I came across this quote from a fellow blogger sometime back. With my Regional golf tournament coming up in about 10 days, it struck home with me and I thought I would share. Thanks David at One Bearded Golfer for reminding me to stay focused and to use my head when competing.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Warming Up in the Rain!
First, I want to thank everyone for the awesome support and positive comments over the last couple of days. I am truly grateful to have so many people in my corner as I competed during Wing Playdowns.
To cut to the chase, I made the team. I finished third overall and I will be heading to the Regional Competition in Petawawa in July. Since 1990, this is the 20th time I have made the base team and been given the opportunity to play at the next level of competition. Through the years I have finished first 1 time, third 3 times, and in the top 10, 15 times. I have had a good run so I am hoping to continue my good fortune next month.
Today was a the survival of the fittest. It poured rain all day. I am not talking light showers, but hard rain for most of the round. It was raining so much, I had to remove my hat when putting because the constant stream of water falling on my putter was too distracting. By the 5 hole, I was soaked to the bone. But, as seasoned golfers will tell you, any day in competition is a great day!
Today was my worst round of the tournament. I shot an 87. A smooth 46 front and 41 back. Believe it or not, it was the 4th best score of the day. The final score was not as disturbing as how I got there; the 3 doubles and 2 triples were especially rewarding! When I blow a hole, I do a great job doing it! Take those scores away and I played rather well. I will say that my chipping and putting was not as sharp today. I missed 6 putts under 5 feet. But, that is life on the golf course.
I did, however, take a couple of lessons from today’s round. First, I need more dry towels in my bag. Second, don’t forget your rain pants in the car. Lastly, in the pouring rain, I need to take a bit off my swing. Because of the wet conditions and the fact that I do not wear a glove, my grips were very wet and swing hard did cause some difficulties.
Regardless of my score, I made the team. That was the goal of the tournament.
On a side note, I am being fitted for irons and a new driver tomorrow. I am very excited about that to say the least.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Hitting it straight off the tee
I am back in the hunt after day 2 of our 3 day, 54 hole military golf tournament. As previously posted, the current stroke-play event is to determine who will represent our Wing at the Ontario Regional Golf Championship in July. So after two days, I am tied for third. Top 5 make the team.
Yesterday was a round of, well, it was hard to describe. I actually played well for 14 holes. The other 4 holes, I was 9-over! Up, 9-over! I finished the day with an 86. Not my best day. The weakest part of my game was driving, long irons, and chipping. My putting was quite good and it saved me from scoring my higher. We also used the lift-clean-place through the greens local rule. It had rained a fair bit and the course condition warranted this decision. Unfortunately, this helpful rule did not help me.
For those who do not know the lift-clean-place rule
“Adverse conditions, including the poor condition of the course or the existence of mud, are sometimes so general, particularly during winter months, that the Committee may decide to grant relief by temporary Local Rule either to protect the course or to promote fair and pleasant play. The Local Rule should be withdrawn as soon as the conditions warrant.”— Rules of Golf, Appendix I; Part B; Section 3b. As this article outlines, the USGA does not like it, but it is a rule nonetheless.
Basically, we were allowed to pick up the ball, clean it, and place the ball within 6 inches of its original condition; no closer to the hole. Additionally, if you are in the rough, you must stay in the rough.
Today, I was the best round of the year. Except for the triple on the 5 hole, I shot even par. Yup, I shot a 75. Everything was smooth; I was in play all day; and my approach shots were deadly. I shot a 41 (with the triple) / 34 with 3 birdies and a bogey. The ball was on target most of the time and my misses were close. Overall, I am extremely happy with the results.
Tomorrow I will play in the last group. I am right in the middle of the 5 players required to make up the team. I am 4 strokes behind first place and 4 strokes ahead of fifth place. The plan tomorrow is to follow what I did today. The goal is to make the team so taking needless chances is definitely not in the books for tomorrow.
I want to thank everyone who sent me positive comments, great tips, and quick notes of encouragement! I am grateful for the support and tomorrow will be a day to play well and continue to have fun.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Earlier this week, I had the honor of attending a golf clinic hosted by the PGA Tour Canada for the Canadian Military. Only a day before they were to compete, eight young golfing phenoms spent 1.5 hours sharing their considerable knowledge with Canadian soldiers. For the fifth time this year, the PGA Tour Canada hosted serving members to teach them how to putt, chip and drive a golf ball. It was a day to remember for most of us golfing enthusiasts!
The Wildfire Golf Club is currently hosting a PGA Tour Canada event. Prior to the start on Thursday, Devin Daniels, Wills Smith, Drew Evans, Steve Carney, Adam Cornelson, Greg Machtaler, Peter Campbell and Daniel McCarthy stopped preparing for their professional event to help golfing wannabees improve their game!
Our 1.5 hours was broken into three 30 minute segments. Each segment consisted of putting, iron play and driving. Two of the pros, Drew Evans and Peter Campbell shared their expertise on the putting green. The rest was spread throughout the driving range. The most exciting aspect of the entire event was the close and personal attention each pro gave the player.
I was fortunate to have Drew Evans provide some putting tips. As he watched me putt, he indicated that I had a very good putting stroke. He emphasized the importance of keeping my triangle while putting. When I asked about my view of following through twice as far as the back swing, he indicated that it was a good drill for mid to high handicap players, but for lower handicappers, a smoother even putting stroke is preferred. Lastly, he suggested that I move my hands out from my body about 2 inches to keep my shoulders, wrists and putter head in a straight line…man did that make a positive difference! Thanks Drew I appreciate the help. Here are some other tips by Drew and Peter.
My next station was the driving range. I started with my 7 iron and both Adam Cornelson and Steve Carney liked what I was doing. My follow through was excellent and my contact consistent. The only thing they suggested was that I slow my back swing down to produce a smoother tempo throughout the entire swing. This will have to happen at the range as changing my tempo with my 7 iron will be difficult. I was encouraged to hear that my 7 iron was in pretty good shape.
Moving on to my driver was a slightly different story. I hit my driver 240 yards straight, 7 times out of 10. Of course, being a golfing freak, I asked how to gain 20 more yards. Drew Evans looked at my swing and told me what I already knew…no power was generated from the lower part of my body. To date I have been unable to correct this problem. Drew suggested I widen my stance. At first it felt very uncomfortable, but the results were unmistakable. I immediately gained some distance on my driver with the same consistency.
After hitting about 20 drives, Devin Daniels approached me and suggested I should slow my back swing down. He noticed that when I was trying to hit the ball hard, everything sped up and became out of sync. Additionally, he reminded me that less is more. Something I have said over and over. Swinging at 80% strength is the key to have the ball go farther! Of course it worked and now I have two things to work on at the range.
The entire day was incredible. Everyone who attended the golf clinic was very impressed by the Wildfire Golf Club, the pros knowledge and infinite patience while answering questions and the PGA Tour Canada for continuing to host the Canadian Military! After talking to the PGA Tour Canada staff, I found out that there are opportunities to caddy next year and I think I am going to give it a go!
Thank you PGA Tour Canada for continuing to support the Canadian Armed Forces!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 