Lost Time

Good morning everyone! I have seemed to have lost track of time and lost touch with my blog. It is a fairly slow day here at the golf course so I decided to put my words on paper, electronic paper anyway since I’m not actually writing with pen and paper. Let’s play catch up for a few paragrahs and hopefully I can get back to blogging on a regular basis!!! That’s my plan anyway,  we’ll see how long that lasts.

Since my last blog a lot has happened!!! I will give you a list of what has happened then explain more in detail about each one.

1. Michelle is pregnant again!!!!!

2. Bow Season and Gun Season are in full swing and my freezer is full (more blogs to come on hunting!!!)

3. Traditional Thanksgiving Pheasant Hunting is very near!

4. Golf Season has come to a hault

#1. Back in June Michelle and I found out she was pregnant, however on our first ultrasound visit we found out that Michelle had miscarried the baby. Why this happened we don’t really know and neither do the experts…most miscarriages that happen in the 1st trimester are unexplainable. After some long nights and 4 boxes of tissues later Michelle surprised me one day with some good news, she was pregnant again!!!!

After much conversation we decided not to tell anyone til after we had our first ultrasound out of the way and knew that baby AuBuchon was doing good. Needless to say that first visit is out of the way and Michelle is about 12 or 13 weeks along!!! The baby as far as we can tell is doing good…it had a heart beat of 178 BPM (beats per minute) on our first visit…the dr. said that is a very good heart rate and shows good signs of a healthy baby…baby AuBuchon is expected to be here around June 7th!!!

#2. Apart from golf my other love is hunting. My favorite type of hunting bow hunting whitetail deer!!! It’s such a rush when you’re trying to kill such a smart animal with such a small weapon!!! I also love hunting period…this season alone has been my best season!!! Early October I was able to harvest my first deer with my bow and finally on the 31st of October the monkey fell off my back after I had shot my first big buck with a bow. He turned out to be a real dandy, good looking 8 pointer with 3 stickers on his brow tines!!! I was very happy my trophy!!! Gun Season opened on the 14th of November and my season was over just before 8AM…I had gunned down 2 deer about 10 minutes apart!!! It was a fantastic Saturday morning!!!

#3. With Thanksgiving at our doorstep Michelle and I will be traveling to Kansas for the traditional Pheasant Hunting trip her family takes every year!!! We weren’t able to go last Thanksgiving due to a death in the family, but we went in January and had great success, so I’m expecting nothing less than what happened in January!!! Should be a great trip with amazing amounts of food!!!

#4. With golf season slowing down to almost a hault take time to flip back to my blogs I wrote earlier this year about off season training and work!!! I’ll try and post more when time allows!!!

Have a great Holiday Season and we’ll get back to you here shortly!!!

A long over due blog

Well it has been quite some time since I’ve sat down and typed out a few lines for you to enjoy!!! It’s hard to imagine that the summer is pretty much over, kids are back to school and labor day weekend will be upon us before we know it. I apologize to all my faithful readers, though they may be few, I have been very busy this summer with lots of golfers and working a lot!!! I have been able to play my fair share of golf as well and it has been very good. I’ve had good rounds and bad rounds, but none the less I’m out of the office and playing golf!!! Like they say “A bad day of golf beats a good day at work”!!!

As the season slows down I will get back into the habit of posting golf tid bits and this that and everything else….I guess this is it for now…until we read and write again, have a safe weekend. Like I always say “Hit her low and let her go or hit her high and let her fly” Good night!!!

June is for the Ladies!!!

Good Morning everyone…I feel like I’m at a board meeting when I say that??? Anyway my blog this morning is for the ladies!!! Ladies you should be happy to know that June is Ladies Month thru the “Play Golf America” Foundation. We as golf professionals dedicate this month to helping you and your game. There are several goals we have in mind for you this month…here are just a few of them.

Our mission is to #1 – Make learning and playing golf fun in a woman-friendly environment and #2 – Attract and retain new women golfers. So to help get more women interested in golf the Country Club I’m working for is now hosting an evening ladies league starting tonight. Our regular league is on Tuesday mornings, but not all of our ladie members are retired, so to promote women’s golf we’re adding an additional league that will start at 5:30!!!! I’m also offering some free lessons and clinics this month as well to any and all women 14 years of age and older.

