Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Don't call it a comeback...
...but I had a rumbling between my ears today. Don't worry, nobody was injured. It has been well over a year (obviously), and a lot has happened in the meantime (obviously). The rumbling will marinate...and it will then be plated.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Reading the Green, Part IX
Here is part THREE of THREE contributions I have made to the local Pioneer Press newspaper. All three have also appeared in the Chicago Tribune's special insert, Trib Local.
Reading the Green, Part IX
By Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
By most accounts, it’s a painful, heartbreaking, silly and gut-wrenching game. If you Google the words “Why Play”, the popular search engine completes your query with a few suggestions, the second of which is “Golf”. To somebody who has never seen or heard of the sport, the laundry list of adjectives used to describe its nature begs the question: Why do you play golf?
The game cannot be perfected; it takes way too long to play; it can be very expensive; and, depending on where your first tee grows, the season is way too short. You always top the ball into the same pond, slice into the same bush and very consistently remain incredibly inconsistent. If golf were a person, there’s no chance we would be friends with it.
So the question remains: Why do people subject themselves to a game that is mostly cruel, only sometimes nice and forever dangling content in front of our face to see and smell but not grab hold of? For some, the answer is quite simple. Golf offers a front row seat to nature at its best while providing the deceived with some exercise to boot. Their immediate response is more an indication of their disinterest in trying to perfect a technique or attain expert status than anything else. Nonetheless, both are popular reasons why people at least begin to play the game.
There has to be a more complex reason though.
A couple hours before this question was en route to going largely unanswered and chalked up as a selfish idea brought on by a recent personal disagreement with the game, the answer hit. Of course, it came about as a result of another golfer’s slight misfortune.
New Trier junior Phillip Purcell, one of the Trevian’s brightest young stars, had just missed out on an opportunity to qualify and play as part of the six-man team travelling to the next weekend tournament. As he hopped in the cart for a ride back to the clubhouse after the sudden death playoff, I asked him if this opportunity would make him work harder to get into the top six players on the team or discourage him from working to improve.
“I always work hard,” Purcell said.
And with that simple, mature answer there was a little more clarity as to why people put up with the unfavorable ratio of peaks and valleys in golf.
Reading the Green, Part IX
By Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
By most accounts, it’s a painful, heartbreaking, silly and gut-wrenching game. If you Google the words “Why Play”, the popular search engine completes your query with a few suggestions, the second of which is “Golf”. To somebody who has never seen or heard of the sport, the laundry list of adjectives used to describe its nature begs the question: Why do you play golf?
The game cannot be perfected; it takes way too long to play; it can be very expensive; and, depending on where your first tee grows, the season is way too short. You always top the ball into the same pond, slice into the same bush and very consistently remain incredibly inconsistent. If golf were a person, there’s no chance we would be friends with it.
So the question remains: Why do people subject themselves to a game that is mostly cruel, only sometimes nice and forever dangling content in front of our face to see and smell but not grab hold of? For some, the answer is quite simple. Golf offers a front row seat to nature at its best while providing the deceived with some exercise to boot. Their immediate response is more an indication of their disinterest in trying to perfect a technique or attain expert status than anything else. Nonetheless, both are popular reasons why people at least begin to play the game.
There has to be a more complex reason though.
A couple hours before this question was en route to going largely unanswered and chalked up as a selfish idea brought on by a recent personal disagreement with the game, the answer hit. Of course, it came about as a result of another golfer’s slight misfortune.
New Trier junior Phillip Purcell, one of the Trevian’s brightest young stars, had just missed out on an opportunity to qualify and play as part of the six-man team travelling to the next weekend tournament. As he hopped in the cart for a ride back to the clubhouse after the sudden death playoff, I asked him if this opportunity would make him work harder to get into the top six players on the team or discourage him from working to improve.
“I always work hard,” Purcell said.
And with that simple, mature answer there was a little more clarity as to why people put up with the unfavorable ratio of peaks and valleys in golf.
Reading the Green, Part VI
Here is part TWO of THREE contributions I have made to the local Pioneer Press newspaper. All three have also appeared in the Chicago Tribune's special insert, Trib Local.
Reading The Green - Part VI.
by Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
The inspirational poet and historian Maya Angelou has influenced millions of people with her words and actions, but when speaking about her role as a mentor she is quick to point out that people will forget what you said, and forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel. Of course, it doesn’t take the resume or moral track record of a Maya Angelou to serve as a role model or mentor. Even from the back row of a concert or a bench on the driving range it is easy to see how the words and actions of a teacher or mentor can affect others.
