Practice Round at Greenlefe South...Golf in Florida

Practice Round at Greenlefe South...Golf in Florida

Today was a very productive day and a great way to prepare for another tournament on Sunday. It was good to get some freedom in the golf swing, hit shots, and work on a few things. The swing seems to be coming around and confidence keeps going up. Still working on to stay on top of the ball and keep my arms matching my chest. Its a tough thing to do and it was nice to be able to work on it on the golf course vs. the driving range. 

The course is tight as far as out of bounds and hazards but a lot less visually intimidating than the other two courses that we have played so far. Fortunately with having the ability to hit the ball a decent ways I am able to carry a lot of the trouble that is out there. I still have to pick when I take the risks but for the most part I feel very good about the lines I saw on the course today and how I am hitting the ball. This is the greatest game in the world and it always a work in progress. 

A couple of things that I take note of when playing a practice round are:

-Greens and the lay of the land

-which way the greens tend to break (studying the topography of the course)

-speed of the greens

-lines to take off the tee

-how the greens react to wedges and chip shots

-which way the wind is blowing

-Make a small diagram of the greens so I know where the slopes are and quadrants of the green. This way I know if I go for it or play a safe shot. 

Looking forward to some good golf tomorrow and hopefully a win. Have to make those putts.  

Short Game Practice at THE FALDO INSTITUTE Round 2

Short Game Practice at THE FALDO INSTITUTE 

Round 2

Today was a day where I translate all of what I have taken in in the last two days into structuring my practice session around my weak links that I found in the tournaments the last two days. Three main things that I had on my plate were: controlling trajectory with the wedges, distance control with putting, and tempo on chip shots. 

Controlling Trajectory: This is so important when playing at this level, if you can't control trajectory on your wedges you can't control spin or distance. I work on this using many different drills and really getting a vision in my head of what I want the shot to look like and what I want the ball to do once it hits the green. Envisioning the shot helps your body to remember and your mind to recall this activity when you need it on the course. It is very very very very very important to visualize your shots. The guys on tour all do it so it is a habit that you should try to work into your practice sessions and time on the golf course. 

Distance Control with putting: I had a tough time gauging distance yesterday on my mid-length putts and my lag putts. It is important that when working on your putting you understand the roles that your hands play in putting. Your right hand is your speed hand that controls distance and your left hand is your control hand that controls face rotation. An ideal grip has your palms opposing each other so that your hands fight each other. My practice session consisted of a lot of switching one-handed putting from left to right. I wanted to develop the feel in both hand of what their roles are. 60% of the practice was done with the right hand to really work on distance. It is important to have balance so I finished the other 40% up with the left hand. 

Tempo on Chipping: I was struggling yesterday with having soft hand and hitting delicate chips. I put in a lot of work hitting close to 1000 chips today with 58*-8i really working on tempo and keeping my hands soft. I make a square out of four golf balls that I have to land the ball in and go through to get to the hole. This helps with focusing on a specific spot and not the hole. This also helps with visualization and shot recreation. 

Looks like I am going to be at it again tomorrow to do some more fine tuning. I only hit a few golf balls on the range as my swing feels solid and I am not going to try and change things before a tournament on Sunday and Monday. I just hit balls keeping rhythm and smooth tempo. Tempo is so important for me and my swing. I really work hard on keeping things silky smooth and not rushing the swing. My range work was focused solely on tempo and checking my yardages to make sure I am sharp for the tournament. Is important to not reinvent the wheel while playing a lot of tournaments in a row, keep it simple, and stick to the basics. 5 keys things I check every time I hit a shot (grip, stance, posture, ball position, and alignment). Keep those all in check and you are in a great position to make a good golf swing. Until next time hit them long and straight. 

Tournament #2 Short game and Mental game struggles.

Tournament #2 Short game and Mental game struggles

Timacuan Golf and Country Club

Timacuan is a very challenging course visually. There is a lot to look at off the tee and a lot of trouble left and right. Most of the holes you are hitting out of a chute and have little room to miss it. However there are a few holes where you can just grip it and rip it. Very interesting golf course to say the least. The first course that we played there greens were not over-seeded and had dormant bermuda grass and this course had been over-seeded. This definitely plays tricks on your eyes and makes it tough to adapt the lines you must play and over-reading and under-reading putts an issue. Needless to say I need to play more Florida golf and get used to the conditions. 

I am wearing all black with orange shoes in the video. 

