know, but I can speculate that maybe he feels that when doing live interviews, he can respond more articulately using his native language than struggling to find the right words and phrases in English.

Note to the LPGA – Help these girls along. They are extremely talented, living in a foreign land away from their family for long periods of time, encourage them. Don’t punish them with suspensions for not learning English fast enough, educate them. Let them know that the more popular the LPGA becomes and the more sponsors they attract, the bigger the tournament purses can get, which in the long run means more money for them.

Sergio, you showed the heart & drive of a champion this last weekend. Your tee shot alone on 17 after Padraig knocked it in there 12 feet tells me that you are well poised to handle the final round pressure it takes to win a major.

Padraig, what can I say? Rock Solid my friend! Congratulations! I wish you continued success on tour (except for this years Ryder Cup of course, where I hope you hack it up like a little girl!). I kid, I kid!

“….it’s going to come down to who can do it under pressure in the last nine holes.”
Padraig Harrington after winning the 2008 PGA Championship

Good luck this weekend, Sergio! It’s your tournament to lose.

duff

“Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.”
-Jack Nicklaus

“People have always been telling me what I can’t do. I guess I have wanted to show them. That’s been one of my driving forces all my life.”
-Ben Hogan