"Why I love the games so baffles me until I realize that it's not the results that are important, it is what you learn while expecting excellence at each opportunity the game affords. That terminal gravity keeps our feet on the ground and our hearts in a gracious and giving place." ~SIS Member, Jimmy Stewart

Source: Shivas Irons Society - Facebook

Labels: Shivas Irons Society

The new Shivas Irons Society website is quickly becoming the online hub for Golf Literature, much like Golf Club Atlas is the online hub for Golf Architecture. In addition to publishing The Journal -- a unique, collector-quality publication intended as a vehicle for all of the creative arts inspired by the game of golf -- the society now hosts a variety of ongoing articles and blogs written by several of its members. Their community forums are just getting started and looking for eager participants.


Streamers by Richard Lees, Shivas Irons Society

The most recent publication available on their website is Streamers - a blog authored by board member, Richard Lees. In his initial post, Richard shares his experiences at Pasatiempo as well as his introduction to Fred Shoemaker and the Shivas Irons Society. I learned from Richard's blog that he's not only an artful golfer, but quite an artful writer!

Below, I've included Richard's interpretation of Fred's words on "The Mystery of Golf Revealed." This mystery reveals that our golf swing connects us to an inner dialog, or voice. Richard shares...

"This voice" is the voice of our swing. And all we need do is listen to it.

Not dissect it. Not analyze it. Not deconstruct it. But listen to it. Be aware of it. And practice that awareness rather than struggle with the physics of all that goes into its sound.

The implications of this simple statement -- like most simple statements that seem to capture a firefly's light in a bottle -- are enormous. And endless for golfers -- just as a game which is known as "a round" is, by definition, endless.

To tap into what we already know, as opposed to insisting that "knowledge" must be imposed upon us by the world outside.

And without doing anything more than find a way to swing a club in "a plane" that already exists around us.

To be able to duplicate that sound -- of connecting to that plane -- with our own voice, produced not by understanding with the mind all the physics of air being forced across our vocal chords and shaped into groupings of words that we mutually agree to call a "language" -- but rather, by listening to the sound itself, feeling where it comes from inside us, and shaping that sound as we shape notes in air with the musical instrument that is our natural voice.

Our golf clubs striking different notes, like hammers striking different strings inside a piano.

And then to practice our awareness of striking those notes so that we can "hear" or "see" when we're "on" or "off."

Sure, it can help to look at a video of a golf swing. But the swing ultimately isn't in the video. It's in us. Better to be able to produce it from within than without.

More...

Labels: Golf Blogs, Shivas Irons Society

After much anticipation, I joined a group of artful golfers yesterday to play Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, CA - in an event hosted by The Shivas Irons Society. The event celebrated the Society's 16th anniversary, with "The Secret to Golf Revealed" by guest speaker, Fred Shoemaker. Having never played Pasatiempo, this historic Alister Mackenzie masterpiece became the 50th golf course added to my career course list. In case you were wondering, it's not my "artful 50th" birthday yet. That's still 5 months away.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 13th Hole, by Rob Babcock

Pasatiempo, ranked #30 in "Golf Digest's 2008 America's Greatest Public Courses" and #55 in the "Top 100 Public and Private Courses in the U.S." by Golf Magazine, recently completed a 10-year, multi-million dollar restoration effort led by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina of Renaissance Golf. Doak's team overhauled Pasatiempo's 18 holes, relying on hundreds of old photographs and drawings to bring back original MacKenzie bunkering, green complexes and tees that had been lost for decades.

The course was incredible - seemingly short, but hard!

The event was a shotgun start and my foursome was assigned to start on the first hole, playing the middle tees (6125 yards, 70.5/136). I was grouped with Ron (a local retiree who had never played Pasatiempo even though he had a 2nd home in Santa Cruz), Todd (the story-telling owner of The Mackenzie Golf Bag Company in Portland), and Dave (surely the friendliest and most competent caddy at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, who was carrying his own Mackenzie golf bag).

We were among the few who decided to walk the course. I thought I was in for an easy walk since the greens and tees were situated close by. But, not only was it a particularly hot day out, I'm convinced that every hole went uphill! Anyway, after little sleep the night before followed by a 3-hour drive the morning of the event, I was zapped of energy early in the round. Fortunately a breeze helped cool things off later in the round.

