The Uncle Dennis Rule

Develop a "laser focus" A friend of mine got married a few years into the beginning of my golf life. I had only been out a handful of times before the group outing prior to his big day. Following the round we gathered at the proverbial 19th hole. His dad took a break in the conversations to holler across the room, inquiring about my score. I proudly belted out, "130." To which he responded, "Yeah. But what did you shoot on the back 9?" Laughter erupted around the room, including from me. I wasn't good. I took my penalties, lost about 16 balls, and putted poorly. I earned every bit of that score. I hadn't played much golf to that point, with very few rounds on the longer courses, so I was content with the score...kinda. That time out really got me into golf. Besides that, I had recently moved to Southeastern North Carolina, an extension of Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand boasting more than 100 places to play golf. But I was stuck in the eg...

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 ...

The right tool for the right job You're not Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) in Caddyshack. There's no need to have clubs jettisoned from your bag, a stereo built in, the laser grid on the putting green might be helpful but leave that for video games. You'd do better to be Ty Webb, but that's another story for another day... So leave that egg making thing in the kitchen, that robot vacuum on the living room floor. Here's some more things to leave out of your bag. Let sleeping balls lie Nothing screams amateur like a ball retriever. If you're playing alone on a quiet course, by all means, go for it.If you're worried about losing that $4 ball in water, rethink your shot or spend less. You need to play "Ready Golf," take your penalty, drop one and swing again. Less than $2 per ball should be your goal, until you start losing less and can splurge. Walmart and Target have the name brands and they're cheaper than the sporting goods stores an...

Don't be Tommy Bolt Tommy Bolt was a pro golfer in the 50s and 60s. Though a talented player, his temper was what he was known for best, mainly for throwing golf clubs during his rounds. One such story appeared in a book, "It's Unlucky to Be Behind at the End of the Game", with quick hit quotes and stories from sports. As the story goes, Bolt was looking over a 150-yard approach and inquired of his caddie about a club selection, to which the caddie replied, "I'd say either a five-iron or a wedge." "What kind of choice is that?" asked Bolt. "Those are the only two clubs you have left, sir," said the caddie. I would have been looking for a 6- or 7-iron myself. It's obvious to tell you not to throw clubs, but equally important is having the right clubs in your bag to begin your round. But how many clubs do you really need anyway? Start with the Dirty Dozen...or a Baker's Dozen Actually, the USGA (United States Golf Ass...

So, now that you know that we're here to talk golf, let's get started and talk about more applications of the the Uncle Dennis rule. Leave it in the bag I know this is one of those stupid things that one of your buddies with a lower handicap suggests as you pull your driver out on the tee, but it can be the best way to stay out of trouble in the first place. How many times have you been sitting watching a tour event and Phil Mickelson was heading down the stretch near the lead, or in a playoff, and you found yourself pleading for Lefty to do just that? Conversely, how many times have you seen Tiger hit a 3-wood or that trademark 2-iron stinger off the tee to put a ball nicely on the fairway? Here was a guy who could drive, long, and he chose to leave it in the bag. That's why you're sitting amid the pine trees trying to figure just how the heck you're going to get back in play and not mess up the next shot even more. And why is that? It's because you had...

Yogi Berra once said, "Baseball is 90 percent physical. The other half is mental." The numbers can become overwhelming in golf as well and sometimes a long round on the course can feel like it takes 140% of you as the shots (and penalty strokes) begin to add up on the 'ol scorecard. The golf swing requires precision and consistency. For the average golfer, it can be a little more challenging, requiring adjustments to be made, almost constantly. I spent 15 years swinging a baseball bat before I took up golf. So when I try to really lay into a drive, I slice. When I get tired, I slice. When I control it, at least a little, I have a nice high fade into greens from 150 yards and in, because, naturally...I slice. When I can't keep it in check...I find a nice place to take my penalty and drop another ball. While the physical part of the game can be exhausting, the mental aspect of the game can take just as much energy. It's about risk-reward, managing the possibilit...

I like to get to the course about 45 minutes before a round of golf, at least make some practice putts, maybe hit a few balls on the range to see how far the slice is going to be straying off the tee box that day. Now, I'm about as ready as I'm going to be. The last thing I needed to do was to start another blog...but here I am, on the first tee, wishing I had a mulligan, but my old friend Rick says that's not the right way to play. I have been playing golf off and on for about 25 years now, mostly off. I wish I could say I've improved a great deal in that time. I've gotten better and learned a lot since the first time I played a round on a municipal course in New Jersey with my best friend, Rick, from high school. He was a much better golfer than myself. I learned about golf etiquette, a few tips about my swing and reading putts, but that day was more about fun than getting into golf. I had not intended on getting hooked. no pun intended. Let me preface this wi...

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. Arnold Palmer Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/arnold_palmer_465536 I never thought I would be a golfer. I enjoy all types of sports, but as a kid I grew up playing baseball and soccer. Baseball was my passion. The cardinal sin was messing up your swing by doing something other than baseball, so no wiffle ball with the neighborhood pals, no fooling around with softball, and no golf. While I learned later in life that I probably wouldn't have ruined by swing for hitting a baseball, just about everything can screw up a golf swing. Hitting a round ball with a cylindrical bat was natural to me. No matter how hard it came at me, how much it spun or dropped, I could always seem to get a piece of it, and more often than not, make some solid...