Blog

Harping on Standards of Player Conduct per USGA Rule 1.2

All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:

• Acting with integrity – for example, by following the Rules, applying all penalties, and being honest in all aspects of play.

• Showing consideration to others – for example, by playing at a prompt pace, looking out for the safety of others, and not distracting the play of another player.

• Taking good care of the course – for example, by replacing divots, smoothing bunkers, repairing ball-marks, and not causing unnecessary damage to the course.

Perhaps now more than ever, there is a need for every one of us to take extraordinarily good care of the courses at Singing Hills. In particular, it is our job to replace, or sand (I’ll also use gopher dirt), or “kick in” your divots.

Secondly, we all want nice greens! Please carry a ball mark repair tool and be diligent. If we all fix a couple extra, we can stay ahead. Thank you in advance for your extra efforts.

________________________

PRO TIP AND VIDEO

Tension and strain are swing killers. Here is a great drill to help you loosen up and truly swing the club.

When you think you are loose enough, loosen up some more!

Let’s compile a list of things we can do at home as we await our chance to get back out there.

Let’s start with putting.

Comment with games, drills, and exercises that you know of and/or are currently doing. Ready? Go.

At home with the Madsens. Our son Walker is home from college and will be doing his Spring quarter “virtually”. He is thriving as a graphic design student and professional with billable hours. He’s only been home for two days, but I have learned much from him in rousing conversations. He is on top of “everything” it seems with definite opinions that I appreciate (most of the time). I believe our dog Chloe is enjoying having the house full all day long. Barb is keeping herself busy with workouts, yard work, and projects around the house. She is not working as YMCA in Mission Valley is, of course, shutdown. Our fridge and freezer are well stocked thanks to Valley Farm Market and Windmill Farms Market. My home office is ship shape for the first time in years. I am currently working from there on, among other things, learning USGA: Tournament Management software in preparation for serving the Singing Hills Member events upon reopening. I have been reading a wonderful book on leadership and teamwork called Legacy by James Kerr, which was recommended to me by the Director of Player Development for the SDSU baseball team. Player development…I like the sounds of that. Elbows enjoying the rest and this: CB5 Golf Roll On. I am also studying wellness and longevity with the help of The Plant Paradox book, and another called 30 More Summers. In my spare time I thought I would write to you. Be well. Hope to see you very soon.

Sheltering at homework I want you to ponder these questions. Each has to do with facets of golf from tee to green. If you’d like you can email me your thoughts.

1. On tee of par 4 or par 5, should you care about the yardage of the entire hole? Why would it matter, or not?
2. In the General Area (see Rule 2), when considering what club to use does the lie of the ball, or yardage more so dictate club selection?
3. Around the greens, why would you want to use a longer club and tend toward low running shots?
4. In putting, what are the two most important things regarding “launch”?

Short Game School for Intermediate Golfers

Saturday, February 29, 2020 9:30 – 11:30 AM $39-

Chipping, Pitching, and Putting Instruction and Supervised Practice

Advance registration is required bmadsen@singinghillsgolfresort.com

Bring all your clubs Pay on the day of

Meet at the short game area behind the Main Golf Shop!

Less Forced

I want golf to be less forced. And more fun.

I want golf to be more playful and carefree.

I want you to be able to look over a situation and honestly assess what shot you should play.  I want you to be able to simply walk up to the ball and play the shot without trying.

I want you to enjoy watching your ball travel.

I want you to produce low scores again and again.

This means fewer swing thoughts and less effort.

This means less wonder and more certainty.

Golf can be like a bike ride at the beach. No problems.

Less forced.
And more fun.

Time and Effort

You cannot think, buy, or talk your way to better golf.
It requires time and effort.
An excellent coach can make sure
you spend your time and effort productively.

_______________________________

Rules of Golf 2019

Three minutes is now the maximum allotted time to search for a ball.

_______________________________

OVER SEED SPECIALS

Did You Know?

Did you know that one of the reasons for the vocabulary changes in the Rules of Golf was in the interest of better translations from English to other languages.

Example: Casual (v. “serious?) Water was changed to Temporary Water. Now that’s better.

_______________________________________________________

Three Putting is Not Okay

Eliminating three putt greens is a super fast route to lower scores in golf.

There are two main reasons for three putts: 1. long putts not gotten close enough and 2. those missed short ones. Here are some steps to take.

The first step is to determine once and for all that you are going to dedicate yourself to improving your putting. There are no shortcuts! You have to go to a putting green and putt..and putt and putt and putt and putt. Think in terms of twenty hours of time spent over a few weeks in order to really make a difference.

I once asked a ski instructor what it really takes to get good at skiing. You know what he said? “Miles skied.” Think miles and miles of putting.

Another step is to always take time to go to the practice putting green before your round. Always. Skipping this step is about as amateurish as it gets. Anyone valuing a low score must get a feel for the speed of the greens before going out and hole some short putts for confidence sake. I recommend no less than twenty minutes. I know. Sounds like a lot. Sorry. I am not the one who is sick of shooting high scores. You want the truth. Right?

Also..putt in the house.

