Top 10 Most Difficult Golf Holes in N.S.

As a Letterman fan, I am fond of top 10 lists.....here is a list of the most difficult golf holes (on championship courses) in our province.

1.  Highlands Links #7 (Killiecrankie) Par 5 (ranked in the top 100 holes in the world)

2.  Ken-Wo #16 Par 4 (2 difficult shot placements)

3.  Amherst #18 Par 5 (3 shot hole with a very demanding tee shot)

4.  Abercrombie #2 Par 4 (a good par 5 for the average golfer)

5.  Antigonish #12 Par 3 (take your 4 and run)

6.  Highlands Links #1 & #2 Par 4's (long and into the wind, with no warm up)

7.  Digby Pines #7 Par 5 (Long, tight and demanding)

8.  Northumberland Links #4 Par 3 (because of the wind)

9.  Oakfield #11 Par 4 (O.B. left & right, long, and into the wind)

10.   Highlands Links #6 Par 5 (From the tips only)

September 2nd

Attention Juniors.....keep swingin'

First of all....I will apologize for my lack of entires in my blog this season.  It's been a busy summer with the excellent weather and also with my newborn son, Seamus.  The blog tends to take a back seat......Anyways, I felt this message was extremely important at this time.

School is in, hockey is reving up, and we see a severe drop in the amount of golf our junior members are playing in September/October.  Some put the clubs away for good and we only only see our "keeners" coming out to play after school and on the weekends.  Juniors (and adults as well) must do their best to stay focused on their game well until the snow flies.  September is the best month to play.  There is less traffic on the course, the temperatures are more comfortable and the course is in pristene condition.  Take advantage of it and work on your game when you are playing your best golf....you will be much better off in the spring with only six months of no golf instead of eight.

July 18th

My Top Ten Favorite Courses in N.S.

In Nova Scotia, we are blessed with a number of world class golf facilities right at our door step.  Fequently, I am asked questions as to which is my favorite, most memorable or best tests of golf.  Here is, in my non-bias opinion...ahem.... the Top Ten list of courses ot play in N.S., followed by some category leaders. 

1. Highlands Links

2. Glen Arbour

3. New Ashburn

4. Bell Bay

5. Fox Harbr

6. Oakfield

7. Digby Pines

8. Abercrombie

9. Northumberland Links

10. Ken-Wo

I have been very fortunate to play golf in every province across our country, and the Highlands Links will always be #1 on my list of courses to play.  I have yet to find a facility that when you stand on the first tee, you get chills down your spine....even for a casual round with your buds.   For you hockey fans, It  is comparable to listening to our national anthem after Canada wins hockey gold, or watching your favorite player's jersey raised to the rafters. 

On your first trip to the Highlands, one should not expect perfect conditioning, lush flower beds, valet service and smooth cart paths, however, expect to see a golf course that is very unique, picturesque,chalenging and as memorable as any other, consistently ranked in the Top 100 courses in the world. 

Take your camera, an open mind, and look for the ol' lady who sells golf balls on the side of the road, 1km short of the gate....you may need some reserves.

July 3rd

Pace of Play Tips

In my previous blog submission, I have made you aware of the factors the influence a sub-par pace of play at our club.  Here are some opinions and solutions to allow you and your playing partners to better navigate our beutiful golf course.

Before we run down a list of suggestions for speeding up play, it's important to note that many of these tips have nothing to do with rushing your play, but rather with simply being ready to play, and with using common sense and good etiquette on the course.

The bottom line is, as soon as it's your turn to play, you should be ready to step right up and make the stroke.

Here are some tips for speeding up slow play:

Arrive at the golf course in plenty of time to be prepared for your golf game.

• At least 30 minutes before your tee time
• Have everything you need - Plenty of balls, tees, and ball markers
• Distinctly mark several of your golf balls (i.e. dots, name, etc. with a permanent marker)

       Play Ready golf. This means:

• Tee off as soon as enough members have arrived and the starter approves. On subsequent tees, if the player with honors is not prepared, another player should set up and tee off.
• If you must take a practice swing, limit it to one.
• Proceed directly to your own ball. Do not hang back, especially if you are on the other side of the fairway from the away golfer.
• In the fairway always be ready to hit. Ready Golf means to hit (safely) when ready, without distracting your partners. Walk briskly between shots.
• While waiting to hit, survey your shot, select your clubs, take them from your bag, and stand ready to set up and make your shot.
• Watch other's shots, as well as your own, this will reduce the time spent looking for lost golf balls. Hit a provisional ball whenever in doubt. Spend no more than 5 minutes looking for a lost ball. If the lost ball is not yours, look for it after you have hit your ball.
• Pace yourself by focusing on the golf group ahead of you, not behind you. You should be one (1) stroke behind the group in front of you.

 On The Green

• Always leave your clubs at the back or side of the green closest to the next tee.
• On the green, line up your putt as others are putting out; use continuous putting (rather than marking putts close to the hole) and do not spend too much time with each putt.
• Manage the pin: the golfer closest to the hole should tend the pin and the first person to putt out should be ready to replace it.
• Exit the green and tally your score at the next tee.
   

Summary

• Walk briskly to your ball; think about your next shot, strategy, and club selection in Advance.
• First hit your shot, then look for a partner s lost ball.
• Line up a putt Before it is your turn, putt out immediately if you are not in someone's line
• Always Be Ready to Play

June 26th

Pace of Play at the Crombie

In regards to the pace of play at Abercrombie, we are extremely fortunate compared to other championship courses in Nova Scotia.  Our membership understand what an "ideal" pace of play is (4:15), and those who struggle to maintain that pace are very aware of it and do their best to keep the pace reasonable.  It is very rare that we exceed 4:30, maybe 10% of the time during peak season.  We actualy average 4:18 min. all season long. 

