The Uncle Dennis Rule

Cape Fear National is a beautiful course offering challenging greens and tees for every level of golfer. The greens have subtle slopes that break more than you think they will, and tiered-greens which can make 2-putting very difficult at times. Waste bunkers that run the length of the hole and double as cart paths can be found here as well. They're truly a sight to be seen. There's a good bit of water on the course, nothing as really a forced carry, but it keeps your margin of error slim, especially running along the right-hand side of several holes and it does get into your head. But this isn't a course review, per se. Let's talk about how I fared. First, Review... Just a quick review on the goals for the round (you can go back to check the finer points): Par 3s - No more than 13 on these. Par 5s - I'm allowing myself 23 shots here (+3), but I want to par number 11. Putting - I have already accounted for 16 putts, assuming I stick to the "no more t...

Unscheduled... Well, I'm getting to go out and play the first round in awhile this afternoon. I didn't get to work on the 6-iron as much as I would have liked, but this was an unexpected golf outing, so I'll make sure I get to the course early enough to hit a few on the range and putt to make sure that stroke is ready to take on 18 holes. The difficultly with being a high handicap golfer is that you don't work on your game as much as you'd like, but part of that is simply time constraints. Between work and home responsibilities, there isn't much time to pop out to a course. Having some training tools at home helps, however, I still don't hit into the net as much as I should. Planning for success Professional golfers play typical rounds under par and we'll talk more about this later. A nice round of 67 is 5 under par for most golf courses, which means that even the pros aren't going after every flag. Hazards come into play on most holes, sand, ...

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics Another one of my favorite quotes, often attributed to Mark Twain, also erroneously as some of his "quotes" are. Golf is all about lies, mostly where the ball lies, but sometimes in the lies we tell about our game. So here is where we start looking for the "truths" in our golf game. Golf is all about numbers. I'm not going to tell that your score is not that important, we're not into participation trophies here. However, dig deeper so that you can improve your game and not have to subject yourself to a barrage of high scores and not know what went wrong. Statistics can be made to prove any point that you want to make. Time to make them work for you. Breaking down the stats I have gotten out to a golf course twice in the last 6 weeks. Not good for me, but it's more than I've played in a bit, so, I'll take it. There is a little course nearby called Old Fort . Nothing spectacular. It's decent. No driving ran...

Licensed to drive When you were a teenager, you had one thing on your mind...getting that driver's license. OK, maybe two things, but that's not important right now. The important takeaway is that before you got that license to operate a vehicle, you had to pass tests, written and road, and, ideally, get some practical experience. Not having that experience could prove dangerous to yourself and others, so it was vital to learn these skills before taking to the road. I've had a few errant drives in my day, and the holes on a golf course are never quite as far away as you think they should be. A stray drive off the tee could be a sudden shock to other players on an adjoining fairway or a nearby green. I once hit a recovery shot off of some hard pan (packed dirt) and pine needles through the golf cart of the other half of my foursome. Yes, THROUGH . My ball passed between the passenger and driver's heads as they crossed the fairway in my direction. I recommend some p...

We've been working hard lately to get our game going, or at least going in the right direction. Time for a little break, because golf is not just about making good shots and playing great, it's also about the stories. Golf, like hunting and fishing, create so many memorable moments. Plus, you can drink beer and not risk drowning or falling out of a tree...really?! your game it THAT bad...well, we can keep working on that. I am a professional I'm just not a professional golfer...or instructor. However, I have been paid to write, on occasion, so we'll go there for a bit. In fact, many writers have enjoyed the game. Harper Lee ( To Kill a Mockingbird ) noted that it was a place to get away from the distractions: Well, they're Southern people, and if they know you are working at home they think nothing of walking right in for coffee. But they wouldn't dream of interrupting you at golf. Henry David Thoreau enjoyed the natural beauty of a golf course as wel...

It's time to get your bag ready and prepare for some golf. Just one more quick tip regarding clubs before we move on, although we could talk about equipment until one of us shoots par... Shaft selection for your clubs There are two basic types of shafts, steel and graphite. Steel shafts have less flexibility, but that means less twisting of the club during the golf swing, which impacts your ability to get the club face square at contact for a straight hit. For more consistency go with steel. Graphite shafts are more flexible and can be an advantage if you need to create clubhead speed. They are beneficial when you chunk, or hit the ground behind the ball...badly, so it won't feel like you've hit a fire hydrant with a crowbar. There are also two basic flex types for shafts, regular and stiff. Regular flex (R) would be the recommended flex for a beginner. If you have a more athletic swing or fast hands, go with stiff (S) flex. Both require a range of swing speeds, so if ...