To say that Mark Mielke set a record for years between Met
Open wins is good, but doesn't put it in perspective. This does: One of his close competitors in the final round Thursday, 15-year-old amateur Cameron Wilson, was not even born the last time Mielke won that tournament.
"I said, 'Now, you're making me feel old,'"Mielke said Friday, back in the pro shop at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, where he is the head pro. "I'm 46, but people were making me feel like I'm 80."
Fact is, it was a tribute to Mielke and not a knock. It was testimony to how he has kept himself and his game in shape that he still can play as if he were 30, which is what he was the last time he won the Met Open, in 1992.
"When you're 30, you think you're going to win a bunch of them," he said, knowing full well that it is an honor to win even one. Mill River members were marveling at the trophy and the names of champions in the Met Open's 93-year history: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Tommy Armour and Byron Nelson, to name a few.
"I always said that if you win it once, it's great. But if you win it twice, it really validates your ability," Mielke said.
His three-shot victory in the 54-hole event at the Country Club of Fairfield validated his ability to keep it going, and it ought to be an inspiration to anyone who wants to think their best golf is ahead of them.
Mielke decided three years ago to really improve his golf conditioning, so he signed up with golf fitness expert John Ondrush. Mielke, in fact, is one of the stars, demonstrating exercises, in Ondrush's DVD, "Ten Steps to Golf Fitness."
What Mielke says in the video, and what he tells his members, is that many recreational golfers can't make the swings they would like because they don't have enough flexibility. He has made a point of doing the stretching and strengthening work that allows him to have a full range of motion.
Workouts helped him bounce back from back issues this year that nearly made him pull out of the New York State Open because the pain was so bad. "I thought, 'I just turned 46 and all of a sudden I've got a bad back?'" he said. Instead, he was able to turn back the clock - as well as younger Met Open players who regularly hit 300-yard drives. (Wilson started the final round three behind Mielke and finished nine back.)
"I had been getting to the age when I was thinking, you don't know if you're going to win another one," Mielke said. "To do it was awesome. This really revamps my motivation."
He will spend the winter in Florida, playing in tournaments that he hadn't been able to enter in the past because he would have disrupted his son Ryan's high school years (Ryan now is at Coastal Carolina College, studying golf management). And 46 is only a chip shot to 50. Mielke feels strong and limber enough to dream about the Champions Tour.
In any case, his win this week was enough to make anyone over 40 dream about playing better. As he put it, "Just because someone can hit it 50 yards past you doesn't mean they're always going to win."
Patriot Golf Day
Spring for an extra dollar or two at the course on Labor Day weekend. Public and private clubs throughout Long Island will be collecting money as part of Patriot Golf Day, an effort to furnish scholarships to spouses and children of military personnel injured or killed in conflict. The campaign, established by Maj. Dan Rooney, an Oklahoma club pro who also is an F-16 fighter pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, raised $1.1 million last year. The Golf Pride grips company announced it will donate a portion of all sales next weekend, and will be selling a special red, white and blue Patriot grip.
The Sunday tip
"A light grip is essential to release the clubhead through impact in a powerful, non-manipulative fashion. To understand what a loose grip really feels like, first squeeze the grip as tightly as possible, then let go as much as possible except for the last two fingers of your top hand. Take a practice swing and listen to how loud your 'swoosh' has become. When the ball gets in the way of this louder 'swoosh,' you will see a prodigious increase in distance and exert less physical force to do it."
- R.J. Ziats, PGA assistant professional, Muttontown Club