When this occurs, it is very much based on the conditions or the course, the weather, or if we are hosting a group from outside our membership.  The abilities of our members or avid golfers have very little effect on how fast they navigate the course.  It's the education and experience of avid golfers that make them navigate the course within our "ideal" pace of play.

Factors that contribute to slow days are as follows:

1. Hot, Humid weather

2. Wet Conditions

3. Windy Conditions

4. An abundance of Novice golfers

5. Tournament or competition play

The day's pace is set by the groups who play early in the day.  Those who play prior to tee times in the morning must understand that a 3:45-4:00 pace is OK, however, it should never exceed that pace.  Early morning golf is a privilege to our membership and it should never affect the pace of of those who book their first tee time at 7:00am.  If a group is slow early in the day, we can only expect an average pace that exceeds our "ideal" pace.  On fully booked days, the pace has very little opportunity to improve as the day goes on.

Our course marshalls are trained to monitor the pace of play and assist with any groups who may be struggling.  Some days it is a challenge, and we do our best not to make members or guests uncomfortable or pressured to move on.  If we recognize a gap between groups, our first action is to time the group that is falling behind.  If they are within the "ideal" pace, there is very little that we can do, however, we encouage them to catch up.  If the group is on pace to slow down the rest of the field following them, we will take action and move them forward into position.

Playing through a group is only effective if there is room ahead of the slow group(s)!  Otherwise, you will actually slow down the pace, by playing through.

Again, understand that we have it good at Abercrombie, and we appreciate the awareness and cooperation of all members and guests. 

If we could implement only one rule at our club, it would state, "CONSIDER OTHERS"

Cheers to all......and to enjoyable rounds of golf!

May 30th

Read your way to better golf.

If someone is wanting to improve their golf game, they have more options now than ever before.  Never has golf information, products, teaching professionals and facilities been so accessable.  Having browsed through pages and pages of golf information, I have realized the best quality information lies within the spine of a book from experienced teaching professionals/players.  Here is a list of my favorite books that are in my Library (which is limited to Golf Books, business books and old Archie comics)

1.  The Little Red Book                                     Harvey Peninck

2.  The Modern Fundamentals of Golf             Ben Hogan

3.  Golf is Not a Game of Perfect                     Bob Rotella

4.  The Wisdom of Harvey Penick                    Harvey Penick

5.  The Short Game Bible                                  David Pelz

6.  A Good Walk Spoiled                                  John Feinstein

7.  My Life In and Out of the Rough                  John Daly

8.  50 years of Golfing Wisdon                        John Jacobs

9.  The Golfer's Mind                                         Bob Rotella

10.  The Match

May 17th

Past Abercrombie C.C. Junior standouts reaching success in the golf industry.

The dream of many young junior golfers is to one day make a living at the sport they love.   In the past 10-15 years, unknowingly to some, Abercrombie has produced a handful of talent in the golf industry who are either established or, just now, emerging to the top.

Here's an update on the latest positions held by our local boys:

(last Abercombie junior season in brackets...to the best of my limited knowlege)

Aaron Young (1994)- Director of Golf (in Brisbane, Australia)

Paul MacLeod (1997)- C.P.G.A. Associate Professional (Royal Montreal Golf Club, QUE.)

Brad "Smitty" Smith (1998)- C.P.G.A. Associate Professional (Ottawa Hunt Golf Club, ONT.)

Jamie MacIntosh (1998)- C.P.G.A. Head Professional (Lingan Golf & Country Club, NS)

Scott Langille (1997)- Store Manager (Golftown-Windsor, ONT.)

Fraser Langille (1996)- C.P.G.A. Head Professional (Mountain Golf Club, NS)

 May 15th

Custom Fitting.....Does is really make a difference?

If you have purchased your last set of clubs "off the rack", you may want to check and see if the set is right for you, especially if the sales representative did not ask you more questions than you asked him or her.  Most "standard" fit clubs will accommodate the golfers who fall into an average height and ability bracket.  

Clubs that are custom fit will maximize your ball striking by determining 5 main factors:

1. Club Length

2. Club Face Lie Angle & Loft

3. Shaft Type & Flex

4. Club Selection

5. Grip size

In a custom fitting session, we determine these factors and match them to your ability and body type, to best create your ideal ball flight, therfore, reducing your scores.

Success Story

One of my very first custom fitting sessions was 8 years ago in Cape Breton.  There was a member at our club who was coordinated, athletic, had a great swing and could not break 100.  He was "vetically challenged" at 5'5" and was playing a set of clubs that were suitable for someone 4-5 inches taller.

We determined that he need a set of irons that were 1/2 inch shorter with a club face lie angle that was 2 degrees flatter that standard.  The first game with his new set of irons produced a 96, his second round was a 94, and eventually he finished the season with a personal best of 85.

By using a set of clubs that were to long for him, it forced the heel of the club deeper in the ground than the toe at impact, causing the clubface to rotate too fast, producing severe right to left hooks. (He had other names for it).  However, he was struggling to adjust his swing to equipment that was not suitable for him.  The very opposite will happen if you are taller than average golfer and are using standard clubs.

Next time you play or practice, take note of the depth of your divots and have someone check if your club sole is resting flat on the ground from heel to toe at address position.   If it is not, make an appontment to be custom fit by a CPGA Professional or Fitting Technician.  The cost of a session is $50.00, however, at most golf retail stores, it is credited to the purchase of new equipment.

It may make all the difference.... if not,  you will have one less excuse.

Cheers!

Lee