Tired or not, I had no excuse for poor play since the round was preceded with Fred Shoemaker telling us all about "The Secret." According to Fred, the secret is that we already know how to make a perfect golf swing. We don't have to read books or hire experts to help us "find" our swing, we simply need to look inward to "discover" what's always been there. Fred shared experiences and stories to provide evidence that by simply being present and aware, that which lies hidden beneath our mental noise and emotional interference awaits our discovery - perhaps at Pasatiempo. I was thinking the course name might even provide a tip to untap this hidden ability - to simply take a "pasa" at the ball with good "tiempo."

Inspired by his talk, my round got off to a good start with solid drives on the 2 opening par 4's and an artful chip to within inches on the challenging long uphill par 3 3rd to save par. But I guess I failed to take a pass at the ball with good tempo with my drive on the 4th. A duck hook put me in long grass under a tree, where I stubbornly tried to reach the green with a punch shot that would have had to go under some branches, over a bunker, then stop quickly on the green. Instead, the ball lunged forward about 10 feet. My next shot didn't fare much better. I then tried to lob the ball over the bunker to a tight pin from a tight lie. I ended up in the bunker. I finally got on and 2-putted for a triple bogie! I think I rediscovered my mental noise and emotional interference.

I quickly let go of any thoughts of self-pity and returned to the present moment, taking in the beautiful setting and artful course design. I went on to play a pretty decent front nine, finishing 4-over, with help from a tap-in birdie on the short downhill par 3 8th.

But the challenging back nine proved tougher.

I failed to get up and down from just off the undulating green on 10, but then hit 2 solid 4-woods on 11, leaving a 6-footer for birdie - which I barely missed. Four consecutive bogies followed and put me 9-over after 15. I was particularly disappointed with my bogies on 13 and 15. On 13, a 280 yard drive left me an easy sand wedge in. Somehow, I ended up well over the green from 115 yards out. On the 120 yard par 3 15th, I choose to take an extra club due to a strong headwind. I hit an excellent 9-iron right at the pin, but landed on the back of the green and rolled into the rough, leaving me with a quick downhill chip.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 16th Hole, by Rob Babcock

But it came together again on the infamous 16th. I hit a perfect 4-wood off the tee that drew a little left and rolled to the end of the fairway, leaving me 105 yards out. With the pin tucked up on the edge of the upper tier near the left side of the green, I took a little extra club. I'd heard horror stories about balls rolling back down to the front of the green. My shot landed 1 foot from the pin, but bounced well over the green, leaving me nearly out-of-bounds with a testy downhill pitch that could easily roll past the pin and down to the bottom of this severely sloped green. I visualized the shot, let go of any fear or tension, and relaxed my arms and grip. I opened my lob wedge way up, opened my stance, and took a perfect pass at the ball with good tempo. I barely landed the green and rolled downhill to just 4-feet past the pin, barely short of the point where the ball would have rolled over the edge to the lower tier. Making the comeback putt made for a welcome recovery.

I made another bogie on 17 from inside 100 yards after another good drive (where our entire foursome teed up alongside each other and hit our drives at the same time). But I finished with a par, finally choosing the correct club on the downhill 143 yard par 3 finishing hole. My pitching wedge and 2-putts got me in with an 80.

Although I'd like to replay a few holes, I did par each of the 3 hardest, made some remarkable shots, and thoroughly enjoyed my friendly foursome, the clear skies and awesome views of the Monterey Peninsula, the challenging Mackenzie design, and of course, learning "The Secret."

But part of uncovering "The Secret" is looking inward to determine "why" I hooked that drive on 4, "why" I didn't just accept that mistake and punch back out to the fairway, "why" didn't I sleep well the night before, and "why" did I consistently pick too much club on my approaches. The biggest reward from this day will come from finding these answers and learning from them. The answers won't just help my game, they'll tell me more about who I brought to the course that day and where I still need growth, in golf and life.

Following the round, the entire group met for cocktails and dinner and enjoyed discussing the course, their rounds, and their challenge to discover the secret and their perfect swings. I think it's safe to say that a few imperfect swings found their way into everyone's round!

