The Rotor

The Rotor

Greetings Golfers,

Let’s talk golf swing.

As you know … I’m obsessed with impact. There are many ways to swing … but good impact is good impact. Bad impact is bad impact.

Impact is truth.

I also believe that good impact means that the hands are ahead of the ball. Too many people try to lift the ball up in the air by flipping their wrists at the ball. That gets the hands behind the ball and usually an open club face at impact. That’s if there is impact. Flipping the wrists can also lead to topped shots and really fat shots. You can hardly call that impact.

Something I don’t hear about anymore is “trapping” the ball. Trapping is a good way to make solid impact. Try it on chip shots. Put your hands ahead of the ball. Obviously, that opens the club-face angle at the ball. So … close the club-face. In fact, close it enough so that the face is slightly closed. You can see how the ball is “trapped” by the combination of hands in front and a closed face.

This is a valid way to hit the ball. And is especially good on chip shots and little wedge shots. And … a weapon on windy days.

However, the trapped shot needs loft because you’re taking loft off …  so, it doesn’t work well on low-lofted clubs.

There are two types of good golfers - hitters and swingers. Lee Trevino is a good example of a hitter, and Sam Snead is a good example of a swinger. Swingers last longer than hitters. Hitters run into trouble in old age as they lose their leg and arm strength.

But young hitters are better wedge players than swingers … and usually just better iron players. Hybrid woods have been great for swingers.

For most of my life, I was a hitter-trapper. But as I got older … I started running into trouble … especially a lack of length off the tee. It was like someone flipped a switch on my game.

So … I started fooling around with releasing the club. I would fan it wide-open on the backswing … then drop it down and really release it on the downswing. Hmmmm. Some days were good … some were really not good … and I’d lost control of my wedge game.

So … I thought the way to deal with it was to just hit a variety of crazy shots. Hooks … cuts … punches … etc … because I didn’t really have a basic shot that I could count on. I was actually much better focusing on hitting a “unique” shot.

Then I was saved. I became old enough to play off the Senior tees. This allowed me to quit worrying about length … and letting me go back to “trapping”.

But … what if there was a combo trapping-swinging way to do it?

Well … I think there is. It’s called the "rotor," and it was invented by a guy named Joe Nichols. About 50 years ago … GOLF MAGAZINE had a big feature article about Joe and his rotor swing. Here is a LINK to the article and some recent commentary about it.

A well-regarded instructor in Arizona - Mike Malaska - teaches the "rotor."

I recommend fooling around with all of this stuff …”trapping” … extreme releasing … and the "rotor."

As I said earlier … people make poor contact because of flipping their wrists. They also make poor contact by “coming over the top”. As they come “over the top” … the clubhead gets there before the hands.

Impact is what matters. Fix your impact with “trapping” and/or “releasing” and/or the "rotor."

Good luck!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Golf and the Moral Code

Golf and the Moral Code

Greetings Golfers,

So it looks like LIV is done. I can’t imagine that anyone is shocked. Maybe mildly surprised … but definitely not shocked.

A few nights ago, a friend sent me this article about the demise of LIV … LINK … I highly recommend reading it. The writer nails why we love golf … and why we loved the PGA TOUR.

If you notice … I said loved … not love. He believes that LIV was a bad influence on the Tour.

In a nutshell, he says that we play golf for love. And, that our heroes - PGA TOUR players - also played golf for love. As he said, “The money never made a particular impression on us, except as a convenient shorthand for who was playing best.”

And … “The PGA TOUR has dismissed the very thing that made it so singularly attractive: guaranteed NOTHING. Earn it, earn it, earn it. Earn the right to play in 2026 based on what you did in 2025, that’s golf. Earn the right to play on Saturday and Sunday based on what you did Thursday and Friday. Yep. Has worked forever.”

Jumping ship to LIV was just about greed. These guys weren’t starving. Greed is unbelievably unattractive. And basing LIV on greed was a recipe for failure.

I’m a Capitalist - not a Communist. I believe in freedom and liberty and independence and hard work. I see Communism as a form of slavery disguised as a form of love and fairness and equality.

And yet, I can see why Communism could be attractive. Capitalism without morality is ugly. Remember in the movie “Wall Street” when Gordon Gekko said, “Greed is good”? I almost puked.

What does greed lead to? Charming qualities like entitlement and pretentiousness.

But those are not just ugly Capitalist qualities. Communists have also taken on those qualities in their own way.

Both groups believe that they are entitled. And they believe that entitlement means they are above the law … and above the basic norms of civilized society. They even value being rude. Or worse.

I just read an article about streaming star Hasan Piker and writer Jia Tolentino discussing lawbreaking, which they both endorsed not as a habit of mind, but as resistance to “actual tyranny today.”

They agreed that shoplifting is good … because “every major grocery chain steals from workers and customers." And “Streaming services are bad for creators and worthy of being ripped off." Piker also said he would steal cars “if I could get away with it."

This is not civil disobedience, it’s self-centered rights violations … “I have concocted grievances about you, and as such, I get to take your things."

Again … this greed. This is not about doing the right thing. This is an ugly form of entitlement.

Why don’t these guys ever stand-up to the bad guys? Shoplifting? Really? That’s taking a courageous stand?

Both sides just want to rationalize their greedy, selfish, shallow behavior.

