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!

The Duck Update!

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

For those that are wondering, The Duck has moved to Belgium! Attached to the hip of my buddy Kirk, it must go where he goes. As I was talking to Kirk yesterday, he showed The Duck sitting proudly on a table in his new house.

I miss The Duck (ok not really) and wish it fun travels throughout Europe! I am looking forward to another match and sending that little yellow treasure packing to where ever its travels will take it.

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

New Titleist Golf Clubs – 1Week Old

July 11, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 12 Comments

From earlier posts, most of you know that I purchased new golf clubs. Well, I finally picked them up Sunday. I was fitted about 3 weeks ago and I am completely happy with my new purchase. Since picking them up, I have played three rounds of golf and hit the range twice. Everyday is a better day and contact is improving each time I swing my new AP2 irons.

My results have been very good and the are easily meeting all my expectations. My first round with the new sticks was at Wildfire Golf Course. It was fantastic! The course was in awesome shape and I plan to write a review in the coming days. It was the first time I hit my new irons and the third time I hit my new 915 D2 driver, 3-wood, and 3-hybrid. Some shots were a bit of an adventure, but when I hit the sweet spot the results were amazing. I ended up with an 82 (with 4 doubles) with 28 putts!

Brandon showing us how it is done on the range!

Next, I hit the range to work on contact and alignment. I brought out the alignment sticks and they really helped. I was able to determine the positioning of the ball in relation to my clubs and more importantly, what it looks like when my setup was correct. I took my time to examine my feet, hand position and my head position when swinging the clubs.

I also hit the range today, (after playing 18 holes this morning) and continued to work on the same things I worked on last time. I am feeling more confident every day! The best part about the range today, besides my wife being there, was a close friend of the family joined us. Brandon, who I know since he was 6 months old, came to the range to show how to hit the ball a long way. He was using my old clubs and showed me the way to really hit them.

My second round was a 9-hole loop with my wife last Thursday. It was fantastic to play on a local course, Quinte Hills, and support a course that is just starting out. Quinte Hills is 5 minutes from our house and its relative obscurity affords us the opportunity to play 9 holes without anyone pushing us. It was very relaxing and my wife enjoyed playing without feeling rushed or that we were holding anyone up. This course is rough around the edges and the hilly terrain is a bit challenging. But overall, it is a great course for my wife and I play and enjoy the time together on the links. I shot an even par 36, but sank 3, 20+ foot putt along the way. My contact with the clubs was better and my putting saved the day. Hence the great score.

Today, I played 18 holes with my normal group. We enjoyed the warm sun and a cool breeze. Starting off 2 over after three holes, I settled down to par the last 6 holes of the front nine. Feeling confident, I walk to the 200 yard par 3, 10th hole and quickly doubled it. I was a bit frustrated, but still felt very good about my round. The next 8 holes I ended up 2 under and left 3 shots on the course. My ball striking was very good and my putting deadly. With a final score of 74, it is my best round this year and with new clubs in my hand, I feel that I am peaking at the right time.

My new Titleist clubs are well worth the whole ordeal of being fitted and purchasing clubs made for my swing. With the Regional military competition just over 10 days away, things are looking very good.

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!

Golf’s Jedi Mind Trick

July 8, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

The famous Jedi Mind Trick is the most valuable resource in golf. By using the force, golfers are able to clear their mind of all potential hazards and hit successful shots time after time. This skill is not a difficult as one may think, it really comes down to believing in your swing and course of action chosen for that moment.

I am sure many of you are questioning my sanity right now, but if you really think about it, golfers can eliminate potential hazards all the time. Whether it is a shot over water, sand, a tree or right down the middle of the fairway; we are able to blank out many unwanted distractions in a blink of an eye.

Personally, I use the power of positive thought. I never (or at least hardly ever) think about the negative aspect of any shot. I visualize the end result, pick my target line, look at the desired ball flight, select the proper club to achieve your intended ball flight, set up according to your target line, and then step up to the ball – swing as if I was nothing bad could happen. When I use positive visualization, good things happen a majority of the time.

This is not a difficult skill to learn. I suggest trying it anywhere on the course next time. Stand behind your ball; take a deep breath; let it out slowly and visualize the result you want. Sometimes it takes two breaths. When you are sure of the result, go through the above steps, then step up to your ball and execute! You will be surprised at the results!

Let me know how you make out!

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