An Awesome Gift from “Golf is Mental”

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Have you ever been away on a trip and arrive home to find a special gift in the mail? Have you ever received a much welcomed gift unexpectantly? Well, that is what happened when I returned home after being away for 9 days on a work/golf trip!

A while back, Josh from Golf is Mental, whose “simple insights into a complicated game” are definitely worth the read, ran a contest for new subscribers and loyal readers of his outstanding golf blog. He was giving away a dozen Pro V1 golf balls in each category.

As a loyal reader for quite some time, I immediately signed up. With no expectation of winning; I thought I would support my e-community of golfing fans and pass the word around. Fortunately for me, Josh selected my name and let me know that the treasure was in the mail.

While away for the past 9 days, I focused on playing in Ontario Regional Golf Tournament and zoned out of the happenings back at the homestead. As my darling wife and I arrrived home, we stopped to check the mail and ‘surprise’ my gift had arrived.

A gift from Josh at ‘Golf is Mental”

Talk about brightening someone’s day! This surprise gift definitely lifted my spirits! Josh, thank you very much for the wonderful gift. I hope that someday we can play a round of golf and I can share the memories of how your generosity helped me break par!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Ontario Regional Golf Tournament – Day 2

July 22, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

The second day is complete. The course conditions and weather did not change, but the scores were different from the previous day. Many players shot a higher score, which was a bit surprising. However, that is the nature of golf tournaments and Day 3 will likely be different again.

As I stated yesterday, I was tied for 6th heading into today. My goal was to shoot a couple of strokes lower and to stay focused for the entire 18 holes. I had a good strategy to be patient and not to force shots in the attempts to make a lower score. The fact that it was moving day did not change my strategy because I felt that if shot the same or slightly lower score, the movers would be behind me. Well, as it turns out, that was a pretty good strategy.

I shot another 79 today. I am still tied for 6th spot; only two strokes out of 5th place. This is a very close competition and any mistakes could be very costly. I followed my game plan to the letter for most of my round.

After shooting par on the first two holes, I striped my drive to the centre of the fairway on a reachable par 5. Instead of following my game plan of hitting the ball to about 120 yards because of the hazards surrounding the green, I decided to go for it. Well, this mental error resulted in the dreaded ‘snowman’! Yup a smooth 8! After I gave myself a mental beating, I routinely birdied the 4th hole. This did take some of the sting out of the previous hole, but reinforced my need to follow my strategy.

I played very steady for the rest of the nine and ended with a 41. One better than yesterday. So with a triple on one hole, I was feeling fairly confident heading into the back nine. After hitting my ball in play on the 10th hole, I smoothly duffed two chips and walked away with a double! I never realized that it was possible to have steam come out of your ears, but it is possible. After laughing at myself, and yes I actually laughed out loud, I played the last 8 holes only 1 over par. I hit some good shots played steady most of the time.

The highlight of the back nine was the 45 foot putt I sank on the 15 hole for par! I gave a little whoop and a fist pump! I felt like I stole a stroke there. Carding a 38 on the back nine, I shot a 79 overall for the day.

The biggest challenge we have for this tournament is the length of each round. We are averaging 5 hours and 45 minutes per round. It feels like a battle of attrition out there; but I will have to parse my words by stating that the level of play ranges from 72 to 120 strokes per round. The course is difficult to play for the low handicappers and the more inexperienced players are finding it even more difficult. However, we all knew this; so we are prepared with lots of water and towels to sit on while we wait.

The team competition was much closer today. We actually lost ground to our main competition, Petawawa. We are still 4 strokes up, but Petawawa is looking to raise the pennant tomorrow. As we tell every player, it is important to grind out the lowest score you can, no matter how you are playing! The pennant means bragging rights and hardware for our home unit!

My golfing is pretty solid for the most part. I have left a few shots on the course, but tomorrow, I plan to not leave anything out there. I will stay focused and play my game. I might have to pick selected times to press the issue, but overall I must make sure it is the right time and in the right location.

Thanks to everyone for all the positive support. It is great to hear from you and it does help me stay focused!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Regional Golf Championship

July 19, 2015July 16, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 21 Comments

As many of you know, I am off to the Ontario Regional Golf Championship. The practice round is on Monday, with the 54-hole competition starts at 0800 hrs on Tuesday. This is my 23rd time I have attended this leg of the competition in 25 years and I feel that more confident than I have in years.

The Ontario Golf Regionals, played at the Petawawa, Ontario, is a three-day stroke-play event with several competitions in one. First, there is the overall team competition. Each day, the lowest 4 scores of the seven players are counted to determine the total score for the Wing on that day. (For those who think that the female scores do not count, think again; they are usually used a couple of times during the tournament) After three days of competition, your total team score from the three days will be calculated and the lowest team score wins the event and crowned Ontario Regional Team Champions. They receive a pennant which is proudly displayed at their home Unit.

Another event inside of the team competition is the singles competition. The person with the lowest gross score after three days is crowned the Ontario Region individual champion (men and women). Additionally, the lowest five male and two female gross scores make up the Ontario Regional team that represents their region at the Canadian Forces National Golf Competition.

The National Competition, played at Shilo, Manitoba, is the same format as the Regional Competition except the players are significantly better. It is an exciting time of military golfers and believe me, bragging rights are as important as the hardware.

With new clubs in hand, I am playing the most consistent golf all year. With 5 consecutive rounds in the 70s, things look very promising. However, I will say that at least one-third of the field in Petawawa play at the same level or better as I do; so competition will be fierce. Winning this exact tournament in 2009, in Petawawa, I know how to win….I just need to execute when required, use proper course management and stay positive for 4 days!

More updates to come! I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

A Point to Ponder in Golf

July 9, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

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!

I Made the Golf Team

June 12, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 15 Comments

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!