Golf is a lot like a science experiment. You keep fine tuning and perform trial and error until you get a system in place that works. I have an unwavering system I believe in and work at day in and day out. However, I've got a small tweak I'm going to start implementing. I'm consciously going to once again think about and visualize winning tournaments more regularly. All the mental game guys stress sticking to your routine and process, but I've fared quite well in my amateur days intentionally going into tournaments thinking about nothing but winning the tournament and believing I can beat everyone in the field.
I've got away from that in pro golf. I can honestly say I've gone into many tournaments hoping to play well, and hoping to make the cut, then playing well on the weekend. Rubbish. I need that killer instinct internally. I'm going to win my share of tournaments and no one can stop me. It's this internal cockiness I need. I've got the tools, but I need to sharpen my mental game. I competed this past week shooting even par in my 27 hole tournament on Monday and I finished 15th and just inside the money. I finished today on the Adams Tour. It was shortened to a 36 hole event. I was scrappy all tournament, but didn't swing the club or chip it quite well enough to compete. I shot 2 over and missed cashing by 3 strokes.
I'm in mid air as I fly to Pittsburgh for the Frank Fuhrer Invitational starting tomorrow. I'm going to bring this winning mentality for all 4 rounds this week with a great attitude and am going to have a ton of fun along the way. I have my process moving forward that I will stick to, but it's going to include a winning mindset as well. The physical portion is there. It's time to go be a mental warrior and champion as well. Big things ahead. Thanks for your support.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
How can you ever be the best at what you do if you don't know what the best is? Well, I got a first hand taste of what I need to continue to do to get to the PGA Tour on Monday. I got a spot into the U.S. Open Sectional after waiting the morning as an alternate. It was a 36 hole day. 120 guys for 15 spots into Chambers Bay. I began my quest at Brookside Country Club at 8am. Brookside had faster greens, more tucked pins, and a slightly more difficult layout. The recipe for success was a couple under at Brookside, then go play well on the much easier Lakes Country Club in the afternoon.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my best stuff Monday morning and the course bit back from not executing. I short sided myself time and time again, which led to next to near impossible up and downs. I continue to hark on the importance of playing the par 3's better. This requires better execution from my mid and long irons. I made a handful of really poor swings with my par 3 tee shots that cost me. I know I can't be perfect, but I have to be better.
I was paired with PGA Tour rookie, Nick Taylor and long hitting Jason Kokrak. Nick won in his 4th start last year on tour in Mississippi. Jason has been a mainstay on tour for years, and has the ability to overpower a course. When he is on with his driving, golf can be very easy. What I took away from playing with these guys is that they aren't robots. To take zero away from their extreme talent, I without a hesitation of a doubt can say I measure up and can compete with them week in and week out. I got my butt kicked Monday, but it was more a measure of my lack of execution, not a talent gap.
After firing a 79 in the opening round, I began my 2nd round trying to get some reps in. I was playing much more solid in the afternoon, but a weather delay occurred 12 holes into my round, and I withdrew to get on the road back home. What I took away is I need to keep simplifying my game. It's easy to get trapped in improving my mechanics. There is a time and place for that, but my focus when the gun goes off need to be really putting together a great game plan for each shot, getting into my target, trusting it, then making my swing with great rhythm.
I did a great job of that Monday for the most part, but need to continue to improve on having better clarity with improved visualization, TRUSTING it, then swinging it with better rhythm. I got quick in transition for whatever reason, and it led to some wayward shots. This simplicity day in and day out is going to lead to really good things. I have to stay accountable on really focusing on this simplicity. Here's to great rhythm and trust moving forward!!! I tee it up next Monday in a 27 hole local tournament that will be a great confidence builder for me, then an Adams Tour event starting next Thursday in my backyard of St. Louis. It's going to feel great to sleep in my own bed and compete. I'm excited about my progress and what the rest of the year has in store. Keep it right here for continued updates!
Unfortunately, I didn't have my best stuff Monday morning and the course bit back from not executing. I short sided myself time and time again, which led to next to near impossible up and downs. I continue to hark on the importance of playing the par 3's better. This requires better execution from my mid and long irons. I made a handful of really poor swings with my par 3 tee shots that cost me. I know I can't be perfect, but I have to be better.
I was paired with PGA Tour rookie, Nick Taylor and long hitting Jason Kokrak. Nick won in his 4th start last year on tour in Mississippi. Jason has been a mainstay on tour for years, and has the ability to overpower a course. When he is on with his driving, golf can be very easy. What I took away from playing with these guys is that they aren't robots. To take zero away from their extreme talent, I without a hesitation of a doubt can say I measure up and can compete with them week in and week out. I got my butt kicked Monday, but it was more a measure of my lack of execution, not a talent gap.
After firing a 79 in the opening round, I began my 2nd round trying to get some reps in. I was playing much more solid in the afternoon, but a weather delay occurred 12 holes into my round, and I withdrew to get on the road back home. What I took away is I need to keep simplifying my game. It's easy to get trapped in improving my mechanics. There is a time and place for that, but my focus when the gun goes off need to be really putting together a great game plan for each shot, getting into my target, trusting it, then making my swing with great rhythm.
