Schedule

Things have begun to settle down and return back to normal again. Mardi Gras is over, the super bowl is behind us and the temperatures are beginning to get above freezing. With the weather and all the activities, a much needed break has come to an end and now it's time to get back to work and in the rhythm of preparing for the 2010 tournament season. I've been able to play a couple of rounds these last few days, but today was the first time I was back in practice session mode. I've got a few minor swing changes that I'm going to be working on. Nothing drastic, but definitely necessary in order to continue to improve. Also, the adjustments I've made in my putting stroke will a big focus over the next few weeks.

As far as my tournament schedule is concerned, I've decided to join the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series for 2010. The Adams Tour is a mini-tour with events located primarily in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. They do hold 1 or 2 events outside these states, but for the most part, the majority will be in those three. There will be a total of 16 tournaments between the months of March and October. My plan as of now, is to play in at least 12 of the 16 events with the possibility of adding a few more. Aside from the Adams Tour, I will also be doing some of the Monday-Qualifiers for the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. The only ones that I am certain of as of now are the Nationwide event in Lafayette (last week in March) and the Zurich Classic in New Orleans (last week in April). There are many more options during the year and as the year progresses I'll be able to coordinate which ones will be the best to play in. Depending on what happens with the Monday-Qualifiers throughout the year will determine which events I play in on the Adams Tour. Finally, the main goal is to play in all these tournaments this year in order to prepare myself for the PGA Tour Q-School at the end of the year.

So that's the plan as of now. My first tournament will be an Adams Tour event beginning on March 17th in Alexandria, LA at Oak Wing CC. This is one of a handful events I played in during my short career as a professional golfer out of college, so I know the course and the area. Until then, I'll be here in New Orleans practicing and playing as much as I can in order to get ready to start the year. I'll have more updates as the weeks go on, but until then, hope everyone is doing well!

Stats

First off, I want to say congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl. I've lived in Louisiana for almost 9 years now, and though I was not a fan before moving here, I have enjoyed watching them play since. Only the Chicago Bears would be ahead for me, but as long as they're not playing each other, I'm pulling for the Saints without a doubt. It was great to be apart of their first Super Bowl appearance/win and to experience a celebration like I've never seen before.

On the side, I've been crunching some numbers from the last 3 months and here is what I've come up with regarding my statistics during the 2009-10 Hooters Tour Winter Series. (FYI - I have eliminated the one round I played in the beginning of December where I shot an 86 during the worst weather I've ever seen. Right or wrong, I did it because other than bringing it up for this purpose it's been permanently erased from my memory.) So here we go:

• Total Rounds Played: 20
• Fairways In Regulation Avg: 7.75 per round
• Greens In Regulation Avg: 10.45 per round
• Putting Avg: 29.7 per round - 594 Total
• Putting Avg (includes putts from the fringe): 31.05 per round - 621 Total
• The reason I include this is because I feel that a putt from just off the green is the same as being on the green. I only count the ones within a foot of the green.
• Up & Down: 62 out of 124 attempts for a perfect 50% avg. (includes bunker shots)
• Up & Down (Bunker Play Only): 11 out of 18 attempts for a 61% average.
• Avg. Distance to the Pin with a wedge: 15ft - 20ft; impossible to know exact number, but this is the best I can tell according to the personal stats I've been keeping.
  
• Score: 1477 Total Strokes; Average Score = 73.85
• 1st Round Scoring Avg: 74.1
• 2nd Round Scoring Avg: 73.89
• 3rd Round Scoring Avg: 72.5
• 9 out of the 20 total rounds at par or better

So there you have it. Here is my personal assessment from all of this. I would consider everything except for my putting as very mediocre....my putting being worse than mediocre. Nothing great and nothing terrible. I would say that my putting would be my biggest weakness and my bunker play as my biggest strength. I know that my FIR and GIR averages aren't very high, but they're slightly misleading due to the fact that a lot of times I was just off the fairway or green. However, if it's not on it doesn't count. I will admit that my driving accuracy has never been great and something that could use improvement. Finally, my scoring average is just that.....average. I do like how the numbers went down as I got into the tournament though. If I can get off to some better starts I'll definitely see more success in the future. And, there is always room to improve on my short game. Like everything else, you can never have too good of a short game.

In no way am I ok with any of these numbers. I have very high expectations for myself, so looking at these stats I know there is a lot of work to do. I do, however, see promise and improvement. As the weeks went on, my confidence was rising and my scores were getting lower. Consistency is still an issue, but I think that will improve as I continue to gain experience and play in more tournaments. My next blog will contain information on my upcoming schedule and an update on how practice is going.

I'm excited about Mardi Gras coming up. I've got a couple friends coming in from out of town. As if Mardi Gras wasn't crazy enough, now that the Saints have won the Super Bowl it should be even crazier. Hope everyone is doing well. 'Til next time....

Home

We made it back to New Orleans last night safe and sound. It feels good to be home. I'm working on some statistics from the last 3 months to post in some upcoming blogs. Not for any specific reason, but just to give everyone a little more detail on all the areas of my game. If nothing else, it helps me identify my strengths and weaknesses. I'll also have a post on what the coming weeks look like and my tournament schedule going forward.

5 more days until the Super Bowl. Geaux Saints!!