Second round of the year
May 17, 1998

Dorland Park, Columbia Station, Ohio

I hear this course is under new ownership. A top notch greenskeeper and a bankroll could make this intersesting layout into a great trac.

This was a scramble format.

Goof rating: 8

Again no broken or thrown clubs. Most of the swear words of the day were in the form of a running theme: What is the most obscene thing you could say after missing a two foot putt? Humorous recollections of some of our most treasured phrases were batted about among the group. Assuredly none of these phrases will be repeated here lest we filter this page through some adult verification service. Of course, even the raunchiest of words in use today are tame compared to what's out there in the wilds of the internet. But the closest you will come to pornography on this site is this picture:

My Neighbor's Bush

Although some would argue for:

Venus

Alright, enough of the sarcasm. My playing partner did, getting back to the subject, wing his putter toward a tree after missing a four footer. The funny thing about it is that he's a grade school teacher :~0 tsk! tsk! Now I know why I teach my children to always question authority! Watching the ego toy with the mind's of others is a very productive activity. It gives us a clue on how to do battle with it in our own selves. I don't mean to loose derision on my playing partner for tossing a club; I'm just having a little fun. He is one of the few people who agree with me on the state of general stupidity and bureacracy in which we attempt to teach our children. Many times I think it's the children who should be teaching the adults!

There is little to say about this round of golf. I'm not going to go through all ten actions with every round I play, occasional as that play may be. This site really isn't about me. This is about you and your personal relationship to the game. I just did that in the first round coverage to show how to come terms with a round and put it to rest. Sure you may say, "Well this guy's a giant turd. He just doesn't want to write about his crappy rounds." My only reply is, "Well really, does anyone?" But that's beside the point. I must endure my own play as you must endure your own play. Even if I did have a magical day on some nearly surreal course, it would not be my style to brag and re-visit every shot for an audience of painfully bored patrons. It is unlikely that I will even write a summary for future rounds. You may just see a notation and a goof rating.

But the round must be put to rest. Go through the Ten Actions to see how you handled the round psychosomatically ...then leave it and go on. When you do this, you will find that your outward condition will improve. You may not improve in your play right away but people will want to play with you simply because your not a hothead. Once you realize how your own mind plays tricks you can move to the next level of doing battle with the observer (Gallwey's self 1 activity). It is from the stable temperament that true improvement begins. This is above and beyond just shooting a lower score.

Observations

• The Vital Metacenter is just that--vital. Generally excess tension in the non-dominant hand is responsible for causing a loss of the pendulum's connection. Vardon was correct that the dominant hand should be held tighter than the non-dominant hand. This runs counter to the perennial notion that the non-dominant hand must have the firmer grip. Even Vardon, over a century ago, wondered how such a notion kept itself firmly planted in the minds of golf enthusiasts. It still persists.

Because the dominant hand (the right hand for right-handed golfers) positions itself on the most leeward side of the body's mass during the backswing, its stability is crucial for the timely release of the potential energy that has been stored up.

• Practice the short game twice as much as the long game. I've been neglecting the short game since picking up my new used set of clubs and the lack of short game practice was apparent. Even the amazing short game technique doesn't pay dividends if you don't use it in situational practice.

• The golf movement is far more conservative than the human mind can comprehend. The mind must therefore be in the ball and only of the ball.

View the Ten Actions

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