Golf's Summer To-Do List: The First Five

   It's not exactly like a New Year's resolution but now that we've hit full golf season around here, I've concocted a list of five things golfers need to do this summer. It's just a start. I'll do another list of five later and if you have suggestions, feel free to pass them along.

  1. Play in at least one tournament.
      
    It's one thing to play golf with your buddies, it's something else when they put the pencil in your hand and tell you to putt them out. Some people thrive on competition. Others, not so much.

    If you haven't played tournament golf in a while, do it again. It's amazing how much attention you'll start paying to those 18-inch tap-ins.

  2. Play with seven clubs rather than 14

   You can pick which clubs you leave in your car's trunk but take half of them out of your bag for one round. It will force you to hit different kinds of shots.

   If you're like me, you've probably got five or six clubs in mind you'd like to take out permanently. My hybrid, for example, would not make the seven-club cut. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are getting along better than my hybrid and I these days.

  3. Practice putting

   Rolling a few putts before a round doesn't qualify as practicing your putting. If you practice at all, you probably bang balls and avoid the putting green. It should be the other way around.

   I know that and you know that. Of course, they tell us cheeseburgers are bad for us, too, but that doesn't change our habits.

  4. Walk nine holes late in the day

   It's the prettiest time on a golf course. If you don't want to carry your bag, you can pull a cart but walk, don't ride. Just this once.

   5. Don't wear those ugly shorts

   You know the ones I'm talking about. Everybody has a pair but, really, it's time to let them go.