Going Pro Golf Blog

My good friends over at Element 21 have been building one hell of a business and really believe their clubs are the best on the market.  They believe their clubs will benefit everyone from professionals (who are already using the product) to the weekend hacker (yours truly) who is struggling to improve their game.  They stepped up and put their Scandium where their mouths are and have offered to let me use the clubs and see if they help.

4 weeks in and guess what??  THEY HELP!  My shots are flying straighter and longer.  This is a combination of me naturally improving over time but the extra distance is something I didn’t expect right away.  My irons are going 10-15 yards further than last season.  In fact, after only a few rounds this season, one of my bigger issues is guess the yardage on my approaches. 

Damn this game is getting fun!

I had a rough year in 2006.  I started the ‘Going Pro’ experiment and had very high hopes.  I thought after a year of lessons and training my butt off, I would go from a regular 105-110 hitter to cracking 90 on a regular basis.  In hindsight…wow I was an idiot.

I am a typical ex-jock, well past my prime but supremely confident in my athletic ability.  Like most people who watch the game, I thought it was very simple…I now know different.  Playing this game is tough and requires tremendous mental and physical discipline.  So this off season I didn’t pick up a club at all.  I read back through all my past lessons with Jon.  I went over my notes not just on the swing and everything he taught me, I also went over my notes on how I felt, what was good and what I struggled with.  Guess what?  It might have worked!

This spring I hit the range and couldn’t believe the results.  I was hitting long and straight, my chipping was better and so was my overall understanding of my swing.  I will get into the rounds in more detail but my first round I shot 100, followed by a 95 which was quickly followed by my best round of all-time…and 86!

Perhaps sometimes we just need to walk away and reflect.  Let’s hope I can keep up the improvements.

…well sort of.  As some of you have noticed, I have taken more than a month away from golf and the blog.  Time to clear my head of playing and thinking about playing.  Monday I finally got around to taking my clubs out of the car and giving them a good season ending clean. 

In almost CSI-like fashion, each club really tells the story of my game.  3 and 4 irons are almost spotless as I rarely take them out of the bag and all other irons are dirty everywhere except the sweet spot.  I noticed toward the end of the season that I was hitting most shots off the inside of the club…I guess I am still doing it!

So what happens now?  I still have a wedge in my living room which I swing from time to time but I am almost happy the season is over so I can re-charge my brain.  Over the next few weeks I will be meeting with Jon to make a plan for the winter and next season.  I have been spending a lot of time at the gym as well.  Really working on improving my core strength which is really helping with my normal day-to-day activities as well.

Aside from that, I am going to enjoy the winter, the NFL playoffs and not think too much about golf.  That being said, the blog will continue…with what. I have no idea but check back often!

It has been 16 days since I last played golf and I have the shakes!  It is time to get out and swing the sticks.  I am going to book a round either tomorrow or Wednesday.  I also have my first lesson with Jon this Friday (It has been a month since we last worked together) and I will try to get at least one more round in this weekend.  The potential to golf this week is the only thing keeping me going. Also, I hurt my ankle playing soccer this weekend.  I usually play twice a week in a mens league.  My first thought when I hit the ground was weather I was going to be able to golf this week…how awesome is that?  The ankle is pretty bruised but I think I can tape it up and swing the club. 

Call it ironic but last week I wrote that I was about to take a week off from golf but then changed my mind.  Well I didn’t get in my morning round of golf because something came up, then I went away for the weekend and wasn’t able to golf.  This week I had my lesson with Jon cancelled and wasn’t able to squeeze in a round.  Now to make things even worse, I am busy this entire upcoming weekend and can’t golf once again.  That leaves me with Monday or Tuesday of next week to squeeze in a round because I am off to Saskatoon (don’t ask) on business from Wednesday-Saturday.  I did manage to get out to the range but this really sucks!

