Opinion & Analysis
Diary of a northern golfer
I’m not a big fan of “found footage” movies, though they seem to be becoming more and more common these days.
I suppose it started with the “Blair Witch Project,” which some moviegoers at first actually took for true events. “Paranormal activity” has had a nice run of four or five movies. Then of course there was J.J. Abrams’ much anticipated letdown “Cloverfield,” or the more recent teen romp flick “Project X.” A quick search through the list of found footage films reveals something pretty quickly: most of them are of the horror genre.
This gets me thinking, you know what else is somewhat horrific? Being an obsessed golfer and living in the north. Almost makes me think it’s worth it to move into a San Diego house that has an evil supernatural force, provided I can play golf 12 months a year. It also makes me think about what a “found diary” of a northern golfer would be like, if I did decided to pick up and head for warmer climates. In 2012, it went something like this for me:
January 10: Has it really been two months since I stopped playing golf? Well, time to start getting back into shape. I’m not missing it too much really, I mean maybe a little bit. OK, maybe a lot. But the PGA Tour is starting up, Kapalua and all that. Maybe I’ll take a vacation south in February or March. No problem, my wife likes having me around on weekends. Hey, maybe I’ll fix that closet door where the hinge is broken. Yup, no problem.
January 24: First trip to the golf dome did not go so well. I mean why do the golf mats have to be like two inches off what equates to the rough? I feel like I could fit my entire club under the ball without even touching it. Who designs mats like this? Have they ever even played golf? And it’s not like you can hit it off the part you stand on — that is basically concrete. I mean, I took a few swings off that and almost shattered my elbow. Not sure I am getting much out of this but I suppose it’s better than nothing. I mean sure, I can read where my 9-iron probably would have gone even though it hit the ceiling after 40 yards. And my driver barely started fading before hitting the wall that’s 90 yards away. Sigh. Stay positive. Maybe I’ll just play virtual golf.
February 12: First virtual golf game under my belt. Was nice to hang out with my golf buddies again who I haven’t seen since November (who knew we had essentially zero in common in real life? I mean, I’ve played with Mike for years and didn’t know what he did for a living until today, although I did notice he had a new grind on his sand wedge though and changed the shaft on his 3 wood in the fall). OK, so what is the deal with that monitor? I have not hit a draw in my entire life and that thing had me hitting hooks off every tee. We set gimmies to eight feet and I think I chipped five balls to 8-feet, 1-inch. I hate that monitor, it is not realistic at all. Not to mention I didn’t make a single putt all day on top of that. Also, it sure was nice playing Pebble Beach but um, I’m pretty sure they changed No. 5 about 10 years ago, and the fake bird noises from the system didn’t make me feel like I was live in Monterey. This is getting bad.
March 5: Game is really not working right now. It’s probably not the mats, definitely not. Probably my clubs. TaylorMade, Callaway and Ping all have some new stuff out. Saturday I’ll take my driver and 3-wood to GolfTown and test it against the new offerings
March 11: Well, the original equipment manufacturers really have outdone themselves this year. I hit the new Callaway three yards longer with 100rpm less spin than my old Nike and my dispersion was a few yards tighter too. This is going to make a huge difference on the course this year. On Nos. 7 and 10, I might be hitting 8-iron into them instead of a 7-iron. Oh boy, this is going to be a good year. And the 3 wood? I averaged 256 yards with the new TaylorMade as oppose to 251 with my old Cleveland. Prepare to bow down, par 5s. Wait, could I reach those par 5s anyway? Who cares. This year is going to be great.
March 25: Might be playing golf in less then a month. Time to start working on my putting. Got my Odyssey putting mat in the closet. I’ll work on it while watching the next golf tournament on CBS — just gotta make sure to lock the dog in the other room so he doesn’t chase the ball after every putt. One month to go.
April 7: A snowstorm? Are you kidding me? It’s April. Where is this snow coming from? What is the temperature next week? Will the snow melt quickly enough? This probably means I’m looking at early May now. This is ridiculous, May. I saw grass last weekend and now this. I don’t know how much more of this I can take, I don’t care about WGC events, the Masters. Whatever. Next year I am moving to Florida.
April 25: Courses are opening next week, and I just watched Bubba Watson win the Masters and Louie Ousthuizen make a double eagle. Life is good. Have a few friends I’m going to play with and there’s a course around here that always opens early in the year. Forecast calling for lows of 37 degrees Fahrenheit, but 52 in the afternoon. Rob says he isn’t playing if it’s cold. Isn’t playing if it’s cold? Is he kidding? I am guessing it is going to be cold. I don’t care if I’m a single, I’m going.
May 3: Played my first round of the year at a real cow pasture. Ended up being just me and Dave. Rob did cancel because it was 37 degrees in the morning, which of course was the forecast. Why would he even book if he knew he wouldn’t show up? Did he think it would be 75 degrees? Well the round itself wasn’t bad. I left my first putt 17 feet short and stubbed about seven chips. Other then that, hit the ball pretty well. Can’t wait for my course to open.
May 25: Few rounds under my belt. New driver and 3-wood really not working. Turns out three yards on the course really isn’t that much, and I’ve missed about 100 fairways already. Why did I switch when I was killing it with my driver last November? That’s it. I’m switching back. I wonder how many boxes of balls I can get as a trade in for the new stuff.
June 13: Finally starting to dial in my irons, actually hitting some greens these days. Distance control improving, I mean, I’m not blowing the ball 30 yards over a green anymore. Chipping is getting a bit better. I finally made it a full round without chunking one. Game is starting to come around, regularly shooting my handicap. Still not that great on the five footers, but I’ve got interclub tryouts soon so I better start getting to the course early and practicing that. I can’t believe it’s only June. I can play for like five more months. Life is good.
