Could the Search Be Over?

Haven't posted in a few weeks due to the horrible downturn in my golf game. It's been probably one of the most frustrating times for me. I hit a wall a few weeks ago and instead of seeing improvements and a drop in my handicapp, i've gone backwards. But I think I may have found the missing piece this past weekend.

I was set all week to take the weekend off to clear my head of negative thoughts, but couldn't resist. So instead of taking it off, I played 3 times. Friday I called up Ryan to get a lesson after work. I had the lesson and then went out for 18 with Ryan, Mike, and Rick (all staff at the club). What i quickly worked on with Ryan was some easy fixes. First off I was swinging with a "reverse C" in my swing. Pretty much dipping my right shoulder on the follow through which was leaving my club open and making it nearly impossible to get the club head back around properly. So now I'm concentrating on pushing my shoulder through quicker and up. Also, on my follow through I was coming to the top of my swing and arching hard back, shooting my chest up to the sky. This was putting a massive strain on my lower back, I've been having som serious trouble with my lower back for awhile. Last week was probably the worst. I was instructed by the doc to take a full week off of everything to let it heal slightly. No squash, baseball, or golf. So anyways, Ryan saw this and now has my finishing standing more upright. This did wonders for my back. 3 days of golf and I can already feel the difference in my back. Still a little sore, but no were near as bad as it's been for the last 2 years or so. Hopefully with the strain gone I will start feeling better. So these 2 little changes have brought some great things to my swing. I'm hitting much more consistent with irons and rescues. Better accuracy, length, and my confidence is coming back.

Quick recap of weekend of golf.

Friday was pretty good. Played better. Shot 81 with a bogey on 17 and 18.

Saturday I thought I was going to play better, bu didn't. Challenged Matt and Bernie to matches on the first hole. Was down 4 to matt on the 10th, so I pressed, and lost both. Pressed Bernie on the 13th hole, and lost that one too. Played awful. shot 87. Bad thoughts got back in my head. Came out saturday night with my buddy preston and cousin Jamie for another 9 holes. Probably wasn't a good idea to play another 9. My back was in severe pain and I had developed a blister on the inside of my palm in the webbing of the thumb. Skin off, bad scene. Couldn't swing the club at all. Between the pain in my back and the harrendous pain in my hand, it was a complete waste of time. I had a Langley match to play sunday morning and the condition of my hand really worried me. When I got home it was throbbing. It actually swelled up on the blister and I had to ice it all night. I was shocked in the morning when I took my first couple of swings and couldn't even feel it. Not sure how it happened, but it healed enough over night.

Sunday was my first Langly match against Rick B, guy I've known for a few years, he was playing at a 7, i'm a 6 so i gave him one on the 8th hole. Side note, it's a joke that he gets a shot on this par 5. It's probably the easiest hole on the course. Started off well. Went Par, Par on the first 2 match even. I drained a ridiculous birdie putt on 3 from about 25 feet to go up 1. Gave it back on the 4th. Halfed the 5th. I took the 6th, but again gave it back on the 7th par 3. Rick made a great chip on 8th to get within a foot for par net birdie. I just missed my 8 footer for birdie, he's 1 up. 9th hole I bomb one down the left side and leave myself 145 yards to the pin. Rick blast one way left to the 10th tee. But I brain farted and duffed my second, third, and 4th shots, and 2 putted for 6. Rick made a 5 and a lost the hole. down 2 making the turn. shot 40 on the front with a double on the 9th. My swing was so good, i was playing really well, but so was Rick.

10th hole, I was just in front of the green in 2. Rick got caught behind some trees and conceded the hole before we even putted. 1 down. 11 I was just beside the green in 2, rick had a 7 footer for birdie. I duffed my chip just barely on the green, but made a great putt from 15 feet for par, rick missed the birde, still 1 down. I chunked my tee shot on the par 3 12th in the junk, made a 5, lost the hole. Bombed a drive up the left hand side on 13, hit a beautiful 9 iron to the back pin about 5 feet (lipped out the putt for birde) but one the hole, back to 1 down. Made a nice up and down on 14 to keep it at 1. 15 I knew I needed a birdie to win the hole. Had a chip from about 25 feet, rolled it over the edge. we both had 5 foot par putts, I made mine first, but he followed up with his. Going into 16 1 down. Both to the bottom of the hill in 2. I was trying to be aggresive to the back pin and went just over the green (very hard chip, green sloped hard back to front). Rick put a sweet shot to about 6 feet for birdie, but breaks right to left. I made a great chip to a foot, unfortunatly, rick made a great putt. Down 2, 2 holes to play. 17th is 230 yards down wind. Rick has to hit driver, but babies it and smashes it into the trees just of the tee and left. Gets stuck in there, and is on the green in 3 with a 25 footer for bogey. I was 5 iron to the front left of the green, made a nice chip to about 4 feet, he conceded. 1 down going into 18. I absolutly bomb a drive up and over the trees on the left (first time in bounds on this hole in weeks) just short of the road. Rick chunks his second from the middle of the fairway left and about 30 yards short. Do I have a chance? I hit a poor 52 degree wedge just infront of the green. Rick is on in 3 with a 15 footer for par. I lipped out my chip for birdie and leave about a foot for par. Rick missed his par putt, all I have to do is tap in to extend the match. Wasn't nervous, no trouble with the putt, very slight break left to right, just going to firm it right through the break and go onto the next hole. Unfortunatly, I firmed it right through the break and pulled it slightly rolling it just over the edge. Couldn't believe it. So i lost 1 down. Positive was I shot a 79 and didn't beat myself, got beat by someone playing just aswell as me, he also shot 79. So basically I lost it on that bullshit stroke hole, well actually thats lying to myself. I lost it on my blowing a 1 foot putt on the 18th green. I guess it's on to next year.

