Ya Filthy Animal

  

I’ve been told that I have a few OCD tendencies. My wife laughs at me because I have this compulsive need to make the bed perfectly all the time, I am constantly straightening up my desk, and I obsess over my golf clubs. I say all that as a qualifier for this blog because this one is more of a pet peeve of mine and a general soapbox than it is actual "advice" or "instruction." Regardless, it's my blog, so I'm allowed to stand on a soapbox every now and then. Ready? CLEAN YOUR CLUBS YA’ FILTHY ANIMAL! It’s gross, it’s ridiculous, and it’s downright disrespectful. To be fair, it isn’t any of those things, but I still think you should do it, and, like I said, it's my blog. 

Look, I get it. You’re probably a busy person with a million things going on in your life. Between work, family, and whatever other responsibilities you may have, I’d be willing to bet that just getting in a round of golf might seem like a miracle—cleaning your clubs? Ain't nobody got time for that, right? I'd say wrong. Cleaning my clubs usually takes about 10 minutes. Literally, all I have to do is stop scrolling Facebook, and I've cleared up the time. Here's the way I look at it; I make time for tons of other stupid stuff in my schedule. Somehow I always have time to watch soccer games, workout, read my Bible (which isn't a stupid thing, but I make time for it nonetheless), scroll Facebook or Instagram, stare at memes endlessly (which is an idiotic thing, but I seem to find myself doing it a lot), etc. I fill my time with tons of stuff that isn’t all that important. It’s not an issue of time, it’s more an issue of “want to.” 

Now, some of you might say, “Gosh Matt, I don’t know how to clean my clubs. No one ever showed me." First off, I would laugh in your face because that is a lame excuse. Secondly, I would sigh because who knows, maybe you're right, and who am I to say? So allow me to educate you. It's as simple as dish soap and water in a cup, an old toothbrush, and a couple of towels. From there, it's as easy as you might imagine; dip, scrub, wipe. Literally, that's all there is to it. I almost feel like this paragraph could have been avoided, but it's never safe to assume anything anymore, given our current cultural climate. 

Here’s the thing. Dirty clubs are a pet peeve of mine because, yes, I might have some OCD. But there are benefits to having clean clubs. Hitting good golf shots is all about making great contact (of course, there's more to it than that, but you get my point). When there is a mound of dirt, mud, grass, sand, and who knows what else caked in your clubs, there is no way you can make great contact. The grooves of the clubs are designed to give you optimal spin and launch on your shots, but if the grooves are full of crap, then the bottom line is that you aren't hitting your best shots. 

Do clean clubs make your golf better? For the sake of winning the argument, I would say yes. But I wouldn’t say that as a way to get my way and have a world full of shiny, sparkling clubs filling golf courses every week. You make better contact and get the optimal amount of spin when the clubface is clean, it’s just science. So do you want to hit your best shots and play your best golf? Then clean your clubs ya’ filthy animal!