Great Vacation = Great results, sort of

I've just had 3 of the best weeks of my life. On June 28th I was lucky enough to marry the most amazing girl in the world. I then followed that up with 3 amazing weeks in Greece traveling around the mainland and islands. Everyone should find some time in their life to visit this country. The weather was amazing, didn't have a day under 32 degrees Celsius, and didn't see a cloud in the sky for 3 weeks. Amazing food, great beaches, crazy history, all around phenomenal vacation.

While a way I realized how much I missed golf. When the trip first started I emailed Matt to tell him I wasn't going to play in the niagara mens tour event the sunday after I returned. However, I changed my mind about a week before I came back and decided to play just so I could get back on the course.

After returning to St. Catharines around midnight on the saturday and a 7 hour time difference I was so tired I could hardly stand. Still wasn't going to stop me from enjoying a day on the course. I arrived at Twenty Valley, a course I've never played before, around 12:30 for the 4th leg of the tour. I would need a cart on this day, i just knew I wouldn't make the trek around the course.

Needless to say, my expectations were low for this day. I hit some balls before the round at my club and actually hit the ball really well, but you never know with this game. I'd start off on the first hole, a short par 5, getting to the green easily in 3 with a 10 foot birdie putt. I knocked it by a couple feet and walked up to tap it in. However the greens were really quick and I blasted it by the whole. Then I did it again, and then I barely got it in for a double bogey with a 4 putt. same bullshit I did on the first whole at St. Catharines. Maybe this would be a shit day. But then things clicked on the next whole. I would go on to hit some smooth shots every time I swung the club. Everything felt great. My tempo was perfect, I was steady over the ball, no fade in the flight, and the club selection was perfect. I'd go on to to par the next few holes, took 2 more bogies and then drained a 15 foot birdie putt on the 8th hole, but gave it back on the 9th after chunking a 6 iron off the tee. I got around the front 4 over for a 39. Pretty good.

The back wasn't much different. If it wasn't for the ridiculous 15th hole green I would have probably shot 1 or 2 over. The 15th green was just silly. I bombed a 2 iron rescue down the middle to about 150 yards. I was smoothing the rescue all day long on the short course. I was with the other guys in my groups drivers all day long. I would over hit the green slightly which I didn't think was a big deal, that was until I got up to the green. Picture a turtle shell with a pin right in the middle of it. I chipped up and it rolled down to the front of the green. Tried ot putt up to the whole and it rolled hard to the left, missed the next putt and finally got it in after that for a double bogey, to bad. The 16th long par 3 had me watching the first 3 guys go all over the place. Using 3 woods and rescue clubs they couldn't get the green. I decided to hit 4 iron. I hit a perfect laser at the pin but saw my ball bounce once short and get just caught up enough to stop about 3 feet from the green. Made the up and down and on to the 17th. The 17th was totally set up against my swing, as was most of the course. This is a course for a right handed player that hits a draw, I hit a fade, all the time. with trees lined tight up the left hand side I hit a perfect drive that just barely rises up over the trees and lands about 160 middle of the fairway. I'd come up a little short of the green trying to get tight to the pin. Couldn't make the birdie putt from just off the green but made a nice par. 18 is a weird hole. Guy in my group was explaining the dangers all around, Matt was telling me before the round how a guy hit 7 iron off the tee 2 years ago to be safe, so didn't really know what to do. After playing the hole, I should have just hit driver up the left and let my fade do the rest, but I opted for a safe rescue club I was hitting well all day. Got in good position from 250 out with a look at the green. Shot to the green was fly 250 with a false front green and the pin right at the front of the green. After a little internal debate I decided to go for it with a rescue. After swinging this club perfectly all day I eneded up over swinging and hitting a huge fade that ended up in a backyard beside the green and out of bounds. That's ok, I'm still pitching from about 50 yards to make an up and down for par. I would stroke a nice little gap wedge to about 10 feet behind the hole, thinking i'm in trouble with how fast this is gonna be. Luckly my putting was on today and I was able to roll it in for what I thought was an amazing par.

I'd finish the day with a 79 which was pretty remarkable considering the condition I was in. Left the course early in 6th place knowing it wasn't going to stand up. I'd end up with another 20th place finish. Not bad, still better then 95% of my results on the tour over the year, but could have been better. Oh well. I beat Matt, again, I think thats 2 out of 4 events I beat him. I beat Cal. And I managed to stay within my goal of the top 30 on tour for an exemption into next year. More importantly, I jumped back ahead of Cal in the standings and caught up to Matt with a chance to pass him in the next event.

Nice way to return to the course. Now this weekend I'm back to St. Cathairnes Club, got my second langly match of the year against and old foe, then club championships the following weekend. I like where my game is at right now. Swing feels great, chipping is good, and my putting has let me down to much. Still getting killed by the cup lips and inches here and there, but not letting it frustrate me out of a good round. Really want to win this sunday Langly, going to give it my all, be relaxed, and just keep the pressure on him. I think it's going to wet out there and that should give me a slight edge over the older short hitting man, but he's a proven veteran and I'm sure it won't be a cake walk or nothing for me.