Felt Good

Many of you have read about my dang golf struggles. Every other week I am telling Sheri that I finally figured something out. Each time I tell her that she says you say that all of the time. Each time I actually did think that I had figured something out. I am always in the yard hitting styrofoam golf balls trying to fix my swing. My handicap has done nothing but climb this year so far. I only really have issues hitting a wood of any kind whether it be a driver or a three wood. Those clubs have never been a part of my arsenal, but would be great if I could ever figure them out. The driver alone costs me 5 to 9 strokes a round.
About a week and a half ago I was in the yard and of course I was trying anything I could to get the club face of the driver to square up at impact. I was close to figuring something out this time and I knew it. Sure I have always said that in the past like Sheri will remind me every time, but I knew that this time was going to be different. At least I thought. So, it was Thursday before last when I get a call from Henry. He indicated that he was going to be golfing in a tournament this weekend that takes place at all three city courses. It is a three day tournament that happens every year on Memorial weekend. He asked if I was going to play. Even though I thought that I figured something out with the driver I was still hesitant about signing up for this golf tournament. Not being about to get off the tee box with any confidence was just going to cost me $50. I have never entered a singles type golf tournament without having some confidence in the driver. I have finished first twice and one second in the three tournaments that I have played as a single type tournament. That is a pretty good record, but there have been other tournaments that I simply didn't play because I knew that the driver wasn't going to work for me at all. I hate that feeling and like I said I am always in the yard just trying to figure out something that will help me once and for all to give me confidence and consistency off the tee box when using a driver.
Henry then asked if I was going to play in the tournament, I had confidence in this new swing thought, but I hadn't been able to try it out on the golf course. I went out in the yard and hit the practice soft foam balls for a while to see if I had enough confidence in order to enter this tournament. It was already three hours past the deadline to enter, but after practicing I thought that I had enough game to enter. I called the golf course and surely enough they let me in as a late entry. My stepmother watched my two little monkeys for me Friday so I could get in a practice round with Henry before the first day of the tournament on Saturday. I hit the driver okay and in the horrible wind Henry and I shot pretty good rounds. I figured three days of that from either of us would be enough to win the tournament. We actually joked how cool it would be if we were to take first and second in the tournament. I informed Henry that I wouldn't mind taking second to him as long as he finally finished first. He should have won a few tournaments by now, it just seems that he can't hold on to the lead or shoot good enough to win on that last day. I told him that I wouldn't mind second, but of course if that were to happen I would probably not be too happy at the time. I know that I would be happy for him later on, but at the time I would just be disappointed that I didn't do what was needed to win. Henry had been golfing pretty dang good, so after our scores tied on Friday I figured that the fight was on to take first place. One of us should win no matter what.
I wasn't too thrilled about the driver so I was out in the yard right after that round Friday. Saturday morning before my tee time I decided to hit the driving range and see if I could gain more confidence. The driving range was amazing I have never hit the ball that good ever! I was stoked and ready to go take it to the course.
I hit the ball horribly off the tee box and had only two drives all day that were good, they were probably just lucky shots because I had no confidence at all! As soon as I hit the course I reverted back to old ways? I was mega upset and coming into the clubhouse with an 87 on the hardest course in the city I was just hoping to not be out of the running on day one. Henry shot an 86 and another guy shot an 81! I was tied for third after day 1! I wasn't happy with my round but I was happy with my spot on the leader board. I went home and thought and thought about how to hit the driver. I knew that this new swing thought was close to working I just needed to keep trying it and not go back to the old way like I did on day one. I was confident being down 6 shots to the leader because he is an older guy who probably couldn't do that good on day 2, plus the weather was supposed to be horrible. I don't like bad weather, but Henry and I are on the golf course no matter what the weather holds for us! Unless there is snow and the course is closed Henry and I are always playing. I knew that with bad weather Henry and I would probably make a good move on day 2. We weren't paired with each other on day on or day two.
Day two was horrible weather! It was windy and raining. Day one, I had 5 pars and 4 double bogeys. Day two started out great, I had three pars in 4 holes. I knew I was making up ground on the leaders because there was no way that anyone in my flight was golfing that good. Hole 5 was disastrous, I hit a great drive and my second shot was in the bunker. I triple bogeyed that hole and didn't really recover after that. I shot another 87 which is horrible considering my great start and the fact that we were on the easiest of the three courses. I had 6 pars and a birdie. Along with three triple bogeys and a double bogey too.