I wasn’t sure I was going to make it out more than once this past week but I managed to get out 3 times in 4 days which was fantastic.  Tuesday afternoon I received a call from Rob, the GM over at Maples of Ballantrae informing me that he had a 5:15 tee time available Wednesday evening.  I made my way out there with a buddy and somehow we managed to get in all 18 holes before it got too dark.  The speed of play at Maples is usually pretty good and today was no exception.  There was one group of yahoos who were behind us and I am not sure they have ever played golf before.  They were playing from the back tees and never hit a shot anywhere near a fairway or green. On this day I was driving the ball well but still doffing a few fairway shots.  Not sure what is going on in my head but during my downswing, I have started blinking a lot which takes my concentration off the ball and results in me topping it.  I also noticed my putting was a little off (which was a bad sign of things to come). In all I shot a 50 on the front but managed to fix things up with a 43 on the back including another birdie on a Par 5. Friday I am working when I get a call in the morning that a buddy and his 2 friends are looking for a 4th to join then at Eagles Nest.  It is no secret that I love this course so I bear down and start working my butt off so I can meet them for the 3:15 tee time.  I didn’t have shorts with me…even though I wrote that you should always keep spare golf clothes in the car.  So I went to 5 different stores looking for good but cheap shorts.  Turns out stores are already busting out their fall lines.  What the f*ck is that?  I ended up buying a $70 pair at Golftown (cheapest they had).  Anyway, the round was good and I had a great time.  Managed to get out with a 96 which included multiple 3 putts and many short misses.  The putting game is really going south Saturday is more of a fun day out.  8 of us head out to Carlisle for a round of golf, jokes and good times. That being said, we also want to shoot well because after round drinks are on the line.  The driver was going straight all day, not long but around 220-230 which was enough to give me chances to make some GIR.  I shot a 51 on the front but closed with a nice 43 on the back including another birdie on a Par 5…I am starting to like these Par 5s.  Now for the problem…my putting KILLED me.    I had 5 3-putts.  I missed everything from 5-7ft and even missed a 2footer.  The guys in my group were really letting me have it and making me putt out 1footers just to get to me…and it worked…I wasn’t even sure I would sink those.  I couldn’t believe how bad I was and how uncomfortable I felt.  I need to spend some time working on this.  The bright side is that I could have shaved at least 5 strokes with some good putts which would have put me sub 90.  I need a drink!

When we speak of teaching aids, we mostly think of what a student used to improve his game.  But what about teachers?  They need help choosing what is the best approach to take when dealing with their students.  I have come to realize that Jon needs information on how to help me progress to the next level…he can’t just teach me the same things he teaches other students.  Each persons game is different.  I am always very open when we speak so he has an insight into my thoughts and he adjusts his teaching plan accordingly.  Jon started my most recent lesson by telling me he wanted to re-visit some fundamentals because of something he read on my blog.  The blog gives Jon a unique insight into what is going through my head.  As much as I try to tell him when we speak, he also picks up valuable information by reading what I convey back to my readers.  What is my point?  When working with your instructor, always be talking.  Tell them what is going on in your head!

Well it isn’t exactly a golf trip but I am heading away this Monday night to North Carolina.  I am bringing the sticks and plan on trying to squeeze in 2 rounds while I am there.  It will be my first time playing since October and more importantly, it will be my first time playing since beginning my work with Jon Roy. I have a number of concerns heading into the week: 1. I have been doing well at the range but taking it out to the course will be a whole other matter 2. Pressure, I actually feel I must do well for Jon.  His efforts have been great and I want to repay him with a good first showing 3. Nervous about the driver.  I have been working on nothing but irons so far and worried how well I will drive the ball 4. My girlfriend!  I’m not worried about her letting me play, I am worried because she wants to watch and drive the cart.  I have taken her to the range twice and she enjoyed it but having her on the course for 4 hours could be trouble, she has the attention span of an 11 year old on crack.  Wish me luck! No matter what happens I am pretty confident in the progress we have been making.  I feel better about the swing and the results so far.  Let’s just hope that is reflected on the scorecard. Prediction?  I am very confident I will do well so I am thinking high 90’s since I haven’t done any work with the driver yet.  Lets say 99 just to be safe.  Jon’s prediction: 106.  I was hoping he would say much lower but like he said to me; “I have taught you the mechanics of a swing but you haven’t learned to play golf yet”.  Very profound, I think I heard Kwau Chang Caine say that once in Kung Fu. I will try and post while I am away.  As for what is coming up.  I managed a lesson with Jon last night which I will write about when I return.  Totally different from any lesson we had done before.  At one point I was hitting left handed with my club head upside down.  It was a fun lesson which I will get to.  I will also finish up my blog on the PING fitting. Speak with you soon!

Right now I am playing with 7 year old PING Zing Drivers and PING II Irons.  While they have been great clubs for me to play with, by now they are dinosaurs and it might be time to retire them.  Technology has evolved so much since that time.  Irons are now made to hit the ball further and with a much more forgiving face.  Now that I have had a few lessons under my belt, Jon and I feel it is time to get fitted for new equipment!  Bring on the new PINGS!  I’ll write more about the fitting process and why I chose PING clubs once again.