Coaching golf fills the void

Visit the Hoop Hound site on Zazzle to purchase both Hoop and golf wear and merchandise. Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas.

http://www.zazzle.com/Hoophound

No Thanks, but a lot of Appreciation.

This Thanksgiving I thought about my luvv affair with Golf and all that I had to be appreciative about.  It came out as a list so here it goes.

Very appreciative of finding the game in 1991, prior to my son Pharoah being born

Appreciative of discovering Bobbie Riggs the golf pro at Westchester golf course that took me through my first year of learning the game. It’s funny after 18 years how things that she was trying to teach me then, I now understand.

My wife Gail, wow, what can I say. From the beginning she has encouraged me to pursue the addiction and along with the Spirit and the All, been my greatest backer. She is absolutely a great companion to have in this life.

My son Pharoah. Amazing kid, with an Amazing name. I know one day we’ll spend more time on the golf course (game is too slow for him right now), but he’s always embraced the game with me and encouraged me to play it.

I met my best buddy Dave on a golf course in 1992 and then the following week, we were paired together again. We’ve been playing golf with each other ever since. I like to say he’s an acquired taste.  His heart full of luvv.

Sharon McKenzie, the sexy one. I remember taking her to the range in her sexy short skirts and having all the guys ask me who she was.  I still owe her golf lessons.

Mary Suz. wow how am I surrounded by all these amazing women. Mary Suz and I have a connection that belies the flesh. It’s deep in the soul. She was the driving force behind the original On The Green Comic book.

Eric Graves, he was the adventurer who said  “I will”, when I was looking for an artist to draw my first comic book, “On The Green “. His willingness to learn and discover will stay with me always.

Gus at the Grill, at Penmar, make the best food and is has a funny attitude about everything. He is always right.ha.ha.

Big Game James, my brother has that name because he at least talks be game, for a guy who only play Tiger golf on the 360, but he keeps me laughing (which is very good), and on occasion can hit a 250 yard drive on the range

My buddy Tony. Who constantly invites me to special golf events, on great courses and to his private club from time to time. I feel that I have a membership

Brian Benedict, who is Superintendent at a very find course in New York. I was able to play the course for my birthday because of him.

Joe Benedict, just a great companion and soul mate.

To John, my business partner with Hoop Masters. He doesn’t always understand me, nor I him, but we hang in there with each other.

To Nora who several years ago, when I had no money and was a little down, gave me $1000 to just golf. I’ve never forgotten that.

To MP, who is the first comedian who warms up his own jokes. What a spirit.

To Lori, Rain, or Brooke, whatever name she decides to hold on to for introducing me to Lou

To Lou who brought color and life to www.onthegreencomic.com. He is a very talented guy who I know will continue to grow as an artist and a person.

To Henry who has encouraged me, prodded me, kick my butt, and who is an explorer of life and learning.

I appreciate all I’ve mentioned and haven’t mentioned. The journey of golf has also been a journey of life. Be Happy Today And Everyday.

Happy Gilmore taking a swing at life

I texted several people today who weren’t on FB, or my email, or who I don’t see. I was about to stop and I heard to do one more group text. So I did. While most of my responses where the traditional,  thanks, you too, love to your family. There was one that defined why I was directed to do the text thing. A friend from High School was in need of some cheer. She was very happy to get my message and told me a lot about some of the things she has been going through. She fell down a flight of stairs and broke her heel and ankle and tor ligaments in her other leg. Was in an abusive relationship for 12 years and just not a very happy life to date.

She has no family, her mom, passed away a few years ago. So my “Be Happy this Thanksgiving”, message provided her with a little joy. Glad I listened. You never know why one is directed to do something. I was happy to have at least for a moment to have been the vehicle of a little Happiness in her life today.

Be Happy This Thanksgiving and Every Day.

Getting back into golf has rekindled a spirit of learning and desire in me that has been on a bit of hiatus. Today I played in the local skins game at the 9-hole course, Penmar, by my house. Last week was my first week playing in the game and my skill level was about as close to being ready to play as someone waiting for the sun to rise in the west. I realized that the first thing I needed to do was to start having fun again and just go out and play. Once I started doing that, then I needed to work on the skills so that I could play the way I wanted to play, and strike the ball with better precision. After todays round, I realized that the next cobweb I needed to shake loose was my ability to compete. I haven’t competed in so long, that the residue of staleness was evident in my competitive self. I had 6 pars and 3 bogies. I realized that the 6 pars I had were a waste. I was holding, back, not going for it, and in a skins game you need birdies. I would have been better running my putts 3-4 feet pass the hole, instead of lagging as many putts as I did for Par, but again, rust in still in my game.

