North Shore G.C. - Second Round

For the most part, today was a lot better than yesterday.  Even though I shot a 78, the score doesn't justify how I played.  I hit a lot more shots with confidence which ultimately lead to more quality shots throughout the round.  I made 2 bogies and 7 pars on my first nine holes.  One bogey came from a 3-putt and the other from a shot on a par 3 where I just hit too much club and my shot was well over the green.  On the back, I made one bad swing from a complete lack of focus which ended up going out-of-bounds and finished up with a couple 3-putts as well.  

I worked hard on my putting the last week before coming down here, and I thought I would of performed a lot better than I did on the greens.  I'm very disappointed with that part of my game right now, so I will make sure it gets extra attention before next week.  I also struggled with some discomfort in my right shoulder the last 6 holes today.  By the last hole I was having trouble finishing my swing.  It feels like a pinched nerve or a pulled muscle, but nothing serious.  I'm going to give it some rest and put a lot of work in my short game as I prepare for next week.  Hope everyone is doing well. 

North Shore G.C. - First Round

Score: 82

That's right 82.  I was even par through 11 holes, and +11 over my last 7 holes.  And all I can say is that I just completely fell apart.  I wasn't really playing all that well throughout the beginning, but I still managed to keep some control over my round.  I actually started off my day with a birdie on the first hole and thought that things were going to be good.  But as the round progressed, I had trouble settling down and just playing golf.  Every shot I hit was very protective as if I was scared to hit a bad shot.  Consequently, it caused me to never really hit a good shot.  I guess you could say it worked for 11 holes as I found myself walking off the 11th green after making a birdie to get back to even par.  

I'm not even going to try and explain how I finished the way that I did because the truth is I don't know.  All I know is I hit a ball out of bounds, 2 in the hazard, and a couple 3-putts and when I was done it added up to an 82.  Like I said before, I just fell apart.  I couldn't control my shots and just couldn't get the ball in the hole.  It's a very lonely feeling to be caught in that out-of-control spiral where you just can't stop the bleeding.  It just kept getting worse.  But, tomorrow is a new day and I'll be back at it again.  All I can do now is try and forget about today and do the best I can tomorrow.  Tee time - 11:57am.

Sunshine State

We made it Orlando, FL today after 8 hours on the road.  If you ever have to make the drive on I-10 across the panhandle of Florida, I highly recommend having someone else in the car with you. It has to be one of the most boring drives anywhere in the U.S.  Even though I've made the trip many times before, you never seem to get used to how little there is to look at in that part of the country.  Luckily Erika was with me so we were able to take turns counting down the mile-markers until we hit I-75 which is the beginning of some civilization.

We're heading to the course tomorrow for a practice round.  The golf course is called North Shore Golf Club and it's about 20 minutes from my parents house.  One of the main reasons why I decided to play in these tournaments over the next three months was because of how close a lot of them are to my parents house.  Erika and I are able to save some money by staying here and we get to spend time with them since I usually see my parents about once a year. 

I can't wait to begin playing on Tuesday.  I look at this series of events as really the beginning of my journey.  I've had some time now to practice and a few tournaments under my belt.  Now, I have a set schedule.  I know where I'm playing each week, and I can finally get into a rhythm playing one tournament after another.  More to follow after the practice round.

Update

Just a quick update on what's been going on. I've spent this whole week practicing and working on improving all areas of my game. This has included a lot of time on the driving range, chipping area, and putting green. I was very upset with the way that I putted on Monday so I've made sure to correct those mistakes. I've also managed to get a few rounds in on the course as well. Twice I played here at English Turn and once out at the New Orleans Country Club. These last few days have been extremely windy so that has allowed me to work on that aspect of the game along with everything else.

Tomorrow I'm planning on getting to the gym in the morning and then going to practice before we head out. It looks like we'll be hitting the road around 3:00 in the afternoon in order to get to Alabama in time for dinner. I've got some family in Foley, so we'll be spending the night there on Saturday and then driving the rest of the way to Orlando on Sunday. I can't explain how excited I am to start playing full tournaments (one after another) and hopefully get into a good rhythm.

Viking Classic - Qualifier

Today's Score: 76

Well, the weather was absolutely perfect, the condition of the course was a lot better, and I hit the ball twice as good as I did on Friday. You would think those would be the key ingredients to a better score. But, golf is a funny game. And the one key reason why today's score was worse: PUTTING! 35 in all to be exact which included four 3-putts. However, somewhere in all that horrible display of putting I was able to make 5 birdies.

As I'm sitting here writing this entry, I'm having a really hard time trying to explain what happened today. This is definitely the toughest round to describe so far. It was just a weird day all around. Most of the bogey's I made today were from 3-putts. I hit one drive that ended up in the lip of a bunker which led to a bogey. And I hit a really good iron shot on a par-3 that ended up going over the green and up against a tree.......that shot led to a double bogey. The good news is I hit a lot of good shots which is why I was able to make 5 birdies.

All in all, I'm glad that I gave it a shot. With these qualifiers, it's pretty much all or nothing. You're competing against anywhere from 40-70 guys for 4 spots so there's just no room for error. You've got to play well and avoid making any big mistakes, and I wasn't able to do that today. But, this is just one of many qualifiers that I plan on doing so hopefully I'll have better luck next time.

I'm back home for the week and then Erika and I are leaving for Florida on Saturday. Next week I start playing the Hooters Tour Winter Series events which are held all over Central Florida. The plan is to play in 10 events between now and the end of January. Hope everyone is doing well.

Jackson

Back in Jackson, MS. I was able to get a little more practice in today and I feel better about my swing. The course should be dried out and in better shape due to the good weather we've had over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to playing tomorrow and competing for one of those 4 spots. I tee off at 9:40am........here goes nothing!

Hub City

We decided to stay in Hattiesburg, MS at my grandmother's house through the weekend. Erika's feeling better so I'm happy to see that. I really wanted her to be able to see me play on Monday.

I was able to hit some balls this afternoon which was much needed in order to regain some of the confidence that I had last week with my swing. Tomorrow, I plan on going back to the same place and practicing some more before heading up to Jackson.

I've enjoyed getting to spend some time with my grandmother who I don't get to see very often. I'm currently enjoying watching LSU beat Auburn quite handedly. And Erika is getting better by the hour. I'd say it's been a good weekend so far.