To top things off, I found it particularly rewarding that on this day that I played my 50th career course, I found myself seated next to a participant - Larry Berle - who has played all of the Golf Digest Top 100 courses! During 10 years that spanned from 1992 to 2002, Larry found his way on to 117 top U.S. courses (the list of top 100 courses is a moving target over a 10 year span). Larry was introduced to the game by his wife Annie in 1990. She took him to Pebble Beach for his birthday in 1992, where on the 18th hole his caddy informally told him that "you are standing on the greatest finishing hole in golf!" This is where his dream to play the Golf Digest Top 100 was born. Larry has written a book - A Golfer's Dream - that tells the story of his inspiring quest and what he learned along the way. I'm planning on buying a copy!

It was a pleasure to play such a great course and to meet so many interesting golfers like Larry, Fred, Ron, Todd, Dave, and so many others. I highly recommend attending a The Shivas Irons Society event if you're interested in meeting some truly artful golfers. Thanks Steve and Jo for putting on such extraordinary events!

Labels: Alister Mackenzie, Books, Courses, Fred Shoemaker, Pasatiempo, Rounds, Shivas Irons Society

"When you disappear - the thoughts, worries, and judgments you have about yourself - Golf as Art shows up." -- Fred Shoemaker

I had the very good fortune of being introduced to the book, "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker, only six months after starting to play golf on a regular basis in 2005. The book came highly recommended by a friend of Fred's, Tony Criscuolo, whom I had just met in San Luis Obispo. Tony teaches yoga for golf classes nearby at Avila Beach Golf Resort and works with the Cal Poly SLO golf team. I was rewarded with a round of 76 the day after I read the book!


Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy of Extraordinary Golf

I consider this good fortune, not only because the book helped me break 80, but because Fred's approach inspired me to coach myself by becoming more aware of my own swing, instead of taking the traditional route of learning to play golf by taking lessons, which often creates a dependence on others for ongoing instruction and tips.

I found myself drawn to Fred's approach, not only for the independence it offered, but for the potential he described for golf to be like art. As a person whose creativity is limited to software design, the possibility of making golf creative was appealing. The key to this creative approach requires only that we let go of the "thoughts, worries, and judgments we have about ourselves," and become fully present in the moment - allowing the genius of our body to create the desired shot.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Fred while attending a week-long golf event at Bandon Dunes, hosted by Fred and Jo Hardy from Extraordinary Golf, and The Shivas Irons Society's founder, Steve Cohen! I enjoyed an extraordinary week of incredible golf with very interesting people in a breathtaking natural setting in the Oregon sand dunes along the Pacific Ocean. Playing Bandon Dunes has been a dream of mine. Doing so in the company of this inspiring group of golfers exceeded any expectations!


Bandon Dunes 5th by Joann Dost

This trip was intended more for exploration, discovery and adventure than instruction. Fred didn't hold any formal clinics, but was available for questions each day on the range. In response to a golfer's question about playing shots in preparation for strong winds, it became apparent that Fred wasn't your typical golf teacher.

Without going into detail, Fred's instruction quickly had the group convinced we'd discovered "the secret" to making a perfect swing! By incorporating what I learned, I pulled off a Tiger Wood's "stinger" using a 3-wood to reach the long par 5 12th at Pacific Dunes in 2, into a good headwind. On our last day, an older participant with a handicap of about 14, shot a 39 on the back nine at Pacific Dunes on a windy day by using what he'd learned from Fred. His wife nearly aced the 10th!

I expected Fred to have us throwing clubs, which he is well known for, in order to help you discover your natural swing by swinging at the target instead of the ball. Instead, Fred used a new technique that helped us discover our natural swing and tempo. For many of us, this made revolutionary improvements to our ball striking quality and consistency!

Fred's instruction certainly wasn't limited to ball striking. His main emphasis was about enhancing our performance by helping us reconnect with our love for the game and bringing one's "self" to the golf course by being fully present.

I was placed in a foursome with Fred during the first nine holes of our trip, which we played at Bandon Trails. Our first round took place on Monday, before any instruction had taken place on the range or during our numerous group gatherings. Interestingly, I played my best nine holes of the trip during this round with Fred!

