Why we love golf

SOME REASONS TO MAKE TIME TO GET OUT AND GOLF

Anything worthwhile takes a bit of grit through practice and hopefully some coaching. So whether you're a beginner or you've lost your mojo here are some reasons why I love golf and I hope it'll inspire you to get out more!

Reason #1 -You get to hang out with people you care about for most of the day. Whether it’s with your buddies that you want to win a dollar or two from or spending time with your sons or daughters it is quality time in a world where life is moving so fast that "quality time" seems to be from a bygone era. So as difficult as golf is if you can hit the ball in the general direction of the target forget how many over par you are and score some quality time with some people your care about. 

Reason #2 -And even if you don’t know the person you’ve been randomly paired with by the end of the round you almost always have a new friend. How cool is that? Somewhere in that 9-18 hole chunk of time you found some common ground with that stranger and that’s pretty special in our modern world where we are becoming more and more isolated in front of our devices.

Reason #3- Even when we’re not firing on all cylinders think about the places and conditions we get to see, feel and play on like a misty morning along the cliff holes at Pebble Beach? Or a dry hot afternoon through the desert in Palm Springs or Scottsdale? And if you’re walking, and I hope you are, you get a decent work out and there’s magic about hiking our earth in the open air. Let’s face it most of us spend too much time enclosed in our cars commuting or in a small space insulated from nature being busy doing something on our computers. Golf gets us outside and that is another reason we love golf.

Reason #4- While a few balls might be going sideways along with your score every once in awhile we connect squaring the face and compressing the golf ball with that beautiful sound and feeling of everything being just right at impact. And then the bonus is that we get to watch our ball soaring like an arrow toward the intended target, oh yeah, bliss…. the anticipation while it’s in the air four, five or even six seconds we’re asking ourself “is it going in the hole?” Then it hits the green and rolls out toward the hole, another few seconds… “get in” someone in the group yells, “one time” another yells…….come on, even if you miss every shot the rest of the day that one instance of greatness has filled your tank for at least a few rounds. After the round the rehashing of your shot is shared and you get to bask in it’s memory again and sometimes for months (or maybe that’s just me).

So these are just a few of the reasons I love golf and when you put them all together it is worth the schlog of hitting ridiculously poor and frustrating shots because there is so much value packed into the other areas of the game and hopefully we all remember that.

Try to enjoy something in every round!

Check out what else Kris Moe is offering at his golf school at www.bestgolfschool.net for more golf programs in Napa.

Why We Love Golf!

GET OUT with buddies AND GOLF!

I'm just returning from a fun golf trip with some of my golf buddies in Monterey where we played Bayonet, Poppy Hills and Blackhorse! So I'm practicing what I preach about making the time to get out with friends, family, colleagues or customers for some golf and even more a two or three day golf trip.

It's just Spring time and a good time to be the instigator in organizing a foursome or two for a golf trip to somewhere you've been wanting to visit and play. Life's too short...... and after a spectacular golf trip that includes laughs, some great shots, high fives, shared meals and couple 19th hole beverages....life feels bueno and the "refresh" fills your soul's tank that'll carry through life's inevitable bumps and grinds.

Four Reasons to Get Out with your Buddies and Golf!

Reason #1 -You get to hang out with people you care about for most of the day. Whether it’s with your buddies that you want to win a dollar or two from or spending time with your sons or daughters it is quality time in a world where life is moving so fast that quality time seems to be from a bygone era. So as difficult as golf is if you can hit the ball in the general direction of the target forget how many over par you are and score some quality time with some people your care about.

Tip from an old pro- I've personally become less interested in scoring. I find it to be a grind. I'd rather try to hit great shots and not guard against high scores. My goal now is to make five birdies in my round. If I hit a ball sideways, now it's c'est la vie. I'm also always working on tapping into my "flow" state. Here is some hacks to get you out of your "thinking mind".

I may get some grumbles from this suggestion but here goes.....I suggest for higher handicappers (shoot 95 or higher) to play a two or four person scramble format or best ball against the other two in the group. Golf is tough. You're on vacation, it supposed to be fun and stress-less. Try it, there's more camaraderie, great shots and less sulking.

Reason #2 -And even if you don’t know the person you’ve been randomly paired with by the end of the round you almost always have a new friend, how cool is that? Somewhere in that 18 hole chunk of time you found some common ground with that stranger and that’s pretty special in our modern world where we are becoming more and more isolated in front of our devices.

Pro tip- Our fourth injured himself the week before out trip so we went as three. After the first round we went to range to straighten out my buddy's banana slice and we met a nice chap on the range and asked him to join us the second day which he did and even joined us for dinner and the next day for another round (the guy hit it a ton, a bit sideways sometimes but over 300 yards, fun to watch).

Reason #3- Even when we’re not firing on all cylinders think about the places and conditions we get to see, feel and play on like a misty morning along the cliff holes at Pebble Beach? Or a dry hot afternoon through the desert in Palm Springs or Scottsdale? And if you’re walking, and I hope you are, you get a decent work out and there’s magic about hiking our earth in the open air. Let’s face it most of us spend too much time enclosed in our cars commuting or in a small space insulated from nature being busy doing something on our computers. Golf gets us outside and that is another reason we love golf.

Pro tip- Here's just a few ideas. 

Reason #4- While a few balls might be going sideways along with your score every once in awhile we connect squaring the face and compressing the golf ball with that beautiful sound and feeling of everything being just right at impact. And then the bonus is that we get to watch our ball soaring like an arrow toward the intended target, oh yeah, bliss…. the anticipation while it’s in the air four, five or even six seconds we’re asking ourself “is it going in the hole?” Then it hits the green and rolls out toward the hole, another few seconds… “get in” someone in the group yells, “one time” another yells…….come on, even if you miss every shot the rest of the day that one instance of greatness has filled your tank for at least a few rounds. After the round the rehashing of your shot is shared and you get to bask in it’s memory again and sometimes for months (or maybe that’s just me).

Pro tip- I love playing fast golf courses where the driver ball rolls out and so do the approach shots. I think it takes more creativity to play but it also adds to the thrill of the shot like I mention above.

So these are just a few of the reasons I love golf and when you put them all together it is worth the schlog of hitting ridiculously poor and frustrating shots because there is so much value packed into the other areas of the game and your golf experience whether it is for the day or couple days. 

Try to enjoy something in every round!

Check out www.krismoegolfschool.com for more golf programs in Napa, and Alameda's Corica Golf Complex (home to a brand new Rees Jones golf course in June 2018).