We need people to stand-up to both groups’ bad behavior.

Golf should be a game and a place that rewards hard work, skill, integrity, manners, and sportsmanship.

The PGA TOUR should set that example.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Let’s Talk!

Let's Talk!

Greetings Golfers,

This week I’ve had some fascinating conversations.

With old guys … young guys … middle-aged women … all sorts of groups.

However, it wasn’t their group that made them interesting … it was the unique perspective that each one had.

That’s what I find fascinating - how people look at life.

Some people are really good at seeing the big picture. And some are really good at seeing what’s going on at ground level.

I want to know more about each one. If I get too focused on either way … I miss what’s going on.

Let’s relate it to golf … it’s great to see the layout of the hole … and then devise a good strategy. However, if I don’t factor in my lie … and the wind … my strategy might not make sense.

I think this relates to everything.

A leader needs to see the big picture and have a vision of the future. And then the leader needs to express that vision and rally people to make it happen.

However, the leader needs to also understand what’s happening on the ground level. If not, problems will occur that might make that vision unreachable.

But … without a vision … the ground level people only understand what they’re dealing with … they can’t create something special … they’re just reacting to what’s happening.

Even managing our own lives … we need to see the big picture and the reality of the ground floor.

That’s perspective.

And talking to people is a great way to gain perspective.

We all need to get out of our bubble.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

The Beauty of the Game

The Beauty of the Game

Greetings Golfers, 

In the 1991 Masters Par 3 Tournament, 78-year-old Sam Snead lost in a playoff.

Think about how amazing that is.

Should we all swing like Snead? Maybe … if we could. I can’t … he was way more flexible than I am. He could kick out the top of a doorway. I could only kick out the door handle.

So … I have to move around more than Snead. It’s that simple.

Why we always need to make everyone and everything fit into “perfect” models is not how I look at life.

People are unique.

However, impact is not relative. Well … GOOD impact is not relative. It is truth.

We seem to have confused this issue. We seem to believe that everyone is the same … so everyone should have the same swing. And … that impact is relative.

I think this misguided way of looking at the golf swing is symbolic to how we are looking at everything.

This same way of thinking would look at the staff of Deer Run as everyone is the same. Just a number … to be easily replaced … and trained-in to the system.

Many years ago … I was the Pro and working for a GM. One day, the GM told me that when he worked in the theatre … that everyone from the “star to the one carrying the spear” learned each other’s roles. And he wanted to do the same here at the golf course.

So I said “You want Tim - our Superintendent - to run the restaurant … and Barb - who runs the restaurant - to give golf lessons … and Kat - the bookkeeper - to be the Superintendent???”

That’s what he wanted. I told him that was setting people up for failure.

Making everyone try to swing like Sam Snead is the same thing. Think that would have worked for Lee Trevino?

However … Snead and Trevino look the same at impact.

Not everything is relative. Impact is not relative.

And there are many ways to get there. That’s what’s relative.

I think that we’ve flipped this upside-down about everything. Math is a good example. There is one answer to a math problem. Instead, we’re hung-up on the process to solve the problem.

One time in high school … my geometry teacher commented that it looked like I hadn’t opened my book. He was right. The next day taking the test … I had to figure out the problems while taking the test. If I had been graded on the process - I would have failed. Fortunately, I figured out the right answers.

Shouldn’t school be about learning how to think?

Isn’t America about the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave”?

Or … are we turning into the “Land of the Brain-washed and the Home of the Compliant”?

I see golf as the antidote to the madness. Hit it to your target. Find it. Deal with it.

And figure out how to make it work.

That’s the beauty of the game.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Southern Charm and Northern Efficiency

Southern Charm and Northern Efficiency

Greetings Golfers, 

Been having great conversations with some guys who were at the Masters. 

It’s a different culture. Of course the place is beautiful and the course is amazing … but the atmosphere is what is mind-boggling. 

It’s the South at its best. 

There’s a famous quote by JFK when asked about Washington DC. He described it as a city of “Southern efficiency and Northern charm”. 

Well the Masters seems to have pulled off the opposite - a tournament of Southern charm and Northern efficiency. 

I’m not sure that CBS pulled it off. I thought the camera work was terrible. Half the time they didn’t even follow the ball. And they seemed to be obsessed with player reactions instead of following the shots. Or switching to meaningless action during meaningful action … such as Scheffler lining up a vital putt … then jumping to a random player hitting a “nice” shot. Never saw Scottie attempt the putt. 

Maybe CBS has gone the Washington DC route of “Southern efficiency and Northern charm”. 

The other morning I read some good advice “ Lighten-up. Relax, laugh, enjoy.” 

I get it. I try to be that guy when playing golf. And I try to be that guy running the golf course. But … I’m not sure I can be that guy … and be intense enough to properly deal with everything. I’m afraid that attitude can slip into apathy. 

Looks like the goal is to be Southern on the outside and Northern on the inside. Can you do that and not be phony? 

Probably. But it would take a strong understanding of priorities. Northern on the big stuff … Southern on the little stuff. 

Well … we have the Masters as our model. 

This week the Tour stays Down South. The tournament on Hilton Head Island is very cool. Great golf course. A shotmaker’s course. And another great vibe. It’s not the Masters … but it’s worth watching. Cheers!

