First Events of the Year!

I went to Orlando to play in two one day events, one at Redtail near Sorrento, the other just down the road from Lake Mary at Timacuan. I left on Monday to try and get a practice round in at Redtail only to be greeted by a thunderstorm. They weren't allowing anyone to play due to the lightning but a friend of mine caught up with me and we road the course. Ben and I got a little wet but it was worth it to see the layout.

I headed back to my hotel to get everything ready for the next day. To make a long story short, it was another rough stay. I had a few personal issues with the room so I slept in my khaki pants, socks, and shirt for an extra layer of protection and used my arms for a pillow. A little nasty and damp but cheap, and it makes a good blog story!

After an interesting night, I did the usual breakfast of the champs...Denny's. I got my belly full and was ready for my 10:22 tee time.

Redtail is a longer course playing about 7200 yards from the tips and had a lot of hazards. It was designed so you would have to hit accurate tee shots due to the fairways running out or large bunkers dividing the holes. To make matters worse, it started storming, and I mean storming.

I had just put a new driver in my bag because I wasn't getting the distance with the other new one I received. I was a little worried about the way I would hit it, so I played more conservative than I usually do, and with the rain, I just wanted it to stay in play.

I played with Kyung Kim from the "One Asia" Tour and Andy Matthews from the Canadian Tour. Both were very good golfers and I was glad to have had the chance to compete and learn with them.

Throughout the round I became more comfortable with my new equipment and was gaining a lot of confidence. On one of the holes, I hit an iron shot a little short of the green and it plug in the bunker lip. That means it stuck in the side. I had to hit out of the bunker in the opposite direction to get it out. A little aggravating but it happens. Then on the very next hole, I hit a straight drive off the tee only to be greeted by a long 210 yards into the green. I drew back with my 3 iron and struck it solidly. It was b-lining for the hole until it struck the flag stick and deflected off the green into a near by hazard. Just a little unlucky I guess. If it would have been an inch and a half to the left or right I would have been sitting pretty and putting for birdie.

After those two unfortunate occurrences I ventured onward to complete my round with a 76. Being my first round with new gear, and the amount of rain we played in, I felt very good about it and about some of the shots I had hit. I think I placed about 21st out of 56.

After the round, I headed over to Timacuan to scout it out. It was too late to play so I just rode it. Timacuan is the course that PGA Professional Zach Johnston calls home. It is a unique course due to the layout with a lot of hazards, water lining the fairways, and island greens, just to name a few.

I checked it out, went back to my hotel, got some rest and woke up ready to play. After my Denny's breakfast I arrived at Timacuan an hour before my 10:37 tee time.

I was paired with a Hooters Tour member, Scott Boyd, and a OGA Tour member, Boki Lee. Once again, I enjoyed playing with them and learning what I could.

On the tee box, I hit a good drive and headed off for another round. I was playing very well considering the course was tough. It played 7100 yards long and we had some wind! It always seems to blow in your face and never with you. Upon arriving a the 16th hole, I was 2 over par. The fairway has palm trees lining it about 10 yards off the primary cut. I pulled my drive a little left and smack one of the palms solidly. We went down to it only to find it stuck in the tree about eleven feet off the ground. So, I had to claim an unplayable condition, take a stroke penalty, and drop within a club length for my third shot, so I thought. However I was called for a ruling infraction, due not properly identifying my ball, and was disqualified. The guys I was playing with and myself all knew that was my ball, but because I didn't properly remove and identify the ball, I broke a rule. I guess I was suppose to climb the tree and remove my ball or stand on the cart and get it. Upon talking to the rules committee, they said next time call them and they would bring a ladder. Hmmm. Well, now I know! But that's why I am doing what I'm doing, so I can learn the rules and the game of golf better, even if some are a little ridiculous. Lesson learned.

On the bright side, I was able to finish my round and shoot a 75. It didn't count but I was still very proud of it. That score would have placed about 9th out of about 70 people, put me in the money, and qualified me for a bigger event next month, but like I said, lesson learned.

I have certainly developed a better mindset for competitive golf this year. I am able to stay in the zone longer, block out distractions better, and rebound from bad holes/shots quicker than before. I am glad to be able to write this because this is a crucial tool I must obtain to keep advancing to the top. I am pleased to say that if I continue playing well, I will have the opportunity to join the Hooters Tour for their winter series next September. A big step up!

I'm not sure if I will compete with the the Moonlight Tour next week. I may go back down and play one or two more events if it is financially possible mainly because my next big event is the Emerald Coast Tour Winter Championship in Biloxi, Mississippi on February 16-22 and it is mighty expensive. It's a big tournament with a pile of golfers and people to be expected so I need to play. I will update my schedule after my decision this week.

I would like to say thanks to my parents once again for covering my last events and also want to say thanks to Mr. John Culbreath for the book "The Match" to read. I enjoy learning about how golf use to be before big corporate sponsors, fame and fortune, and when the top prize for the largest event was a five iron and $700 bucks!

Thanks to all my readers and followers for the emails, letters, and slaps on the back of support!

Until next time,

Your friend,

Glen

"It's funny, the more I practice, the luckier I get!" - Arnold Palmer