What’s in your bag?
A pair of Brooks running shorts, Saucony shoes, Asics socks, Life is good running shirt, iPod shuffle...
No, I mean what’s in your golf bag.
Oh, sorry. Ping stuff. G5 driver, I3 3-wood, 19 and 22 degree G5 hybrids, Eye 2 irons, 2-ball putter...oh, and a Cleveland sand wedge. A Ping towel and about 3 dozen Noodle balls.
You go for Ping, don’t you?
Well, it really simplifies things for me. I get confused between all the Callaway, Cobra, Titliest, Hogan, Wilson, Ram…there are really too many manufacturers for me. Limiting it to Ping products makes shopping for new merchandise not so overwhelming. I've played Eye 2s for a decade now, and I’ve heard things about the G10 irons, but I just added the hybrids last year. I added a two-ball putter this summer, but for the most part, I’ll stick with Ping.
A pair of Brooks running shorts, Saucony shoes, Asics socks, Life is good running shirt, iPod shuffle...
No, I mean what’s in your golf bag.
Oh, sorry. Ping stuff. G5 driver, I3 3-wood, 19 and 22 degree G5 hybrids, Eye 2 irons, 2-ball putter...oh, and a Cleveland sand wedge. A Ping towel and about 3 dozen Noodle balls.
You go for Ping, don’t you?
Well, it really simplifies things for me. I get confused between all the Callaway, Cobra, Titliest, Hogan, Wilson, Ram…there are really too many manufacturers for me. Limiting it to Ping products makes shopping for new merchandise not so overwhelming. I've played Eye 2s for a decade now, and I’ve heard things about the G10 irons, but I just added the hybrids last year. I added a two-ball putter this summer, but for the most part, I’ll stick with Ping.
Did Ping make those plaid pants that you wore in the singles match last year?
Any chance we'll see those again this year?
Doubtful, but I haven't decided on my final wardrobe for this year. I may break these out...Seriously, are you ready for the Kiva Cup?
Mentally and psychologically, yes – physically, no.
What do you mean?
Well, mentally, each new Kiva Cup brings an opportunity for redemption of the previous Cup’s disappointments, so I’m excited about the possibilities that playing in the Kiva Cup offers. My preparations for this year’s competition have been, primarily, mental. I’ve come up with a reasonable plan for how I want to play the course, but I need to get my body ready to play, what is for me, a year’s worth of golf over the course of 4 days.
You don’t play much.
No, no I don’t.
Why not? Do you not enjoy the game?
I enjoy the game. I get frustrated, tired, and beaten when I play, but I enjoy the game. More than that, though, I have a deep respect for the game and for the people - many of whom are on Team USA - that I know that also have a deep respect the game. Sometimes, I feel that I’m being disrespectful to them and the game by stepping in to a tee box.
Is that why you don’t play as much as you do?
That’s certainly part of it. I like to play well, but playing golf is like running a marathon, you can’t just show up and expect to complete the course and perform well. It takes a lot of training. Any decent marathon-training plan is 16 weeks of marathon specific running drills – and that is built upon a foundation of 52 weeks of running 20+ miles each week. Playing golf well requires that same amount of commitment. I don’t play golf any more than I do because I don’t put in the practice time necessary to play well. I feel bad for everyone when I play…from the course superintendent that has to repair my handy work, to the group behind me, to the group four holes behind me that are in danger of being hit by one of my tee shots, to the people in my group. To relate practice rounds to marathon training, you want to train with someone that’s even – or just a little bit better – than yourself. I’m considerably worse than most people that I know, and I don’t want to hold them back in a practice round…but playing with better golfers should make me a better golfer…it’s an awkward balancing act that I haven’t quite mastered. It also takes a lot of time. From getting dressed, to warming up, to playing, to paying off bets, it’s easily a 5-hour commitment if you want to play an 18 hole round. A 5-hour block of time is hard for me to come by.
So, what’s your role on Team USA then?
Well, to talk Jim down off the balcony rail. I wash towels, make sandwiches, straighten up the room and so forth. Of the twelve people competing, I’m easily the worst golfer, so I have to find other ways to contribute on the course. I try to stay out of my partner’s way on the course, I try to watch my pace of play, I try to hide my bad shots so as not to plant a bad mental image in to my partner’s head. I also wave-off the cart girl, or tell her to wait, whichever the case may be. I can’t provide actual swing tips, because I don’t know what the actual golf swing should look like, but I do try to provide encouragement and support. I keep my partner focused by reminding him that you only have to play a hole one time per round. Some team members like to play holes, particularly bad holes, over and over again in their heads.
What match event concerns you the most?
It’s no secret that whoever gets me as a partner in the alternate shot match has certainly drawn the short straw. That’s a tough match for me and, consequently, for Team USA. Usually, by about the 4th hole, my playing partner stops telling me where he would like to hit his next shot from and simply says, “just keep it out of the $hit, Jammy!”
Would you like to see the alternate shot match changed to a two-man scramble?
I guess that I should say yes, but the alternate shot match is part of the other Cups, and I think that we should keep the format in Kiva Cup competition. Plus, the Euros would never agree to dropping the alt-shot match from the Kiva Cup. I just need to hit the ball better.
Mentally and psychologically, yes – physically, no.
What do you mean?
Well, mentally, each new Kiva Cup brings an opportunity for redemption of the previous Cup’s disappointments, so I’m excited about the possibilities that playing in the Kiva Cup offers. My preparations for this year’s competition have been, primarily, mental. I’ve come up with a reasonable plan for how I want to play the course, but I need to get my body ready to play, what is for me, a year’s worth of golf over the course of 4 days.