“With the incredible number of young kids and young adults that walk through our doors on a daily basis, it is easy to see that our roles as golf professionals at Winnetka Golf Club extend way beyond the game itself,” says Matt Johnson, Director of Instruction at Winnetka Golf Club. “We are in a unique position that requires us to educate, coach and act in a way that teaches more than swing plane and ball position.”
Charlie Steinhoff, a member of the Winnetka Golf Club’s Elite travel team, has taken such a liking to Johnson and his instruction that he chose to spend Shadow Day, usually an opportunity for kids to follow their parents around at work, at Winnetka Golf Club learning about a golf professional’s daily routine. “Shadow Day is usually a busy day around the golf course,” says Johnson. “Honestly though, all of our instructors bring something to the table other than just golf instruction, and a lot of the junior golfers around here look up to that. That’s really important from a life and learning perspective.”
Another one of Winnetka Golf Club’s personable young professionals, Dan Leonard, coaches 3rd and 4th grade basketball over the winter months and can be seen in the bleachers at his players’ baseball games in the summer months. “It’s so important to show the kids that you care about more than just teaching them how to hold a golf club or roll in a three foot putt,” says Leonard. “By taking the time to develop relationships I think you can actually get kids to respond quicker to what you want them to do on the golf course.”
So the next time you send your Little Tiger Woods off to golf camp, basketball camp, or band camp consider how their instructors and mentors will be able to bring more to the table than just instruction.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Reading The Green - Part VI.
by Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
The inspirational poet and historian Maya Angelou has influenced millions of people with her words and actions, but when speaking about her role as a mentor she is quick to point out that people will forget what you said, and forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel. Of course, it doesn’t take the resume or moral track record of a Maya Angelou to serve as a role model or mentor. Even from the back row of a concert or a bench on the driving range it is easy to see how the words and actions of a teacher or mentor can affect others.
“With the incredible number of young kids and young adults that walk through our doors on a daily basis, it is easy to see that our roles as golf professionals at Winnetka Golf Club extend way beyond the game itself,” says Matt Johnson, Director of Instruction at Winnetka Golf Club. “We are in a unique position that requires us to educate, coach and act in a way that teaches more than swing plane and ball position.”
Charlie Steinhoff, a member of the Winnetka Golf Club’s Elite travel team, has taken such a liking to Johnson and his instruction that he chose to spend Shadow Day, usually an opportunity for kids to follow their parents around at work, at Winnetka Golf Club learning about a golf professional’s daily routine. “Shadow Day is usually a busy day around the golf course,” says Johnson. “Honestly though, all of our instructors bring something to the table other than just golf instruction, and a lot of the junior golfers around here look up to that. That’s really important from a life and learning perspective.”
Another one of Winnetka Golf Club’s personable young professionals, Dan Leonard, coaches 3rd and 4th grade basketball over the winter months and can be seen in the bleachers at his players’ baseball games in the summer months. “It’s so important to show the kids that you care about more than just teaching them how to hold a golf club or roll in a three foot putt,” says Leonard. “By taking the time to develop relationships I think you can actually get kids to respond quicker to what you want them to do on the golf course.”
So the next time you send your Little Tiger Woods off to golf camp, basketball camp, or band camp consider how their instructors and mentors will be able to bring more to the table than just instruction.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Reading the Green, Part III
Here is part one of three contributions I have made to the local Pioneer Press newspaper. All three have also appeared in the Chicago Tribune's special insert, Trib Local.
Reading The Green - Part III
By Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
March, April and May, the first three months of the golf season in the Midwest, are widely known as three of the most exciting months in all of sport. Rivalries are created during college basketball’s NCAA Tournament in March. April brings us the Masters and Opening Day in baseball stadiums across America. And May holds its own by providing sports fans with the always exciting NHL and NBA playoffs.
For local junior golfers Logan Joseph and Dana Gullen, the month of May is certainly known for driving rains and unpredictable temperatures, but it also gives them the opportunity to develop some rivalries of their own during the well-known May Madness tournament series created and hosted by Winnetka Golf Club.
Joseph, an 8th grade student planning on attending New Trier in the fall as a freshman, participates in Jr. May Madness, a program created for 7th and 8th graders planning on attending New Trier or Loyola for high school. “I like playing in May Madness because it helps me get back to playing and practicing after the winter,” says Joseph. “I also get to play against my friends and other kids who will be in other summer tournaments and high school tournaments.”