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

The Joy of Sport

The Joy of Sport

Greetings Golfers,

I’m writing this on Thursday around noon … and Freddie Couples is -2 after 2 holes.

How is that possible?

Couples is probably the most natural golfer who ever played. I’m not saying the best … just the most natural.

I can’t wait to watch the Masters. Every year it’s amazing. Rory’s win last year was like out of a movie … yet it seems to be like that every year. Talk about capturing the beauty and magic of golf.

I’m in a little season-long betting event of the Majors … run by one of the best people on the planet. It’s just fun. The money is minor and meaningless … the game of picking four players for each Major and only each player once … makes it even more fun.

And that’s how I look at gambling when playing golf. Sure … I get into those games … especially with those characters Down South … but that’s not why I play golf. I just love to play golf!

I’m having a real problem with sports becoming so much about money. Every sport. And now even college sports.

Lately, I’ve had a bunch of conversations with guys about playing sports when we were kids. We played every sport … and we played neighborhood sports. Hockey on ponds that we shoveled … neighborhood football and baseball … basketball on driveways … swimming in lakes … wrestling in school … etc. For the joy of it.

Bobby Jones built Augusta National for the Masters and the joy of golf. I’m glad the legacy has continued. I wish it could spread to every sport.

Enjoy Master’s weekend!

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

La-La Land

La-la Land 

Greetings Golfers,

If you want to make someone mad … tell them what they don’t want to hear.

I’m not recommending doing that … unless it’s necessary. For example, someone loves watching Yogi Bear cartoons and thinks that real bears are like Yogi Bear … so … they’re going out to Colorado to hug a bear. Hmmmmm. You should probably tell them that most bears are not like Yogi Bear.

That’s not being mean … that’s being kind.

Here’s a quote from Charles Darwin:

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”

Just like the Yogi Bear situation. Not knowing about the reality of bears … gives the person faulty confidence in dealing with bears.

Same with operating a golf course. I just read a great article by a golf course consultant disproving the goofy ideas that are constantly recommended to me by people who are ignorant about how a golf course operates.

He gets it. This is how he closes his article:

“The key to financial success is to replace complexity with simplicity.”

Once again … life works better when people live in reality.

I have people who think that we should be Augusta National … and with fancy restaurants and spas and swimming pools … and should be free. Because that’s what they want. Oh … and if we hosted weddings … that would pay the bills.

Here’s another example of La-la Land:

How about crashing your car four times when you’re really hammered on drugs or alcohol?

Should that be acknowledged … or trivialized?

Just read an article by a guy basically scolding people for talking about this. He said that it’s a private matter and was well handled with a public statement.

However … the public statement had no apology.

Doesn’t dealing with it mean facing this behavior that was risking the lives of other people?

And isn’t the first step to apologize?

Not if you live in La-la Land.

But La-la Land can turn into Nightmare Land quickly:

The bear-hug can turn ugly.

The golf course can fold.

The drugged-out driving can kill.

Reality is a good thing. La-la Land isn’t.

Have a Happy Easter!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Spoiled Children

Spoiled Children

Greetings Golfers,

So last Sunday, Matt Fitzgerald won the Valspar Championship in Florida. After the round, he didn’t want to talk about how he played … he wanted to talk about the slow play of his playing partner - Adrien Dumont de Chassart.

By the 11th hole, Matt was so frustrated that he hit out of turn. Then, he reported his partner to a PGA Rules Official. The NBC television announcer even described the pace of play as "glacial."

Fitzpatrick was upset because not only was his playing partner slow … but he was never ready.

Here’s an analogy. So … you’re in your car waiting in the left turn lane. The light finally changes, and the left turn arrow comes on. However, the car in front isn’t ready … and finally turns as the arrow turns yellow … and no one else makes the light.

That’s not fun on the road … or on the golf course.

We share the road. We share the golf course. Being not ready … is just selfish. It’s that simple.

Fitzpatrick also expressed his frustration with the PGA Tour not enforcing slow play.

I get it. I’m not a micro-manager or a control freak. However, I’m not tolerant of rude people.

In December, I was at a drug store waiting for my prescription to be filled. It was late in the day, and the place was packed. A huge line inside … and a huge line of cars outside. The staff was overwhelmed and doing a great job. While I was waiting … cars in line started honking … which was freaking-out the staff. So, I went outside and knocked on the car windows and told them to stop it. They did.

A decent society shouldn’t let rude, selfish people get away with acting like a jerk.

We’ve somehow flipped this upside-down. Confronting rude behavior is not being rude. It needs to be stood-up-to.

This is not controlling behavior.

I don’t care how Adrien Dumont de Chassart swings the golf club … that’s his right … but he doesn’t have a right to play slow.

I don’t care what music the guy in the car is listening to … but he doesn’t have a right to not turn when the arrow changes.

I don’t care what kind of prescription they’re picking up … but they don't have a right to be honking while waiting in line.

Years ago … one of my first columns in the Victoria paper was titled “Rudeness Will Not Be Rewarded."

A civilized society does not tolerate or reward rude behavior. And … it does encourage free speech and discussions of ideas. Ironically, I think that we have gone the opposite - tolerating rude behavior … and stifling free speech.

That’s not a society of grown-ups. That’s a society of spoiled children.

