You Don't Know, "My (golfing) thought for today." Divets

Divets and more divets.  One sometimes wonders whether amateur golfers are afraid to hurt the grass on the fairways based on my recent observations.  You can't hurt the grass, so take a divet with your fairway irons: just replace them.  

Amateurs, I suspect, think that the different lofts of the clubs are to pick up the ball.  This usually results with the leading edge coming into contact with the ball resulting in a very low shot or a complete flub.  The proper contact with the ball is in a downward motion of the club face, continuing into the ground, and continuing in a forward motion.  This is what causes the divet.  (Observe the pros on TV.)

Years ago while playing with a pro and after a few holes, he told my buddy and me to go to the rough and dig some holes; which we did.   You don't dig a hole under the ball, you hit the ball first and continue in a downward motion while continuing the forward motion through the follow through.  This motion will force the ball up the face of the club resulting in a lofty shot. 

This motion is not for your fairway woods or driving irons such as the 2 or 3 iron, but you should still scruff up the grass a bit.
Even when you're on the tee and your ball is teed up, you're still moving the club head in a slightly downward motion, without necessarily hitting the ground, so the ball obtains the desired loft.   

A stranger in New York City several years ago asked a New Yorker, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"  To which the New Yorker answered, "Practice, practice, practice."  So go in your backyard and dig some holes.  With a golf iron, not a shovel.

You Can't Take Two Minutes To Enjoy The Wild Horses

On this day Oct. 3rd, at 5:30 p.m. I was sitting in my living room enjoying a Jack Daniels on the rocks and the blazing fire in the fireplace, all this while having a nice chat with my wife.  As pleasant as all of this was, it paled with the sight of what I saw through the window; the wild horses sauntering down the street in front of my house on D--r P--k Dr.

Eight mature wild horses, followed by a baby horse, by a young horse, and two more mature horses.  My wife and I quickly ran to a front window to admire them, as we usually do whenever they are around, but immediately there were three cars, a black SUV followed by a red SUV and followed by a white thing that looked like a box coming down the street in the opposite direction.  The cars drove right up to the horses and stopped so close to each other that they formed a wall so the horses on one side couldn't follow the others. The cars were filled with very important people, they must have been, as they just couldn't stop to enjoy these magnificent beasts.  They did stop for a second or two but immediately started driving slowly.  As the horses surrounding the cars became frightened they started to run in the opposite direction of their intended travel.  As almost everyone on my street is retired, what was their hurry?  Were they going to the club to feed their faces?  At their age, no one was ready to have a baby--for sure.  They could not take two minutes to allow the horses to continue on their way?  It was so sad to observe.

The reason a herd travels is to find a better feeding ground; this was denied to them.  At this time of year, it is extremely important for the animals to get as much nutrition to give them a better chance to survive the upcoming winter.