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