Admittedly, I was a little nervous at first about playing with Fred, but not overly so. Thanks to Fred's book, I'd already made a lot of progress learning to play without trying to impress others or worrying about what other's may think of my swing or ability. I did notice however that I was a little tense on the first hole. I pulled both my tee shot and my approach just a little left of my target, then knocked my very first putt from just off the green a good 20 feet past the hole! I then took a deep breath, relaxed, and 2-putted for bogie. From then on, I stayed relaxed, played my own game, let go of any expectations, and took in all the beauty surrounding me.

I finished the front nine just 1-over! I tallied 3 birdies to help offset my struggles in the bunkers, taking 2 shots to get out of 2 separate greenside bunkers.

Fred recognized that I had a good round developing and encouraged me to stay present by centering my attention in my solar plexus between shots. This helped me to breathe normally, stay relaxed, and prevented my mind from racing into the future, considering the potential for a great round. I have to take some credit for playing well, but Fred did provide a very calming influence.

But then Fred switched to another foursome at the turn while we stopped briefly to eat a sack lunch. On the back nine, I'm not sure if it was Fred's absence, a change in the rhythm of the round from stopping to eat, or that I simply started "trying" to score, but I just kept getting bogies. My only par on the back was on the par 3 17th. After the round, I realized I'd barely looked up to appreciate where I was and who I was with during those last 2 hours. I have to wonder what the front nine might have been like without Fred's influence!


Pacific Dunes 13th by Joann Dost

However, I did experience more extraordinary play in subsequent rounds at Bandon and Pacific Dunes. But perhaps due to the back pain I started the trip with, I never put it together for an entire 18 holes. Nevertheless, that wasn't the point of the trip. I was there to for the extraordinary place, people, discovery and adventure - and I experienced all of it!

If you ever get the opportunity to attend an event or golf clinic with Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy, I highly recommend you do so. They are wonderful people whose commitment to empower golfers to step into the very heart and soul of the "gaeme", provides access to new possibilities in performance, enjoyment, and learning.

Thank you Fred, Jo, Steve, all who attended, and all the caddies and employees at Bandon, for a memorable an extraordinary golf vacation!

There's an excellent interview with Fred Shoemaker in the latest (4th) issue of The Journal of the Shivas Irons Society. You can learn more about the programs presented by Fred at www.extraordinarygolf.com.

"Use your time between shots to put the past in the past, create a future that is powerful and full of possibility, and live into that future." -- Fred Shoemaker

Labels: Bandon Dunes, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Shivas Irons Society

"It is here, on this remote stretch of the wildly stunning Oregon coast, where the finest golf courses in the whole world quietly await you." -- Golf Odyssey

Later this month, I head out for my first trip (of hopefully many) to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, joining Steve Cohen from the Shivas Irons Society and Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy from Extraordinary Golf, for a week-long gathering in celebration of the magic and mystery of the "gemme".


Pacific Dunes 11th by Joshua CF Smith

Fairways & Greens writes, "Without question, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is America's most wonderfully minimalist golf destination. It's still not easy to reach, but that doesn't deter thousands of pilgrims from seeking it out every month. They head out into the dunes with windbreakers and pull carts (or caddies, if they're smart). They bash it around Bandon's broad, bumpy fairways and Pacific's angular, more dramatically undulated layout with the ocean's growl and the breeze's brogue as their soundtrack."

To get in the spirit for this pilgrimage, I just read "Dream Golf - The Making of Bandon Dunes" by Stephen Goodwin. As soon as I began reading, I quickly learned that Mike Keiser really understands the golfer and what we're looking for in a golf experience. Bandon's success makes that obvious.

I was struck by Keiser's description of "what golf ought to be", made after visiting a variety of famous courses in preparation for creating Bandon Dunes. He observed that, "Somehow or other the architects of Pine Valley and Merion and National Golf Links had perfectly expressed the feeling that he had about what a round of golf ought to be, the feeling of expectation and adventure. They'd captured the flow and rhythm of the game, preserving a sequence of surprising, stirring holes, each one different from its predecessors but all of them forming a single, harmonious whole... In plain terms, these courses were the work of artists."

I certainly have those feelings of expectation and adventure about Bandon Dunes and I haven't even played there yet! Just looking at photos of Bandon Dunes and learning about its creation, there's no doubt these courses were the work of artists.