Regardless, the game might be taking a turn for the better. My have finally found a fix for the swing. Squash is finally done for the summer, so I'll get out and practice and see if I can't start getting back on track to be a 2. Don't laugh Matt and Cal.

Getting sick of these posts.

This weekend I had another event for the Niagara Mens tour. Lets just say things went horribly wrong.

Playing this piece of shit course called Riverview Golf Club, for the first time ever, I found myself at the bottom of the stnadings for the day. I played horribly the whole round with not a single bright spot on the card. I made a lot of double boogies, a couple triples, and no one single birdie. I haven't made a birdie all freakin year on the tour. I had a chance on the first hole after hitting the green in 2, but ended up 4 putting for a bogey. I would go on to par the next 4 holes. There were these small little water hazards all over the front 9 marked by red/white sticks. I hit into water a few times without even realizing it was there. This makes me think I don't pay enough attention to what I'm doing. I tried to say it was difficult playing on shit courses, but my dad quickly put that excuse to rest. Everyone else had to play on it so whats the difference. He's right. I just suck.

My challenge bet for the year is now taking a turn for the worse. After 27 rounds this year I should be playing much better then I am now. But I'm not. It's either cause I'm trying to hard or cause I just flat out suck. My jerk friends are riding me about it and taking a lot of joy in the fact that I am playing like shit. I've got 2 more weeks of squash and then I'll have more time to practice and work on my game. Still got a month and a half to get ready for club championships and the next tour event. I'll be away with the family in July and miss an event, but the next one is at Lockness Links in welland and is one of my all time favourite courses. I've played a hundred times out there and never really played bad. The first year on the tour I played great out there except for the last 3 holes when I blew up cause of nerves. Won't happen this time around.

I'll also mention in the post I beat Denise again last night. 3-0. Didn't talk shit. But did prove that when it all comes down to it, I'm one fantastic guy. Even with my shit talking and I'll kick your ass attitude towards Denise, she still wants me. Proven last night by asking me for golf lessons. Don't think my girlfriend would be to happy with me doing that so I'll have to pass, but it just proves how cool I am, and that ED knows nothing about chicks.

Close Call

Last night I kicked a chicks ass in squash, again. I had another match against Denise, the third time in the last little while. Of course I beat her again, but it was a close call.

she fucking hates it when I beat her. She's so nice to me anytime I see her around the club untill she actually plays me. Might be cause I talk shit to her each time we play.

So she showed up a little late last night, so i dig at her. "Thought you weren't showing cause you knew you were getting beat again?" Her smile quickly vanished on that one. So we begin the match. For some reason, a lot of people at the club want me to lose to these girls. With a few people watching and cheering on denise I begin the domination. I jump out quickly to a 2 game lead. I guess I kind of lost focus in the third game. Ended up losing 2 in a row and started to get a little worried.

5 game went the distance. I jumped on it and was up 6-0 when i hit this sweet little drop shot. She calls tin and I'm blown away. I look to the pro-denise crowd for a ruling, of course they say it was down. I couldn't believe it. I was so pissed. Through me off my game and the next thing I know, I'm down 7-6. I regroup, bear down, and managed to take the next 3 points and win the match, but it was a scare. she was so pissed. Saying she made all these mistakes and missed serves. Not sure what she's talking about, i question her, "You didn't miss that many, maybe 3?" She claims that she missed like 12 serves in the 5th game alone and should have ended it quickly. I really pissed her off when I started laughing at this statement. She figures she will get e next time, we will find out on Monday. I have to play her again, atleast it's another W for me, i believe I'm on the bubble for the playoffs.

Atleast I played well some of the time

Pretty close to another shitty weekend. Woke up saturday morning to heavy rain trying to decide if I was going to play in the rain, again, or not. I made a quick call to the proshop to find out if anyone was playing. Of course, Matt was the only person out getting ready to tee off. Already 10 mins late for my tee time, I tell Jeff to let Matt know I'm on my way and to wait. Luckly as soon as I got there the rain stopped. Turned out to be perfect for golf.

This was my last chance to qualify for the Langly cup. Would have liked to have done it early in the month rather then the last day, but nothing I could do about that. Started off a little crappy going bogey, double bogey on the first 2 holes. But from there I turned it on. Swing starting flowing, I was making great up and downs, and my putting was maybe the best it's been all year. Finished the last 7 holes of the front 1 under to shot a very solid 38.

On the back I seemed to have become maybe a little to comfortable with the way I was playing. Didn't think I could ever say that. I maybe didn't think enough about it each shot and was a little lazy on a few swings and putts. I ended up making bogey on all 3 par 3's and also made a bogey on 18 to shot 40. 78 is still my best score out at St. Catharines this year, and with a net 72 I'm definitly in the Langly which is great, so still a good day.

Sunday was a different story. I played horrible on the front 9. Couldn't putt, couldn't drive the ball, couldn't really do anything. I ended up shooting 47. Made the turn and quickly double bogied the first hole. Then started to play well. Finished the last 8 holes even par with one birdie and a bogey. Shot 85. Horrible. However I won my first 2 skins of the year with a birdie on number 3, and a par on 7. So can't all wasn't lost on the day. I also lost a match to Cal, was 5 down with 8 to go and lost 2 down on the 17th hole. So I tried, but failed with a stubbed chip on the 17th which gave him him the match.

Next sunday is another Niagara Mens tour event. Playing some shit course called Riverview. I'm sure I played it maybe 15 years ago and it was shit then, doubt it is much better now. I'm also playing with some of the best guys on the tour, one of them wins the whole thing every year, so as Matt said, I better bring my A game. Should be to hard, thats the only game I got.