Earlier this week, Vince Spence, a golf blogger affectionately known as the One-Eyed Golfer, died at the age of 61. His last post, dated April 27, speculated with tongue-in-cheek how Tiger Woods sets his playing schedule.
I grew-up outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where Vince lived and wrote his blog. I appreciated his blogging for several reasons, including:
2.) Some of his posts were about his home course, Rolling Road Country Club, where I enjoyed playing as a youth in junior tournaments and high school matches.
3.) He chronicled the golfing Bassler Family, which has included several outstanding professional and amateur players in Maryland.
On Wednesday, Ryan Ballengee of Waggle Room shared the news of Vince’s passing, and over the past few days, a number of people have posted their own eulogies on blogs and social networks. The outpouring of emotion has really struck me. Through Vince’s death, we are reminded that golf bloggers are human beings who share a passion for the game and who personally write and curate posts. After reading the many heartwarming sentiments for his contributions to the online golf community, I, for one, am proud and honored to be part of this group.
Vince’s survivors include his son, Matt Spence who writes another golf blog: Project Under Par
Years ago, the slogan for the National Brewing Company was “From the Land of Pleasant Living” in reference to the Chesapeake Bay. With no doubt, Vince has now moved to an even better place.
Today marks the 10th wedding anniversary for Donna and me.
Despite my passion for golf, you may be surprised to learn that the three best days of my life have nothing to do with the game.
I first met Donna on December 5, 1991, and I fell in love at first sight. A day earlier, she had called me to volunteer for a charitable program that I had founded to help needy children during the winter holidays. We scheduled a meeting to continue our discussion at a restaurant, and when I walked into the entrance, I saw a girl wearing a red dress and hoped that the lady in red was Donna. We took our time to get to the altar, but on that night, I knew that I had met the love of my life.
We were married on April 29, 2000. The above photo shows Donna and me exiting the reception at Baltimore Country Club under an arch of golf clubs. The entire wedding was meticulously planned by Donna, and everything – the chapel, ceremony, vows, and her dress — was perfect. For our first dance, the band played “Feels Like Home” — a beautiful song that was written by Randy Newman and popularized by Chantal Kreviazuk. For my female readers, I have embedded the Canadian singer’s version with lyrics below:
Almost three years later on February 12, 2003, Donna gave birth to Charlie. For us, raising our son is a life mission that we share. She is an amazing mother, and together, we have experienced another love — the unconditional love that parents have for children. As I have written before, Charlie was the original inspiration for my quest to play on the PGA Tour, and through my effort — which, of course, would not be possible without Donna’s support, I hope to encourage him to never give up on his dreams.
Before I met Donna, I was one-dimensional and self-obsessed. With her in my life, I have become a much better and fuller person. Naturally, I am still not perfect: My honey do list is somehow never totally completed; When it’s my turn to cook dinner, I sometimes add onion to the salad; and like my Dad did to my Mom, I can go to the hardware store for a nail and be gone for hours.
But I know one thing for sure: I am the luckiest husband to have Donna as my wife.
Sweetie, Happy 10th wedding anniversary… I love you!
In his video, Phil suggests setting your eyes slightly behind the ball when taking your stance to stroke a putt. If you are a right hander like me, your eyes will be slightly to the right of the golf ball at the address position. With this set-up, you can look down the line of your putt as opposed to having a sort of invisible wall blocking your view when your eyes are directly over the ball. This tip triggered some good memories of the putting technique that I used successfully as a junior golfer.
The tip also reminds me of Jim McLean’s advice to become target-oriented – even looking at the target as part of a good preshot routine for a full swing. For parallels in other sports, a quarterback doesn’t just mechanically move his arm to toss a football. Instead, he instinctively throws at a receiver to complete a pass. A basketball player does not simply manipulate his hands to hurl a basketball. He fluidly shoots the ball at a basket to score.
