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About this blog

Ben Hogan was known for telling those who asked him about the secrets of his swing that he "dug the answers out of the dirt".  Having taken up the game four years ago at 46, I've been doing a lot of digging but haven't come close to finding all the answers. 

This blog is about digging in the dirt and the journey to become a single digit handicapper.

Entries in this blog

You Can't Buy a Lower Score

I was glad to have moved on from Dons craziness but my swing was still a mess.  My wedges and short irons weren't horrible but I struggled with distance on clubs longer than a 7i.  The season was close to over so I had stopped playing golf and was spending most of my time reading golf books and watching golf swing videos when I wasn't on the golf range trying to apply what I'd seen and read.   I was also reading a lot of golf magazines and websites about new equipment.  I read about how m
newtogolf

newtogolf

21

The Power Triangle, Rectangle, Cube???

Dr. Don told me to warm up while he finished up some research.  I watched him hit some shots then write some notes down into his notebook, mumbling to himself the entire time.  When he walked over to begin the lesson he was visibly excited to share a break through he'd just come up with that would revolutionize the golf swing, "The Power Triangle".  He said he was going to teach it to me because of my athleticism I'd be able to take advantage of it immediately. He
newtogolf

newtogolf

9

An Apple A Day

I had wasted an entire golf season taking lessons from Bill and was pretty discouraged overall with the progress I was making.  I spent the winter reading books such as Hogan's Five Lessons, The Stack and Tilt Swing, The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever need and a bunch of others plus all the golf magazines.  If you want to drive someone crazy, set them loose on Amazon Book store and tell them to read a bunch of golf books and magazines.  Every author had a conflicting approach from the other
newtogolf

newtogolf

5

Unrealistic Expectations

The scramble turned out to be disappointing.  When it came down to it, I couldn't hit the ball cleanly.  There was an obvious difference between hitting off of mats like I had during practice and hitting off of grass.  Most of my shots were fat but unlike on a mat where the club just bounces and hits the ball I was taking up clumps of sod and dirt before making contact with the ball.  I had a lot of practice at fixing divots that day.  With the exception of a few good shots I didn't do mu
newtogolf

newtogolf

8

It's For a Good Cause

I had six weeks to learn how to play golf well enough to not embarrass myself in front of family and friends.  I know it's sounds stupid because it's golf but I think we all forget how uncomfortable and awkward those first few rounds on a golf course feel, especially if we're not prepared. I did a search on the internet for golf forums and found The Sand Trap.  I stalked it for a few days and then decided to register.  At the time, the site was pretty heavy into S
newtogolf

newtogolf

0

Golf's Not For Me

When we got back from Myrtle Beach, I dropped my clubs and shoes in the corner of the garage and never looked back.  It was a frustrating experience, I'd never struggled so much in learning how to play a sport.  It was incomprehensible how it could be so difficult to hit a stationary ball off a tee with a golf club.  My wife asked how the trip was and I told her, "I had a great time but golf's not for me".  I explained how encouraging and patient the guys were but I just couldn't get the
newtogolf

newtogolf

4

South Of The Border

We loaded up our clubs and luggage into 4 vehicles after dinner and headed south for Myrtle Beach.  The ride from Northern Virginia was going to take about 6 hours and we were all pumped to be heading towards what my buddies called Las Vegas East.  They called Myrtle Beach Las Vegas East because like Vegas, what happened in Myrtle Beach would stay in Myrtle Beach. They spent the majority of the ride down talking about golf with a good chunk of time dedicated to the guys making fun of my Knight
newtogolf

newtogolf

9

Golf Is For Old People

Golf is for old people...at least that's what I thought when I was in my 20's and 30's.  I'd see these old fat guys playing golf on television and it looked so boring, I'd rather watch grass grow.  When friends or family would ask me to join them on the course I'd scoff that my walker hadn't been delivered yet or make some other snarky comment related to golf being for the old and decrepit. In my defense, that's how I remember golf being portrayed in those days.  The professionals all seemed ol
newtogolf

newtogolf

6


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  • Blogs

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    • saevel25
      Moving Up

      By saevel25 · Posted

      Big thumbs up @bkuehn1952.  I think this is a key for the enjoyment of the game.  Average leave after a tee shot on the PGA tour is 171 yards. Which would probably be an 8 or 7 iron. That includes par 5's. So, on Par 4's they are probably having 8 iron or less on average. If every shot into a par 4 is a hybrid or long iron, move up. If PGA Tour get to have mid and short irons as approach shots, we as amateurs don't need to make the game tougher for ourselves. 🤣 I have found that I
    • dennyjones
      Moving Up

      By dennyjones · Posted

      I think it is great to see others move forward.   My group has been playing tees around 5800 since my surgery, and it likes that distance.     My takeaway from this:  Be thankful you're healthy enough to swing a club.   I think it's great that there is an option to play golf from shorter distances  
    • iacas
      Moving Up

      By iacas · Posted

      I've always been a big fan of "play the tees you want to play." Golf is supposed to be about fun for most people. @Hardspoon regularly plays up a set of tees or two on most trips and courses; good! That's what should happen. John won't take that as a shot at him, and I've not intended it as one.
    • Philip Belgium
      Reflections on Golf and Life After ECU Injury - Part 14

      By Philip Belgium · Posted

      Hi, thanks for the 14 updates. I’ll post my situation….   Begging June 2025, warming up for club comp and 5th shot in, felt a crack at ball impact kept trying to play, no good no broken bones in right wrist Eco showed nothing either during June I could not pour a kettle of use power drill etc..something not right at all. Tendon would pop/flip out.. End June had MRI, wrist surgeon spotted issue straight away, the sheath holding the ECU tendon in was torn.. due t
    • DaveP043
      Shooting Your Age

      By DaveP043 · Posted

      Interesting thought.  Today I shot 77, I passed 69 when I got to 17 green.  A few weeks ago I shot 74 from the senior tees, made it through 17 complete before getting to my age.
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