We’re better than that.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

A Life Changing Video

A Life Changing Video

As I look out my office window at snow and a frozen pond … I remind myself that this is March in Minnesota.

Our goal was to open on Monday, April 6. Was. And still is. But we won’t force it … though this weekend is supposed to be warm … there’s still a ton of frost in the ground.

So … we have time to think about the golf swing. I’m providing a link to a great video by Johnny Miller. It is as good as it gets. And pretty short. But watch it to the very end … because he adds a tip on putting that is also VERY good!

Here is the LINK.

Johnny Miller seems to fly under the radar. I don’t get it. He was an incredibly good player … everyone thought he was the next Nicklaus. But he retired young … and became the best golf announcer of all time. It’s not even close.

My foggy memory remembers him playing in a PGA tournament at around age 50 … and he won it though his putting was "shaky." I’m being kind. I’ve been through serious putting woes … so I’m sympathetic.

Well … I’ve said enough. I don’t want to hold you up. This video could be life-changing.

Slainte,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

A Good Email Exchange

A Good Email Exchange

Greetings Golfers,

I’m writing this on Thursday morning. We’re supposed to get a mountain of snow this weekend.

Sounds like a good time to watch golf. Obviously, I don’t know who’s leading after the first round of the Players Championship … but it’s a fun course and fun tournament to watch. Enjoy!

The other day a former player here at DRGC sent me an email. We haven’t talked forever. He was a very good player - the best player here. He played college golf and was successful in MN tournaments and even qualified and did well in the USGA Mid Amateur. But most importantly, he was bright, likable, and a thoughtful guy. Here’s our email exchange:

“Hi Tom,

I recently read one of your weekly emails explaining why the hands matter in the golf swing. Years of golf analysts drooling over how perfect Tiger’s swing is or Nick Faldo and this goes on. Last weekend we were treated to two golfers battling it out in the final group on Sunday at Bay Hill. Wow! These two know how to use their hands to control the ball. Flighting down drivers and iron approach shots and trapping wedges to control the flight and spin. Berger and Bhatia were masterful, and beyond that - they were fun to watch. Shot making is back, and it is beautiful! Hitting fades, draws, and at times hitting it straight.

When we met in the early 1990s, this is what you talked about. To control the golf ball, you must know what your hands are doing. I could go on for hours about my disdain for being robotic and all the mechanical techniques that teachers use to teach golf.

After 35+ years it is still true, and on this past Sunday, we were treated to two artists using their hands.”

Here’s my reply:

“Great to hear from you!

Glad you enjoy my rants.

I didn’t see Bay Hill … wish I had!

Golf is all about shotmaking.

Nicklaus changed the game by hitting a monster fade … then putting really well. He was not a shot maker and was a poor wedge player. His style turned the par 5s into 4s … which allowed him to just play to the middle of the greens … and he was 4 under.

So then … emphasis was on the body for more power instead of good hands and shotmaking.

And … too much emphasis on putting.

Take care and keep in touch.”

So … here’s his final reply:

“You’re right Tom. Jack made golf a business and he played golf like it was a business. With his abilities, he didn’t need to take chances, and watching him, for me, was boring.

Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer were shot makers and made the game fun. Fun?? Golf can be fun?

Wonder how that impacted golf course design? Courses were then Jack and Tiger proofed. I watched so many golfers pay large amounts of money to play BLANK for years. Breaking 80 for a single digit golfer was rare. If you made one birdie per round that was good. That course is not fun. Nearly every time I played it I would consider myself masochistic.

Thanks for keeping golf fun.”

How interesting was that? This guy is a golf fiend and an excellent player. He knows a lot about our game. And if he’s frustrated by the modern swing and the modern course … what’s it like for the regular player?

Well … think about it this weekend while you watch the Players and the snow falling by your window.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

A-B-C

A-B-C

Greetings Golfers,

It’s good to be back. I love South Carolina … and I need a break … but Minnesota is home  - it’s that simple.

I like simple. And I try to make things simple. We all want to make things easier … but first, you have to make them simple. Complicated is never easy.

The secret to simplifying is to focus on what matters - what’s the point. If something is really complicated … then you need to start connecting the dots and seeing patterns. Otherwise it’s just overwhelming.

I’m very wary of people who make things complicated. Some people think that’s smart. They condemn simplifying by saying it’s making everything too black-and-white.

Obviously we need to be aware of nuances and details … and very often they are more important than people realize and are over-looked or discounted. And they may actually be what’s important.

So it gets back to priorities. I like to prioritize things as … A … B … C. But I know people who think everything is an A. Well … then nothing is an A.

What’s funny is that some people can’t see how that works. For example, if we have a C visible here at DRGC … some people will point it out and say, “If they can’t get that right, how can they get the big things right?”

Well … they’re already taking for granted how well the big things are working … and focusing on petty stuff.

I think they’re referred to as "nitpickers." And they’re usually sort of arrogant … as if no one else has their ability to focus on petty issues. Most people are sane enough to understand that everything can’t be perfect, and they focus on what matters.

Then there’s the “head-in-the-sand” crowd that doesn’t want to admit when big things are messed-up. In fact, they then think it’s good to point-out how the little things are good. It’s like that old-saying about rearranging the deck chairs while the Titanic is sinking.

