What can I expect?

[ballplayer002003]

So tomorrow is the first day of the Am, and I am excited.  I have been hitting balls on the range and have been playing as much as I can (dad of 3 so in between taking kids to swim practice, swim meets and working).  There are only 56 players in the field and the top 36 qualify.  This is a three day event, the first two days are to qualify, the third is a two round day.  I was able to secure a babysitter for Monday and Tuesday, I did not even bother with getting one for Wednesday.  I know some of you out there will say I should set my sights higher, but I am trying to be realistic with my first event ever.  Trust me, I will try my best to qualify but I am sure my handicap is the highest in the field.  I know I could have a good round or two and someone else could have a bad few days, that's golf, but I am in this for the experience not for the prize.  I will keep you all posted after my first round.  I have to work today at the course, and then I will go out after and get 9 holes in.  We shall see...

[PING Apologist #9]

1 hour ago, ballplayer002003 said:

So tomorrow is the first day of the Am, and I am excited.  I have been hitting balls on the range and have been playing as much as I can (dad of 3 so in between taking kids to swim practice, swim meets and working).  There are only 56 players in the field and the top 36 qualify.  This is a three day event, the first two days are to qualify, the third is a two round day.  I was able to secure a babysitter for Monday and Tuesday, I did not even bother with getting one for Wednesday.  I know some of you out there will say I should set my sights higher, but I am trying to be realistic with my first event ever.  Trust me, I will try my best to qualify but I am sure my handicap is the highest in the field.  I know I could have a good round or two and someone else could have a bad few days, that's golf, but I am in this for the experience not for the prize.  I will keep you all posted after my first round.  I have to work today at the course, and then I will go out after and get 9 holes in.  We shall see...

Stay stress-free, enjoy the experience and have a blast! Best of luck to you out there! Cheers!!!

[ballplayer002003]

Day one of the tournament is done!  I arrived an hour early and hit balls on the range, worked on chipping and putting then I went back to the range and hit 3 wood and driver.  I was very relaxed and was swinging and hitting the ball well.  I decided to walk the round (carts were available and most people rode) because I was thinking a little extra time in between shots will help calm any nerves that may pop up. 

I was first off the tee.  I was not as nervous as I thought I would be and I actually striped a 3 wood down the left side of the fairway...hit a tree and came back a bit.  I played for a cut and it just went dead straight.  I was still fine with that shot.  To be honest I was thinking that I was either going to miss the ball all together or top it.  But hey, now I am off and running.  Due to the tree, I had 180 into the green, easy shot standard 6 iron for me.  This is where I got nervous for some reason.  I hit it fat and came up about 20 yards short of the green.  Ok, easy chip...skulled over the green.  Now I have a very fast downhill chip to a front pin.  I chipped it to 2 ft and made bogey.  Not the way I wanted to start but not bad for being in this situation.  Long story short, I shot an 83 with a triple on a hole....a TRIPLE!!!!!   Not the best but certainly not the worst.  My goal is to not finish last, it was never to make the cut.  I am realistic when it comes to this.  As of today, I am tied for 51st.  There are roughly 15 guys lower than me and one guy carded a 98.  In my mind I played bad, but I am trying to find some good so my points are 83 is not a bad score for my first ever competitive round.  I putted pretty good, no three putts.  I hit irons pretty good as well.  I need to fix driver and chipping.  I sliced a lot of drives today and that is very unusual for me.  So we shall see what tomorrow brings. 

[golfertrb]

Day one of the tournament is done!  I arrived an hour early and hit balls on the range, worked on chipping and putting then I went back to the range and hit 3 wood and driver.  I was very relaxed and was swinging and hitting the ball well.  I decided to walk the round (carts were available and most people rode) because I was thinking a little extra time in between shots will help calm any nerves that may pop up. 
I was first off the tee.  I was not as nervous as I thought I would be and I actually striped a 3 wood down the left side of the fairway...hit a tree and came back a bit.  I played for a cut and it just went dead straight.  I was still fine with that shot.  To be honest I was thinking that I was either going to miss the ball all together or top it.  But hey, now I am off and running.  Due to the tree, I had 180 into the green, easy shot standard 6 iron for me.  This is where I got nervous for some reason.  I hit it fat and came up about 20 yards short of the green.  Ok, easy chip...skulled over the green.  Now I have a very fast downhill chip to a front pin.  I chipped it to 2 ft and made bogey.  Not the way I wanted to start but not bad for being in this situation.  Long story short, I shot an 83 with a triple on a hole....a TRIPLE!!!!!   Not the best but certainly not the worst.  My goal is to not finish last, it was never to make the cut.  I am realistic when it comes to this.  As of today, I am tied for 51st.  There are roughly 15 guys lower than me and one guy carded a 98.  In my mind I played bad, but I am trying to find some good so my points are 83 is not a bad score for my first ever competitive round.  I putted pretty good, no three putts.  I hit irons pretty good as well.  I need to fix driver and chipping.  I sliced a lot of drives today and that is very unusual for me.  So we shall see what tomorrow brings. 