In golf, many of short game gurus dispense very technical information as instruction to aid putting despite the fact that most of the best putters in the game stroke the ball with a great deal of feel. Even a putting robot machine cannot make a putt if it is not aimed correctly by a human being who looks down the line of the putt and considers variable factors like the speed and undulation of a green.
Returning to my techniques as a feel putter, I am once again seeing the line and stroking putts to the hole, and I am seeing improvement in my putting, especially on long putts.
I am hopeful that this work on my putting will serve as one of the keys in my quest to play on the PGA Tour. For sure, hot putting can be the perfect remedy for cold ball striking.
With spring training completed, my seven-year-old Charlie and his little league team played in their season opener, last night. A member of the Reds, he is so excited to finally be playing baseball games with his teammates.
While I am thrilled to share golf and several other sports with Charlie, baseball has emerged as a special passion for him at this point in his young life.
Charlie is already a student of the game. With the help of his little league coaches, he has practiced to improve his baseball swing, and for additional tips on fundamentals, he has watched Baseball the Ripken Way: Fundamentals of Hitting, a video by Cal Ripken, Jr. which he found on Netflix when looking for a flick for Friday family movie night.
While I never played organized baseball and know little about the game, Charlie and I often go to the baseball field to spend father-son time. I certainly see similarities with his baseball techniques and my golf drills and understand the value of practicing correctly with goals. As an athlete, I also know he will inevitably experience hitting slumps and other disappointments so I am a constant cheerleader who praises his successes and offers encouragement when things don’t go so well.
After watching countless junior golfers burnout over the years, I also try to help Charlie to just have fun playing. When I was a junior golfer, I spent hours and hours practicing purposeful drills, but the most fun was the endless time being a kid and playing imaginative games at the driving range or on the practice putting green. Like me at the golf course, Charlie has created some wild and crazy games that he can enjoy for hours on the diamond. Instead of making a putt to beat Jack Nicklaus in the Masters, he is playing alongside Derek Jeter to win the World Series. Quite literally, he throws himself around the field with reckless abandon… hitting line drives, sliding for bases, diving for ground balls, and throwing with all of the might of his 48 pounds.
For Charlie’s participation in sports, my main goals are to help him learn about sportsmanship, and, above all, to have fun. I am so proud of him for his love for baseball as well as so many other things. Let the games begin!
Tell me about your son or daughter: How do you offer encouragement with activities? How do you handle disappointments?
This morning, my seven-year-old son Charlie was watching SportsCenter while he ate breakfast. During the broadcast, ESPN aired a report on the New York Yankees receiving their rings for winning the 2009 World Series. Charlie was captivated as the video showed the Bronx Bombers being presented with their rings.
Quickly, I retrieved and invited Charlie to hold the 1986 NCAA Championship Ring that I received as a member of the Wake Forest Golf Team. As he opened the Jostens ring box, his eyes lit up, becoming big as saucers. He slowly took the ring out of the box and put his tiny finger through the large hole. Totally enthralled, he quietly said, “Wow.”
Then, he fired off a series of questions. First, he asked, “Who was your coach?” I told him about the legendary Jesse Haddock, who led the Demon Deacons to three national championships as well as many other honors in a 30-year coaching career.
Next, he wondered aloud, “Who was the best golfer?” Pulling out the team picture, I pointed out the top five players: Billy Andrade, Len Mattiace, Tim Straub, Chris Kite, and Barry Fabyan — all of whom were All-America selections and future PGA Tour players.
Then, I told Charlie about the tournament, which still stands as the biggest comeback in the history of collegiate golf. While playing host at Bermuda Run Country Club — our home course outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the five starters charged with a wild 20-stroke swing to overtake rival Oklahoma State University in the fourth and final round.
Later, as we were walking out of the house, Charlie ran back into the kitchen to take one more look at the championship ring before heading off to another exciting day as a first grader.
During the first full week in April, I — like thousands of other golf fans — am usually traveling to Augusta, Georgia for the Masters Tournament. Since leaving Wake Forest, I have missed my yearly pilgrimage only a handful of times.