We see these attitudes everywhere. Of course. The problem is if leaders think like this … or take the advice of these types of people.

These people are usually not villains … but their lack of understanding priorities can ruin a business or a school or a city or a country.

You see it in a golf swing all the time.

Around 30 years ago … a woman came into the shop demanding someone fix her swing. I offered to help. While walking to the range, she explained that she was on the rise at her corporation and they wanted her to play golf, so they had sent her to a famous golf school in AZ for 2 weeks. And … she was struggling with her swing.

So, I asked her to hit three shots with her 8-iron at the 100-yard sign. She did … but it probably took an hour … you’ve never seen such a pre-shot routine. However, every shot went about 15 feet to the right.

Hmmmm. I then said, “You think that the golf swing is a series of steps - A,B,C,D,E,F,G - and that my role is to identify which step needs to be fixed, and then your swing will be fixed, and you’ll hit great shots." She replied with arms-crossed, “Of course!”

Then I said … “What if I told you that none of that stuff matters?” And I asked for her 8-iron and said that I was going to hit it at the 150 sign. And … I was standing sideways to the ball - fully facing the target. And then I asked, “What would they say about this stance at your school?” She said that it was ridiculous. I then got lucky and hit the sign. Then I reversed and set-up with my back facing the target. And another good shot. And then put the ball far away so I really reach … and then another almost off my toes. And fortunately hit good shots every time.

She then proclaimed, “Those are trick shots!” And I replied, “So what? They work.” And then I held her club and pointed at the club-face and said, "You don’t know where that is with your swing. That's what you need to work on.”

She was not pleased. In fact, she stormed away.

However … and this is very cool … she came back a year later and said that she gets-it. I told her that I wasn’t trying to be a jerk … but I could see that she was so brain-washed that I had to be extreme.

There is hope! I believe that most people want to know how things work and don’t really want to be appeased when they have it wrong.

It’s good to be home!

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Cycles

Cycles

Greetings Golfers,

I just read a fascinating article by Andrew Wood … Here's how it starts:

“Every industry loves to believe its growth is permanent. It is one of the most dangerous human tendencies in business. When success arrives, it rarely feels temporary. It feels earned. It feels justified. It feels structural. And in the golf industry right now, that feeling is everywhere.

And if you study the history of the game from an operator’s perspective and not a marketing perspective, a far more complicated pattern begins to emerge.

Because golf does not simply grow.

Golf cycles.”

I agree.

Have you heard about the book “The Fourth Turning” by Kraus and Howe? Its theory is that America cycles every 80 - 100 years ... like a long-lived person. And that America basically goes through the same process as a person from birth to death.

Again … I agree.

I am not a believer in the “Whig theory of history” … a 19th-century British philosophy that mankind is on a linear, progressive march to Utopia.

World War I greatly shook that theory. However, it’s still deeply ingrained in our society.

That Utopian dream goes against nature and reality. It can sound good … but living in la-la land is not good … reality always wins.

I think it’s the same as perfectionism. I love the saying “Perfect is the enemy of good."

Good is a great goal. It’s achievable and is obviously "good." Perfection is not achievable, and its pursuit causes more problems than what it achieves.

Many years ago when my role was golf Pro and not GM … I worked for a GM who one day pointed to his watch and said, “I’m going to get this place to run like a Swiss watch.” I replied, “If that’s your goal, you’re going to wind up in a mental institution and wreck this place. Our goal should be flexible enough to deal with the reality of weather and human beings.”

He just sneered. He was a bright man … he of course, let you know that he was a member of Mensa and a Fulbright scholar … which is impressive … but that doesn’t mean he’s smarter than reality. His arrogance was mind-boggling. He had the prime parking place in the lot with a giant sign saying it was reserved for him.

The 19th-century Whig Brits had that same type of arrogance. Have they attained Utopia? Let’s ask Prince Andrew.

Let’s get back to golf. Golf right now is hot. I love it. And I hope it lasts. How long? I don’t know. But I’m not going to go crazy and do crazy things as an operator because I think we’re on a rocket ship. I want us to keep improving … but in a manageable way.

Not like a British Whig.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

You’ll Like It

You'll Like It

Greetings Golfers,

Let’s talk golf swing.

The point of the swing is to control the ball. Sounds obvious … but too many people believe that making a good swing automatically hits the ball to your target.

That’d be like thinking if you make a good throwing motion that the ball would automatically go to your target. No. You can throw overhand, underhand, side-arm, softly, hard, standing on one foot, not facing your target, etc … and still hit your target if you’re in control of throwing a ball with your hand.

Same with the golf swing. You can swing flat, upright, long, short, fast, slow, off your knees, etc … if you can control the golf club with your hands.

And the most important part of controlling the golf club is making contact. You can make a beautiful swing and whiff. Contact is the game.

We all know people with ugly swings who can play pretty well. They are good at making contact.

I think the secret to making good contact is to have your hands in front of the ball at contact. Too many people try to flip the club at the ball to get it airborne. The loft on the club takes care of that. Flipping the club at the ball results in bad contact.

You can have a great set-up and make a good swing, but if you flip your hands, you won’t be a good player. You won’t be in control of the ball.

So … if good contact is having your hands in front of the ball … you should learn this skill with chipping. Hit millions of chip shots with your hands in front at impact.