Goodwin describes them as "wild in a way that creates the ideal conditions for play, and beautiful in a way that speaks directly to the dreams of golfers." The place can be described, to quote the words Keiser wrote years earlier, as "nature perfected."


Bandon Dunes 16th by Joann Dost

Bandon Dunes opened in 1999. Designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd, the course is perched on a bluff high above the Pacific Ocean. The course unfolds along pristine native dunes where expansive ocean views are revealed on nearly every hole. The course is completely natural and routed through an environment of indigenous vegetation. Beyond breathtaking scenery lies the game of golf in its truest form. This is a thinker's course. Winds are ever-present, and the varying elements create a new experience each time you play. [Recommended Reading]


Pacific Dunes 14th by Joann Dost

Pacific Dunes, designed by Tom Doak, opened in 2001. It is remarkably different in character and shot making requirements. Pacific Dunes doesn't feel like it was built as much as it was discovered. Rippling fairways remain just as they were found and natural bunkers line the landscape as they have for centuries. The course emerges from shore pines to spectacular 60-foot sand dunes. When the wind blows, precise approach shots are a necessity. Pacific Dunes is short enough to give you hope, but rugged enough to test every facet of your game. [Recommended Reading]


Pacific Trails 18th by Joann Dost

When Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw began working in the sand to uncover our third course, they faced the challenge of following Bandon and Pacific Dunes. Opened in 2005, Bandon Trails begins atop a massive sand dune, quickly opens in to a sprawling meadow, works higher into the coastal forest, and finally returns to finish in the dunes. The course is enjoyable to walk and is a constant reminder of how the game was originally created among inland rolling dunes with dramatic ocean vistas. [Recommended Reading]

And Old Macdonald, Bandon's fourth course, begins construction this winter and is scheduled to open in July 2010! The Old Macdonald course, designed by Tom Doak on 400 acres northeast of his Pacific Dunes course, will be a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald, the favorite golf course architect of Bandon owner Mike Keiser. The course will draw inspiration from Old Mac's celebrated design elements, like Alps and Redan holes, and Biarritz greens. The site is all sand, including one huge, long sand dune and a bit of ocean-front property, though not the extensive ocean vistas of either the Bandon Dunes or Pacific Dunes courses.

"Bandon Dunes is taking its rightful place in the most mystical, sublime, and enchanting golfing annals from around the world." -- Andrew Penner

Labels: Bandon Dunes, Dream Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Shivas Irons Society, Stephen Goodwin

Ian Andrew, a Golf Course Architect residing in Ontario, Canada, just finished up a long exploration of design ideas, holes, strategic concepts, architects and architectural history at his blog about golf course architecture. The series ended with a countdown of his choices for the greatest architects of all time. Only two living architects make his list. I was particularly pleased with his top choice, Alister Mackenzie, the renowned designer of Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne, Augusta National, Pasatiempo, and remodelling work at Pebble Beach and St. Andrew's Old Course.


Alister MacKenzie's 15th at Cypress Point by rebjr

Alister MacKenzie was a doctor in Scotland before giving up his medical practice to become a golf course architect. The monumental change in direction came about when he suggested to the old men hanging around his office, "why don't you go out and play some golf." And although they had been complaining about an endless number of ailments, once they started playing golf, they never came back. With that, Dr. MacKenzie figured he could do more for the world by designing golf courses than by being a doctor.

Ian Andrew shares that, "MacKenzie could do it all. His work has so much variety from the strategies to the artistry that he almost defies description as an architect. His routings featured holes that very few would dare try, he almost seemed to revel in the oddest bits of land and there possibilities for holes. Every part of his designs pushed the envelope from the wildly contoured greens through to spectacular bold bunkering that framed his strategies. MacKenzie loved to present multiple options from hole routes to approach styles, leaving the player often to choose where they cam in from and what style of approach to hit. He generally presented the player with choices but occasionally pushed the player to hit one great dramatic shot too. Only a handful of architects have been able to create bunkers that blur the line between strategy and art and the greatest of all was Alister MacKenzie. He was able to combine artistic flair, with scale, a little intimidation, a tremendous amount of strategy and the greatest blending of grades around bunkers any architect has ever done to build the best bunkers the game has ever seen."