The Second tournament I played in was a bit of a struggle. I hit plenty of good shots to shoot a good score and did not capitalize on anything. I had 6 looks at birdie from inside of 12 feet and only made one. That is a not a good way to capitalize on good shots. There were a few miscues in the round and some doubt over shots. Those bad thoughts led to some bad swings and a few bogeys. 

One of the biggest things I am struggling with closing a round. The previous tournament I finished bogey, birdie, and then another bogey. This round I finished bogey bogey. Can't seem to get it in the club house. Have to stay in the moment a little bit better and keep the focus until the final putt is hit. 

I did at least cash once again and finish in 4th place. I have a lot of learning to do and a lot of growing in the game to do. It is going to be tough to get to the next level and get over this barrier of not breaking 70. Good days need to be 65 and bad days need to be 72. Looks like we will be hitting the Faldo institute once again on Friday for some much needed tuning and hard work. Have to work on trajectory control and staying more on top of the ball. The swing is getting close just have to keep working at it. 

Day 3 Playing Golf For MONEY!! The OGA tour

Day 3 Playing Golf For MONEY!! The OGA tour

First things first. Have to get the mind, body, and dress correct before heading to the course. Call me superstitious but I have a few colors that I play well in and I made sure to wear the clothes that give me confidence. Weird, yes, I know this. At this level a little bit of confidence and a little bit of luck can go a long long way. 

Pre-Tournament Routine

• Mark all balls to be played. I mark mine with a flower. Its how my father marked his ball so it has a little bit of sentimental value as well as I know no one else will mark their ball with a flower so mine will never be confused. 

• Get a good stretch in before I get in the car. No static stretching, all dynamic stretching with movement. 
• Good breakfast is key. I normally go with 7 egg whites, an apple, and 2 cups of oats. Keeps you full for a while, because sometimes the nerves get to you and you can't eat for the whole round. 
• Snacks for the course. Typically a peanut butter sandwich, protein bar, and an apple or banana. 
• Count the clubs make sure there is only 14 and out the door we go. 

Pre-round Warm-Up

• Range routine:
• Stretching to get the back, hip flexors, forearms, back, and legs. 
• 10-12 short little wedge swings to get the feel and tempo I want to carry for the warm-up session. Notice this is a warm-up session and not a practice session. This is not the time to work on the swing. You have to play with what you came to the course with in the morning. Find your tempo and tendencies on the range and go with it, don't fight it. 
• I go through each of my irons and hit 6 balls with each. 2 high, 2 low, 2 left to right, and 2 right to left. This just helps me feel my swing and anticipate what the ball is going to do during the round. 
• I only hit 3 drivers and then I go back to wedges for another 10-12 balls to keep the rhythm.
• Putting green session:
• I start at 3 feet from the hole and hit from all different sides, uphill, downhill, left to right, and right to left.
• I move out to 5 feet, then to 10 feet, and then 20 feet. This is a great way to get a feel for the speed and how the greens are reacting. Don't just hit putts, study what the ball is doing and pay close attention. Green conditions can change drastically as the day goes on so it is important to pay attention to what is going on. 
• Chipping session:
• I start in close proximity to the green and hit 5-6 short chips to a close hole. I get an idea of how soft or firm the greens are going to be from this, how much the ball is going to check, how much the ball is going to roll, and how the ball is reacting off of the turf around the green. 
• I work through a few different clubs that I will surely use in the round. My go to clubs are 58* up to 8 iron. I hit a few chips with each to get the feel and make sure to do my research before going to battle. 

Ridgewood Lakes Golf Course

So today was my first professional golf tournament and my first competitive round of golf in 5 years. I have never seen the course before and had no course knowledge to go off of. I had to play the course blind. My game plan going into the day was to be very diligent with my yardages, wind direction, and pay attention to the lay of the land. Biggest key with misses is missing it in the right place. As far as the game plan went I felt that I executed pretty well for never seeing the course before. There was still some rust to knock off but for the most part for the first competitive round in a long time it went smoothly. 

The day did not get off to the best start. I hit a high right balloon hybrid off the first tee, hit a 9 iron from 159 to 18 feet and continued to 3 putt and start off on a great note. However I had 17 holes left in front of me and had to just keep taking it one shot at a time. There is not making shots up on a golf course only not giving more shots to the field. You have to focus, stay in the moment, and execute one shot at a time and keep your thoughts positive. 