Golf is a great game and ladies can have fun at it too, just like the men!!! So ladies if you’re wanting to get your feet wet this is the month to do it. If your club or facility is participating in Play Golf America this is your month. Consult with your local pro for more details or go to www.playgolfamerica.com Good luck this month and I hope to see you out there on the golf course!!! Have a great week!

Memorial Day Golf Tip

Good Morning everyone!!! I hope the holiday weekend is going well. I’ve been slammed here at the golf course all weekend, with outside customers and members!!! It’s been a very good weekend!!! This past week I’ve been brain storming and pondering on what to write about!!! I wanted to give a really good tip that would offically kick off the summer. With Memorial Day being the first holiday of the summer I wanted to kick it off with a bang!!! My tip begins with a situation I as a golf professional had to deal with on Saturday. I tried my best not to let my personal feelings get involved…to say the least.

This past Saturday I ran a benefit tournament for a little girl who has some brain complications. Her parents are working hard to raise money to get her some state of the art treatment that will hopefully fix about 70% of her injuries and will hopefully restore her back to a semi if not more regualr life style. With all the tournaments I run I get to know several of the teams that play out here on a regular basis. Not only do I know who they are, I also have a pretty good idea of how they play golf and what their handicap is. After meeting this little girl Jaylyn and her parents my heart went out for them and I dove in full blast trying to give them the most successful golf tournament they could have and raise as much money as possible. The good news is…the tournament was successful. However we had a small problem with a specific team.

I knew going into the tournament that this team was known for pencil whipping (writting down false scores) everybody. To say the least…they cleaned house!!! After the tournament I approached the team and gave them a good traditional ass chewing about cheating. Of course they played dumb to it and said they were all really good golfers and can shoot even par anytime from any tee box!!! At this point in the conversation I was fuming and my personal feelings were trying to crawl out of me and come out my mouth!!! Thank goodness they didn’t. I was highly disappointed in this team knowing who they were.

My tip to you is this…don’t put on paper what you can’t handle or back up on the golf course!!! If you’re a 15 handicap, admit it and play to it. This is probably my biggest problem I have as a golf professional. Play to what you have the ability to play to!!! You’re only hurting yourself when you cheat.  Respect the game and your fellow competitors. Golf is a better game when everyone is honest. Have a good Memorial Day and thank you to everyone who has served in our Military to protect our sweet freedom!!! God Bless all of you!!!

Daddy To Be

The time has come in my life where I celebrate a new stepping stone and accomplishment. I am going to be a daddy!!! My wife Michelle and I found out last week that we are expecting our first little one this January!!! I am super excited and can’t wait to meet my son/daughter!!! It’s crazy to look back and think I was once in High School and Jr. High and now all of a sudden I’m an adult, married and expecting a baby in less than 8 months!!! I have noticed over the past few years how time really flys!!! It seems just yesterday my wife and I had just met for the first time and started dating…now we’re having a child together. It’s pretty cool to watch time unfold and watch my life move by!!!

Anyway that’s my latest news for now. I’ll have a Memorial Day Golf Tip tomorrow. Have a great night!!!

Golf Tip #13…..I think?

Here it is almost 10PM and I’m at home watching a movie and writing a golf blog. I’m 23 and sitting at home on a Friday night!!! Does anyone see what’s wrong with this picture other than me??? Since I’m home on a Friday night with not much else to do I figured I would catch up on my blogging since it’s been a while. And I’ve been really bad about not posting a weekly tip either…sorry. So here we are…the first week of May and The Players Championship is here!!! It has been an interesting tournament so far and we’ve still got 2 days left and Tiger has made the cut!!!!

One of my biggest pet peeves is dirty clubs!!! To help you get the most out of your irons on every shot you’ve got to have clean grooves!!! I carry with me on every golf bag I have (4 to be exact) a groove brush that has soft and hard brissles and a towel for clubs and a towel for cleaning my golf balls. After every shot I hit I clean the club I used with a wad of spit or water if I have it and I scrub it very well til the grooves are clean!!!

Having clean grooves ensures that you will have proper impact when you hit the golf ball. One thing you may not know is that when you’re grooves are dirty you can’t get the proper spin you need to make good golf shots. Now some of you are wondering how do I put spin on the ball? To put spin on the ball you first start with clean grooves. Once your grooves are clean, then to put spin on the ball you have to hit down on the ball and allow the ball to move up the club face and make a full swing. This will produce spin…work with it on the driving range before you take it to the course. Back to clean grooves.