I thought about the Movie Tin cup and how Roy, on the final hole of the fictional US Open, insisted upon not laying up, event though it could cost him the open championship. As a golfer, when I first saw this movie in the theatre, I was disgusted at the ending. I said to my wife Gail, that no one would do that in real golf. Exactly, in real golf, no one would. Right now, real is a “real downer”. Let’s see what’s really real. . The economy is really been hit hard. The Jobless market is almost at double digits in most states and people are having a hard time really paying bills, putting food on the table, etc. The real American Dream no longer exists. If you think it’s like television show that goes on hiatus for the summer and returns in the fall, wake up; there is no more American Dream. There is the Fantasy.

There is no better time to tap into the fantasy than there is right now. Hell, what do you have to lose, your credit rating. I had a golfing buddy that has a 820 credit score, and the bank rescinded his line of credit, because they determined that he was in an at risk business-construction. It’s a time to not be real. This period in our lives calls to reach for something with a little bit more substance–fantasy. Many of the ideas and products that have been produced in our world have come out of fantasy. Fantasy is having an idea, putting vision to that idea and then going to work to produce the idea. Dreams are without vision and purpose. Fantasy allows one to tape into vision and purpose. By the Wright brothers tapping into fantasy, we can now go from coast to coast in 6 hours. If you saw the movie Tin Cup, what first comes to your mind, Renee Russo, Kevin Costner or the finals scene?

In the PGA tournament final round on Sunday, Y.E. Yang, dared to live out his fantasy and refused to listen to all the media, fans and even me, who said he didn’t have a chance against Tiger. By doing so, he won the PGA championship and denied Tiger of winning a Major this year. Did Y.E. Yang tap into something that Tiger has always known? If you want to beat a Tiger, you better not be laying up and learn to go for it, and definitely, don’t think in real terms, because the world that Tiger lives in is full of fantasy.

Being Happy

In today’s climate of uncertainty, fear and doubt, it’s sometime difficult to just be happy. Being happy is not a feel good theory that only works when things are going well for you or there are no real issues. Learning to be Happy in the middle of a storm requires a great deal of understanding and purpose. Many people on the golf course are only happy when they are playing well, out driving the next person or getting pars. While I always want to do all of those things, there are other factors that I look for when I am playing. The main thing I look at me. What am I going through at the moment? If I am worrying about issues in my life, these issues invariably creep into my game.

The movie Happy Gilmore is deal with being Happy. Here is a guy, who wants to be a professional hockey player, but really is not that good at it, but he keeps trying and trying and eventually he gets pulled into golf. He fights it, but eventually becomes good at golf. He goes through some ups and downs and has to learn how to find his Happy Place.

Where is your Happy Place? Lately I’ve been searching for mine, and for the moment, I found it on the Westchester Driving ranges last night. My game, as I has mentioned in a previous post, has been more than sub-par, even on the driving range. Last night I was actually able to apply Practice transference (read more about this in September’s issue of Golf) and was able to free up my mind and just swing freely without worrying about where the club was, if my body was moving in the right directions, and a myriad of other issues. I left the range happy and felt more connected to my swing that I had in the past two weeks.

Being Happy on and off the course is a focus that I have and I sometimes forget. It is especially difficult for me as I try and chart out a new life course where there is no tee-guide or real direction of where I am going for the moment. I now realize that being Happy is my main focus for the moment.

Wishing on a Star

Who says that wishes can’t come true, especially birthday wishes, that have a strong desire attached to it. Today I got to golf at a local country club in Los Angeles and I was allowed to bring 2 guests with me. I kept hearing to invite my friend DeWayne, and yesterday afternoon I called him and invited him. When I got to the course today I found out that today was his 50th birthday and that a few weeks earlier he had told his wife Robin that what he wanted to do for his birthday was play golf, and specifically, play golf on the course I eventually invited him to play on. When Dewayne told me the story, I was lifted by it, beyond anything I had heard in a while. I had no idea that today was his birthday and that playing at the course we were on today was his wish.

I personally played like crap today. I had two very good shot, a 150-yard, hooking around a tree draw to the green, with my seven-iron and 160-yard fade around a tree to the green, with my 6 iron, but other than those shot it was pretty ho hum. DeWayne on the other hand had a good round for him and I was just so happy that on some level his desire reached my ears and heart and allowed us all to have a happy 50th birthday.

Desire has a strong pull. I’ve learned that over the years and I during this recessionary period, where pulling back is in vogue, I sometimes forget how powerful desire is. With Desire you can pull in many things if we really connect to that part of us that knows how to express our driving passion on a daily basis.

Golf is such a powerful game. Who cared what I scored? Today I shot P.A.R (Personal Achievement Record) in listening. I was able get a very vivid demonstration of what a powerful wish, connected with desire can do for you.

Happy Birthday to All of Us.