Here’s another secret. When you set up for the chip shot … close the club-face. Why, you ask? Because when you hit the ball with your hands in front of the ball … the club-face will be open. Just try it, and you’ll see.

Obviously, you have to play around with this to get the right amount. This is called "trapping." I’m a big believer in trapping the golf ball. You’ll get much more solid contact … and you won’t lose it left or right … it keeps your shorts really straight.

I trapped the ball most of my life. But when I got old and lost a lot of distance … I stopped trapping and tried to have a big release to get more distance. So I would open my club-face at setup and open it even more on the backswing … and then try to whip-it shut on the downswing.

It’s a fun to try … but I don’t recommend it as your normal golf swing. The timing of it is not easy … and it screws-up contact. If you like hitting wild shots … with poor contact … it might be for you.

When I got smart and moved-up to the senior tees … I went back to trapping and can play golf again.

Remember that Alka-Seltzer ad “Try it - you’ll like it”? Or the Men’s Warehouse ad “I guarantee it”? Or the Life cereal ad with Mikey “He likes it, he likes it”?

Well, you will too.

Cheers!

Tom Abts

GM/Head PGA Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com

Living With Each Other

Living With Each Other

Greetings Golfers,

Wow! A lot is going on! Protests in Minneapolis … Epstein Files explode … crazy Super Bowl Halftime show … and an extra-hole playoff at the Phoenix Open.

I’m going to start with golf. First off … how good is Scottie Scheffler???? He’s 10 shots off the lead after the first round … and winds-up losing by one shot. Talent, skill, heart, and grit. Very cool.

I like Hideki Matsuyama … and he’s an amazing player … but I watched the last two rounds, and I don’t think I saw him hit a fairway. Seriously. And then to hit his tee shot into the water on the playoff hole was unbelievable. And yet … I thought he still might make par. He’d played like that all week. You can’t underestimate the value of a great short game. Get working on your short game!

The young guy who won - Chris Gutterup - is a big, strong guy … but what he can really do well is putt. Wasn’t surprised that he made that longish putt to win in the playoff. He putted like that all week.

We all overlook putting and chipping. We think we have to hit it like Scottie Scheffler. That’d be nice … but not very realistic. Scottie has it all … that’s why he’s #1 in the world. You have a much better chance to chip and putt like Scottie than to hit the ball like he does. SHORT GAME!!!!

I enjoy the Phoenix Open … I guess they call it the Waste Management Open. Ok. But I went to ASU in the ‘70s and it was the Phoenix Open played at the Phoenix Country Club. One time while watching it on tv … I talked my grandpa into going over there and watching the last few holes. I knew where to park so we could walk through a neighbor’s yard and watch Crenshaw wrap-it-up for the win. Think about that compared to what it is now. Mind-boggling!

So … the Phoenix Open is more of a party than it used to be. Is it still a golf tournament? Yes. Would I want the PGA Tour to be like that every week? No. Do I like bland, generic golf tournaments? No. I love the Masters … and the US Open … and the British Open. The other Major - the PGA - not so much. It’s bland and doesn’t seem to know what it is. The new PGA guy - Terry Clark - needs to work on that too.

Did I watch the Super Bowl? Yeah. Did I love it? No. Do I like all of the hype? No. I actually like football.

I watched the playoffs and wasn’t impressed with them either. Very often at the end of the half or at the end of the game … you knew that the QB was going to throw to his favorite receiver … and often he was wide open. Huh??? They’re so hung-up on their formations that they overlook the basics. Football is not just Xs and Os … it’s matchups. But in our “modern” technical world … we overlook people. That’s become pretty obvious watching professional sports.

So … here’s where we’re at. Is the Phoenix Open trying to appeal to everyone or just hard-core golf fans? Is the Super Bowl trying to appeal to everyone or just hard-core football fans?

I think most of us want an inclusive world … but does that mean by trying to be everything to everyone that there’s no room for purists?

I’m serious … I think this is what is going on and has everyone so riled-up. Not just about sports … but everything. Public schools … charter schools … private schools. Open borders … closed borders.

Obviously I can go on and on.

I think it’s a constant push-pull. That’s the reality of living with each other.

I think respect is at the heart of this. We can disagree with each other … and want different things … but we have to be respectful.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Perspective

Perspective

Greetings Golfers,

Well … the PGA of America has a new CEO from Minnesota named Terry Clark (not my sister-in-law Teri Clark).

I don’t know this fellow … but I know a bunch of people who do … and they say that he’s a great guy. He is/was the Chief Marketing Officer at United Health … so he knows the corporate game. Is that what we need? And I say “we” as a member of the PGA. Not the PGA Tour … the PGA of America … two different cats … though at one time shared the same body.

Obviously the mess at the Ryder Cup gave the PGA of America a black eye. Can marketing fix that? I think it goes deeper than that.

Bottom line: Does the organization of the PGA of America care more about themselves than its members?

Hmmmmmmm ………..

Mickey Lolich just died at age 85. Do you remember the ’68 World Series? He won and pitched three complete games for the Detroit Tigers. And hit a home run.

And … he’s not in the MLB Hall of Fame.

Huh …………??????

Obviously I see problems/mistakes/issues out there … but that doesn’t mean I’m pessimistic.

Here’s a thought … if all you can see is crap out there, maybe your head is up-your-butt.