Henry shot an 88, and I tied the low round of the day with my fellow playing partner for the first two days. The guy who shot the 81, shot a 90 on day two, so he was only 3 strokes ahead of me and I was tied for second with Henry. Henry had the lead with handicap and that is how they based the pairings on the last day. Anyone who knows about golf knows that it is usually best to be on the final group on the last day. I ended up not being in that group. I was in the second to last group. Tied for second without handicap (with Henry) and tied for 4th with handicap 5 strokes behind Henry. I knew that I needed a good finishing round on the last day.
I had a calm over me as I stepped on the tee box that last day. I didn't have any confidence in the driver still so I was just hoping to get off the tee box. On day two the driver wasn't horrible as a matter of fact I hit three bad drives which is better than the normal 5 or 9! I hit my first shot down the middle! Bogeyed the hole like a moron! Second hole hit the drive dead down the middle again? Something might be working? I barely saved bogey after an amazing birdie chip that missed the hole barely but ran on by some 4 feet or so. Made the 4 ft putt for par. 3rd hole, another drive down the middle, but it didn't have the greatest of contact. Parred that hole. One over after three holes is great and I was getting stoked! Hole 4, good drive just right a bit, but safe because water was on the left. Double bogey after hitting a horrible second shot into a tree and getting a bad break. Made a three foot putt for a double bogey! Now 3 over after 4! Not great, but not out of it yet. Hole 5, hit a good drive just caught a tree! Stuck behind the trees, hit the tree again on second shot, chipped out of trees for third shot and ended up making a great bogey after making a 7 ft putt. Next hole is an easy par 5, get par. 4 over after 6 holes. Bogey the next two holes and I am 6 over after 8 holes. Driver might be failing me? I kind of hit an old shot on 8 with the driver! Yikes! Hole 9 my playing companion parred and would be two strokes ahead of me unless I make a tricky 12 footer for par. My putt is on the way and barely slips in the side for par! I was happy making that putt. If I stay ahead of everyone in my group which is me and two other guys, I am bound to win some money and not just be a donator. Wes had a one stroke lead over me heading into the back nine. I didn't know how many strokes I had on him from the first two days, but I was a little worried because he had the momentum and was gaining confidence hole to hole as we went on. The rain wasn't coming down, but I knew that the cold and the wind would stop that old man leader in his tracks on the last day and I figured that Wes and I were gaining on the leaders every hole we played. The other guy that we were paired up with wasn't doing a thing and I knew he was out of it after the front nine.
Hole number ten at this course can easily be considered the toughest par 4 in the city. It is a long hole (this day into the wind) and I figured if I could par I would gain at least two on the leaders. I was feeling okay with the driver, but still didn't have a clue what the ball was going to do after the swing. Wes drilled his drive in the middle and pretty long. I was right of him in the trees and I was forced to pitch back out into the fairway. I couldn't see where his next shot took him, but I had about 100 yards left for my third shot. He was driving up to my area and he called me Henry. I don't know if he called me that on purpose or on accident, but he started laughing afterwards either joking with me or realizing that he had made a mistake by calling me that. I hit my next shot from 100 yards on a good line and the way that the green is sloped I knew that the ball was going to go toward the whole and was only getting better and better the more it kept rolling. Wes said good shot and as he was driving off I told him that was what he gets for calling me Henry. We laughed and as we got to the green we saw that my shot was great and I only had 2 and a half feet left for my par. Wes and this other guy both bogeyed the hole and I really wanted this par. This small putt wasn't easy, it was a left to right breaking putt, I made it and was happy for my lucky third shot to get so close to the pin. I par the next three holes and knew that I was probably close to the lead if not the leader. After parring the 12th hole, I was pulling away from Wes. Wes triple bogeyed 12 and I was now 4 stokes ahead of him. I figured that my only worry was Henry. I was just going to play each of the last 5 holes coming in just hoping to get bogey. Hole 14 was just that! I hit a short drive because there is a creek between the green and the tee box. My second and third shots were horrible. Wes bogeyed the hole and I had a 12 foot putt for bogey. I didn't want Wes to gain any confidence coming into the clubhouse with 4 holes left so I really wanted to make this putt. I putted the ball and it was breaking in the direction it needed and for sure had enough speed. It fell in and I dodged a bullet. A bogey might hurt but a double bogey might take away all my momentum. The next hole I drove the ball a little left which is fine because the right has out of bounds. I hit my third shot up on the green and the ball took a great bounce and left me about 14 feet for birdie. I knew that I was going to get par, but Wes had about the same length for a birdie as well. I was sure that I was inside of his location so I told him to putt first. He barely missed the birdie and he had about a two footer for par. As he was getting ready to putt his par I thought in my head that he hadn't missed a short putt all day and it was his time. He did kind of rush the putt and indeed did miss. I knew that if I made my birdie putt that I was probably going to win the tournament. I thought that I was out of the tournament on the back nine of day two. The last 5 holes on day two I was doing whatever I could to just get into the clubhouse. I had no confidence, didn't have a clue where the ball was going to go when I hit it, begging for bogeys. Now I was standing over a putt that I knew was probably going to win me the tournament. I hit the putt and it went in!
