Carolina Blues…

I apologize for not getting the blog updated sooner after Friday’s round.  Between travel both Friday night and Sunday my time window I thought I had Saturday closed rather quickly.

In the grand scheme of things Friday was anti-climatic.  The prep time for the round was as it had always been with arriving at the course, putting green, chipping area, full shots through the bag, and finally a handful more putts before heading to the tee.  This time it was different in more ways than one. 

First was the weather.  We enjoyed warm (and sometimes humid) temperatures since our arrival on Saturday night.  In my best Scottish brogue “It was a wee bit brisk, laddie” on Friday morning.  Low 50 degree temperatures but clear, blue skies greeted us.  20 degrees cooler than the previous days and with wind out of the North.  The cooler temperatures were a refreshing shock to the system but the near opposite wind was an unanticipated change.  Prevailing winds for this area are out of the SSW which was no doubt put into the thinking of the course design.  The practice range layout was totally different being that SSW wind creates a left to right path across that part of the pasture.  It’s a golfer’s nightmare in regards to prep time.

Secondly, in terms of a golfer’s mind that is scoring and playing below his expectations as well as playing in nearly the last group means the focus may not be what it needs to be.  None the less our goals never varied from the earlier rounds.  Same swing thoughts.  Same determination.  We were much improved on the greens today but still having difficulty playing a golf ball that was afraid of the dark.  I had to change the luck somehow so I decided to challenge Brian with every birdie we made I would do 10 pushups on the next tee with each sequential birdie adding on to that total.  Call it golf course cross training.   And unless the PGA Tour objects to it and when we make it to a tour event the same challenge applies!  Who says you can’t have fun on the course?

One of the topics Brian and I talked about mid-round was of the focus needed in our position and how much more is needed when you don’t want to get out of bed to play a round that really nets you nothing.  But that’s the part of what did we learn today.  The focus to come out and play well when there’s nothing on the line can only gain you the experience when everything is on the line. 

All in all, the week was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had on a golf course to date.  Brian said it would be.  Friday would find our brains feeling like mental ground beef. 

What did we like about today?

We had more confidence on the greens today.

We still were making adjustments "on the fly" to keep trying to improve Brian's position throughout the day.

What did we learn today?

The focus needed for a tournament leading group round pales in comparison to the focus needed for the tail end group.


This won't be the last of this blog.  I'll be updating it over the coming weeks.  The one thing I didn't expect was how much the passion of golf burned inside me over the week.  I personally shut down my game about 3 weeks ago but now want to go play!  Brian is already looking at tournaments for next year.  I know we'll be back in Pinehurst this time next year.  I'll pass along future tournaments as we progress through the year.

The annual gathering of Brian, Jeff, and myself over the Thanksgiving holiday will certainly be posted.  Stay tuned.  And until we meet again here's wishing you enjoy each moment that's presented to you and hope you have the opportunity to share it with someone.