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How To Select The Proper Golf Shot | The Grateful Golfer
The decision to hit any golf club can be super easy or extremely difficult. These choices can apply to the same shot depending on what you decide to achieve. Many times poor results from a golf shot are not the result of a poor swing, but from a poor decision. I am guilty of this…
Focused Practice With My Hickory Sticks | The Grateful Golfer
With the Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship at Whirlpool Golf Course on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, 2025 it is time to hone my skills with my hickory sticks. In order to achieve this lofty goal, I am taking more time to practice. Specifically, I am writing my yardages down on my mismatched clubs…
Hitting The Ball Well With Poor Results | The Grateful Golfer
Yesterday I played in a two person scramble with my friend Len. On paper we looked very strong, but the results did not live up to the hype. We were matched with Blair and Fernando as per last year and overall we had a great time. There were lots of laughs and jokes shared by…
A New Club Champion At The Mattawa Golf And Ski Resort | The Grateful Golfer
For the second year in a row, there is a new club champion at the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. Congratulations to Len Gushe for winning the final leg of the match play club champion event. He is thrilled to have the coveted parking spot for the 2026 season. Len beat me in the final…
How Fragile Is Your Golf Game? | The Grateful Golfer
Golf is a peculiar game. It is one built on confidence and understanding of your overall game. You do not have to be the best player and your success varies from day to day. Over he years, I have decreased the fragility of my golf game through three simple steps. They are not complicated and…
How Quickly Our Golf Game Rusts! | The Grateful Golfer
Taking two weeks off definitely created the perfect conditions for rust to accumulate on my golf game. Surprisingly, my swing was okay but my shots after the tee box needed a great deal of work. All of this rust was a result of not swinging a club on my vacation, however I did accomplish my…
Nearing The End Of Golf Season | The Grateful Golfer
As silly as it sounds, the first week of September signals the downhill slide of my yearly golf season. The weather starts to get cooler, wetter, and more unpredictable. After just returning from a two week trip (hence the zero articles), it is time to make the most of the good weather both on and…
The 2025 Ontario Hickory Open Is Coming Soon | The Grateful Golfer
It is that time of year again when the Golf Historical Society of Canada host the Ontario Hickory Open. This annual event is a must attend for hickory stick enthusiasts. I will be attending and look forward to a better showing than last year (as all golfers intend regardless of last year's results). If you…
Fixing Poor Contact With Your Putter | The Grateful Golfer
I will not use the dreaded words - the yips - because that is a complete lost of confidence with the flat stick. We can still struggle making poor contact with our putter without losing out confidence. Many times, it is something that we are suddenly doing or not doing with our putter stroke that…
As Simple Chipping Motion For Success | The Grateful Golfer
Chipping the golf ball in or near a hole is an important skill every golfer needs to master. There are many different steps that a player can use in order to hone their chipping skills. There is, however, a fundamental movement that all players need to conquer in order to lower their up and down…
Another Fantastic Day On The Golf Course | The Grateful Golfer
I played my first match in on the Open side of the match play events at Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. It was a head to head battle against one of, if not the, best player at my home course. Len is a great player who hits the ball very long, has a great touch…
Working At My Short Game To Lower My Golf Score | The Grateful Golfer
This season I have dedicated some time to improving my short game. I have adjusted my stance and ball position and feel that this major change has definitely helped with shots around 100 yards or closer. I still have a couple of struggles mishitting the ball, but that is to be expected when trying to…
Keeping Your Ball In Play For Lower Golf Scores | The Grateful Golfer
Achieving low golf scores is the aim of any golfer. If we were not interested, why would we keep score. Even when we are not writing a tally down, we are keeping track of our shots in our head. It is a natural thing for golfers and the main goal of playing golf......for most of…
Can You See Your Golf Shot? | The Grateful Golfer