Three holes to go! 16 is a par three over a lake! Just get the ball over the water and on dry land. I bogeyed that hole! Not too bad, figure two more bogeys coming in and I win for sure. Just don't have a blow up hole! 17 is a hole that if you drive the ball too far you go in a canal. I wanted to drive it short right. That is indeed what I did, however it wasn't as short as I wanted. I was stuck behind some trees and had to hit my next shot not only over the canal, but over trees now as well. My second shot was great, I had perfect contact and it was going right at the flag, left me a 20 footer for birdie. I barely lipped that putt and sank my two footer for par. As long as I don't get an 8 on the last hole I should win. It the longest par 5 hole in the city. I drive the ball right (into the trees) and actually have to hit a provisional. A provisional is a ball that you hit in case you can't find the first one. I hit that right was well (into the trees) my playing partners saw that second ball come down, so I have to hope that we can find that first ball so I don't have to take a penalty. I was walking in the direction of both of my golf balls and there was one in the wide open. I was hoping it was my first ball and it was. I didn't have a shot to the green, but the ball was safe and I could do a simple chip out into the fairway. I did just that leaving myself 200 yards on the left side of the fairway barely leaving myself enough room to get past these trees that were next to me. I hit my third shot a little short of the green but it rolled up on the edge of the green and I knew I was winning for sure at that point. A two putt for par and I walk in the clubhouse with the round of the tournament in that flight a 7 over par 79.
I had a huge lead and all we had to do was wait for that last group and hope that Henry didn't have a miraculous day like I did. I mean I was 6 over par after 8 holes and for the last ten holes I was one over! No way anyone else did that good (unless it was Henry). Even though that one guy had three stokes on me going into the last day I wasn't worried about him. Another guy in their group doesn't have the game to shoot that low. So there was Henry and a guy named Ryan that I had to worry about. I didn't think that Ryan had what it took to shoot a round that he needed to, plus he only had my buy one stroke going into the last day. So it was all laying on Henry's shoulders? His group came around the corner of the clubhouse and Henry informed me that he shot a 95! Just a horrific round. I knew at that point I was the winner. I took both net and gross, which means scratch and handicap. They only pay one spot for that, so Ryan took first place gross and I took first place net. Ryan won the money for gross just because they don't pay one winner both spots even if they take both net and gross like I did. Net paid more only by a bit, and Henry ended up second net. So, Friday before the tournament we were hoping that we would get first and second. We both probably figured Henry would win because my driver, but that last day my confidence just kept growing with the driver and it didn't cost me any strokes on the last day! On the last hole I didn't want to go left and I figured if I miss a little right that I would be okay. I hit just there with both drives. Actually after hitting it into the trees on hole number ten I hit the ball off the tee with the driver exactly where I wanted. I of course would want the ball in the middle but hole 11 if it isn't in the middle I want to miss right. I missed right. Hole 13 I have to hit the middle and hit it short, did just that. Hole 15 aim the ball in the middle if I miss do it a bit left, miss just left! Hole 17, aim middle right if I miss more right that is fine! Did just that by missing right of target! This new swing is finally going to work! "You always say that"! Sheri says.... 10 pars and one birdie on that last day idicates to me that I have finally stubbled onto something. Because this was the first day ever that I never reverted back to the bad swing. I was able to remember how to use what I thought was going to work and stick to it all day.
I have won a couple of golf tournaments in the past like I said, but this was the first one that I thought I deserved to win. It wasn't because of the swing, it was because I actually finished the tournament golfing as well as I thought that I could. The other tournaments I won I didn't have a low round, just lower than everyone else! This one felt good because I came from behind on that last day to win! Something Tiger Woods has never done in a major! I am not saying this is a major, but with the new swing and the final round, it was a major victory to me!!