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Get Excited About Golf

I recently gave lessons to two brothers. The elder was 17 and the younger 12 years old. I have been helping people better understand the golf swing for over 30 years, but it had been a while since I had met two people as excited about golf as these two.

Gold Mountain's PGA Professional, Mark Knowles

Gold Mountain’s PGA Professional, Mark Knowles

Our lesson time was fairly ordinary. By fairly ordinary I mean that they would seem to understand our discussions, the drills and the techniques and would show modest improvement in the hour we worked together. However, magic would happen at some point during the week, because when I saw them the following Tuesday night they had it! Heck, they not only had it…they owned it.

Learning to play golf takes time. All skill sports require time, focus and passion to learn to develop a repeating motion. With golf, the motion is complex and the margin for error is minimal. These two boys left their lesson on Tuesday, and they spent every waking hour for the next seven days walking, talking, practicing, and watching golf. It was summer vacation and what else are you going to do as a kid besides hit golf balls into your neighbor’s house and watch the Golf Channel non-stop?

There are a few things that come to mind as I reflect on the magic of learning golf. First of all, it helps to have your summers off! But more importantly, keep golf fun. No matter your age, learn through the eyes of a child. Have every day be a new day. Enjoy the opportunity to play golf! Celebrate your successes and forget the miss-hits! Swing the club in balance and go see your favorite PGA Professional for a little direction.

Making the turn,
Mark

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Home and Home

It is officially summertime and the days are getting longer and warmer! Many people have begun to look for ways to experience all that the golf scene in the Pacific Northwest has to offer, and we here at Gold Mountain are no different. The Gold Mountain Men’s Club has been offering our members a Home and Home Tournament, giving players a chance to play new courses while still enjoying the camaraderie of their fellow golfing partners. This also gives our members the opportunity to meet new people who share the love for the game at a facility not easily accessible to all players. This year so far, the Men’s Club has been to White Horse Golf Club and Wing Point Golf and Country Club, playing both with and against fellow club members from other courses.

Now is the time to sign up for the Men’s Club if you have not done so already. We will be hosting a four team Home and Home Tournament on the Olympic Course on September 16th and October the 14th against the members of Port Ludlow Golf Club. We hope that these events will give you the prospect of meeting a new golfing buddy, potentially one with the ability to give you admission to a local golf club that would not normally be accessible to you. Stay tuned for our next update on happenings at Gold Mountain, and enjoy the incredible weather we have managed to steal from Hawaii!

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Reflecting on the 2011 Junior Amateur and Jordan Spieth

As we gear up for the U.S. Open week, I can’t help but think back to the USGA Junior Amateur we hosted in 2011. Little did we know our Junior Amateur Champion would go on to be the current #2 ranked player in the world, reigning Masters Champion, and one of the favorites going into the U.S. Open.

The field for the Junior Amateur was littered with great young players like Beau Hossler, Adam Ball, Jonah Texeira, and Will Starke to name a few. But the one that stood out to all of us was Jordan Spieth. Not just because of the way could hit a golf ball, but more of the way he carried himself. He was golf wise beyond his years, and the way he managed his way around the Olympic course was magical. I remember congratulating him in the clubhouse after his victory and thinking to myself that this young man was going to succeed at anything in life. He was sitting with his father and his caddie talking about his victory and enjoying the moment. There were a lot of interruptions from folks trying to shake his hand, and even ask for an autograph, but every interruption was met with a smile, a hand shake and some small talk from Jordan. Here was a young man after the biggest victory of his life taking time out for perfect strangers!

This is just one of the many reasons why I will be pulling for Jordan in this year’s U.S. Open, along with millions of other golf fans. Jordan is a breath of fresh air for the game of golf, and one little piece of history for Gold Mountain!

– Daryl

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