Golf - Long Hitters

I have played golf at many golf courses locally and overseas but really not as much overseas as many other golfers. It is amazing how they could spend so much money and time. Some folks have money but no time and others have time but no money. I have neither. 

Locally, I have played at all clubs and courses and one of the most interesting things about golf is that you could be playing at different courses with different orientation, wind direction, terrain condition, seasonal factors, etc. Even playing on the same course can be very different each time. 

Another interesting aspect is you can be playing with different flight mates, various kinds of golfers and levels or types of golfers and many very good golfers, single handicappers and all. Good players tend to have a consistent swing, adapt to conditions faster and probably played more often and trained harder. Although the single handicappers or what I would call low handicappers are excellent golfers, each have their strengths.

Some are quite long off the tee or very straight. Some are good with their woods and others very strong with their irons. Usually, most have pretty good short game meaning sharp wedge play and putting. I can at times be capable of such play too but the difficulty is to do it on both halves or consistently in every game. That is why we are not professionals.

But there is another category of golfers where we do not call them single handicappers even though they are very good. Why? Because they are scratch golfers. They are the professionals or at least even if they are not professionals, they play like one. In most of our  usual games, the difference between a low handicapper and a mid is the short game. Period. Right? Wrong. 

Playing with someone with a very good short game while interesting does not impress me as much as someone with a super long game. The reasons is if I am on song, I could do some of these stuffs too but I could not do the super long game that I witnessed say from those on TV but to play with excellent long hitters with incredible distance, never before. They don't say drive for show and putt for dough for nothing.

I was quite a long hitter during my slightly younger days. For my height and size, I have surprised many. My longest ever drive was a whopping 270m at OCC but I did this distance only once, confirmed by GPS. My other longest hits were 250m maximum when I hit it on the screws. As we aged, our distance will get shorter. Maybe these days, it could be down to 230m at best. 

Many golfers overestimated their own distance. I have people telling me their average distance is 230m and when I play with them they are a good 30m behind me. It is actually very easy to know your distance. Measure them on a monitor, get your launch angle, swing speed and spin rate. You can't run away. Iron distances are even easier as you can simply see it from your one club and work it downwards. My 7-iron distance is 145-150m, so 6 iron would be 155m, 5 iron at 165m and so on. 

So when I had the opportunity one day to play with two long hitters it was an eye opener. Watching shots that make you go "Wow!" I was introduced to Vincent Khua who not so long ago represented Singapore in the Prudential Cup beating the team from Malaysia. We were on an elevated tee box playing through a swerving fairway that ends with an elevated green. The sign said "282m" maybe "284m". I was thinking good players should go first and show me the way but he waited for everyone to clear the green at the first hole. Then wham! His golf ball flew high and long and it gradually disappeared from our sight. It landed just outside but beside the green. Wow!

Then there is Harry Lin, manager of Asian Tour. I guessed he must have been at least 6 ft 2ins? Bang! We saw the ball charging straight at the green. It was confirmed when we got to the green and Harry putted for an eagle from 5 or 6 feet.

I was almost star struck by now but I am a star too. Well, when I grow up hopefully, I could play like them. I am always curious about other people's equipment. I mean golf equipment at the golf course not in the toilet. Vincent played with a Titleist D3 driver and a Odyssey Metal-X putter. I have one same putter but my Titleist is a 910 D2 which was used by Jason Dufner recently when he won the PGA. I saw that Harry was playing with a Callaway Diablo driver and I was sharing with him about the video on how Stuart Appleby hit that and the golf ball was in a race with a Lamborghini. Watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqtUtwIZ0Wg

Maybe most of us will hit the ball onto the Lamborghini. 

I was truly inspired. By Vincent, Harry, the beautiful scenery and the fine weather. Golf is a game that is played six inches between your ears. Ditto soccer too or badminton, etc. Just as in life. Sometimes we have to use a bit of psychology like a mentalist. For example, I may just tell people that I will hit the shot drawing over a tree so that it will land on the buggy track, bounce twice and go on the fairway and I am left with 70m or I will hit over the tallest tree and land the ball just before the water with 100m left.

When it really happen, you could see their disbelief with their eyes wide and jaw dropped for the jaw-dropping shot. However, be warned that if you fail to carry it out it can get really ugly. When you see a soccer player attempt a 35m volley shot into the net you must know that a couple of degrees deviation would end up in row Z onto the stadium terrace and fans will call you an idiot. The difference is the guts to try. Recently I saw a guy trying a Phil Mickelson reverse bunker shot. I would not tell you the outcome out of fear for my life but I like his guts.

The best part was by the 6th or 7th hole, the beer flowed freely. Vincent, Harry and another good golfer Ronnie put me under tremendous pleasure. I am not much of a drinker, there are countless stronger ones than me, I am just a decent golfer, there are many more better ones but when it comes to golf with beer I seem to have few peers. 

We finally cleaned up and time for dinner. Here is Harry smiling as he learned from me how not to golf.

And Vincent too. It was like an exhibition for me. They are pros. I am pro-blem. At least my word is longer. Now, I am trying not to be a lazy golfer by hitting my shots with more gusto.

A word of thanks to the sponsors!

Thanks for the memories.