How's everybody doing ? All of you lucky dogs that get to play year round, I envy you !!!!! I've still been practicing and working on my irons mainly my 6 and 7 iron; I haven't had time to do much else since we got 10 inches dropped on us and it's cold enough to send you packing for Florida; Well that's the way it goes in Chicago. I have been getting the jitters lately; I guess since it's only 15 weeks away from the Bank of America Open and I am starting to wonder if all this practice during the off season is going to transalate to better shots on the course. I have practiced and practiced, but still I feel that it won't mean anything until I can get out on the course. I bought a new driver last month. Does anyone know or have used a hippo golf driver ? This is the first one that I have ever seen and it felt good when I tried it, so if you have had any experiences with them please let me know. I have been working on strictly mechanics and my swing. I've been experiencing a lot of fades ( not slices ) and having a little trouble drawing the ball. Any ideas ???
Anyway, I am starting to focus more on the short game (chipping and putting ), in order to keep the eyes sharp, reading and keeping the ball on line. 15 weeks until the qualifier and counting down.
Well this is my second entry into the journey. I guess I can start my telling you a little about my background. I have been playing for six years now and next year will be my 7th. I started out on a little 9 hole par 3 (Nichols Knoll) that I have used as a trainer and practice course. I still haven't gone under par but I have been close. 29 is my best since I started, but it has also been the place that I have found out some pretty interesting things about my game. For instance, this year I found out the reason why my pitches were always too short or too long when I play a regular course. I was closing the face instead of having it square. I hit my first birdie there and learned how to hit a draw there. So the place is pretty special to me. Second, it also has Payton's Hill ( Walter Payton used to run up the hills there to keep in shape for the football season and to train ) so it is special to a lot of Bears fans.
Well back to the journey of competing in a major tournament.
This October after five years of playing I felt something amazing! I hit the ball for the first time! No, no joke. If you know what I mean then you understand. There is hitting the ball and then there is HITTING the ball. Some of us have been hitting the ground then the ball (you know who you are) and some of us have learned how to hit the ball then the ground. For any golfers out there with a high handicap like me or if you are new to the game, please heed this advice; learn to hit the ball from the inside out this will save you a lot of frustration. Anyways, I committed to practicing 2 hrs a day and the results are SUPER!!!!! I can now command my shots where I want them and I have learned to use forearm rotation so that I can get power without having to swing as hard or as long. I have been able to shorten my backswing and produce the same shot without the long looping swing that I used to use. Also I have noticed that I don't have as many toupees as I did in the past. Before, I was a decent driver ( I can get 260+ with a 3 wood ) but now the flight is straighter and longer than before.
The game of golf is played on a five and a half inch course...... The space between your ears.
I have decided to pick up that saying and see if I can beat that short but challenging course. This is my first entry in the journey to join the nationwide tour and compete in three tournaments this year. I have chosen the Bank of America Open (formerly the LaSalle Open) , the IL State Open and the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee. The first is on the Nationwide tour and you have to win or place in the qualifier (top seven spots) to play. I started practicing in earnest and really paying attention to my swing in October and trying to fix little faults here and there. I gave myself a full eight months of really learning and practicing before I start to compete. I was going to try last year, but things popped up and I wasn't able to. Lucky for me I didn't because I wasn't really ready. My swing had so many flaws that I would have embarassed myself. Hey I'm one of you. My handicap isn't that low; it's an 18, but I think that I have found out why my shots were sometimes slicing or I was hitting it fat. Now that I found out why, I can hit the ball more consistant.
There's nothing like hitting a five iron pure; if you have ever done it you know what I am talking about. I have this website to thank for that. My favorite instructors are Ballard and Wiren. These guys really understand golf and teach you in a way that you can understand what you really need in a golf swing. Well, this is my introduction. So lets go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!
