DIY Golf

I was feeling crafty yesterday and it was cold out so I couldn't go golfing even with classes being canceled.  Instead I spent the day making this cute golf themed key holder, and I love how it turned out!  I have been wanting to make one for a while now, and I am so glad I finally did.

Buy the original here on Etsy for $40.

I got my inspiration for this key holder from the jamesandme Etsy shop.  I loved the idea of making a key holder out of tees and a golf ball.  However, I wanted to make one myself that had my favorite golf quote on it.  

"Of all the hazards, fear is the worst."

-Sam Snead

I have put this quote on my blog before, in an earlier post.  Sam Snead was a great player, he was the first to be awarded a Green Jacket in 1949.  I love this for two reasons.  First it is absolutely correct.  On the course you have to be confident in your shot and in your swing.  It is always when I am afraid of missing a putt, chipping over the green, or driving out of bounds or into the lake, that I duff the ball or pull the put.  Golf is a mental game and fear will hinder your ability to focus.  Secondly, this applies not only to golf, but to life.  Being fearful will keep you from being successful and reaching your full potential.  This is why I wanted this quote to be hanging next to my door.  I want to look at it everyday and be reminded that my fear, or staying in my comfort zone will not get me what I want out of life.  This quote also reminds me a lot of another quote from the self-help book Who Moved My Cheese, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

If you would like to make one of these yourself, maybe with your own favorite quote or picture on it, here is my step-by-step instructions.  

This was a pretty inexpensive project, I found the board at Wal-Mart for only $4.  The paint was .50 cents each, the super glue was $3, sandpaper was $2, and the stencil was $6.  I had the rest of the everything else laying around my house.  Altogether it cost me less than $20.  

I started of by sanding the board really good, especially the edges to smooth them down.  I made marks where I wanted the holes for my tees to go with a pencil, although I wish I would have erased them before I started painting.  I drew a little too dark and had to use extra layers of paint to cover them up.  I didn't have access to a drill to make the holes so I drove a screw into the wood and it ended up being the perfect size.  

I didn't want any brown on my key-holder so I painted the front side green and the edges white.  I also used white tees and cut them down so only an inch or so came out of the board.  I found it worked best to fill each of the holes with super glue and put a small amount on the bottom and edges of the tee.  I held them in place for 30-seconds while I let the super glue dry.

 I found these great stencils at Joann's craft store that had an adhesive back so they wouldn't move while I was painting.  They were easy to peel off, didn't smear the paint and they are reusable.  I had tried to use small non-adhesive stencils to put Sam Snead's name at the bottom, but they smeared the paint every time.  I then tried a paint pen to write his name in, but it was difficult to write with the tees already in place.  If I do this again, I will put the tees in after everything is written on.

 Here is a different angle of the final product.  The glue holds really well, but I have not tested it on anything heavier than a set of keys.  I used Velcro Command strips to hang the key holder, which are great because they don't make any damage to my wall and I didn't have to try and drive another screw in the back of the board.

I would love to hear what you think, or see any golf crafts you have done.  Share them on any of my social media pages, you can find links to them along the right side of this page.  And remember to stay confident on the course and in life, you will be more successful, and maybe even knock a few strokes off your game.