Many golfers approach their next shot with blinders on without any regard for what they are seeing. Each shot offers a unique opportunity to make a great play. The challenge is that many players to do not visualize their shot prior to making any attempt. This particular technique should and I will repeat, should, be…
Hitting Your Driver Off The Fairway | The Grateful Golfer
Hitting your driver off the fairway is not normally a shot most of us would try. It is a challenging shot and requires a slightly different set up routine. Additionally, I find that the course conditions need to be drier than normal in order to allow the driver head to bounce off the ground. Given…
Another Successful Step Towards Being The Club Champion | The Grateful Golfer
Yesterday, I played my second match in the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort's Club Championship. This is fourth year I organized and ran this event for my home course and I am happy to say I snuck through to the third round. My tough opponent, JC, was not going to make it easy for me…
Playing Early In The Morning | The Grateful Golfer
One of the benefits of being a member of the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort is the ability to play early bird golf. This allows me to play a quick round of golf with no other players on the course. It usually takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to play two balls on the…
Northern Hickory Golf Tour 2025 | The Grateful Golfer
The 6th annual Northern Hickory Tour was conducted over three days, Thursday, August 21 to Saturday, August 23, 2025. This tour is designed to expose golfers to the wonderful world of hickory sticks. The Hickory Stick Ambassadors are great guys to play golf with and provide all the clubs you need to enjoy a round using…
Regaining My Golf Swing After A Month Off | The Grateful Golfer
In the middle of June I had an operation that put me out of commission until just recently. It is nothing serious, but something that needed to be taken care of sooner than later. Yesterday, I went and played 12 holes and felt very good after finishing. I purposely have been taking my time getting…
Consistently Hitting Your Aim Point | The Grateful Golfer
Every golfer tries to hit their target. The process to accomplish this fundamental part of golf is the bane of many players. For some reason, they miss their target because of many swing mechanic faults. Of course, we all want to fix these challenges and over time practice is the only real approach to fixing…
Playing Your Best Game Of Golf | The Grateful Golfer
Every once in awhile, we hit the links and from the first tee shot our game is dialed in. That is what happened to me yesterday. I played my first match play game in the Club Championship tournament against the current club champion, Misha. Right from the beginning, I was on fire and I ended…
Playing Winning Golf | The Grateful Golfer
As I watch the Open this weekend from the Dunluce Course, which refers to the championship course at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, I am trying to figure out the solution to playing winning golf. The professionals all have a plan on how to play this challenging course and I am sure it is…
The Match Play Tournaments Have Started | The Grateful Golfer
For the past four years, I have organized a small match play tournament at the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. With and Open and Club Champion events, I am always hoping to add more players. This year, under a straight match play format, the numbers are smaller than last year, but alas that is the…
Reading The Break On The Green | The Grateful Golfer
One of the greatest challenges faced my golfers happens on the green. Reading the break is a challenge at the best of times and understanding how the ball breaks in relation to your putting style and speed is vital to a great short game. When playing with others, we always watch their putt (or at…
What Putt Distance Do You Struggle With The Most | The Grateful Golfer
I sometimes am asked what putting distance I struggle with the most. This is a legit question and many amateurs, as I did, seem to find 4 to 6 feet the most challenging. Have you ever wondered why this relatively short distance is the most challenging. I have some thoughts on this and a sure…
Playing Golf After A Forced Lay Off | The Grateful Golfer
For the past month, I did not play any golf. Actually, that is not entirely true, I did play one stunted round last week that I will discuss later. My lack of golf was a result of an operation (nothing serious) that prohibited me from any physical activity which, unfortunately, include golf. Well, time has…
Working On Lower Golf Scores | The Grateful Golfer
