Lessons Learned From Playing With a Scratch Golfer

I am very fortunate to get to meet great people every day and get invited to play some of the best golf courses in the country.  A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine invited me to play Baltusrol Golf Club and little did I know I’d be learning history and a thing or two about my golf game.  Here’s me standing on the bridge that Jack strolled over to victory twice.  Don’t let the spookiness of the clubhouse throw you, the place was beautiful and modern (even with all the history) on the inside.

For those of you who are not obsessed with professional golf like me, Baltusrol is a private 36-hole golf course located in my home state of New Jersey and will be the site of the 2016 PGA Championship.  I’ll be back in August to witness the event, but first, I had the chance to give this historical track a test a run for a full 18 on the exact course (lower course) that the event will be played on in a few months.  And here’s the best part, I got to play it with a scratch golfer.

Who remembers Jack’s magical 1-iron at Baltusrol in 1967?

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kjHIseDz4g&start=54&end=93&width=742&height=558[/embedyt]
 
By the way, I parred that hole.  Just sayin…

Going out there with a scratch golfer was intimidating at first, but it kept getting more exciting with each shot.  Seeing him scramble from fairway bunkers, up-and-down like it was nothing, and draining long distance putts made me think about my own game.  It was the combination of what he told me and what I observed that took nine (yes, nine) strokes off my card the very next time out.

Let me introduce my friend the scratch golfer, Gregg Angelilo.  Gregg carded a 68 that day and I witnessed him drop a long eagle putt, some amazing birdies, and about ten pars.  He made it look easy and because of these three mental notes that I absorbed that day, I have improved dramatically.

Stop Being a Caveman

About 99% of the time one of my playing partners eludes to the fact that my tempo is in overdrive.  I know I’m fast paced out there and always move too quick throughout my round.  Heck, I do it throughout my life.

Gregg told me point blank that I act like a ‘caveman’ when I address the ball and just like that, it all made sense.  Sometime I struggle with controlling my nerves and I get super excited to grip and rip a shot that doesn’t need that much power.  I was literally standing over my ball with a death grip on the club as if I was gearing up for a 3-0 fastball in game seven of the World Series.

Since that comment, everything has gone from 100 mph to about 5.

Same Swing Every Time

I noticed Gregg never changed his mechanics; and I took note of that by the 4th or 5th hole.  Whether he found the sand or missed a fairway, he always seemed to put the same swing on the ball with the same routines from start to finish.

How quickly we want to be just like the professionals, right?  Of course I began to imitate his mannerisms and I recall finishing the day with two pars on the last three holes.  Heck, with this new swing thought mentality that I stole from my playing partner, I was so eager to race home to my course for a quick nine.

This is a video of myself on the range at Baltusrol before heading out:

A video posted by Golficity (@golficity) on Apr 7, 2016 at 4:11pm PDT

Be Cool, Be Confident

My unbelievable golf partner marched all the way to his 68 that day as if he owned the joint—and in the game of golf I don’t believe in “home-field advantage.”  Some would argue that course knowledge lends itself to having more of a comfortable feel and hence, less mental mistakes.  I analyzed him during play and it was obvious that his mental game and mechanics are in tact and he trusts his golf swing.  In fact, we teamed up again a few weeks later on an away-course, and lets just say he had no issues with that track either.

In the end, I learned that I need to trust my game, my swing, my tempo, and my game plan.  Being cooler and more confident on the golf course is something that I need to put more of a focus on.  The best part about playing this round was that I was able to self-diagnose my golf game and it turns out my mental game is my weakest link.

If you ever get the opportunity you owe it to yourself to go play a round with a scratch golfer.  Ask your course pro to join you for a round one day or ask that friend or colleague that you know has an all-around solid golf game.  Take mental notes and try to replicate what they do the next time your out on the range or course.

Gregg Angelilo is a New Jersey resident and member of Baltusrol Golf Club.   He serves as the President of the NJ Golf Foundation and he has an intense passion for charitable work.   Not only is he known for all of his hard work in the community working with kids and members of the military, but Gregg also has a couple of club champion trophies and four hole in ones, including one on a 300+ yard Par 4!

You can contact Gregg directly on Twitter @doubleg63