On the front nine I hit the ball poorly off the tee but I missed it in the right places where I could still have a shot at the green and have a decent chance at birdie. I started 3 over after 4 holes with a bogey on the first and a double on the 4th. I clawed my way back to even by the ninth. I just kept putting myself in position on the greens to make a few putts and kept girding. It was a tough mental battle to shake the nerves for the first few holes, but once I calmed down I was able to sort things out and get things on track. 

The back nine was going smoothly until 16 where I made a mental error bogey and moved to one over par for the day. I hit a great shot in on 17 and positioned myself for a great chance at birdie. I was pin high to the left of the stick and putting against the grain. I was fortunate enough to make the putt to put the round back to even. 18 presented its challenges. It is a tough tee shot and a tough second shot. I hit it in the left rough by about a yard and proceeded to hit a flyer 8 iron a little long (50ft). The lag putt was a poor excuse for a putt, it was a slight mental lapse, and I left myself with a 15 footer coming back  up to the hole. My round ended the same way it started, with a three putt. Oh well it happens. The round of 73 was good enough to place me T-4th and qualify me for the level 2 events. My first pro event and I made my money back plus enough to eat some food after. I will consider that a win. 

It is a tough world out here. You come to the harsh realization that there are a 1000 of me trying to do the exact same thing. The key is to find the edge and that is exactly what I am determined to do. I am not one to give up or let something beat me. I learned quite a bit about my game and how much work I have to do to get to the next level. I can't wait to see how good I can get and where I will go next. Until tomorrow, never give up on your dreams and keep clawing your way up the mountain. The hard work will pay off. 

Day 2 Short Game Practice at the Faldo Institute

Short game practice at the Faldo Institute

Today was a great day down in Florida. Got to bed a little bit late, but some sleep, a workout in the morning and a good breakfast Marty and I were ready to put in some work. 

Working out on the Road: You don't really need too much, but its great to keep up the routine and give the muscles some work to keep your mind and body right. 

The morning workout was as follows:

• 20 mins on elliptical (interval training)
• 4x12 Dumbbell press. (alternating not at the same time)
• 4x12 Wide Grip Pull ups
• 4x12 Leg Press
• 4x12 Leg Curls
• 4x50 Sit ups with rotation
• 4x12 Wood Chop (for rotation and core)
• 4x12 Dips
• 4x12 Cable High Pulls to forehead 

Just a simple workout to get the blood moving and warm up the muscles. No need for lots of weight, this is simply to maintain where you are and keep you sharp. 

The Faldo Institute 

If you are a serious or recreational golfer and need to work on your short game, there are not many places that you can go that would be able to offer more. This place is amazing. Tons of different chipping greens, a huge putting green, a bunker and pitching green, and a 40-60 yard target green. It really does not get any better. If I had a cot with me I would probably sleep there. The setting makes you want to practice and the amount of talent that is there is definitely good motivation. There were 2 LPGA members working on their game and a multitude of mini tour players all sharpening their skills. Not to mention I spent $5.86 and practiced for 7.5 hours. Its an amazing place and its very inexpensive. 

Here are a few shots of what the institute has to offer. Did not get to capture it all but you can see it is an impressive facility. 

Short Game Drills and Chipping Exercises

1. Distance control with trajectory Drill:
1. This is a great drill to working on controlling your distance. I always like to be specific when picking out my yardages. I go 30, 40, 50, 60. I keep it to the number so I know exactly how far I am hitting it. 
2. Ball position: controlling the trajectory with ball position is very helpful when trying to access front pins or back pins. The more toward the back of your stance you play the ball the lower it goes and the less it spins. The further forward you play it the higher it goes and the more it spins. This drill take a lot of work but the fruits are definitely worth the labor. 
2. Through the bag chipping drill
1. Take 4-6 clubs and pick a hole, any hole at all on the putting green.  I like to use my 58, 54, 50, PW, 9i, and 8i for this drill. 
2. Take 12-15 balls with each club and go to the same hole. Work on distance control and visualizing where you want the ball to land. Keep in mind how similar the stroke gets to a putting stroke as you get to the less lofted club. It is very important to have a well rounded shot arsenal around the greens. Options are a good thing as well as having a bread and butter shot that you have the utmost confidence in. 
3. Do this with a short shot 15-20 feet and few feet off the green, 30-40 feet and 5-10 feet off the green, 50-60 feet and 20+ feet off the green. This will give you a great variation of shots and help you see how the different clubs react to the different conditions. Working on this drill will make shot selection around the greens a lot easier as well.