Alister MacKenzie's 2nd at Pasatiempo by rebjr

Although it's only a dream of mine to someday play Cypress Point Club or Augusta National Golf Club, I do have plans to play Pasatiempo Golf Club next month with the Shivas Irons Society!

After being inspired by Ian Andrew to play a Mackenzie course and by Hilton Tudhope to play more courses this summer and play golf in a place where there are like minds, I decided to sign up for the Pasatiempo event. And amazingly, Pasatiempo was Mackenzie's favorite layout and where he made his American home, which still borders the sixth fairway.

I can't wait to play my first course in the Monterey Bay area!

Labels: Alister Mackenzie, Courses, Ian Andrew, Pasatiempo, Shivas Irons Society

After posting an entry recently about a recent breakthrough and sharing some thoughts on how I picked up the game rather quickly, I discovered a better explanation for my improvement, and found out I have plenty more to learn. This morning, I found my way back over to the The Shivas Irons Society website and ran across a new article by Luke Brosterhaus about ability, effort, and luck. While reading Luke's insights, I realized what an important role a deep belief in my ability and dedicated effort to improve that ability continues to play in my learning experience.


Golf by dskciado at flickr

According to Luke, "you'll really struggle to improve if you do not believe in your ability."

I've always thought that anyone who plays golf can develop the ability to play well, and that our ability to play well has more to do with belief than natural talent. We all know we have the ability to hit a straight drive, hit a green from 150 yards out, pitch or chip close to the pin, or make a short or long putt. We've all done it before, so we know we have the ability. We just have to believe we can do it again, especially over the very next shot we're about to take.

It seems that all my bad shots are a direct result of either a lack of belief in my ability to make the shot (often from a bunker) or a decision to make a shot that I truly don't have the strength or skill to make (perhaps a shot over one branch and under another). All my extraordinary shots were born from a deep belief in my ability to create the shot beforehand.

My steady improvement has been a result of first identifying when a lack of ability exists (golf makes that easy), and then making the required effort to practice those shots until the ability is developed sufficiently. Once I've gained the ability, my success depends on believing in that ability on every shot. That doesn't mean I succeed every time, but the simple fact that I believe I can make a shot increases the odds I will. Letting go and trusting in our ability is surely a better alternative than letting doubt and fear creep in, which are certain to interfere with that ability.

As my abilities and game have developed, I've continued to expose myself to new shots and new situations in order to identify new weaknesses and inability. This has required that I get out of my comfort zone and play new types of courses, play with strangers, play competitively, play from different tee boxes, and take some risk and try new shots.

So, after experiencing a string of great rounds over the past few weeks at familiar courses, I got the opportunity to play out of my comfort zone last weekend in two unique rounds, and discovered I have several new inabilities that need my effort.

Last Saturday, I had the enjoyable experience of attending my first event hosted by The Shivas Irons Society. I signed up to play in a golf and wine tasting event at The Alisal Ranch Course in Solvang, CA. In addition to meeting some very interesting new people, I was introduced to an "old style" golf course - the tee boxes were even right next to the prior greens. I'm used to playing a course with very fast greens, ample fairways, and modest number of bunkers. The Ranch Course quickly taught me that I need to develop my ability to get up and down from bunkers, lag putt on slow greens, and tighten up my drives to avoid shots from behind trees. This new experience quickly ended my streak of rounds in the mid-70's, but succeeded in helping me find new opportunities for growth.

Even though I shot a round in the low 80's, I did make several impressive shots. I had one of my best rounds with my lob wedge. On several occasions, I had the opportunity to open the face way up and take a full swing from short yardage to get to a pin protected by bunkers and mounds. These shots required my full trust, which I mustered on each occasion. Unfortunately, I rarely made the following putt to save par. Two other shots I enjoyed included a sand wedge from a downhill lie next to the back lip in a bunker (followed my a missed putt), and a 3-wood that landed a green from 250 yards out in the fairway (followed by a 3-putt). After what seemed like a very long string of bogies, I finally came up with one birdie during the round.

