Welcome to The Golf Scene — Your Weekly Golf Fix.
Opening Note
Welcome to The Golf Scene — Your Weekly Golf Fix.
If this is your first issue, welcome.
If you’ve been following along, thanks — I appreciate it.
This week we cover everything from metal spikes quietly destroying property…
to why your golf ball might actually matter more than you think…
to a quick check on whether your soft spikes are still with us — or officially MIA.
And somewhere in there, we’ll help you hit a few better shots.
Let’s get into it.
Caricature of me, David Govan. Thanks GPT.
👉 If you enjoy this, you can subscribe here and get The Golf Scene sent to you each week. Short, useful, and (occasionally) honest golf insights in under 5 minutes.
In This Issue:
🧠 From the Obscure: Why metal spikes disappeared
📜 Rule of the Week: Free relief vs penalty relief - why scores go sideways
🏌️ Life: A day in the life of a golf pro
⚙️ Equipment Insight: Golf Balls — Do they matter?
⚡ Quick Tip: Check your soft spikes - are they MIA?
• 🏌️ Swing Insight: Club path and clubface at impact - Who Cares? (You should!)
From the Obscure
Why Metal Spikes Disappeared (And Took a Few Floors With Them)
Soft spikes didn’t replace metal spikes just to protect the greens.
(Although it certainly helped.)
They replaced them because metal spikes were quietly destroying… civilization.
Hard spikes were basically a wrecking ball attached to your feet.
Wherever you walked, something paid the price:
Clubhouse carpets — shredded beyond recognition
Wooden decks — looked like they’d lost a fight with a chainsaw
Asphalt paths and parking lots — chipped, scarred, and pitted
Benches — remember when you put your shoe on the bench so you could tie your laces? Yes… that time.
Tile floors — one round away from a renovation budget
Even the tree roots weren’t safe.
The only place hard spikes truly shined?
Bunkers.
In there, they were outstanding.
Everywhere else… they were a liability.
Then along came soft spikes.
Suddenly:
Floors survived
Decks relaxed
Clubhouse managers slept again
And golfers?
They didn’t slip, didn’t fall, and didn’t leave a trail of destruction behind them.
A rare win for everyone involved.
Rule of the Week
Free Relief vs Penalty Relief — This Is Where Scores Go Sideways
Golf is one of the few games where hardly anyone knows the rules…
except the guy you’re playing a $5 Nassau with — then he’s an expert.
Let’s make this simple.
Free Relief (No Penalty)
This is golf being generous. Very generous.
It doesn’t happen often.
You get relief when something not your fault interferes with:
your lie
your swing
your stance
If you’re standing on a cart path, a drain, a sprinkler head…
or your playing partner’s last nerve — you’re getting relief.
Common examples:
Cart paths
Sprinkler heads
Ground under repair
👉 Find the nearest point of relief
👉 Drop within one club length
👉 No penalty
Enjoy it.
Penalty Relief (Add One Stroke)
This is golf saying, “You can move it… but we might not be friends after.”
Common examples:
Water (where golf balls go to retire)
Out of bounds
“I have no shot from here”
👉 Two club lengths or back on a line
👉 Add one stroke
Simple Rule
Free relief → 1 club length, no penalty
Penalty relief → usually 2 club lengths + a stroke
Key Takeaway
If it’s not your fault — you’re fine.
If it is…
Your opponent already knows the rule.
👉 If you enjoy this, you can subscribe here and get The Golf Scene sent to you each week. Short, useful, and (occasionally) honest golf insights in under 5 minutes.
Golf Life
A Day in the Life of a Golf Pro
Two members are sitting at the bar after a round.
One turns to the other and says,
“Did you meet the new pro yet?”
“Yeah,” his buddy says, taking a sip. “I don’t like him.”
“Why not?”
“He walked right up to me and told me I needed to fix my posture, stance, alignment, and grip.”
“What’s wrong with that? Sounds like you needed help.”
“True,” he says.
“…but I was standing at the urinal when he said it.”
From the outside, the pro shop looks like a great place to work.
And it is.
But it’s also… relentless.
Most pro shop staff are working:
Two shifts: Either Open → 2:00pm or 2:00pm → Close
5–6 days a week
A steady rotation of opens and closes (close one day, open the next — because why not)
If the first tee time is 6:00am, the opener is there by 5:30am…
which means a 4:00–4:30am wake-up call.
Because nothing says “golf lifestyle” like getting up before the sun has even filed a flight plan.
And once the doors open?
The day doesn’t stop.
It turns into a steady stream of… things.
“Mrs. Smith wants to know why there are three golf balls missing from her bag.”
→ Tell her her son took them. Again.“Mr. Jackson called — there’s a candy bar wrapper on the 4th tee deck.”
→ Copy that. Emergency response team en route.“Jimmy Jones wants to know if we can re-grip his ball retriever.”
→ Of course he does.“Your lunch is ready — should I have them bring it over?”
→ Yes. And if possible, feed me while I’m answering the phone.
Meanwhile…
Phones ringing (constantly)
Tee times being booked, moved, double-booked, and somehow fixed
Players checking in all at once — usually five minutes before their tee time
Retail sales
Club fittings and repairs
Managing the tee sheet (which has a mind of its own)
Coordinating with the starter
Handling issues (because there are always issues)
Deliveries arriving at the worst possible time
Shelves being stocked… and immediately un-stocked
Cleaning, organizing, and trying to stay one step ahead
Somewhere in there, they’re also:
Teaching lessons
Practicing (in theory)
Trying to sneak in a round (rarely)
And maintaining some version of a life outside the golf course
So the next time you walk into a pro shop and everything looks calm…
Just remember:
That calm is being held together by caffeine, adrenaline, a lot of experience…
and the quiet understanding that at any moment, something completely unnecessary is about to happen.