Putting Drills

1. Around the horn:
1. This is a classic putting drill but a great one. Set up as many or as few balls as you would like in a circle around the hole. I go with 15. Start at one putter length away for the first round and after you complete a flawless round with no misses, move it one putter length at a time until you reach your desired distance from the hole. If you make it to 20+ you are doing some work and are in for some birdies during your next round. 
2. Eyes closed drill:
1. As the title says you will be hitting putts with your eyes closed. This is a great way to develop feel and adapt to greens at a new course. Hit putts from 20+ feet from the hole with your eyes closed until the ball has left the putter face. Before you open your eyes you must determine if the ball is going to be short or long of the hole. You will be amazed at how much feedback this drill will provide you. 
3. Chalk line drill:
1. This is a great drill to make sure the putter is tracking right and releasing properly. It will provide instant feed back that the ball is starting online and rolling correctly. 

Getting in Tournament Mode

Its one thing to practice but it is another other to be able to use what you have practiced when it counts. Taking one ball and recreating situations that you may encounter on the course. This takes a little bit of imagination and self-discipline. Make yourself feel the pressure,  you only have one chance. Test yourself and execute the shot just as you would on the golf course, pre-shot routine and all. Now take your confidence and practice to the course and shoot better scores. 

First OGA event is tomorrow at 10a.m. I will report back tomorrow about the experience and the results. Hoping for a good first event. Maybe I can channel Russel Henley's debut mojo. Playing at Ridgewood Lakes in Davenport, FL. 

1st week of Professional Golf in Orlando, Florida

1st week of Professional Golf in Orlando, Florida

The car was packed up at 7:30 this morning, myself, and a buddy are headed to Florida to start the first step of many toward chasing our dream of playing professional golf. 

Whats in the bag for the tournaments?

• Driver- RBZ Tour 9.0 Set at lower/Right with Motore 6.2 X-Flex
• 3 Wood- RBZ Tour 14.5 ACCRATour Z neon Orange Shaft X- Flex
• Hybrid-Adams Idea Pro 18 Degree. Aldila NVS Tour Proto 105 X-Flex
• Irons-Cobra PRO-MB 4-PW Dynamic Gold X-100 Tour Prototype Hardstepped
• Wedges- Mizuno MP-T4 Forged. 50, 54, 58. Spinner shaft in 54 and 58
• Putter- Odyssey 2 Ball
• Ball- Titleist ProV1x 

What to pack necessities for the road trip

1. Beef Jerky
2. Apples
3. Protein bars (I prefer pure protein)
4. Peanut Butter Sandwiches
5. Lots of water
6. Almonds
7. Pandora on the radio
8. Headphones (just in case your co-pilot thinks he is a good singer)

The Drive

From Cincinnati, OH to Kissimmee, Florida it was only a 14 hour drive. That is with a few key stops to grab some food and stretch our legs. It was a nice site to see the temperature gauge that started at 17 degrees climb its way slowly to 64 once we arrived at our destination. The drive provided endless entertainment and it is shocking how much you get to know someone that you already know during a 14 hour car ride. We found many games to play along the way to keep ourselves entertained and many people to play passing tag with. (cue in the road rage here)

Accommodations

We are quite fortunate that we are getting to stay in a 4 bedroom condo in a private gated community. We have a nice lanai with jacuzzi in the back and full kitchen. Not a bad set up considering I need some relaxing and have the comfort of cooking all of my own food. Im kind of a health freak and don't like to eat out that much. We are in close  proximity to all of the cool sites of Orlando, near the Faldo golf institute where we will be doing all of our practice, walking distance to a grocery store, and 15-30 minutes from all of our tournament courses. 

First Day Schedule

• 7:00am Breakfast (most important meal of the day)
• 8:00am Workout and run
• 9:30am Leave for Faldo Institute
• -This is will include many hours of short game practice and putting with very minimal range work (if you don't have it by now you are not going to find it in one day)
• 9-Holes at a local course to get the feel for the weather, bermuda greens, and how the ball is flying
• 8:00pm Dinner Time and Game Plan
• 9:00pm Bed time. 

First tournament will be at Ridgewood Lakes in Davenport, FL. I will follow up tomorrow with a review of the practice session, feedback on the Faldo Institute (with pictures), and some great drills for everyone to use to sharpen their short game.