The following day, I played in a tournament with my Men's Club from the back tees (72.9/134). Having only played from the back tees a few times and never in the past nine months, this was practically a new experience too. The back tees really add difficulty to the par 3's and many par 4's, requiring short-iron-like accuracy from your long irons. I quickly learned from this round that I need to practice my distance control and accuracy with my long irons. I did however beat my prior best round from the back tees by 1 stroke, shooting an 80 with one OB and 1 missed 2 foot putt. The round turned out to be the third best score for the day and I took second place net.

In both rounds, I faced new shots that I rarely experience in my normal rounds. In each of these cases, I lacked belief in my ability to make them. Poor results followed. What I learned was that I need to play a variety of courses on a more frequent basis instead of getting too comfortable at my home course(s).

Believe in your ability to play extraordinary golf.

Labels: Ability, Alisal Ranch, Rounds, Shivas Irons Society

In response to Golf Digest's recent contest question to readers, where do you want to play golf this summer?, Hilton Tudhope at The Shivas Irons Society created a summer contest of his own. He challenges his readers to describe the state of being (and doing) they'd like to explore in golf this summer, whether it's Nebraska or Nirvana. He will publish the interesting, the insightful and the downright crazy entries by the end of August. You can email your thoughts, of 200 words or less, to hilton [at] shivas.org.


Summer ballooning over Fairbanks Ranch Country Club by ms4jah

Hilton Tudhope is the author of A Golfer's Journal at The Shivas Irons Society. In his latest article, he shares the artful state of being he wants to be in this summer when he plays golf.

I want to play golf in a state of mind where I can feel the wind on my cheek, hear the birds overhead and remember my partners' names.

I want to play where the course forces me to stretch - my legs, my skills, my imagination - so that golf and learning walk the same fairway.

I want to play where the vision of the architect isn't compromised. I want to play without cartpaths and rooflines in my eyes.

I want to play golf where spin rates and launch angles have no importance. I want to play a game in which to hit it farther I see farther.

I want to play where I can have a match against my biggest fears - a respectful match with worthy adversaries, not a grudge game with my own ego.

I want to play golf in a place where there are like minds. With friends, old and newly met, who value the quality of the adventure more than the sum of the shots.

I want to play golf where I can just play, and have that be game enough.

Labels: Goals, Hilton Tudhope, Shivas Irons Society

"You’ll come away from the links with a new hold on life, that is certain if ye play the game with all yer heart." -- Shivas Irons

I'm currently rereading Golf in the Kingdom by Micheal Murphy. I'm drawn to its unique insight into the game of golf and the spirit with which it can be played. Shivas’ reminder that "your handicap is not an exact mirror of your soul, it is your relation to your score that really counts," reminds us that the game can be about self-discovery instead of just about performance.


Surreal by insight32 at flickr.com

Golf is played at many levels and for many reasons, but as Murphy shares, "Golf is first a game of seeing and feeling. It can teach you stillness of mind and a sensitivity to the textures of wind and green. Golf is also a game to teach you about the messages from within, about the subtle voices of the body-mind. And once you understand them you can more clearly see the ways in which your approach to the game reflects your entire life."

That's what golf offers at its deepest level, that opportunity to discover more of who we are and to evolve towards who we can be. Instead of playing golf as a simple pursuit of recreation or competition, golf can inspire us toward inner growth. For, as Flower A. Newhouse shares, "evolution is working on us, chiseling and refining us, bringing all its tools of experience to bear on us." And golf is one of evolution's tools!

After rereading this novel, I discovered the Shivas Irons Society, which was formed fifteen years ago in response to the popularity of the book and the outpouring of letters from readers. This non-profit society is dedicated to furthering the game of golf as a mindful pursuit and as a tool for personal growth and transformation. Having a similar philosophy, I decided to become a member. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the 1000+ members who share a common love for the game and a respect for golf's deeper dimensions.

I've also been inspired to reevaluate my goals. Instead of focusing solely on shooting lower scores and lowering my handicap, I'll place more attention on raising my awareness and developing my character. It doesn't hurt that the self discoveries and transformations that I've already made have also improved my game! Approaching the game with a humble spirit has helped me the most in making such swift progress. The challenge now is to stay the course and not become focused on those results, but continue on the path of self-conquest that enabled those results.

Labels: About, Books, Flower A. Newhouse, Golf in the Kingdom, Michael Murphy, Shivas Irons Society