Way to go! The first "real" round in the books feels so good. I haven't played competitively for 15 years or so but I remember the feeling - enjoy tomorrow!


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[ballplayer002003]

So my daughters had a swim meet last night (after day 1 tournament) which was an hour and a half away from our home.  It was hot as hell in the pool and all I wanted to do was sleep in between their events.  I didn't get home until well after 10pm...what a long day but I had to go for them. 

Day two!  

It was hard to wake up and I was feeling groggy all day.  It was hotter and windier on day 2.  Ok, lets go!!!!  Good LAWD!!!!!!  I started off bombing a 3 wood off the tee 275 down the left side of the fairway leaving me with a PW into the green.  I pulled it a bit hitting the green hole high, 2 putts and moving onto hole 2 with a par on the first!  I got this!!!  I pulled 3 wood out of the bag for the second hole (it's a dogleg right with heavy trees lining both sides of the entire hole, I can easily hit driver too far and straight to OB).  I've hit this same shot a million times!  Nope, not today...sliced a 3 wood into the trees.  Ok, I can recover from here, its a par 5 so I can still get this done.  Punch out hit the last branch of a tree and dropped straight down.  Long story short I doubled the hole.  Hole 3 is a par 3, I can recover.  Hit the right side of the green and two putted for par.  So I'm 2 over through 3.  Not disastrous in the heat and wind.  4th hole I hit the tee shot exactly where I wanted however I was figuring the wind would move the ball left to right...again....nope!  Ball went dead ass straight!  Straight into the trees again.  My only play was to shoot for the back greenside bunker.  Nailed it, only to discover I had a fried egg on the back lip of the bunker with no place to stand.  One foot in the trap one foot on the side of the hill.  I got out, had to chip back onto the green and two putted again for another bogey.  At this point I started to loose focus.  I was hot, getting mad at some of the shots I was making and I was tired.  I will spare you each hole, however I will highlight hole 9. 

Hole 9 is a par 4.  You tee off over a pond with a small creek running down the left side and OB (driving range) on the right.  This is also a dogleg right with a strong left to right breeze blowing.  My focus is gone.  I tee off and top my tee shot into the pond.  I'm 2 hitting 3 as I retee.  Blast a tee shot up over the trees and then it takes a sharp turn right.  Yup right out of bounds!  Now I am re-teeing again and blast one down the middle of the fairway.  I end up on the right side of the fairway and have to punch under some tree limbs.  I hit one of course, because why not?!  I chip short then two or three putt, I cannot remember.  What I do remember is that I posted a 10...a TEN for that hole!!!!  Never done that before!  Ever!   Guess I can say at least I didn't post an 11?  

My round didn't get much better.  After this, doubt and embarrassment filled my head.  All I wanted to do was leave as quick as possible.  I felt bad for my buddy who took a day off of work to see me fall completely apart!  I shot a 99 for the round.  Yup, you read that right.  A 99.  I've played Pinehurst 2 and Bethpage Black, both from the tips and have scored much better then I did this day on my HOME course.  

So, the good news.  After a few hours of self loathing I tried to think of some good things that I could take away.  What did I do good that day?  Well, frankly not much.  I was able to regain my focus on a few holes but it was short lived.  I hit a few good shots here and there and my putter got better on the back side.  Later that day the standings came out.  I did it.  I was not last!  I was second to last (actually I technically beat 8 other guys because they dropped out after day one).  So goal completed.  It was definitely an experience like I've never encountered before on the course.  Is competition golf for me, I'm not sure yet.  I think I will try one more time to see.  Until then...it could have been an 11.