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Admiration Of A Better Player Is A Good Thing
I like to think we all seemed to have our heroes and greats in
our early years. Growing up in front of a television had us
dashing around with a sword or packing a six-shooter at our
side. Depending on what we were watching at the time, whether it
was in front of a television or out on some field watching a
football game. We all seemed to mimic someone at one time or
another. In our early years finding someone we admired as a
Mentor kind of kept the spirit alive in direction and where we
are today.
I often wondered back how I caught on to what some people call
golf fever. Thinking back I often admired good golfers where I
caddied. How I remembered getting excited when I watched a good
golfer walk towards the first tee box. Standing there in
anticipation of a huge drive to follow as the golfer teed up his
ball, remembering how they maneuvered the golf ball off the tee
box, watching the shot rise with a steady climb as it went out
into the distance. I had to figure out then and there on how
they did that by grabbing a stick or a nearby branch of any
length and mimicking their swing. I use to take buckets of golf
balls out to the practice range to try and accomplish that
remarkable hitting distance. It just made me a better golfer
trying.
Names like Kendal and Nadler sparked my excitement that took me
where I am today in golf. To this day, because of my admiration
of their golf game back then, it fired up the enthusiasm for
years of golf that followed. The names may not have recognition
to anybody else, but to me they were like a Palmer and Nicklaus
as their names are to anybody today in the golf industry.
Kendal I admired because of his ability to take trees and woods
out of play. His shots started out low with a steady climb
upwards at about 200 yards out. His drives were so huge. I think
then and there is where I caught the fever. His 5 wood took all
the trees out of play. With today's technology, I would like to
view those same shots again.
Nadler was a different type of golfer. She liked to play a low
draw shot or fade shot. Her ability to move a ball in any
direction was uncanny. Going up and over trees was not her game.
Nadler steered her golf shots around them, like she was
navigating a vehicle on an obstacle course. Her golf game was
kind of like, hit the ball just before the green and watch it
bounce past a sand trap and roll in towards the flagstick.
Nadler could steer the ball around sand traps, trees, and
whatever obstacles that were in her way. I often thought her
golf ball had eyes, because of how her golf shots would start
out straight and come back in towards the flagstick. It was
amazing to watch. I learned from her that a straight shot was
not the only golf shot you needed to master to play good golf.
Also playing the old bump and run approach is an alternative
game to play, that she was a master at.
It was because of them, my enthusiasm for golf took me to a
better game. I didn't even think about watching it on television
at the time. Sure I enjoy watching it on television today. You
tend to slow down and take a more relaxed approach, or what you
may call a golf couch approach at the game, as you get older. I
guess the golf fever for me then, was being able to play golf
like my Mentors, and there was nothing more enjoyable than
actually trying to create a golf swing like theirs out on the
course. I liked to think of them as Mentors, because it was them
that taught me the potential thrill of playing good golf.
No matter what game of sports you play or want to learn. It
could work for all walks of life. Go out and watch someone that
is much better than you, and see if you can catch the
excitement, to be as good, if not better. It could bring you to
the top. If you're persistent!
About the author:
Learned to golf as a caddie. Now running a discount tee time
site at http://www.golfanchor.net and a golf site at
http://www.golfanchor.com
Written By: George Gabriel
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