Tips and Thoughts on Golf

Over the past year I've played more golf than I ever have before.

A few things contributed to this: Visiting my wife's grandma often down in Florida where she lives in a retirement community which main attraction is it's 3 golf courses, and having clubs to play with which were provided by her grandpa (RIP Lee) and then when I returned home my dad provided me his old set.

And since my dad loves golf so much, and just lived through his first day of retirement, I figure now would be the time to really start working on my game.

Believe me, I wish I had started earlier.

I'm not a very good golfer. At times, I can be downright terrible. But in comparison to everyone - those that play golf and those that have only played once or twice...or never, I consider myself to be above average.

Currently, I am shooting roughly an average of 108 per round of 18. That's about 36 shots over par, or basically double bogeying every hole (2 shots over par).

But, I am working on it. I haven't really seen any growth in my game, but I think I've learned a few things from getting out there that might be helpful to those that aren't so experienced.

Tips

-Be comfortable. Golf, or so I've heard - is relaxing. So in everything you do, especially in regards to your swing, should be comfortable. It shouldn't hurt. Find what feels good for you and work from there.

-Physics. Remember that class you took in High School? That's all golf is really. If you hit the ball with the bottom of your club you'll hit a grounder. Get under it and you'll send it skywards. Turn the club head in or out will send the ball that direction at impact. Think about how your club head is hitting the ball every time you swing and understanding that little amount of physics, adjust.

-Learn how to hit it straight consistently. I still haven't figured out how to do this. But once I figure out how to do this, I'll be able to aim my shots much better. As soon as you know how to hit it straight you can adjust your footing, your body alignment and make the ball go a little left or a little right dependent upon what you want. Power is nothing without control.

-Practice. Hit the driving range with one club and learn it inside and out. Learn your distances. When you're 130 yards out from the hole which club should you be using? With practice at a driving range where it lists the yardages you can learn which club to use. Practice enough that it becomes muscle memory when you hit with your pitching wedge from 75 yards out.

-Constantly be making adjustments. No 1 shot is ever the same. The grass is always growing, changing, drying or dampening. There is always a different slope or hazard in play. Your shots may have been tailing left for a few holes. How can you adjust your swing to straighten it out? Your putts have come up short when putting uphill. How will you approach a downhill putt? Always be thinking about how the way you're playing is currently being received by your ball and the course. Because that's the only thing you can change about the game.

-I heard this on a commercial during the US Open, but it is perfect: Every stroke counts the same on a scorecard. Whether it's a 300 yard drive off the tee, or a missed 3 foot par putt. It doesn't matter. Take advantage when you get the chance. Take your time, really assess where you are and make the most out of every stroke.

-No hole is ever over until your ball is in the cup. Don't give up - a few bad shots should make for a good save. Don't let your emotions get to you if you make a mistake; play the ball as it lies and make the best of you've got.

Thoughts

I used to be in the camp that thought that golf was boring. In fact, to this day I still turn it on TV to help me fall asleep if I want to take a midday nap. But lately I realized what getting out and playing really means to me - and probably a lot of other people.

Golf gives you the chance to get out and really enjoy the outdoors. Most of the courses out there have great views, if it only be of the course and the holes themselves. But if you think about the amount of effort that went in to making your fairways short and playable and the different types of grass and lengths of the rough, fringe and green, it's really quite amazing the type of "field" you get to play on as a golfer.

This evening I watched the sun set over a pond of the 18th hole of the Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course. That alone was almost worth the price of admission.

Respect. There's a lot of respect that goes in to playing golf. Respect for yourself by acting responsibly on the course and dressing appropriately. Respect for the people you're playing with and the other golfers playing around you. Respect for the course by following cart path rules and replacing divots. It's rare to see that much class out on the street at any time - but you can find it at most courses and it's very refreshing.

Quality time. There's no reason to rush on a golf course. Tonight our round lasted almost 4 hours. Which is about normal for me. But even if it went long and went 5 or 6 hours, as long as I had daylight I'd be happy.

Going out and golfing with your friends and family is about face time. These days where I talk to my friends more via email and text message, it's nice to have friendly competition but at the same time tons of face time. You may look at a wait on each tee of the hole as a bit of annoyance, but don't. Spend some time catching up with your buddies. You're in a relaxing environment to do so and all of you should have set the time aside to enjoy the round so there's no need to rush.

Golf gives you the ability to do something that other more strenuous sports might not offer - and that's the ability breathe deep, relax and try to have some fun.

See you out on the links.

Always come in 3s

Is what I've been told about "bad things".

And since I'm a gambling man, I believe in these types of things.

I am superstitious. Because even the scientific haters can't hate on hot streaks. Sure, they can try their best to explain away, and yes there may even be scientific reasons as to why at certain times we perform the way we do - but this isn't a superstitious post...

It's about the bad news I received tonight in regards to our rental property.

We thought everything was going great.

Hardly a peep almost 9 months through a year long lease.

We were excited, thinking we finally had a set of renters that would renew their lease past a full year. They were taking great care of the place, they weren't complaining about anything, they liked us, and most importantly they paid on time.

And then we got the email, informing us in no short order that they weren't sure they could continue making the payments throughout the rest of the lease.

But they also were requesting that they not be evicted. So I'm not sure how this is going to work out. Already we are going to be scrambling again for new renters for the condo. And we always prefer someone we know. Sure, for 9 months these random tenants we found on craigslist worked great. In fact, if they wanted to vacate at the end of the lease I would've said they were the best renters we've ever had.

But I don't know if they can make it.