I did a great job of that Monday for the most part, but need to continue to improve on having better clarity with improved visualization, TRUSTING it, then swinging it with better rhythm. I got quick in transition for whatever reason, and it led to some wayward shots. This simplicity day in and day out is going to lead to really good things. I have to stay accountable on really focusing on this simplicity. Here's to great rhythm and trust moving forward!!! I tee it up next Monday in a 27 hole local tournament that will be a great confidence builder for me, then an Adams Tour event starting next Thursday in my backyard of St. Louis. It's going to feel great to sleep in my own bed and compete. I'm excited about my progress and what the rest of the year has in store. Keep it right here for continued updates!
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Time for an update. Golf is hard, but I'm resilient, tough, gritty, patient, hard working, determined, and confident that I will soon be playing great golf. To get you caught up to speed, I played my US Open qualifying at my home course Norwood and lost in a 4 for 1 playoff for the last spot. I played a solid round of golf in the morning in a steady rain, but in the end my hopes were dashed in the playoff. On the first two playoff holes I had 20 footers to win the playoff. On the 3rd playoff hole I made a bogey on a par 5 from 210 yards out from the middle of the fairway and a par advanced. I then lost the first alternate spot on the next hole with a bogey. I knew that the 1st alternate spot was key to fight for as well, but it wasn't to be. After 4 holes of playoff golf where I couldn't seize the opportunity, I left my home course with my head down, but was proud of my fight.
The following 2 weeks I spent in Guatemala and Honduras on the PGA Tour Latin America. Unfortunately at both events I got off to extremely poor starts with an 85 in the first round in Guatemala, and a 79 in the first round in Honduras. Both these opening round guaranteed missed cuts and it stunk to be so uncompetitive in two events that I wanted to play well in. The highlight of the 2 weeks was a hole out from 140 for an eagle two during round one in Honduras on #18 in round one. Even that though, only put a bandage on a hemorage of a round.
If you read the laundry list of positive adjectives I spewed out in the first sentence though, you now damn well know I'm going to dig myself out and be resilient. In fact, I sit in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio right now preparing to do just that. I drove from St. Louis to Columbus intentionally so that tomorrow morning I can sit on the 1st tee and hope that a spot opens up from a late withdrawal into the U.S. Open sectional. I'm an official alternate, so I have a remote chance. This is one of two tour sites, so the likelihood of a couple PGA Tour pros withdrawing because they are tired after The Memorial is high, and I hope to capitolize on that potential scenario. Regardless of whether I get a shot tomorrow morning, I signed up for the Web.com Monday qualifier 2 hours Northeast of Columbus in Canton, so I have a 1:00 pm tee time locked in as a plan B.
I've been working hard on my game and have had a great attitude along the way, but I've struggled to find the right mix of the physical a.k.a. mechanical parts of the game to go along with my great attitude. I firmly believe I have implemented the correct tweaks mechanically to start playing great golf. The first part is to talk the talk, now the next part is to back it up. It may happen tomorrow, it may not, but I promise you great golf is on the horizon. Sometimes you have to go through the lowest lows and darkest of dark days to come out on top. That's what I'm going to do. I'll update soon with my upcoming schedule. Until then, fingers crossed for my Plan A or B to pan out tomorrow. Great things are coming!
The following 2 weeks I spent in Guatemala and Honduras on the PGA Tour Latin America. Unfortunately at both events I got off to extremely poor starts with an 85 in the first round in Guatemala, and a 79 in the first round in Honduras. Both these opening round guaranteed missed cuts and it stunk to be so uncompetitive in two events that I wanted to play well in. The highlight of the 2 weeks was a hole out from 140 for an eagle two during round one in Honduras on #18 in round one. Even that though, only put a bandage on a hemorage of a round.
If you read the laundry list of positive adjectives I spewed out in the first sentence though, you now damn well know I'm going to dig myself out and be resilient. In fact, I sit in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio right now preparing to do just that. I drove from St. Louis to Columbus intentionally so that tomorrow morning I can sit on the 1st tee and hope that a spot opens up from a late withdrawal into the U.S. Open sectional. I'm an official alternate, so I have a remote chance. This is one of two tour sites, so the likelihood of a couple PGA Tour pros withdrawing because they are tired after The Memorial is high, and I hope to capitolize on that potential scenario. Regardless of whether I get a shot tomorrow morning, I signed up for the Web.com Monday qualifier 2 hours Northeast of Columbus in Canton, so I have a 1:00 pm tee time locked in as a plan B.
I've been working hard on my game and have had a great attitude along the way, but I've struggled to find the right mix of the physical a.k.a. mechanical parts of the game to go along with my great attitude. I firmly believe I have implemented the correct tweaks mechanically to start playing great golf. The first part is to talk the talk, now the next part is to back it up. It may happen tomorrow, it may not, but I promise you great golf is on the horizon. Sometimes you have to go through the lowest lows and darkest of dark days to come out on top. That's what I'm going to do. I'll update soon with my upcoming schedule. Until then, fingers crossed for my Plan A or B to pan out tomorrow. Great things are coming!
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