Sometimes, familiarity breeds contempt. Obviously, a famous saying … but true. And people can fall in a rut, and then everything seems bad.

My back is finally ok and I played golf the other day. I really appreciated it! I sure didn’t take it for granted!

I think that “familiarity breeds contempt” can happen with golf clubs. It happens to me with putters. Very often I putt great with a fresh putter. And very often I putt terrible using the same old putter.

Obviously, it’s not really the putter … it’s me.

But the fresh putter seems to wake-me-up. If I get too comfortable … I can’t putt. I usually putt my best with my sand wedge. Seriously.

However, I’m better with other clubs that feel like old-friends … especially my driver and sand wedge.

Now I’m trouble … not really sure what that means.

Let’s see … maybe we need to not get stuck in a rut … but also need things we can rely on.

See … golf is the secret to mental health!

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

To Choose or Not To Choose

To Choose or Not To Choose

Greetings Golfers,

I just got an email saying, “Be a part of something bigger than you.”

And … I respect that … and I think it’s important for personal and societal health.

However, I’m always afraid of the hive mentality. It’s basically the same as mob mentality.

But, a lot of the people who run things don’t want people using their heads … they just want conformity.

Have you ever heard of “the father of modern worker efficiency” Frederick Winslow Taylor?

An American mechanical engineer, Taylor pioneered the Scientific Management movement (often called Taylorism) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For example, Taylor used stopwatches to break down every manual task into its smallest components, timing each to eliminate wasted movements.

His book, The Principles of Scientific Management, was the voted the most important business book of the 20th century. Though … critics viewed him as a slave driver who dehumanized workers by treating them as interchangeable cogs in a machine.

Yesterday morning, one of my sons sent me a fascinating Tony Robbins interview. It was about how you have to use more than your brain … that you have to be motivated by your heart. And that you have to keep growing no matter how successful you become.

That same son is here visiting … and just came back from a local sandwich shop … which he said has become standard anywhere in America. He wasn’t talking about a chain restaurant … rather a small locally owned place … but it didn’t feel unique to Beaufort.

Over my 20 years here in Beaufort, it has drastically lost its unique look and feel and atmosphere.

I hear so many people say how they love “diversity” … but I’ve noticed what they really love is “uniformity”. Their love of diversity is to make all diverse people and places the same.

I don’t think this is progress.

I don’t like the one-size-fits-all robotic golf swing.

I don’t like every town looking the same.

I like genuine diversity.

I like options … instead of everything trying to be everything to everyone.

As we “advance” into this modern world … I think this is the real challenge.

Do we want a world made up of unique people and places? … or a giant hive world?

It’s that simple.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Golf’s Evolution

Golf's Evolution

Greetings Golfers,

I’m writing this late Wednesday night … after the first day of the PGA Show in Orlando.

The place is packed. I’ve never seen it so busy … and with so many people. Golf is not fading away.

What stands-out? That’s easy … how casual it is. We used to wear ties and sport coats and leather dress shoes … the shoe-shine guys were overwhelmed … now they’d starve.

But not casual in sloppy, disrespectful way. People are still well-dressed and respectful … and maybe even friendlier than in the old days.

Golf has been evolving by relating to different segments of society. The trick has been how to change … and progress … but not lose what is good.

The other day while waiting in the Savannah airport to pick-up family flying in from Minnesota … I bought the latest Harvard Business Review magazine. The lead story caught my eye - “Rethinking Nonstop Transformation.” The subheading said it well, “Real progress comes from steady adaptation, not endless upheaval.”

Yes!!!

I couldn’t agree more!

That concept is vital. But … we think that everything constantly needs improvement. Really? How about Rory McIlroy’s golf swing? Or what Tiger went through? How about Jordan Spieth?

Or … remember when Coca-Cola blew-up regular Coke and tried to make it taste like Pepsi? And almost sunk the company and had to save themselves by returning as “Classic Coke”?

It’s that old saying of not “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

You have to know when to start focusing your energy on what you’ve developed … and making sure that it get stronger. Always changing doesn’t let things really settle in and get strong.

It’s easy to be a revolutionary. It’s hard to make things better … and to know when to fine-tune.

I think that golf is in a good place. I think it’s evolving and fine-tuning. It doesn’t need to be in a revolutionary phase. And it’s not.

Do you remember Shawn Phillips? He explains it pretty well in this old song.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Trust Your Gut

Trust Your Gut

Greetings Golfers,

So, two hundred years ago, one of my favorite writers said “Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think about what you shall write.”

Ok … you’ve been warned.

Last week, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead died. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of the Dead … I really enjoyed this song … and Weir’s singing is what makes it work. You’ll get a kick out of the lyrics.

John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas wrote it … supposedly on the spot in a drunken stupor with Judy Collins, Steven Stills, and Neil Young … and didn’t remember writing it.

Talk about an example of not thinking about what you shall write!

I think sometimes this attitude is good for playing golf. I don’t mean to be reckless or sloppy … I just mean to trust your gut.

Here’s a great story about a guy who trusted his gut … and could really play before he crashed and burned with physical problems. And it looks like he’s making a comeback. This is a really great story - enjoy!