It’s not just a great view.
It’s controlled chaos… in soft spikes and a dress code.
Equipment Insight
Golf Balls — Do They Matter? Yes…
The right ball is your friend…
the wrong ball—not so much
Let me ask you something…
If you’ve never purchased brand new golf balls… ever…
I mean never… and no, the ones you got for your birthday don’t count — someone else bought them.
We need to talk.
If your current lineup includes:
Pond balls
Lost-and-found specials
The occasional range ball (don’t deny it)
And something you’re pretty sure is from the 20th century
We really need to talk.
And let’s not forget the classic:
“This one looks fine.”
No… it doesn’t.
Here’s the Reality
Not all golf balls are the same — and yes, it actually matters.
A lot.
The biggest factor?
👉 Compression matched to your swing speed (C-5: Club Speed)
Simple Guidelines (With Real Examples)
Under 85 mph → Low compression (softer feel, easier to launch)
Wilson Duo Soft
Titleist TruFeel
Callaway Supersoft
85–100 mph → Mid compression (balanced distance and control)
Wilson Triad
Titleist AVX
Callaway ERC Soft
Taylor Made Tour Response
100+ mph → Higher compression (max control and efficiency)
Wilson Staff Model / Tour
Titleist Pro V1 / Pro V1x
Callaway Chrome Soft X / Chrome Tour
If the compression doesn’t match your swing speed:
You lose distance
You lose consistency
You lose control
And here’s the part most golfers miss…
When you play a random mix of golf balls, you’re basically asking for:
Different launch
Different spin
Different feel
Different results
On every swing.
It’s like trying to improve your swing while someone keeps changing the rules.
And no — you don’t need to play the same ball as a tour player.
You need to play the ball that fits your swing, not someone else’s.
Because when it matches properly…
The ball flies more predictably
Your misses are more consistent
And the game starts to feel… easier
Simple Takeaway
Pick a ball.
The right ball.
And stick with it.
Your swing will thank you.
Quick Tip
Check Your Spikes — Seriously
Are there actually soft spikes on the bottom of your soft spike golf shoes?
You better take a look — seriously… go ahead. I’ll wait.
There’s a very good chance you’re working with:
Worn-out spikes
Broken spikes
Or a few that have simply disappeared and are now MIA (Missing in Action) — they just quit and never told you
At this point, your shoes may offer less “traction”… and more “reaction.”
You know — slip sliding away.
Soft spikes matter more than most golfers think.
They provide:
Traction on slopes and uneven lies
Stability through your swing
Grip in bunkers and wet conditions
In other words…
They are not designed to act as skis while you gracefully slide down a wet hill on your way to the pond.
And just as important…
They don’t damage greens, your putting line, or anything else you walk on.
(Unlike their metal ancestors, which were basically small weapons.)
If your spikes are worn down…
You’re losing stability without even realizing it.
And if you’ve ever thought:
“That one just didn’t feel quite right…”
There’s a good chance your feet were negotiating with the ground the entire time.
Simple Fix:
Replace them
Check them regularly
Don’t wait until you’re slipping on a dry day
Your swing starts from the ground up.
Make sure the ground is actually on your side.
Swing Insight
If You’re Thinking of Re-Gripping Your Ball Retriever… We Need to Talk
Your golf swing doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be better.
Closer to a model swing.
Let’s talk about two things that matter more than most golfers realize:
Club Path and Club Face at impact (C-2: Club Path, C-3: Club Face)
If your swing path is:
10° out-to-in → that’s a problem
5° out-to-in → that’s improvement
Same idea with the club face:
10° open or closed → trouble
within 5° of square → now you’re playing
And yes — tighter than that is even better.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is reducing the damage.
When your numbers improve:
your really bad shots become poor shots
your poor shots become playable
your playable shots become good
And here’s the key…
If you can keep the ball somewhere on the fairway — even not perfectly — you still have a shot.
Once you’re in the trees or deep rough, your options disappear quickly.
So instead of chasing perfect swings, focus on this:
Make your bad shots better
Make your better shots more consistent
Let the great shots show up naturally
That’s how scores drop.
Key Takeaways
Your golf swing doesn’t need to be perfect — just better.
A slightly better contact.
A slightly better club path.
A slightly better club face.
A slightly better centredness of hit.
A slightly better club speed.
Stack enough of those together, and the game starts to look very different.
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Join the Conversation
Enjoying The Golf Scene so far?
👉 Have a question about your swing?
👉 Something you’d like me to cover?
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Just hit reply and tell me what you’re working on — I read every message.
Closing
If you’ve made it this far…
👉 we’re probably walking in the same shoes (maybe even soft spikes)
My goal with The Golf Scene is simple:
To help you understand the game a little better,
make your bad shots a little less bad,
and maybe even help you enjoy it a bit more along the way.
Because let’s be honest…
👉 this game doesn’t need to be any harder than it already is.
If you found this useful (or at least mildly entertaining), feel free to share it with:
a friend
a playing partner
or someone who thinks the rule book is merely a suggestion.
And if you’re looking to take your game a step further…
👉 I’d be happy to help — in person or online.
David Govan
PGA of Canada Professional
Golf Excellence Academy
Modern Golf Instruction
Creator of the 5C Golf Performance System
👉 GolfExcellence.ca
Ps — Next week I will get more in-depth into the 5C Golf Performance System.