Can we feature YOU???

TR1PTIK · January 3, 2020

I was born in Baton Rouge, LA, raised primarily in the Midwest, and currently live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

My introduction to golf occurred when I discovered the location of my grandfather’s clubs and started hitting balls around the yard as a 7-year-old. After a few years of showing mild interest in the sport, my dad passed on a set of clubs to me and we got a golf membership at St. Andrews of Hamilton Golf Club in Hamilton, NZ where we lived at the time. From there, Dad and I would play on occasion all the way through high school, but BMX and soccer took priority over golf. I didn’t really pursue the sport until my mid-twenties.

Fast forward to 2017 and my first post on MGS was in response to test Vice golf balls. I continue to participate in the forum and even had the good fortune to test Bridgestone wedges last year (which I still play). MGS serves a significant role in my golf obsession. I love conversing with and learning from other users as well as consuming all the information and data generated by the MGS team responsible for the blog.

revkev · January 22, 2020

My name is Kevin and I'm a 63 year old Lutheran Pastor in St. Petersburg, FL. I've been playing golf since I was ten years old. Like most guys my age I played all the sports growing up so my game and play was sporadic as the golf competed with my first love, baseball. I bought my first set of clubs, Kroydon Paul Harney's, when I was 13 and used those until I stopped playing ball after contracting mono as a college junior. I joined the local muni that year, bought a great set of Ram Tour Grinds and PGA Tommy Armor Woods immediately after breaking 80 for the first time. From that time forward I was a golf junkie getting my handicap down to low single digits and always on the cutting edge of equipment, first one among my friends to game Eye 2's, 4 wedges, metal woods, hybrids, etc. I'm a second wave MGS forum member who wanted to learn more about equipment and what might be best for my game. Since joining I've been a frequent tester and forum contributor. It's been a pleasure to watch this site grow and to be a part of the community. From top to bottom MGS is a great group of people.

Grit Golf · June 9, 2020

I started in the great game of golf at 27 years old, 6 years ago. Growing up my impression of golf was that it was the Country Club sport for old guys who couldn’t chase a tennis ball any more. Then it my late 20’s a coworker introduced me to the game, a few work outings and beer leagues later I found myself totally hooked.

I love seeing Erik Anders Lang, Brodie Smith, Tony Romo, and Steph Curry involved in the game. I also really like Justin Thomas talking smack to Charles Barkley at the last match, and the energy of guys like Matt Wolff and Rickie Fowler at the one previous to that. The ‘perception’ of golf is changing, and I hope that brings in more players at a younger age - because the longer you wait to start, the harder the game is to learn. That’s my excuse anyway, go find your own!

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

ZenGolfer · June 9, 2020

Im 40 years old, have been playing golf for 21 years and currently work as a production associate for an automaker. For about the last 7 years, Ive been practicing Buddhism. Ive probably been a Buddhist for most of my life and would have told you for most of that time that I was an Agnostic but if I were anything, I was a Buddhist, so one day I decided to take the leap and start meditating every day. The led me to seeking out one of the local Buddhist temples where I live and start practicing in a more formal setting and studying under a sensei (teacher).

What sparked me to get serious about Buddhism was reading the book, "Zen Golf". It was like an eye-openeing and a moment of awakening for me because it was so simple and easy, yet not (great Zen answer, I know lol). To anyone who is struggling with their golf, especially the mental side of the game, I highly recommend Zen Golf.

So, now we fast forward to today and practicing Buddhism has transformed both my golf life and my, well, life life. Ive learned more how to live in the moment and not thinking about the past or the future so much. Its also taught me how to live in appreciation for the present moment, where theres no feeling that you can feel other than joy and appreciation most of the time. I still get frustrated with my golf sometimes when I dont hit a shot perfectly but I also have come to realize that no matter what happens, its all going to work out in the end, my wife and my dog are still going to love me and hopefully I'll get to do it all over again tomorrow. I no longer tie my self-worth to what number is on my score card and I no longer doubt myself when I hit a bad shot. I hit the ball, trying my best and I accept whatever the result is. Sometimes I get a good result from a not so good swing and sometimes I get a not so good result from a good swing (note that I didnt use the word, "bad" because theres no such thing as good and bad swings, there are simply swings). I no longer analyze or obsess over the why, I simply hit the ball, accept the result and move on.

