I'm a new player, and have never yet had a lesson ($), so forgive me if every new thrilling discovery I make is actually old news to you pro-am's.  But yesterday, all alone on a freezing, wind-swept course, hitting balls that felt like rocks, I happened upon something which made all the difference in my consistency:

KEEP THE LEGS QUIET!

OMG...how simple a little thing this is, and how stupid I am for not getting this sooner.  I started swinging keeping my legs much more still than I ever have, just popping the left knee forward a bit on the back swing.  Seems I'd been swaying much more than I thought I had, elastic-legging both sides on the backswing, ruining my torque and opening my follow-through for a pesky slice.  Well!  When I kept my lower body still, my swing went on-plane, my ball striking was clean and crisp, I turned completely through to face the target, and the ball (magic!) was like an arrow, long and straight, with the happiest little fade on the end of it.  And, wonder of wonders, I was able to do it again, and again, and again...

It's a whole new ball game now.  Lovin' it!

I'm so spoiled, living here in North Carolina, surrounded by golf courses that stay open all 12 months.  We had snow and ice yesterday and last night, so the courses have been closed for two days.  Two days...(2) little days...48 short hours...and I'm stuck, obsessively playing golf on the Wii all afternoon (Sports Disc and the Tiger PGA challenge).  What an addict!  Is this what it must be like up in north, when the courses close at the end of October and don't reopen until the end of March?  HOW DO YOU STAND IT?  I pray the Lord never again sends me to a church up there (the last time He did, it was before I'd started playing golf).  Surely He understands...

Today our forecast calls for this cold rain to turn to snow.  The courses are all closed.  So, in between writing the sermon and visiting the hospitals, I've been out walking the front lawn of my church swinging my PW at a Top Flite (I'm the pastor, so I can do things like this).  The lawn is about 85 yards long, as I walk it off.   From a flat lie near the trees as my tee box, I hit towards the area between the posts of the volleyball net, all the way at the other end of the property, calling it my "green."  Then I reverse my targets and hit back the other way. Back and forth, back and forth.  My swing is getting easier and easier, to where I feel no impact or discomfort at all, while throwing nice sized divots up and out.  Rather, I feel that beautiful release in my chest area as I come through the swing (try explaining that feeling to a non-golfer...impossible).  Lately I'm getting nice, high, arching ball flights, dead on target.  My distance remains inconsistent and most often short though, but that allows me to work on pitch and chips along the way.   When I go home this afternoon, no doubt I'll be putting in the family room, or practicing my driver swing with a broom on the back deck (in the snow).  Man, do I love this game!     

I'm so enjoying golf these days!  We've had lots of bright and sunny weather here in North Carolina, with some days with temps in the 60's.  I've purchased matching Dunlop driver and 3-wood, both MUCH more modern than the ones they replaced.  I haven't been able to play a full 18-hole round since before Christmas, but each 9-hole has been enjoyable.  No great scores yet, but smaller victories -- successfully carrying across long lateral water for the first time, making par on more par-3's, finally "conquering" with bogeys the holes on which I've never been able to shoot below 8 -- things like that.  The starters are adding me into threesomes, so I'm meeting great folks from literally all over the world who have relocated to this high-tech area to work...and play golf.  My goal now is consistency!  On July 30th, I will have been playing golf for one year, and by the end of 2008, I'd like to be able to play in some local tournament (for a good cause), without embarrasing myself.