Archive for May 2007

Stress is probably the worst thing you can have when you are playing golf. The worse you play, the more the stress fills up and it feels like nothing is going right when you are out on the golf course. However, I got most of that stress relieved this past Tuesday when I had the first stage qualifier for the U.S. Open. I finished in a tie for 1st with one other player. Twelve people advanced out of 50 for the qualifier. Even though this is just the 1st stage, it is a huge step in the right direction for me. The course played long, windy, and tight. And I felt like I mastered it the best I could. The only reason I didn’t shoot better was because I 3-putted two holes. But sometimes that happens.

How I got to be feeling so much more confident was that I had a lesson with my coach on Sunday. I have been with Mike Swisher at the Lebanon Country Club for about 10 years. I worked there, I played there, and I also take lessons there. The members are kind enough to let me practice there whenever I am home. I wouldn’t be there today without them! I am a pretty stubborn individual when it comes to my golf game. I feel I can fix anything that goes wrong in my swing. Well, I disproved that theory.

Mike calls me many times to check up and see how I am doing. I haven’t playing well. And the worse I play, the less I communicate with other people. So I haven’t taken a lesson from him for quite a while. Well, I as you can see, I haven’t been doing very well on my own. So when I was home this past week, Swish took a look at how things were going. I am not kidding when I say this. He watched me hit for twenty minutes and within that time, I was corrected. He said my swing looked good, just needed to make an extra move with rotating my hands around and that was it! Oh my, what a difference. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I was still nervous out on the course, but I played with confidence and I wasn’t afraid to hit a shot. Typically, you have more fun when you shoot well. But, for me, i just wanted the ball to go where I envisioned it. And it did. I joke with Swish all the time, that if he weren’t married, I would marry him. He is a god when it comes to the golf swing! So to make a long story longer, thank you, Mike. I will definitely be calling you more often. What took me so long to realize it?

Get ready for the Duramed Futures Kansas event coming up this week. It promises to be a very exciting one! All the best my friends. See you next week!

I am so happy to be home for a couple of days. The last month and a half on the road was a killer. It took me a while to get adjusted to flying everywhere and having to share cars with other players. I am usually pretty independent so it was interesting trying to adapt to other people’s schedules. It worked out well and I learned to relax a little bit and not get so stressed if I am not exactly on time. So in a way it was a good thing to have that experience. And after hearing about the long drive some of the people took to the events, I wouldn’t have changed my mind about flying.

So, as you can see, my Texas swing of tournaments was not the best. I definitely struggled on those windy golf courses. I wish I could say that the wind had a huge effect but I can’t. My swing is just giving me some issues right now so it makes the confidence take a back seat. However, I am home and getting ready to see my coach. He has taught some PGA guys so he knows what it is like out there. So hopefully we will talk about more than the golf swing and I can get my game back on track. Plus, we are slowly making our way back up to some green grass and less wind.

Our next tournament is in Leawood, KS next week. This is a new event and I heard it is going to be a great golf course. I am always excited to go to new places. And the people are so happy to have us there. I fly to Kansas next Tuesday after I attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. This is the first stage of qualifying. After you pass this stage, you have to go to a sectional qualifier which will be held in Illinois within the next few weeks. You can choose where you would like to qualify from a list the USGA gives you. I decided to do my qualifying in Pennsylvania. Hopefully it gives me the advantage to be on my own turf.

I hope everyone has a great week! I am going to busy getting a tan (on my feet specifically) and practicing my golf. I hope all of you are doing the same. Tune in next week!