Charging Ahead

Having my goals written down and published here on the blog has really put a new fire into my practice. Even though the weather has been chilly and windy here in Pine Mountain, GA, the past couple of days, I have been having some very focused and productive practice sessions. Per my "process goals," I have spent some quality time working on my putting and my wedge play, but I have continued to to a lot of practicing on the course as well. I feel that my practice has all blended together quite nicely, and I can sense my game rounding into better and better form as the days pass.

I'll share two stories from my practices the past couple days. #1: On Tuesday I was having a bit of an off day from a ball-striking perspective. I was on the course by myself playing two balls, and on the long par-3 14th at Callaway Gardens Mountain View Course, my two tee shots were both horrendous. I thin blocked a five-iron short and right of the green before chunk-hooking a four-iron well short and left of the green. Given the contour on the green, both shots left me facing arduous up-and-downs. I remembered my last goal about "always smiling" and proceeded to hit two phenomenal pitch shots within tap-in distance. A few holes later on the par-3 17th, I faced similarly long tee shots because the wind was coming into my face. Hitting the same two clubs and facing a much more difficult shot, I hit a pure soft four iron and a piercing bullet of a five iron that both settled some 15 feet below the hole. I failed to convert either birdie putt, but it was really cool to see the direct effects of maintaining a positive attitude after the poor iron shots on the previous par 3.

#2: On Tuesday I spent the better part of an hour and a half trying to complete my circle drill of 6-foot putts. To complete the drill, I must make 18 out of 24 six-foot putts moving around a hole on the practice green. With the combination of cold hands, blustery winds, and a lousy stroke here and there, I never did complete the drill on Tuesday. After a nice warm-up session on the driving range today, I went to the putting green to try again. I got my spot all set up on the green and started with two misses. A few makes and a couple misses later I found myself at 5 for 9. From that point, I made 14 six-footers in-a-row and finished the drill with 19 out of 24. It was really cool! These kinds of completion drills are great for me because I really do feel pressure, and I have to rely on the strength of my routine to get me through the drill.

Everything feels great. My game continues to improve and I'm having a lot of fun working on it. I really like the progress I've already made and can't wait to see what comes next. Check back right here for more practice reports and some exciting news in the next couple days!