Golfumentary

At the Avnet LPGA Classic in storm-ravaged Mobile, Alabama, Maria Hjorth won for the fifth time (she’s won 11 worldwide) in her ultra-productive yet highly understated career. Classy lady, Ms. Hjorth (pronounced “Yort”). She donated $20,000 of her winnings to the American Red Cross for its Alabama relief efforts.

You may have noticed that Maria uses the long putter to roll her golf ball on the greens, and she has done so effectively for many years. If you struggle with your putting, you might want to give the long putter a try.

On the PGA Tour, Bubba Watson won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a thrilling playoff over Webb Simpson. Watson is one of golf’s hottest young stars with a tremendous future and golf fans really love to pull for him. Why? Because golfers truly do love the long ball (he averaged 331 yards off the tee this week) and Watson looks like the nicest guy in the world.

Bubba has been working hard to improve his on-course attitude at the urging of his wife (former WNBA player Angie). “My wife, my caddie, and my trainer would say my attitude’s in the right spot,” Watson said. “This week, I won (by) not getting down on bad shots, just staying focused on what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Great lesson here. If you can learn not to be so tough on yourself when shots don’t go as planned, you’ll enjoy the game a lot more. If you can care less… (about your score, about what others think, etc.), without being careless… (let’s really focus on THIS shot, the most important shot), your scores will improve, too.

Until next time…

Enjoy your swings!