So chalk that up as "bad thing" #2. #1 being my unemployment that comes in a little over 30 working days.

Before I wrote this post I was trying to think of what #3 would be. Would it be my trip to Vegas where in the 5 large tournaments I played in, 4 of them I got all of my chips in as a 90% favorite and lost each time? Out of a 52 card deck in 4/5 tournaments the person I was up against caught 1 of 3 cards (or less) and was able to beat me. Talk about running bad.

I'm hoping that's #3 because I'm not sure if I could handle something worse than not being able to cover the mortgage on our rental property. Because yes, with my normal working income we could cover our rental property. We wouldn't be saving much, but we could cover it. But once I start receiving that unemployment income we won't be saving at all, and will be coming up hundreds of dollars short every month. Which means one thing - drawing from the savings/retirement accounts. One thing I hadn't planned on, even during unemployment (assuming I do go on unemployment).

*sigh*

So we've got a month and a half to figure out our rental situation now.

This isn't how it's supposed to work. I'm not supposed to keep moving backwards and getting kicked on the way down...

Lacking Options

I promised I'd stay up to date in regards to the lay off.

It's still coming.

It hasn't been prevented.

As much as I wanted to write a letter to the CEO on how it doesn't make financial sense to lay us off, pay us severance, hire and train completely new people in the same position but in a different area of the country - I didn't.

It's just too late now. And from what I understand they've already made the selections or are in the process of hiring my replacements.

Sick.

So, I've half assed the application and interview process. And the reason being is because I haven't found a job in my "sweet spot". I haven't found something that 1) Has a good commute 2) Pays me a similar amount as to what I am earning now (or a little less) 3) Gives me a solid work life balance (meaning not working over 50 hours a week) and getting off before the sun goes down every night.

And the other reason why I haven't put my full effort in to it is the high likelihood that we'll be relocating down to Charleston during the 2nd half of this summer.

It's hard to take anything seriously when you know that in a couple months you'll probably be leaving anyway.

But the tough part is - if we do end up going to Charleston (which looks like it's 80%+ going to happen) I don't know if I'll have a job down there.

South Carolina was ranked 3rd or 2nd highest in unemployment. That doesn't bode well for an Pacific Islander from out of state. When we lived down there I'm pretty sure I counted 4 other Asian people that I saw. And I am also pretty sure that at least half of them were tourists.

It's not that I have an offer up here. Yes, I have had a few interviews. And now I'm just in the process of waiting. But anything I do get an offer on - if I do get one - I already feel luke warm about. They're jobs that I can't even feel good about - jobs that I'd only be working to pay the bills.

But that's what people like me do when we have bills. We find something that will pay them. And I can always find a way to focus on the good parts of my job too.

So that's it. That's where I stand right now. I almost don't want to get any offers on positions up here because I don't want to make the decision any tougher. Either way I know I'll be back to Seattle sometime in 2010 if we do go to Charleston, however whether or not I'll have a job is another story.

The ideal situation would be if I could find a job with the wife's company down in Charleston and when we get placed back here I could continue working for that company. However, I've also thought of the possibility of finding something up here before we leave and being able to work from here while she works in Charleston. Yes, it's not ideal but it shouldn't be longer than a year and I can take a trip every few weeks to visit her.

Everything is a bit of a mess right now. If I get to thinking about it too much it becomes a bit of a drag, especially knowing that the economy is hurting too and a lot of other people out there in much worse situations than mine are going through the same thing.

I'm sure I'll have an update for everyone over these next 6 and a half working weeks. Yes, that is the amount of time before my lay off day - July 31st. It seems like just 2 weeks ago I received the announcement. Time flies even when I'm not having that much fun.

Rando Post June 2009

Here are my random thoughts for June.

Or at least the first 9 days of it.

For this time around, every thought will start with, "I believe..."

-In the power of prayer. And if not prayer, then at the least a positive mental attitude. The power of self talk and that voice inside your head that won't let you give up.

-That people who take pain killers for your standard every day body aches or headaches are more likely to feel pain than those that just accept those every day pains and allow the body to fight them on their own.

-That we aren't supposed to live to or past the point where we can no longer support or control ourselves.

-That calendars and time were originally created as a way to organize people. And that we are driven like slaves by them now. I believe in my body's natural clock but am forced to live in a world which is run by an unnatural clock.

-That my dreams are trying to tell me something. And that if I wake up in the middle of the dream and I continue thinking about the dream and can fall back asleep my dream continues at the point at which I left off.

-That our ex-boyfriends and girlfriends think about us as often as we think about them.

-That our lives are run too much by fear, greed and guilt. And we need more confidence, generosity and forgiveness.

-That one of our greatest strengths as human beings is the ability to adapt.

-That the media has grown ever larger, while real conversation has grown ever smaller. At first I think the media (TV, Movies, Music, Internet) served as a bit of a distraction from our every day lives. Now we can't live without them and avoid interaction by using them as outlets.

-That every overweight person has another smaller, healthier person inside of them waiting to get out.

-That there are truly beautiful women out there. Women who don't need anything artificial but still look stunning.

-That more efficiency means less jobs. And in a world where almost everything we need is provided and everything we could want is automated how will we differentiate ourselves? I believe that individualism is beginning to be a tough sell.

-That working for my food - planting and growing fruits and vegetables, hunting, fishing and farming - instead of working to pay for my food seems like a much more rewarding lifestyle.

-That a few drinks every so often is healthier for me than not drinking at all.

I think this list had "too large" of beliefs on it. I think my next "I believe" post will have smaller ones on it.