cobol, OT Golf WAS CoBOL moved to OO

by **Peter E.C. Dashwood** » Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:30:25 GMT

"Howard Brazee" < XXXX@XXXXX.COM > wrote in message
news:bss28u$jo$ XXXX@XXXXX.COM ...
>
> On 29-Dec-2003, Doug Scott < XXXX@XXXXX.COM > wrote:
>
> People (and companies) periodically search for the One True Tool. This
may be
> a management style, a programming style, a sales style, or whatever.
But I
> want to use all of the clubs in my golf bag.

My handicap (apart from all the obvious ones...<G>) is "officially" 20. (I
have never analysed or tried to seriously improve my golf game, because I
don't play often enough and the wonderful handicapping system ensures
players of wildly different abilities can have enjoyable matches against
each other. On the increasingly rare occasions when I get to play, I simply
enjoy it...)

But your comment did remind me of something that happened many years ago on
a public course in Auckland. I had decided to have a round, and none of the
pool of "usual partners" that I played with was available, so I decided to
simply turn up and get paired off with a stranger.

The man I was paired with seemed fairly affable and unprepossessing. He
asked me my handicap and I truthfully said "24" (it was the maximum
allowable and I was just learning...). His was "4". I was in awe as I had
never played with anyone that good before. Anyway, he asked me if I would
like him to give me advice as we progressed (which I thought then and still
think, was a very civilized and polite way to offer help). I eagerly
accepted and we played the first hole. He birdied it and I was 2 over. On
the next tee, he started to explain about timing...

"If you get the timing right and adjust your stance properly, you can get
huge milage from any of your clubs." he said.

"But what about the different lofts and weights of different clubs?", I
asked.

"Irrelevant, at a fundamental level. It is all in the timing. Look, we have
17 holes to play. I'll play ALLof them using ONLY a putter, just to
demonstrate what I am saying...".

While I was a novice, I realised that the putter has NO loft whatsoever with
a plain flat face, and little or no weight.

He drove off the tee with his putter and made around 250 yards; I drove with
a 2 wood and was under 200...

That pattern was repeated throughout the day. His drives, approaches, chips,
and putts were all made solely with his putter and he ended up something
like 15 over par for the course. ( I think I was pleased to be 35 over,
after adjusting for handicap...<G>)

I have never forgotten the "lesson" I received from that unknown golfer. For
the cost of a jug of beer, which I gladly bought at the 19th, I learned that
if you are really good at something, so good that you really "understand"
and recognise it's underlying essence, the "received wisdom" may not apply
to you...

There is also no doubt that having a 4 handicap inspires confidence and
dispels doubt...<G>

Pete.

by **Howard Brazee** » Wed, 31 Dec 2003 23:21:09 GMT

In the U.S. handicap indices above 36 get calculated but generally aren't
counted. It is a good learning practice to play 3 club tournaments. One
learns to use the tools we have better. Heck I once wrote a program in DCL
that emulated assembler - even doing left and right shifts for multiplication
and division. Good practice.

A good golfer/programmer can use whatever tools we have available - and do a
better job than poor golfers/programmers.

But when they want to do their best (let's say in a Major golf championship),
they make sure they have all of their tools.

by **Judson McClendon** » Thu, 01 Jan 2004 03:54:27 GMT

As they say, "It's not the brush, but the artist." :-)
--
Judson McClendon XXXX@XXXXX.COM (remove zero)
Sun Valley Systems http://sunvaley.com
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

cobol, OT Golf WAS CoBOL moved to OO

cobol >> OT Golf WAS CoBOL moved to OO

cobol >> OT Golf WAS CoBOL moved to OO

cobol >> OT Golf WAS CoBOL moved to OO