July 7: Played 36 today. Sun is setting at like 8:30 p.m. — this is awesome. I have been able to play one or two times a week after work as well as on weekends. If the course isn’t that busy, either. I can get a full 18 in after work no problem. Shot a 70 the other day. Irons are totally dialed in, putting is as good as it’s ever been and so is my chipping. Everything is working. Playing in a weekly skins match on Sundays with the other “A” players. Got our club match play coming up, the partners tournament with handicap. So much going on. A non-golf friend invited me out for his birthday Friday night. Probably won’t go though, I have to get up early for a round on Saturday
July 25: It was 100 degrees today. Are you kidding me? I think I lost about 12 pounds of sweat out there. Golf season is in full swing here now. You basically can’t play after 9 a.m. or it’s a five-hour round. Public courses are no better after 5 p.m. Can’t believe how hot it is. Bought a beer after nine holes today and it was warm by No. 11. Not cool.
August 20: Hmmmm, didn’t finish my round after work today. When did it get dark a month ago? It’s only 7:30 p.m. Why is it so dark? Is this something I should be worrying about? I have keep my eye on this.
September 9: Something is definitely wrong here. Can’t necessarily play rounds after work anymore. It’s getting darker by the time I get to No. 15 no matter how fast I go. Club championship is over. Did this whole season just fly by? I’m playing my best golf of the season. This can’t be happening. Forecast is calling for rain on Saturday, I don’t care I am playing no matter what. Next weekend my wife’s friend who I don’t even know has a wedding; I have to miss a friggin’ weekend in September for some girl I don’t even know? I’m playing this weekend no matter what. End of story. The wedding next week is at 1 p.m.? I think I can fit in nine before that.
September 21: Guys are disappearing from the club. I feel like I am in a horror movie where guys just vanish and no one knows what is going on. Have not seen Mark in a couple of weeks, ditto for Kevin. Did these guys pack it in for the season already? I can wait until Friday at 4 p.m. and still have a dozen spots open on Saturday morning. What a bunch of chumps, there is still a good couple of months left. Should I keep working on putting? I guess not. No more tournaments, we are officially in three-foot gimme season. Hello 71s.
October 6: It was 43 degrees when I woke up this morning. I got up and put on a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Then when I stepped outside, I almost froze to death. This is too soon right? It wasn’t this cold at this time last year was it? I didn’t even have a jacket in my locker or car yet. I mean until No. 5, I was basically jogging to my ball just to stay warm. Last week it was 75 for my round. I am not happy.
October 28: The club is like a ghost town, I don’t even bother signing up for rounds anymore. Rob again told me he wasn’t going to play this past weekend if it was cold. The forecast was calling for 40 degrees all week. I told him, “I don’t think it’s going to be shorts weather.” He texted me Saturday morning to say it’s cold and he wasn’t playing. I’m not going to bother even asking him next week, I’ll just play alone. By the way, I’m killing it out there these days, three straight rounds under 75. Why does this always happen this time of year? Does the cold weather take sidespin off my ball? I can’t miss a fairway or green. Hopefully I got a few more weeks of this.
November 10: I don’t recognize half the people at my club. I think there might be a separate membership for just November. Who are these guys? They are great and fun to play with. I mean most guys finish a round in 2.5 hours. But who are these people? I swear of the 20 people I see every morning, I don’t think I recognize any of them from July. Also, they punched the greens this week. So much for 2012. I had about eight three-putts.
November 22: The course looks like a homeless shelter, people lining up for coffee wearing layers of stuff I think they just found in their closets. All we do these days is play scrambles for $5 or $10. There’s maybe 20 guys at the club from week to week. I’ve had a nice run — a good season, played well. Next season will be better, I mean, I’m not even upset it’s over. I can go out on Friday nights again, I’ll see my friends I haven’t seen in a while. Been a nice run. Emptied my locker today and brought everything home. This will be fine.
December 7: What’s my friend Paul’s number again? Haven’t been out to a bar in like five months. I wonder what those guys are up to. I fixed a bunch of stuff around the house, been out to dinner a few times with the wife. A couple of weeks into this thing and I am doing all right. It’s nice sleeping in on the weekends for a change.
December 26: Got a gift certificate to Golftown for Christmas and bought a new driver and 3-wood. It will be how long until I hit them?
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
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Kevin67
Mar 16, 2013 at 8:47 am
SPOT On ! You nailed it, hilarious but oh, so, True.
Todd
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Great blog. I think you are a mind reader for all of us northern golfers.
naflack
Mar 12, 2013 at 2:48 pm
St. Paul, MN here…sing it bro 😉
Pat
Mar 5, 2013 at 9:12 pm
Nice to read this. I’m not alone, I’m a montrealers to and men winters are hard here. Lets hope I can start my season in early april this year.
Ohiogolfsucksinmarch
Mar 5, 2013 at 2:49 pm
Spot on brother!
PTL
Mar 5, 2013 at 1:58 pm
This made my day too. Pretty much spot on for what it’s like here in Pittsburgh. My favorite line was “who knew we had essentially zero in common in real life? I mean, I’ve played with Mike for years and didn’t know what he did for a living until today, although I did notice he had a new grind on his sand wedge though and changed the shaft on his 3 wood in the fall”
John K
Mar 5, 2013 at 12:35 pm
This made my day.
AJ Jensen
Mar 5, 2013 at 11:28 am
I thought I’d mention ONE nice thing about northern golf… every water hazard is good for ten bounces to the green.
David N. Simms
Mar 5, 2013 at 11:26 am
Yep, I currently live in North Pole, Alaska. I might get to play in May, but that will be with temporary greens. The real greens won’t open up until sometime in June. By the middle of September, it’s all over. I moved here from Prattville, Alabama right next to an RTJ stop.