In many ways, its a very freeing way to play golf and to live because it allows you to just live in the moment and not live in the hell of regret for the past or fear and anticipation of the future. In Buddhism they teach that there are all different kinds of hells, many of which that are a choice. If you can learn how to just live in the moment and accept everything as it is, instead of looking it through the lens of your own biases and perceptions, you can avoid the hells of the wouldas, couldas, shouldas and thinking how much better things could be, "if only". When you learn to accept what is, without bias or expectation, you can learn to let go, move on and be happier, in general. Its been said that if you can do that, you can eliminate the role of being the sufferer, and without being the sufferer, there can be no suffering (which is the whole point anyways). Id say its much easier said than do though.

So, anyways, yeah...thats me.

golfish! · July 20, 2020

On 11/22/2019 at 6:25 PM, Jgrim said:

I was deployed to Iraq in 2005-06 and our brigade suffered heavy casualties during our 16 month deployment (including a 4 month extension). We had 26 soldiers killed in action and 381 soldiers wounded in action. When I came home I was diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress disorder and spent the better part of a decade in a very dark place, including, multiple times, staring down the wrong side of a 12 gauge. I am not proud of this but it was my reality. 2 years ago while on a long road to recovery I discovered golf. This game has saved my life. Regardless of what my state of mind (luckily much better these days) I can step onto a golf course and everything else in the world no longer matters. I owe this beautiful sport so much!

@Jgrim i don't know if you will see this brother but I hope you are doing well. Have you looked into programs like PGA Hope? My buddy who was wounded in Iraq (we were there with 1/6 in 04 around Fallujah) took up golf with help from PGA Hope.

MadMex · July 27, 2020

Let’s see

I am a retired USAF Air Traffic Controller, close to retiring from the Department of Homeland Security. My golf journey, oddly enough, started with a severe ankle injury while riding my bicycle. While switching through the 3 channels we received, I came across the Bob Hope Open. I remember a couple of golf balls I found while helping landscape a house on one of the courses the tournament was played on. So I grabbed my cane and started to putt on our mobile home’s shagged carpet. Next day, I saw a blimp which was televising the tournament, we lived about 30 miles from La Quinta on a lemon grove, so I started putting again.

Three years later, while stationed at the former Williams AFB, Arizona, a friend invited me to see the midnight showing of caddie shack, following morning that friend and I were at the driving range, I left with a severe case of golf infection. In the past 39 years, while playing this game in several countries, it has showed me the best and worst in people, plus thought many valuable lessons.

xOldBenKenobiX · August 3, 2020

Sure you can.
I was born and raised in Brazil, I didn't come to live in America until I was on my 20s.
I never ever had a golf club on my hands until I was on my early 30s.
Growing up in Brazil, golf was non-existent, Soccer was and still is the main sport, where all of the hopes and dreams are made for young man all over the country.
I was never good at it, so I played goalie.
When I came to America I could not identify my self with any of the sports here, I don't have the balance to be able to ice skate for hokey, very bad aiming to be able to play basketball, got bored out of my mind with baseball, I was okay with football, I am a big guy and can hit people.
So for many years, I did not follow any sports.
however, after I was married and had a son, I accidentally turn to the golf channel.
They were showing a piece about Tiger Woods and his swing.
that must have been 2008 or so, for some odd reason, it got me thinking of golf, I knew nothing about golf then, and it stayed like that for a couple of years
So my wife bought me a PS3 with the move system and the Tiger Woods PGA game about 2010.
I honestly started playing with no really big interest.
however, the more I played it, the more I felt like I wanted to go out and try the real thing.
Later that year, I bought my first golf set, a "complete" set from Fanthom from K Mart, I found out, that one of my coworkers also played golf, so we decided to go out together so I could learn. I have had the Golf bug ever since.
I know it is not an amazing beginning with playing golf, but it was my beginning.
I play on the summer league at my work and on the weekends, and really enjoy the sport.