Next week I’ll be at the PGA Show in Orlando. One of my favorite weeks of the year. Hopefully I’ll have some good stories.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Mad Men

Greetings Golfers,

Hope you’re enjoying the New Year. I’m not … though we made it to SC safe & sound … I thought I was still young and lifted a million pound box … yeah … I’m on the couch and can’t move. Or even think … so … I’m using a column that I wrote in the May, 2015 edition of Tee Times Magazine. It’s about the TV show Mad Men … hope you enjoy it.

Mad Men

This month is the end of the TV series “Madmen”. I love this new style of TV series, started many years ago by the “Sopranos”. Most television shows portray life as la-la land – all of the characters are good-looking, live in beautiful homes, and never seem to work. The reasoning is that people have enough “reality” in their own lives and want to watch fantasy. Fair enough. But some of us like pulling back the veil and seeing how things really work.

Would I like to watch a real show about golf? Yes! Not a “reality” show… we already have that with the “Big Break”. I mean a fictional series about golf – either the Tour or a Golf Club – that accurately portrays the people and the factors behind the scene. Hopefully someone can do it and do it right.

“Madmen” is about the admen on Madison Avenue from 1960 to 1970. The main character – Don Draper – is a classic 1950s NYC guy dressed in dark suits and doing business over 3 martini lunches. Over 8 seasons, Draper builds an ad agency, gets married and divorced twice, and tries to influence the buying habits of Americans.

The series does a great job of showing how America changed from the Frank Sinatra generation to the Beatles generation. Don’s second wife moved to California – so did the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. During those years, so did the TV show “My Three Sons” and the Johnny Carson Tonight Show.

But Don Draper couldn’t make the transition and stayed in New York. And not just physically – Don didn’t change his style and didn’t change his worldview. While the Woodstock generation was rejecting the values of post WWII America, Draper was holding on.

What was happening to golf during those years? Well, I have a photo from the 1964 Masters of Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer wearing alpaca cardigan sweaters and smoking cigarettes. The men in the gallery are wearing coats, ties, and hats. Six years later, Palmer and Nicklaus are wearing pastel shirts, white shoes and belts, and have long hair.

Every generation wants to make its own mark and thus rebels against the previous generation. But Palmer and Nicklaus weren’t really members of the Woodstock generation – so what happened? Because the Baby Boomers were such a huge generation, their sheer size dominated a market economy and a democracy. Companies had to appeal to the youngsters… and so did politicians. Madison Avenue admen like Don Draper couldn’t make the adjustment. But the PGA Tour did. So did pro football – the AFL came along as the renegade league and challenged the old-school NFL. Then, when Joe Namath’s New York Jets beat the NFL’s Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl, the two leagues merged. The white-shoed Oakland A’s baseball team won the World Series, and their owner (Charlie Finley) brought the designated hitter to the American League. As Bob Dylan sang – “The times they were a’changing”.

Those were crazy times. I’m surprised at how little has been done in movies and television about those years. Maybe we need more time to understand it and put it in perspective.

Arnold Palmer really brought golf to the masses. But Arnie was much more of a Frank Sinatra guy than a Beatles guy. Arnie was sort of a Don Draper. Golf didn’t have a Woodstock type of guy – Jack Nicklaus with long hair wasn’t the ticket. Tennis filled the vacuum with guys like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Bjorg.

Then Baby Boomers got too old for tennis – at least they thought so … and took up golf. That’s why tennis fell off the map – seriously. So the Boomers took up golf but didn’t fill up the country clubs – that was their parent’s scene.

So how would those Madison Avenue admen sell golf nowadays?What would Don Draper do? How to sell golf to the Woodstock generation and their kids? Pretty tricky stuff. Is it foot golf? Or those surfboard looking things to use instead of a golf cart?

I think golf transcends all generations and styles. The game of golf is timeless – not a fad. Obviously, golf courses have to cater to changing styles and fashions. But I believe that the best remedy is to keep improving the golf experience. Instruction needs to improve. The concept of the golf swing has become too complicated. Golf course
design has to improve. Many golf courses that were built over the last 40 years are ridiculous. The rules of golf need to be simplified. Pace of play needs to improve – a round of golf shouldn’t be a race, but it shouldn’t be a death-march… a 4-hour round should be typical. 

Golf is a great game. Don Draper’s life was a mess. He needed to play golf.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Greetings Golfers,

Every year, most of us look forward to a new year - a new beginning (some years more than others!).

And New Year resolutions have become as normal to the New Year as Christmas presents are to Christmas.

Probably the most typical resolutions are about health: losing weight, getting in shape, etc.

Being golfers, we need to do those things … and improve our golf game. We can always improve our chipping and putting. And, improve our golf swing. But just improving our golf swing won’t make up for not improving our health and short-game.

We need to do it all.

That wasn’t meant to sound overwhelming … it’s just the truth. We can do it … but, I recommend baby steps … not leaps. Every day, eat better (and less) … do some exercises … go for a walk. You’re not Rocky preparing to fight Apollo Creed … you’re just trying to improve.

We all want to hear what we want to hear. Thus … we’re vulnerable to quick fixes, magic pills, shortcuts, etc. But hearing what you want to hear isn’t always good.

Well, I have no agenda. I’m not running for office or selling a video of how to be a scratch player in one week. I’m just recommending being the tortoise instead of the hare.

It will be a good year … step-by-step.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com