For me, the spring season starts as soon as I leave the Washington, D.C. area and turn my vehicle south on the interstate. As I drive, the air temperatures rise, and the colors of the trees and flowers become more and more vibrant until reaching a crescendo with the azaleas planted at Amen Corner.
As the television commercials on CBS say, the Masters is a tradition like none other, and with Magnolia Lane, the honorary starters, the Par 3 Contest, and the Green Jacket, the tournament is certainly like no other event that I have ever attended.
This year, I — as a golfer — will especially miss seeing the brand new practice area, which has instantly appeared since last year. I will also miss the Wake Forest Party, which is hosted annually by Arnold Palmer. And as the tournament has become a major industry event, I will miss the opportunity to meet and network with other people in golf.
I don’t have a pick for the winner, but as a former Demon Deacon golfer, I would love to see Bill Haas play well. My favorite personal Masters memory is walking into the small Champions Locker Room at the invitation of Bob Goalby, who is Bill’s great uncle and who won the 1968 Masters.
Who is your pick to win the tournament? What is your favorite tradition of the Masters? Have you ever been to the event, and if so, what is your favorite personal memory?
This post originally appeared on April 13 of last year. This year, Donna, Charlie, and I are traveling to visit family for the holiday weekend. Happy Easter!
Today, my family and I were guests at the White House Easter Egg Roll, the annual tradition begun by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. The activities on the South Lawn were fun, and we have some priceless pictures for the family photo album.
While Donna and Charlie searched for the Easter Bunny, I wandered over to an area close to the West Wing to find the most exclusive putting green in the United States. Sitting just outside the Oval Office, the White House Putting Green is a small, undulated surface. Nearby, a left-handed putter and a few golf balls rested on a small bench.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower installed the original putting green and a sand trap. The most avid golfer of all past Commander in Chiefs, he also used the South Lawn as a driving range, hitting five irons down the hill toward the Ellipse.
After President Bill Clinton took office, he had the original putting green moved to its current location with noted golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designing a 1,500 square foot surface.
As a former collegiate golfer at Wake Forest and a recipient of an MBA from the University of Maryland, I am disappointed that my Demon Deacons and Terps are not still contending in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, but each of the four remaining teams offer inspiration regardless of which school wins the championship as the Final Four takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday and Monday evenings.
For its long tradition of championships in the ACC and the NCAA, the Duke Blue Devils represent preparation and excellence; the injury-plagued Michigan State Spartans are an example to never give up; the West Virginia Mountaineers — a hometown team for an entire state — play with true grit and emotion; and the Cinderella-story Butler Bulldogs demonstrate that anything is possible.
As you watch the exciting collegiate basketball season come to a close, also remember the motivational speech that Jimmy Valvano — the head coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the 1983 NCAA Championship Team — delivered at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1993. Given shortly before his death from cancer, Jimmy V said, “Take time every day to laugh, to think, to cry…. Don’t give up, don’t ever give up!” as he accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. Unfortunately, he died two months later and was unable to return the following year to present the award to the next recipient as he had hoped.
Coincidentally, a new book about the famous speech has recently been released by Sourcebooks: Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever Give Up with DVD: The Inspiration of Jimmy V–One Coach, 11 Minutes, and an Uncommon Look at the Game of Life. The hardcover book was written by Justin Spizman, Robyn Spizman, and Nick Valvano — the legendary coach’s brother who is now the CEO of The V Foundation which is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and conducts a very successful charity golf tournament. Included in the slim book is a full written transcript and video of the poignant speech as well as a description of several important life lessons that Jimmy V shared.
During one of my recent winter trips to practice in Florida, I briefly stopped in the PGA Tour Shop in the Jacksonville International Airport, where I watched a few minutes of Phil Mickelson’s Secrets of the Short Game.