The other bright side to clean grooves and clubs is your clubs look new!!! Just about everytime I play I get probably 1-3 compliments on how new my clubs look!!! Taking care of your clubs and keeping your grooves clean also ensures the life of your clubs. Not only cleaning them on the course, but giving them a good bath occasionally is good too. I probably bathe my clubs in hot water and soap about 1 a week sometimes more depending on how much I play and how dirty they get. Letting them soak in hot water and suds will help get all the dirt out of the grooves. It’s like doing dishes!!! If you wash your clubs in the sink, do your wife a favor and do the dishes while you’re at it!!! It may give you an extra tee time if you rack up some brownie points. The bottom line is…KEEP YOUR CLUBS CLEAN!!!!

Clean grooves means good golf shots, good golf shots means more golf and more golf creates for more fun!!! Keep your grooves clean and tee it up every chance you good. Just a side thought for leaving…Remember politicans are like diapers, they need to be changed and often for the same reason. Good afternoon, good evening and Good Night!!!

-Daniel

Golf Tip # whatever….A review of the Masters!!!

Well the weekend of another tournament is here and the Masters is over. Mr. Cabrera has a beautiful green jacket, an awesome paycheck and his 2nd major in just 3 years. Pretty good for a guy who’s only 5′ 6″ tall and can pound on a golf ball!!! I have to say despite Angel Cabrera winning I was rooting for my man KP aka Kenny Perry!!! I’ve watched Kenny Perry every since I was a kid. I was really pulling for him to get that grenn jacket. Even though KP didn’t win there is valuable lesson that can be learned from his game. Setting and reaching goals you’ve set!!!!!

Last year his goal thru the whole year was to make the Ryder Cup team. With winning 3 tournaments before the Ryder Cup his goal was obtained quite well. Not only did he obtain his goal, he played some terrific golf in Kentucky for the Ryder Cup!!!!! So as this year started he was asked by several reporters what his goals were for the year. His big goal is to win 20 tournaments by time he reaches 50. I believe he’s got 12 to go maybe? I could be wrong. Anyhow he later came out and said he would like to play well at the Majors. Although he didn’t win I would bet that to some degree he was satisfied with how he played for the week. His last few holes he’s probably not happy with, but from an overall stand point I would almost bet he’s happy with his play. You may ask how does that relate to us? Well I’m about to tell ya.

Setting goals is so so so vital in golf!!!! Even the smallest of goals, i.e. hitting a fairway, being on the green in regulation, making a 3 footer etc are very very important. When you set a goal whether on 1 hole, or for a whole round you’re setting a standard for yourself. The goal for the goals you set…reach those goals!!! When you have set goals and reached them you build confidence in your game. When you have confidence in your game you tend to play well, when you play well you shoot decent scores, when you shoot decent scores you tend to play more golf. You see the chain reaction you’re starting when you set goals on the golf course? I can not stress enough how important setting goals are for yourself!!!!! I would almost say it’s more important than shooting a good score!!!

So after you read this I want you to sit down, take a piece of paper and outline your goals for your next round. There can be as many as 1 to whatever amount of goals you want to achieve in a round. Start small and build on each goal you set. I.E. “Hit 2 fairways off the tee” Once you have reached that goal and can do it on a regular basis, reset that goal “Hit 5 fairways off the tee” When you set goals, obtain them and reset them you’re not only building confidence with your game, your improving your skill in golf!!! So when you can tee it up, set those goals, and go after them!!! Have a great week and good luck setting and reaching your goals!!!

A Pause from my love of golf……..

My first thought this week I have to admit was not about Easter and the amazing gift that Jesus Christ gave us on that dark and cold Friday afternoon over 2000 years ago…my first thought was about the Masters. To be really honest I have been plotting this week how quick I’m going to sit thru church, eat lunch, see my family and get to a TV to see the final round starting at 1pm CST!!!!! I have a lot to do in a short amount of time!!!

As Easter Sunday draws closer I have begun thinking alot more about this modern day term “holiday” As a kid growing up I was more interested in candy, egg hunts, presents from my grand parents, and that Sunday out fit my mom picked out for me and my brothers to wear to church. Lets take out the “holiday” for once and look at how this all went down just over 2000 years ago.

This could easily turn into a long blog….so I’m gonna break it down like a shotgun over the next few days. The translation I’m using over the next few days is the “Message Remix”. It’s bible language in the modern day language. Very good translation.

