Cigar break  on the front nine at the Mill River Club

“Mom, did you hear what I said?”

Something about a frog, I think.  “Of course I did.”

“I dissected a frog today and I named her Beatrice.”

Short game

OK.  Got it.  I need to make a quick mental note of this because somewhere else in my short term memory I remember Mikki bursting with pride as she showed us a picture of herself somewhere in Israel riding a camel that she named Mildred.  If I remembered Mildred, I better remember Beatrice.

Mildred.  Beatrice.

Long game

In another place not far from my short term memory is where my long range thinking goes on.  Sky’s tech auditions for LaGuardia High School.  Remy’s spring semester in Italy.  Running a half marathon.

There are days when I find it challenging to walk and chew gum at the same time.  To see the big picture and the small picture.

This is why I play golf

Today one of my board members invited me and another board member with his wife to play a round of golf on a hot humid June day that made every swing feel like a warm hug.  While I was hitting some practice shots, I noticed some things about my shots.

I don’t get much distance on my drives.  I have a pretty consistent chip shot off the green and I can get out of the sand.  Some lessons and a lot of time on the course would do wonders for my game and for my head.  You need to own these shots to be in the game: the long drives, the chip shots, the putts.  Putting them together is just the beginning.   Golf is a game that demands consistent mastery of your shots and it will reward focus,  mental toughness and grace under fire in a player.

“Drive for show, putt for dough.”

A saying you hear a lot around the golf course.  I take it very seriously, not only in my golf game but in my daily life.  Of course you need to get the ball on the green and a beautifully hit long drive is really a Wow! moment, but putting, or the short game, is the dealbreaker.

I am working on sharpening my short game in every game of life.  Sinking every shot from any point on the green.  Nailing every detail.  Remembering the names of Mildred and Beatrice.

What is your short game?  How can you become better at it?

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