You don’t play much.
No, no I don’t.
Why not? Do you not enjoy the game?
I enjoy the game. I get frustrated, tired, and beaten when I play, but I enjoy the game. More than that, though, I have a deep respect for the game and for the people - many of whom are on Team USA - that I know that also have a deep respect the game. Sometimes, I feel that I’m being disrespectful to them and the game by stepping in to a tee box.
Is that why you don’t play as much as you do?
That’s certainly part of it. I like to play well, but playing golf is like running a marathon, you can’t just show up and expect to complete the course and perform well. It takes a lot of training. Any decent marathon-training plan is 16 weeks of marathon specific running drills – and that is built upon a foundation of 52 weeks of running 20+ miles each week. Playing golf well requires that same amount of commitment. I don’t play golf any more than I do because I don’t put in the practice time necessary to play well. I feel bad for everyone when I play…from the course superintendent that has to repair my handy work, to the group behind me, to the group four holes behind me that are in danger of being hit by one of my tee shots, to the people in my group. To relate practice rounds to marathon training, you want to train with someone that’s even – or just a little bit better – than yourself. I’m considerably worse than most people that I know, and I don’t want to hold them back in a practice round…but playing with better golfers should make me a better golfer…it’s an awkward balancing act that I haven’t quite mastered. It also takes a lot of time. From getting dressed, to warming up, to playing, to paying off bets, it’s easily a 5-hour commitment if you want to play an 18 hole round. A 5-hour block of time is hard for me to come by.
So, what’s your role on Team USA then?
Well, to talk Jim down off the balcony rail. I wash towels, make sandwiches, straighten up the room and so forth. Of the twelve people competing, I’m easily the worst golfer, so I have to find other ways to contribute on the course. I try to stay out of my partner’s way on the course, I try to watch my pace of play, I try to hide my bad shots so as not to plant a bad mental image in to my partner’s head. I also wave-off the cart girl, or tell her to wait, whichever the case may be. I can’t provide actual swing tips, because I don’t know what the actual golf swing should look like, but I do try to provide encouragement and support. I keep my partner focused by reminding him that you only have to play a hole one time per round. Some team members like to play holes, particularly bad holes, over and over again in their heads.
What match event concerns you the most?
It’s no secret that whoever gets me as a partner in the alternate shot match has certainly drawn the short straw. That’s a tough match for me and, consequently, for Team USA. Usually, by about the 4th hole, my playing partner stops telling me where he would like to hit his next shot from and simply says, “just keep it out of the $hit, Jammy!”
Would you like to see the alternate shot match changed to a two-man scramble?
I guess that I should say yes, but the alternate shot match is part of the other Cups, and I think that we should keep the format in Kiva Cup competition. Plus, the Euros would never agree to dropping the alt-shot match from the Kiva Cup. I just need to hit the ball better.
How will you prepare for Kiva?
Well, I think we’ve got 10 weeks left. As I stated, I don’t think that’s enough time to go out and play to peak performance. To me, peak performance means being able to hit, or at least feel comfortable swinging, every club in your bag. I can’t do that. I couldn't do that back when I played three or four times a week. I’m going to compress my bag and focus on feeling comfortable with 4 or 5 clubs. Driver, hybrid, 5-iron, 7-iron, wedge…and my putter, of course.
Can you play with just 5 clubs and a putter at Kiva?
It may not be ideal, but I think you can. I certainly hope so. Kiva is a great course, and it can be a difficult course when the winds pick up, but I don’t think that it’s an unbeatable course. I mean, there are players on team Europe that leave their clubs out in the rain for 6 months and still manage to shoot in the low 80s. My goal, and I believe the only way that I can be a factor at the Kiva Cup, is to play my game on the course instead of trying to play the course itself. That may be forcing a square peg in a round hole, but that’s all I can do.
Speaking of being a factor, members of Team Europe have referred to a match against you as a “throw-away match”, a “practice round”, a “waste of $50”. Care to respond?
No.
Thank you for your time, and good luck.
Thank you. Oh, and congrats to Junior Team USA member JRod and soon-to-be Junior Team USA member's wife Natalie on their upcoming nuptials! On behalf of Team USA, I'd like to thank Natalie for offering to cook our meals for this year's Kiva Cup.
Well, I think we’ve got 10 weeks left. As I stated, I don’t think that’s enough time to go out and play to peak performance. To me, peak performance means being able to hit, or at least feel comfortable swinging, every club in your bag. I can’t do that. I couldn't do that back when I played three or four times a week. I’m going to compress my bag and focus on feeling comfortable with 4 or 5 clubs. Driver, hybrid, 5-iron, 7-iron, wedge…and my putter, of course.
Can you play with just 5 clubs and a putter at Kiva?
It may not be ideal, but I think you can. I certainly hope so. Kiva is a great course, and it can be a difficult course when the winds pick up, but I don’t think that it’s an unbeatable course. I mean, there are players on team Europe that leave their clubs out in the rain for 6 months and still manage to shoot in the low 80s. My goal, and I believe the only way that I can be a factor at the Kiva Cup, is to play my game on the course instead of trying to play the course itself. That may be forcing a square peg in a round hole, but that’s all I can do.
Speaking of being a factor, members of Team Europe have referred to a match against you as a “throw-away match”, a “practice round”, a “waste of $50”. Care to respond?
No.
Thank you for your time, and good luck.
Thank you. Oh, and congrats to Junior Team USA member JRod and soon-to-be Junior Team USA member's wife Natalie on their upcoming nuptials! On behalf of Team USA, I'd like to thank Natalie for offering to cook our meals for this year's Kiva Cup.
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