Gus: Part 1

– The definition of insanity (the state of being seriously mentally ill; i.e.  madness) is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

It has been some time since I have shared the status of my golf game, which truth be told, has been in shambles for years.

A high percentage of my time revolves around my love for the game of golf. I work on a golf course some fifteen-twenty hours a week, I write about golf, I talk to my friends about golf, my side-hustle is golf related and we avidly watch golf on television. I also play golf, occasionally!

We moved to Pinehurst, NC (the “Cradle” of American Golf) four years ago. I have played approximately thirty-five rounds of golf in roughly 1,460 days (2.397% of days) in my new hometown because I have simply been too embarrassed to expose my significant deficiencies as well as my more than fragile ego. I remember thinking, during my working days, that I would play three-four times a week in retirement. That hasn’t quite panned out!

My deficiencies have caused me to spend a minimum of three days a week on the driving range (a.k.a. range hound) in an attempt to sort things out. I cannot count the number of times I have come home from the range declaring that I have found the elixir; only to be sadly disappointed the very next day.

If this isn’t the definition of insanity, I don’t know what is!

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent!”  -Ray Yanchus (Boys Basketball Coach, Jonathan Dayton Regional H.S., Springfield, NJ)

I typically practice around 9:30 in the morning at Pinehurst #8. At 9:30, the driving range is empty as #8 deploys split tee times, which means all of the morning players are out on the golf course. I typically gravitate to the far-left stall on the range, preferring to have my front facing everyone’s back rather than everyone’s front facing my back. An even more challenging situation is when I practice/play with the sun directly in my rearview mirror, exposing my convoluted backswing in my shadow while I attempt to execute a shot. Talk about disconcerting!

Through the years I have periodically taken lessons where the instructor has me in reasonably good shape with minor modifications in short order however, it has always been a temporary fix, lasting no more than a week. I truly believe muscle memory is a thing and this tendency to revert to my old ways has nothing to do with the quality of instruction.

I routinely participate in two significant golf events each year. An invitation to my brother’s Three-Day Member-Guest in Florida and an invitation to my best golfing buddy’s Three-Day Member-Guest in Pennsylvania. The events are anxiety riddled as I routinely fail to meet my marginalized expectations, not to mention my brother’s/best golfing buddy’s marginalized expectations.

This year, a month prior to the Pennsylvania event, I made a decision to finally seek sustained professional guidance. I know what you are thinking, and no, this is not about my mental health, this is about the health of my golf game. I can only deal with one disfunction at a time. I chose a somewhat easier fix!

I have heard resounding testimonials about a local PGA Professional (Gus) who happens to be the husband of the Bar Manager (Annie) at the historic Pine Crest Inn in Pinehurst. Gus is regarded as one of the most respected players and teachers in the Carolina’s PGA Section.

Side note:  There are few bartenders in my experience that can seamlessly handle a packed bar as comfortably and as cheerfully as Annie.

One afternoon at the start of Annie’s shift, I dropped by to have a chat and to secure Gus’s phone number. 

“Gus (Part Two)” will follow next Sunday. I don’t want get to far ahead of myself, however, I believe I can comfortably say that there has been somewhat of a development!

Thank you for following Bad Golf Guy. The back nine can only get better!