Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

With too much time on my hands here in the California desert where the high temperatures are over 100 many days, there are only so many hours I can spend on the golf course.

These days, I always tee off with friends in the range of 7:30 a.m., so we are done no later than 11 a.m.

The high temps often occur in the afternoon.

So, without much else to do, I began to think of all the sayings I use on the golf course.

Here they are in no particular order of priority:

• If you swing harder, the ball will go farther.  Perhaps not.

• My dog is named Callaway.  I named my golf clubs after him.

• You should call your shot after you hit it, not before.

• What’s the most important shot in golf?  The next one.  [This is a quote from someone, not me.]

• Jack Nicklaus says “play it forward,” as to which tee you should play.  So do it.

• We used to call the green tees at our club the “women’s tees.”  Then, we changed the name to “forward tees,” and then suddenly a lot of men played those tees.

• It’s often fun to play golf without keeping score.  Not always.  Often.

• As I leave the house for golf, my wife usually says, “Have fun no matter how you play.”  I try.  But, frankly, I often have more fun if I play well. 

• My three-fold advice to my young daughter who was just learning to play golf years ago:  First, watch the ball; second, go slow on your backswing; and, third, swing through the ball.  Because you need to make an athletic swing at the ball.  If I do say myself, this was good advice back in the day and it still works for all recreational golfers today, including me.

• There is always room for improvement – in golf or in any other phase of life.