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Series:
Diary of A Golf College Student
Article 3: Adjustments
by
Jonathan Gibbins
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Adjustments
With all the
differences between my home and Florida being pushed in my way constantly,
the adjustment phase has been a constant buzz. Luckily, I have had
some English guys keeping me in check, especially with the language.
Definite no-no’s are saying “sneakers” instead of “trainers”, watching
Baseball games on TV and calling people “dude”.
I also understand
why America has a reputation for over consumption. Everywhere you
go, things are bigger (people, food portions, roads, cars etc) and
everyone wants you to “have a nice day.”
On the golfing
side however, the adjustments are becoming the main focus. The better
I adjust, the better I will play. The main change is with the greens,
which are sand-based with Bermuda grass. This grass is extremely
strong meaning it lies several ways which makes reading the greens
a real test of skill and judgement because sometimes the “grain”
can be stronger than a slope.
For
the last two weeks, I have felt like Nick Faldo on the greens because
I flap my arms around and look puzzled all the time and complain.
I have also
been getting to know my teammates better which is a challenge as
the range of characters is pretty diverse. We have 3 Swedes, 1 Indian,
1 South-African, 3 Americans and me. The Americans alone are very
different as we have an ex baseball player, a surf dude with a ponytail
and a thirty year-old rich kid. The differences however, are all
fused together when we get on the golf course because all of us
love golf.
It is also great
that every single player has something to offer the team. The best
example I know is that of Christian the Swede. His preparation for
a round includes meditating for 15 minutes on a nearby bench. He
places his head between his knees looking like he is preparing to
be sent somewhere in a box, and stays motionless, breathing heavily.
Now, after some questioning and (obviously) Mickey taking, we discover
that 15 minutes like this is the equivalent to one hour of sleep
and can also make you sober after a night of drunkenness!
One other great
thing I have discovered is The Golf Channel on TV. The channel was
founded by Arnold Palmer seven years ago, and now it is a major
player in golf media. For a golf nut it is perfect with instruction,
news, interviews and classic majors from yesteryear being shown
24 hours a day. The thing that hits me the most is the general attitude
towards Tiger Woods and other US stars. The whole country is proud
of these guys and never ever knocks them down like the British media
seems determined to do to home hero’s like Faldo and Monty, who
we should embrace the same way Woods is here.
Come back to the
site next week and read the next installation
of life on a golf scholarship!
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