In the video, Phil describes how he sets his eyes slightly behind the ball when taking his stance for a putting stroke. For him, positioning his head directly over the top of the ball forms a sort of wall that prohibits him from being able to see the line of his putt.
As a junior golfer, my strength was my short game, and I was able to make any putt from anywhere. Knowing that perfect putting will be a requirement for me to be successful in my quest to play on the PGA Tour, I have desperately tried to find that putting magic that left me sometime during or after college. In more recent years, my putting has been okay, particularly when I have focused on drills for short putts, but I certainly have not experienced the same feel that I had as a junior player, especially on long putts.
Back in the day, my technique was a bit unconventional and similar to Isao Aoki’s putting style. I used a short blade putter with my hands set low and the toe of the putter raised. Until I watched Phil’s tip, I didn’t realize that I, too, used to have my eyes set just behind the ball where I could see the line of a putt.
In addition to Phil, think about Ben Crenshaw, who is one of the best putters in the history of the game and who addresses putts with his head behind the ball.
Sam Snead’s technique in the 1960s is another more exaggerated example. As he aged and suffered from the yips, he pioneered a croquet-style of putting, where he straddled one leg on each side of the ball while putting. After this technique was banned by the USGA in 1968, he went to side-saddle stance where he angled his feet towards the hole on one side of the ball and was still able to look directly down the target line as he stroked his putt.
During his video tutorial, Phil also mentioned another useful tip that I had stopped using: Putting to an intermediate target on the line of your putt. Now that I am again able to look down the line, I am able to see and putt toward an intermediate target in addition to the hole.
I wholeheartedly recommend Phil Mickelson’s Secrets of the Short Game, which is available as a two-disc DVD set or as a 224-page hardcover book. The DVD was produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Terry Jastrow, and the book features tons of great photos as illustrations.
Please share your thoughts about putting techniques by leaving a comment below.
Last year, I was interviewed by Ed Gandia, who was working on an interesting book project about freelancing with fellow writers Pete Savage and Steve Slaunwhite. Recently, I received a signed copy of The Wealthy Freelancer, the result of the authors’ work which has just been released by Alpha Books of the Penguin Group.
As a practical guide, the well-organized book identifies 12 valuable secrets for consultants, independent contractors, and solo professionals. I am featured in the 11th chapter: Live and Work in the Wealthy Triangle. Ed and his co-authors wrote about my sports marketing business as well as my quest to play on the PGA Tour.
Still, my 20-year career in golf marketing has placed me in a unique position to pursue my goal. Using my experience as an entrepreneur, I originally planned my effort as a project and wrote a document that resembles a business plan, and my large network of golf industry contacts has served me very well as I have recruited a Dream Team to help me achieve success.
Further, the synergies in my business and my quest offer the opportunity for me to continue serving clients while pursuing my personal goal. As I told Ed, if I was sitting in an office as an attorney or accountant, I would never have had the chance to embark on my journey.
If a wealthy freelancer is a person who has awesome clients, great friends, a wonderful family, and the chance to pursue a meaningful personal dream, I am rich indeed.
Stay tuned: In the future, I may blog more about business and marketing, especially how my sports marketing business and the golf industry impacts my quest.
Ed, I appreciate you and your co-authors including my story in your manuscript, and thanks for the signed copy, which now sits on a special shelf with other autographed books.
Please share a comment and tell me how you have pursued your own work and personal goals. Also, let me know if you are interested in reading more about the business of golf as I continue to document my quest.
03.30.10 Update: I just received another copy of The Wealthy Freelancer from the publisher, which I will give away in a drawing. To be eligible for a free copy of the book, just join my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/PhilBundyPage. The winner will be announced from fans as of April 15, 2010. Good luck!
. The hardcover book was written by Justin Spizman, Robyn Spizman, and Nick Valvano — the legendary coach’s brother who is now the CEO of 
. The DVD was produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Terry Jastrow, and the book features tons of great photos as illustrations.