Originally created in 1995 as a way for Trevian and Rambler golfers to propel their timeless rivalry, May Madness has reached an unforeseen level of popularity with local junior golfers. In 2009, the program now offers a 36-hole stroke play event called the Winnetka Junior, which awards the winner a coveted exemption into a national event hosted by the American Junior Golf Association. Also, the tournament series includes a match play event, a 27-hole stroke play Junior Club Championship, and a season-long point race that grants the leader at the end of the series an exemption into the Chick Evans Junior Amateur Championship. There are also levels for 7th and 8th grade boys, and high school girls.
Gullen, a freshman on New Trier’s varsity girls’ golf team, says May Madness is unique because it helps her get back into playing shape before her summer tournament schedule takes off, but it also fills a void in the spring when tournament s tend to be few and far between. “If it weren’t for these tournaments, I would probably have a tough time finding time to practice and play in the spring,” says Gullen. “Plus I get to see if all my practice over the winter works during competition.”
Clearly, the pros aren’t the only ones who get to have all the fun during the spring. For more information visit the Winnetka Golf Club web site at www.winnetkagolfclub.com.
Reading The Green - Part III
By Chris Happ, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at the Winnetka Golf Club
March, April and May, the first three months of the golf season in the Midwest, are widely known as three of the most exciting months in all of sport. Rivalries are created during college basketball’s NCAA Tournament in March. April brings us the Masters and Opening Day in baseball stadiums across America. And May holds its own by providing sports fans with the always exciting NHL and NBA playoffs.
For local junior golfers Logan Joseph and Dana Gullen, the month of May is certainly known for driving rains and unpredictable temperatures, but it also gives them the opportunity to develop some rivalries of their own during the well-known May Madness tournament series created and hosted by Winnetka Golf Club.
Joseph, an 8th grade student planning on attending New Trier in the fall as a freshman, participates in Jr. May Madness, a program created for 7th and 8th graders planning on attending New Trier or Loyola for high school. “I like playing in May Madness because it helps me get back to playing and practicing after the winter,” says Joseph. “I also get to play against my friends and other kids who will be in other summer tournaments and high school tournaments.”
Originally created in 1995 as a way for Trevian and Rambler golfers to propel their timeless rivalry, May Madness has reached an unforeseen level of popularity with local junior golfers. In 2009, the program now offers a 36-hole stroke play event called the Winnetka Junior, which awards the winner a coveted exemption into a national event hosted by the American Junior Golf Association. Also, the tournament series includes a match play event, a 27-hole stroke play Junior Club Championship, and a season-long point race that grants the leader at the end of the series an exemption into the Chick Evans Junior Amateur Championship. There are also levels for 7th and 8th grade boys, and high school girls.
Gullen, a freshman on New Trier’s varsity girls’ golf team, says May Madness is unique because it helps her get back into playing shape before her summer tournament schedule takes off, but it also fills a void in the spring when tournament s tend to be few and far between. “If it weren’t for these tournaments, I would probably have a tough time finding time to practice and play in the spring,” says Gullen. “Plus I get to see if all my practice over the winter works during competition.”
Clearly, the pros aren’t the only ones who get to have all the fun during the spring. For more information visit the Winnetka Golf Club web site at www.winnetkagolfclub.com.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Golf Digest, The Best Teachers In Your State
What a great honor to be mentioned in the same breath, and on the same list, as these great golf professionals!
http://www.golfdigest.com/rankings/teachers/topteachers2009_statebystate
http://www.golfdigest.com/rankings/teachers/topteachers2009_statebystate
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
"Great experience though..."
One guy thought I was 25. Another thought I was 17 and shrieked when someone told him I have been happily married for almost four years.
I definitely didn't have the playing resume most players in the field had, but I know I prepared hard enough and I know the courses were set up to favor my style of play. The two gentlemen forced to watch my ugly slice for two days had several PGA Tour appearances to their credit as well as distinguished collegiate and mini-tour careers. They both missed the cut, too.
No doubt the worst part is always calling home to get the "I know you didn't play as well as you wanted to. It was a great experience for you though."
Ah, the "great experience" speech. Friggin' hate that speech. It's almost worse than someone asking you "What happened?" after a bad round. What do you mean, what happened? I played like shit. That's what happened. What do you want me to say? Got a bad draw? The pin sheet was wrong? A horrible bounce? Prepared golfers don't pay attention to any of that crap. Unprepared golfers get bad bounces, lip outs, bad breaks and a shag bag full of excuses. I digress...
