Path to Professional Golf: August 12th 2015 Update

“Swing your swing.”

July proved to be a month of ups-and-downs with my golf game.  While I played well for much of the month, I had a few less that ideal scores along the way.  Having the opportunity to work on my game daily, I’ve found that tinkering with the swing (in an effort to improve) can sometimes have the opposite effect.  Technical thoughts can flood our minds and turn confidence into uncertainty.

We each have our own unique swings in which different movements, drills and thoughts impact us in different ways.  In a world where advanced technology is ever present, it’s important to remember the end goal – score the best you can based on what you bring to the course that day.  There’s certainly a place for technicals in the game, but when it comes time to put the ball in play in competition, it’s important to heed the wisdom of the great Arnold Palmer – “Swing your swing.”

July Results

1) US Amateur Championship Qualifier – Less than ideal driving led to two tough starts during both rounds of the qualifier.  Though I turned my ball striking around on the back 9’s, I had trouble holing any putts on the grainy bermuda greens. The stroke felt good but sometimes the putts just don’t fall.  I managed to advance to day 2, but knowing I would need a very low round to capture one of the 3 spots, my aggressive play didn’t pay off.  Scores: 76-78

2) Carolinas Amateur Championship – After qualifying for the championship with a round of 1-under par (71), I felt good entering the event.  Despite playing well in round one, I didn’t get much out of the round shooting 1-over par.  I found myself 2-over total with four holes to play on day 2.  Knowing I needed two birdies to make weekend play, I went flag hunting on the final holes.  Unfortunately, this led to a few closing bogeys to finish out the round.  Scores: 73-75

3) Williamsport Country Club Invitational – An event I’ve played in for nearly a decade, this marked my last year given plans to declare professional.  I drove the ball and putted well all week, however my partner and I fell just short, bowing out in the semi-finals of this two-man match play style event.  To read more, check out the prior blog post: The Williamsport Invitational: Remembering Why We Love Golf

4) GPro Tour: Cowans Ford CC – This was my first “mini-tour” event, still playing as an amateur.  I never felt comfortable over the ball during this two day event, but managed to keep the ball in front of me for much of both rounds.  A few errant drives on the closing holes each day led to poor finishes and scores of 77-74.

Beginning this week, I’ll be playing in events for the next four weeks in a row.  I’ve put in some good work to start off the month, posting a few consecutive under-par rounds, and am looking forward to getting back to tournament play after two weeks off.