Unfortunately, there is no magic tip that will instantly lower your golf scores. Yes, you can find on a particular area of your game that requires your attention, however it rarely happens instantly. Over the years, I have found that to truly lower my golf scores I needed to practice and focus on specific aspects…
Common Sense Approach To More GIR | The Grateful Golfer
Greens in regulation (GIR) is the one stat that every golfer should understand. Hitting the green with a chance to putt for birdie more often than not will lead to lower golf scores. The challenge that most amateurs use the wrong approach to improve their GIR. They allow their ego determine club selection instead of…
Happy Canada Day in 2025 | The Grateful Golfer
The first of July is special to all Canadians because it is Canada’s Birthday. Every year Canadians gather and celebrate this amazing country. Family and friends look forward to sharing some great food, drink and laughs. It is a time for community gathers and sharing the joys of living in Canada! Canada is 158 years…
Forgetting To Focus On Golf | The Grateful Golfer
Many of us rush to the golf course to partake in a 4.5 hour sprint around the links. It is almost a ritual for many players to arrive a few minutes before their tee time and hurry around the parking lot gathering their stuff in order not to be late. If this sounds familiar, then…
Do You Follow The Rules Of Golf? | The Grateful Golfer
The fair question is if you follow all the rules of golf? There are many different rules that govern how to play any particular golf shot. There are local rules that apply only to a specific golf course to make playing at that track easier. There some traditions many players consider rules, but in fact…
Fixing the Chipping Yips | The Grateful Golfer
Every golfer has a challenge chipping around the green. It is nothing new and will happen time and time again. This is the nature of golf as this sport is a marathon not a sprint, so the ups and downs of great play are something we all have to face. The chipping yips is something…
Fixing Your Slice In One Easy Step | The Grateful Golfer
To be fair, there is likely not one quick fix you can do that will eliminate your slice. It must be completed in stages, but the fix happens quicker than you think. I could go through the step by step process of hitting a golf ball, but after the third step, you have likely stopped…
Knowing The Rules Of Golf Is Important | The Grateful Golfer
I like to read different situations about the rules of golf. How the rules are enforce and interpreted can determine whether you win or lose a match. I came across one from Golf.com that was interesting. I immediately thought I knew how to interpret the rule and was happy to see that I was correct.…
Consistently Setting Up Any Golf Shot | The Grateful Golfer
There is a correct method to sed up any golf shot. Regardless of your thoughts, a step by step method creates the greatest opportunity to hit consistent golf shots. As I thought about my process, I realized that most wayward shots occur because I truncated or missed a step in my setup. I realize this…
What A Crazy Finish At The 2025 US Open | The Grateful Golfer
Congratulations to JJ Spaun for winning the 2025 US Open Golf Championship. It was a crazy finish that was the survival of the fittest. It is hard to believe how challenging it was for the players to even make par. I was cheering for Adam Scott, but alas it was not his year. Regardless, JJ…
Watching The US Open at Oakmont | The Grateful Golfer
Watching the US Open at Oakmont Country Club has been an eye opener. The course looks to be in fantastic shape with the 5 1/2 inch rough, undulating greens, and the deep sand traps. As I sit and watch the top golfers navigate the course, I cannot stop and wonder how I would do at…
Plus Fours, Hogan Hats and 100 Year Old Hickory Golf Clubs Rule The Weekend | The Grateful Golfer
The 2025 Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge, 6 - 8 June, has come and gone. This event, organized by Chris Hawes, raised money for a worthy charity and expanding the fun of hickory stick golf. Chris started this event last year and it was a huge success. Chris is running this must attend hickory event again…
Playing A Great Round Of Golf With Friends | The Grateful Golfer
Golf is great sport that provides the opportunity for friends to enjoy spend time together. This is nothing new about this statement and yesterday at Osprey Links Golf Course, my golfing experience reinforced why golf is a great social contact sport. Playing a round with my friends Mike, Blair and Fernando was fun right from…
It Is Hickory Stick Time! | The Grateful Golfer
Today I am playing a round of golf with my hickory sticks. I used them a few times this spring and I am excited to use them again. Playing with clubs built in the early 1900s is a fun challenge that adds a great deal of excitement to every shot. We play from a shorter…