Putt in the evening after work . Putt uphillers and downhillers. Putt long ones. Putt lots of short ones. Strive to get to the point where you never miss inside four feet. Putt for an entire morning. Putt with buddies. Putt for money.

Ask for a putting lesson.

Three putting is not okay.

_______________________________________________________

Rules of Golf 2019

Procedure for Taking Lateral Relief

I feel strongly that we all need to help spread the new Rules. Accurately. Click on the link

_______________________________________________________

DID YOU KNOW? Cecil B. Hollingsworth–one of the original owners of Singing Hills–designed and built the Oak Glen championship course and Pine Glen–our wonderful par 3 course. William F. Bell, William P. Bell, and William Johnson were the original designers of the Willow Glen course.

All of the courses were rerouted and redesigned by Ted Robinson after the big 100 year flood in 1980. The flood was devastating and took much of all three courses down stream along with the pro shop!

Hole number four (below) on Willow Glen is a Ted Robinson design.

Next time you are up there, look for the Native American artifacts in the granite. Mutate exist to the right of the white teeing area and halfway down the hill on the right in the cactus (shown).

_______________________________________________________

  PRO TIP: How To Talk To Yourself

BE NICE.

If you were coaching someone, would you agree that it would unkind and counterproductive if you told them, “You are the worst–what an idiot–how stupid can you be?”

We all have to remember to be nice to ourselves. Appropriate responses to bad shots include: “Oh well–that’s okay–would you look at that. And my favorite: NOW WHAT? And go forward.

Amateurs specialize in being upset, looking back, and trying to figure out what they did wrong. Good players consider this a waste of time and energy.

BONUS: You will be more fun to play with if you are not muttering under your breath and angry all the time.

_______________________________________________________

Handling Grassy Lies 

Golfers are taking the club for the yardage and worrying about the lie second. That’s backwards.

You absolutely have to consider how the ball is sitting first. Then, choose the correct club for the lie.

Choose the club that’s right for the lie. Yardage does not dictate club selection. The lie does.

Amateurs are guilty of using too little loft. If your ball is sitting down in the grass, I don’t care if the hole is a hundred miles away. Get out your eight iron!

Generally going for more loft is good when you’re in trouble.

I want you to reliably–not heroically–cover ground. It is better to relax and enjoyably cover some ground rather than risk wastefully duffing a shot.

Comment and share your thoughts on Facebook if you agree. Would you please?

_______________________________________________________

Everyone you know knows someone who plays golf. Right?

Arrives before Christmas

Stocking Stuffer available in the Golf Shop and on Amazon

Dear Santa, Please forward this to everyone you know, not just the golfers.

The author is Bob Madsen; 2017 PGA Teacher of the Year in the Southern Cal Section of the PGA of America. He is in San Diego and works with all levels of players: novice to elite, pro and amateur. He stated, “The majority of my clients, as it turns out, cannot break 90.” In response to this he has written this non-fiction golf book that takes about an hour to read and speaks to those golfers. It describes strategy and techniques average golfers are not currently aware of or are not using effectively enough. The information in this book is not available anywhere else. The concepts are easily understood and can be immediately implemented on the golf course. Regarding the book’s content, Coach Madsen said, “Average golfers have too many swing thoughts, try way too hard and think poorly. This booklet is designed to quickly put an end to this. It is a road map to scoring in the 80s and lower. Course management techniques used by pros in fact translate to all levels of players. This guide will benefit anyone who plays the game. Commit to Easy Bogey, have your scores improve, and begin right away to enjoy golf more than you ever dreamed possible.”

_______________________________________________________

Rules of Golf Changes 2019

Where a Dropped Ball Must Come to Rest

I feel strongly that we all have an obligation in this regard.

Please do your part and help as many others along the way as you can.

_______________________________________________________

2019 Gold Club Membership and Renewal Now Available

Holiday Dining Christmas Day and New Years Eve

Harping On Practice

• When I was 14, I was ready. And so was my game. I went from a sixteen to a four handicap in three months. Scratch golf came very shortly thereafter. Now, here’s the deal. This advancement was hard earned. It did not arrive on a silver platter. I had taken weekly lessons since I was nine, studied harder, and out-worked every kid my age.
• There are very few if any shortcuts. Music teachers know it. You want to learn piano? You have sit down, and suffer, and stay with it–for HOURS at a time.
• For the sake of this conversation…tips, pointers, and quick fixes are to be avoided. 
• Martial artists, kids learning how to drive, pianists–even writers–practice in order to get better. Coaches in all sports would agree.
• I will give you the tools you need to spend your practice time effectively. 100%. No maybes. Let’s do this.

_______________________________________________________

2019 Gold Club Membership and Renewal Now Available

Holiday Dining Christmas Day and New Years Eve

Course Conditions

The golf course are coming out of the over seeding and are looking spectacular. The greens have healed up and are rolling great.

_______________________________________________________

 

Rules of Golf Changes 2019

I feel strongly that we all have an obligation in this regard.

Please do your part and help as many others along the way as you can.

Forward this to everyone you know, not just the golfers.

Everyone you know knows someone who plays golf. Right?

New Procedure for Dropping a Ball (click here for the video)