I agree - this probably isn’t the smartest thing to do, but… Do you frequently find yourself running behind schedule and rushing to get to the golf course so you don’t miss your tee time? Or dashing from the parking lot to the tee and hitting your first shot without tying your shoes? How often do you use the first four holes to warm up for your round?

Ideally we would always have time to go to the practice area to get stretched out and hit a few balls before playing. But all too often it doesn’t seem to work that way. We end up “practicing” on the golf course, hoping we only need a small bucket of balls to warm up, and not a big bucket. A few days ago I saw a guy hurry to the tee, hit his tee shot and then comment, “Looks like I’m playing a fade today.”

Have you ever been faced with a shot and had a strong feeling what club you should hit? That little voice inside tells you, “This is a nice 7 iron! Just smooth it up there right next to the hole.” Then your playing partner, with his GPS device, tries to help by telling you the exact yardage, which turns out to be an 8 iron. Now what do you do?

The old adage about one man’s trash being another’s treasure never seemed more true than after a trip to the local flea market, or mercado libre. Every Sunday from 6 a.m. to mid-afternoon, a wealth of both spills out of booths and stalls set up in about six square blocks around the Juarez church. Produce and foodstuffs of every kind, shoes, clothes and linens (both new and used), toys galore, housewares, tools & hardware, and flotsam and jetsam of every variety can be found here. There’s even a special aisle full of hairdressers where mostly men and boys get their hair cut. In case all this shopping makes you hungry or thirsty, vendors of everything from tacos de cabeza to donuts, flan and agua de Jamaica are on hand, too, many with small tables set up out of the lines of foot traffic and sometimes, in the shade of an umbrella or tree.

Avoid falling apart when it really counts

I understand the new player asking about what their swing tempo should be, but I’m always surprised at how many experienced players ask whether they should change their tempo to swing faster or slower.