Back on course

I finally got back out there today after having to take several days off. I'm still not sure how I hurt my foot, but I stayed off of it, kept it taped and elevated and It finally started feeling better.

I had to keep from yanking my driver dead left today, but still played pretty well. 2 under on greens that were just punched and sanded...hard to make many putts. I hit another flagstick today. I've noticed that my standards have gotten quite a bit higher lately, without me really noticing. I find myself getting irritated for blowing a shot. Example...today I hit a wedge in and was just disgusted by where I left it. I don't get angry on the course, but it was one of those shots where you just think...weak effort, that sucked. Then I get up to the green and I realize that I'm 12 feet from the hole. I'm just expecting more from my game, and that's good.

Today it was cold and a little windy. I hit a fading 4 iron into a par 3 from about 212 out. Again, I was unhappy with the shot, so I dropped a ball and hit it again. The first ball was only about 15 feet from the hole...not really that bad in the cold and wind. The second try at it slammed to a stop 3 feet from the hole. My point in this being that if I hit 2 fading 4 irons into a cold wind and the worst is 15 feet away, I'm starting to play pretty well. I drained that 15 footer as well.

Not a very productive week

I seems like it's been forever since I've gotten a complete round in. They have been working on the greens this week, that is, punching then sanding so I haven't been on the course a lot. I played 9 holes on Tuesday and shot 3 under. I hit a flag stick from about 163 yards out, then 2 holes later hit another stick from 148 yards out. The second one actually hit about 4 feet behind the hole and rattled the stick from behind when it sucked back. That one nearly dropped in for a deuce, which would have been my 3rd on a par 4 in about 10 days.

So with the greens all screwed up I opted for hitting a ton of balls this week. I would guess that I hit well over 2000 balls this week, and have the aches and soreness to prove it. I've also managed to pull or strain something in my foot. It's pretty painful so I may be off of it for a few days, which I'm not at all happy about because the weather is going to be amazing for about the next 9 days.

Practice is going well

I've gotten really bad about not posting here as often as I had intended. I've hit a ton of balls in the last two weeks...really focusing on yardages and distance controll. I've spent a lot of time with the wedges, really trying to get where I can dial in the perfect shot from anywhere inside about 130. It's going pretty well, actually.

Last week in a practice session I did something I've never done. I holed out for a 2 on #17 (par four), barely missed an eagle put on # 18 and made birdie, then continued playing and knocked in a 5 foot eagle putt on the par 5 1st hole. Eagle/birdie/eagle, and it was nearly 3 eagles in a row.

I'm trying to start figuring out where I'm going to play in the spring. The Adams Pro Golf Tour has a winter series in Houston, so I may try to play in at least 1 event in December. Then the regular seasons start in the spring. There is a NGA/Hooters ranking school in Houston in January, which I'll probably play in. That might guarantee me a few starts on the Hooters Tour next year. The Adams Pro Golf Tour is basically a pay to play type of thing, so I'm sure I'll try that a time or two as well. Then there are Monday qualifyers for Nationwide Tour events, which I plan to try a few of as well.

I'm also starting to write letters for some of the very early season stuff begging for a sponsor's exemption. I'm hoping that my story is intriguing enough that a couple of them might let me in. All it takes really is one good opportunity, then playing well in that opportunity. One good thing, one exemption into a field can follow another if you're playing well enough.

I really want to make the cut in a nationwide tour event early in the year it I can. It would be big in terms of confidence, plus I do need to make a little money now and then too! The Hooters Tour seems like a good place to try and break in...they are 72 hole events that are put on just like the regular tour stops. Practice rounds, pro ams, shootouts...everything.

Anyway, now comes the tedious part of writing letters and begging for sponsorships in the evenings, and practicing all day during the day time. Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I sure wish I had someone else to do the boring stuff for me. I'd much rather go practice.