In Luke 22 we read about “The Feast of Unleavened Bread” also called Passover. We also read that the high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way to do away with Jesus, but fearful of the people, they were also looking for a way to cover their tracks. -Luke 22:1-2. To help or make matters worse, Judas of Iscariot meets with the high priests and plots to turn Jesus over to them for money. 

So from these first few verses it’s easy to see that Jesus was not a favorite among the high rollers…they were being shown up and didn’t care for someone, especially Jesus claiming to be the Son of Man and the King of the Jews.

Later in Luke 22 Jesus has Peter and John prepare the Passover meal so that they can eat together. It is here at the Passover meal that Jesus begins to call out his disciples and explain to his disciples that he is about to take on death and win. Check it out here in Luke 22.

22:14-23 When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said; “You’ve no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It’s the last one I’ll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God.” Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wind again until the kingdom of Gof arrives.” Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.” He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you. Do you realize that the hand of the one who is betraying me is at this moment on this table? It’s true that the Son of Man is going down a path already marked out – no surprises there. But for the one who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Many, this is doomsday.” They immediately became suspicious of each other and began quizzing one another, wondering who might be about to do this.

A lot has gone on at this one meal. Jesus gives the greatest example of what his body was going to be used for. A sacrifice for you and for me. I love where he compares his blood to a cup of wine. We all know red wine is a stain that never comes out of clothes, carpet, table clothes, etc. When Jesus poured out his blood for us I believe He had the same idea…he wants us be stained with his blood, never being able to be cleaned of him because he is the only one that wash us clean with blood. He says this is my blood, blood poured out for you and me!!! What an image I’m left with. When we pour something out of a glass, it doesn’t come slowly…it comes pouring and rushing out…the same way Jesus’ blood was given to us. Not a drop was spared, it was poured out as a drink offering so that you and I could have a relationship with the God of the universe!!! As Easter Sunday draws near remember the sacrifice and blood that was poured out for you and me. We’ll resume this blog tomorrow..have a good night!!!

Broken & Poured Out

Golf Tip #10

Well it has been some time since I’ve given a tip…it’s after 10 and I’m not that tired so I decided to write!!! Hope you enjoy the tip.

My tip for you today or tonight however you look at it is this…”Take lessons”

Taking lessons can greatly improve your game!!! Taking lessons from a qualified golf professional will show you the flaws in your swing, game, etc rather than your friends telling you what they think you’re doing right or wrong!!! You know who you are…giving bad advice to your buddies!!! Taking lessons gives you the opportunity to work on something you don’t know how to fix!!!

Another reason to take lessons is the ability to have your lessons and swing video taped. A lot of the time you will see the flaws of your swing better in a video tape rather than having a golf professional explain it to you while on the range. And you can go back to your video tape over and over with out having to pay for lesson after lesson.

Depending on who you take lessons from the price will range from $30 to $100 an hour and up if you take lessons from a known swing instructor from a school or academy. My lessons are $30 for 45 minutes to an hour. Taking lessons again can greatly improve your game. If there is a lesson package that your club or range facility offers…take it. I have a package that has 6 lessons for $150 bucks plus course time. Take a lesson this season…you will be amazed how it can/will change your game!!!

My last suggestion is don’t tell your friends you took a lesson. Give them a good surprise when you take them for all their  money on the weekend!!! That’s always a good surprise!!! Take a lesson, you’ll love the results it could produce!!! Have a good weekend!!!

Golf Tip #9

Good Morning! After playing 18 holes yesterday with my dad and his friend Alan…a great tip came to me that I gave Alan about the 12th hole yesterday. My tip to Alan yesterday was to play his ball trajectory.

What I mean by that is if you’ve been hitting a fade for the first 9 holes…keep playing the fade. So many people try and fix their swing every hole to the point it ruins their round. Stick with your ball trajectory all day. Tomorrow if you start hitting a draw..stick with it!!! If you’re an advanced golfer and know how to properly fix your swing and can do it in a few shots…then give it a try. If it doesn’t work in a few shots keep hitting your normal ball trajctory you’ve hit that day.

You may ask why should I do this? Playing your ball trajctory from day to day adds confidence to your game. If you’ve played a fade all day and then try to start drawing the ball and fail where does your confidence go? Out the window right? Exactly!!! Playing your ball trajectory will help you erase errors while trying to fix your swing during your round. Knowing how your ball is going to fly every shot helps with confidence!!! So…play your ball trajectory..if you’re dying to fix your swing go to the range after your round!!! Have a good week!