I understand fully that to be great at anything, golf especially, there is a process required of most participants. You have to learn to swing the club before you learn to play. You have to learn to play before you learn to score. You have to learn to score with your friends before you learn to do it in competition. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. No disrespect to the process, but I don't have the patience for the process to run its course. I'm not better than the process, and I don't think I'm exempt from having to persevere through it. Just don't have the patience to wait until the next National Championship so I can cash in the bucket of chips I accrued from this experience.
As I sift through the wreckage, I think most of the fuselage is still in tact. My ego and humility have spilled out all over the place, but determination, hard work and desire to be better at a younger age than everybody else will act as the glue to piece everything back together. Now that I am thinking about this situation rationally, it may be possible that each time you get the "great experience" speech, and you pick up all the pieces, assess the damage, and re-assemble, the greater whole is way stronger than before. It will also be able to withstand more pressure than before.
After missing the cut, I was texting with a good friend who has been through all of this ten-fold. I told him it was a tough week, didn't play well, but it was an awesome experience. After a few witty exchanges typical of our written communication, I made clear my distaste for "awesome experiences". He responded: "Awesome experiences lead to victories." His response is one reason he is such a good friend, it is another reason he is such an accomplished golfer. However, it is THE reason becoming successful at anything requires an outside perspective to point you in the correct direction, especially when you do not have the patience to do it yourself.
So, there. That's what happened.
I definitely didn't have the playing resume most players in the field had, but I know I prepared hard enough and I know the courses were set up to favor my style of play. The two gentlemen forced to watch my ugly slice for two days had several PGA Tour appearances to their credit as well as distinguished collegiate and mini-tour careers. They both missed the cut, too.
No doubt the worst part is always calling home to get the "I know you didn't play as well as you wanted to. It was a great experience for you though."
Ah, the "great experience" speech. Friggin' hate that speech. It's almost worse than someone asking you "What happened?" after a bad round. What do you mean, what happened? I played like shit. That's what happened. What do you want me to say? Got a bad draw? The pin sheet was wrong? A horrible bounce? Prepared golfers don't pay attention to any of that crap. Unprepared golfers get bad bounces, lip outs, bad breaks and a shag bag full of excuses. I digress...
I understand fully that to be great at anything, golf especially, there is a process required of most participants. You have to learn to swing the club before you learn to play. You have to learn to play before you learn to score. You have to learn to score with your friends before you learn to do it in competition. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. No disrespect to the process, but I don't have the patience for the process to run its course. I'm not better than the process, and I don't think I'm exempt from having to persevere through it. Just don't have the patience to wait until the next National Championship so I can cash in the bucket of chips I accrued from this experience.
As I sift through the wreckage, I think most of the fuselage is still in tact. My ego and humility have spilled out all over the place, but determination, hard work and desire to be better at a younger age than everybody else will act as the glue to piece everything back together. Now that I am thinking about this situation rationally, it may be possible that each time you get the "great experience" speech, and you pick up all the pieces, assess the damage, and re-assemble, the greater whole is way stronger than before. It will also be able to withstand more pressure than before.
After missing the cut, I was texting with a good friend who has been through all of this ten-fold. I told him it was a tough week, didn't play well, but it was an awesome experience. After a few witty exchanges typical of our written communication, I made clear my distaste for "awesome experiences". He responded: "Awesome experiences lead to victories." His response is one reason he is such a good friend, it is another reason he is such an accomplished golfer. However, it is THE reason becoming successful at anything requires an outside perspective to point you in the correct direction, especially when you do not have the patience to do it yourself.
So, there. That's what happened.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Final Tune-up Before New Mexico
Hopefully this is a sign that we are peaking at the right time!!
http://tinyurl.com/lnw5yw
http://tinyurl.com/lnw5yw
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Points race is on...
Player of the Year:
http://tinyurl.com/odpvof
Assistant Player of the Year:
http://tinyurl.com/o2qwxg
http://tinyurl.com/odpvof
Assistant Player of the Year:
http://tinyurl.com/o2qwxg
Friday, May 15, 2009
Match Play Madness...Fill out Your Bracket
Keep an eye on the 17 seed...dead ringer.
http://tinyurl.com/pawh9j
http://tinyurl.com/pawh9j
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
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