Author: Head Nut

Golf Nut Profile

George Stark #3194

The Golf Nut Society has a rich blend of fun and interesting members, one of which is long-time member George Stark (#3194). So, it is my great pleasure to profile him in today’s post.

From a career perspective, George has a very interesting background, including 30 years with NASA, NORAD, and IBM. He also taught at several universities, and has 30+ patents and has written 40 journal publications to his credit.

As a golfer, he currently carries a 5 Index, so he’s a player. He has played more than 500 courses in 12 countries, so he’s also a “traveling player” and is also a certified course rater through the Texas Golf Association.

The other reason I’m profiling #3194 is to help him announce his latest book, A Week on England’s Golf Coast about the courses in England’s northwest corner…

It features three Royals (Birkdale, Lytham, and Liverpool) and three Open qualifying venues (Hillside, West Lancashire, and Formby), and all are excellent courses. The book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Here is the amazon link: https://a.co/d/18o2Z78

George’s first book, a coffee table book called Tee to Green: A Golfer’s Odyssey through America’s 50 States can be found here: (https://a.co/d/iFRxsLo).

Even though it’s getting late, either book would make a great Christmas gift. And, no, George didn’t ask me to write that, nor am I receiving a dime for any book sales.

Let’s support #3194 in his literary pursuits and buy a copy or two of his books.

Go Nuts!

The Head Nut

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So you think you want to be a Tour player, do you…?

Hunter Mahan retired from the PGA Tour aged 39. This is why.

“I obviously enjoyed it but once I stepped aside and left it – waking up in the same bed every day, taking care of the kids – it’s a complete change of pace and I’m very happy with that. You can’t just show up on Wednesday and play professional golf. There’s too much competition and too many great players.

“If you’re not totally committed, it’s going to beat you up and wear you out. That’s where I left it. I had a few tournaments left in that season a few years ago and I was so done with the grind of playing golf. It took over my life in a negative way and I had to step away.

“I loved the game but the professional game is a different thing. It’s such a high level and requires so much out of you.”

Mahan, who reached as high as fourth on the Official World Golf Ranking, explained that the pressure of trying to compete also took its toll on his mental health.

“I got so anxious. When you really feel anxiety, it’s like ‘I cannot be in another hotel room, the walls are closing in on me right now and I’ve got no space’. I got tired of being at a certain point every day to do the same thing over and over again. I was like, ‘I need to get out of here.’

“That’s what I literally did. I was in Truckee and I couldn’t even make it to the golf course. I said, ‘We’re going home.’ I couldn’t hit another ball on another range. You never really know when you can turn it around.

“Golf is so compassionate in that way. You can struggle and go in the dark and you can come out of that tunnel. But I was done going through it. I just didn’t want to do it anymore.

“I’m 41 now and I’m a young person. I’ve got four kids who are ten and under. I’ve got so many things I want to do with them. I don’t want them to live my life, I want to be part of theirs.”

What Makes The Masters So Special

Excerpted from A Beautiful Ache: The Surprising Joys of Attending The Masters in Unsettled Times, by Chris Jones of Golf Digest

Some people will tell you that the single best thing about Augusta National is the pimento cheese sandwich, still sold wrapped in green plastic for $1.50. Those people are lying to you, and you should never trust them. The pimento cheese sandwich isn’t even the best sandwich on the grounds. That would be the Georgia peach ice cream sandwich. Heaven’s dessert.

No, the single best thing about Augusta National is the enforced absence of cellphones. It is a glorious directive, made greater for how fanatically it’s enforced. A patron wearing his ballcap backward will be asked to turn it around, sir, please and thank you. A patron who pulls out a cellphone will never be seen again.

*****

The Masters: Embracing tradition, celebrating history, building legacies, and a throwback to a simpler, more respectful time in the game.

The Head Nut

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Tour Player Practice Session

Ever Wonder How Tour Players Practice?

Let’s Ask Jonathan Yarwood…

“The answer is in the dirt.”

No, it’s not! It’s in well-structured and intelligent practice in small cells with measurable outcomes incorporating numerous practice styles.

I see so many players beating balls in a block practice style for hours like it’s a badge of honor. That’s a recipe for creating injury, fatigue and a delusion of competence as golf is the one sport you can practice in a totally different way and environment to how you actually play the game.

Here is a practice plan for today for the Tour Player I’m helping. Quality not quantity.

OK, now we all know how to become a Tour Player.

Thanks, Jonathan!

The Head Nut

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Brilliant Financial Analysis of PGA Tour/LIV Battle

Peter S. Kaufman is president and head of financial restructuring and distressed M&A at the Gordian Group investment bank in New York. The following link to Global Golf Post will take you to his analysis of the current situation and each party’s options as the battle for supremacy continues.

Click Above for Analysis

Here’s my Cliff’s Notes version: The PGA Tour, and all golfers who don’t want the Saudis to own golf, are screwed.

The Head Nut

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