This past weekend I slammed smack dead into that wall called reality. I played in the Virginia State Amateur qualifier at Kingsmill on their woods course (not the River that the LPGA plays on) and to be kind to myself it was not pretty. I have got my handicap index down to 7.3 from a 12 a year ago and have been consistently in the low 80′s high 70′s thus far and to be honest I did not expect to qualify but I did expect to post some decent scores.

Well I wish I could say that was the case but it was the exact opposite. I have to just get it out…97, 85. Ouch! But you know the one thing I can say is that I am in a good place mentally and to my credit after posting that 97 after round 1 I went back out there unlike every other person who posted in the 90′s….they all WD’d. I absolutely would not even consider that…never quit…it is NOT an option!

I just don’t know what happened but the only thing I can say is that I was Tiger on the range and Barkley on the course…at least that is how my swing felt. I know that tournament golf is very different than playing on the weekend and I have preparing for that for the last 2 months. I have immersed myself in books on the mental game and have even been working with a local coach with guided meditation techniques which I have to say honestly is probably the only reason I was able to press on.

I woke up early and took my dog for a walk to warm up and then spent about a half an hour stretching and loosening up and then drove to the course. Once at the course I took my driver, a hybrid, 8 iron and wedge to the practice tee to loosen up and as I said I felt like Tiger. My swing felt great…very relaxed with a great tempo and I was throwing darts and nailing every target with a great strike and a baby draw. I spent the final 30 minutes chipping and putting and after the great warm up I was excited about what lay ahead.

Well I get to my first hole (#10) and yes I had some butterflies but I have trained myself to channel that into positive energy. They weren’t “oh please don’t shank” butterflies but they were more like “Thank you God for giving me this opportunity…this is what golf is all about” excitement butterflies. Well…I stood over my ball and executed my routine flawlessly and proceed to hit a snap hook through the trees on the left which I couldn’t see but there was the 18th green on the other side and a lake there so I hit a provisional and did the exact same thing only this time the snapper went farther up the treeline and I knew that one would be in play. Anyway long story short a few chunks and chili-dips later I put the ball in the hole for a quad. And that is pretty much the way the rest of my day went. I can honestly say that I felt like I was able to stay in the present on each shot (and there were many) and I didn’t feel as though I dwelled on the bad ones (and there were many) so I am not sure what went wrong. I do know that my swing felt tight and rushed the whole day and it was no where near the smooth rhythmic swing I had on the range.

So here I am left to wonder what had happened and why things went the way they did. I have received a lot of great input from my brother, who is an excellent golfer and athlete, and other good golfers that I know and I am very excited to get together with my pro and discuss what happened so that I can learn why things went the way they did so that at the next one (yes there will be a next one…and soon) I will be better prepared. I feel that the only way this can be a failure is if I do not learn from it and believe me when I say that I will take the time to digest every stroke of the 182 that I took this weekend to understand what happened and why. And although this bull really tossed me off pretty hard I have already dusted myself off and am ready to get back on for another ride.

Spring has sprung in the Great White North!

I’ve managed to get a handful of rounds under my belt after a long winter of Rotary Swing Tour drills. Normally my round progression works from high 90′s/low 100′s for the first couple months of the Central Canadian season, followed by low 90′s and the odd dip into the 80′s for the next (last?) 4 months. However, this year, I’ve already started out in the mid/low 90′s (and would have broken 90 except for stupidity setting in on the 18th).

Is it swing drills? Of course. Apparently my rotary swing was OK, and the adaptation to the Tour stuff has gone along OK. No, I haven’t had it checked, but it sure feels OK, and I know I have stuff to work on still.

Part of the contributing factor for me is the gear. I revamped my sticks in light of the new RS Tour setup and motion, moving to shorter clubs. I also traded in my Wishon 770CFE irons for the new Wishon 870Ti irons. A little more sole width, a little more ball speed, and less offset. Talk about a head design that wants to go straight. I can feel like I’m releasing the snot out of the club, and end up with a 5 yard draw. Does this mean I’m in trouble if I have to hit a 15 yard screaming hook? Yes. But it also means that there’s not much curvature when it comes to my shots – it’s easier to hit targets. I’ve paired these heads up with the Apollo Hump S – the most tip-stiff iron shaft in existence to date. This, however, does not translate into harsh feel as it cycles a little softer than your DG S300 at the butt. So a somewhat lower trajectory, a little less spin, and feels good to boot.

I’ve got a few tournaments lined up – about one per month – and am excited to see how I fare. I am not affiliated with a club this year (but did manage to leave after escaping the 4th flight for the 1st flight last year), so I’m not sure how I’m going to define success for new tournaments (obviously better scores than previous years would be improvement for tournaments I’ve played in).

On the technology front, the new technology is evidenced in the new TaylorMade R9 and the Nike DyMo STR8. But let’s not be fooled – those of us that have worked with Chuck have already witnessed this old technology – in the Nakashima HTEC drivers. It’s all the same tool – a hosel drilled offset so that as you rotate the shaft around, the face angle is effectively opened and closed again. No, the actual driver loft doesn’t change when you do this (contrary to what the ads would have you believe) but the dynamic loft does. Now the actual ratio of Face Angle (FA) to loft isn’t quite 1:1, but it works well for the purposes of guesswork and also illustration. So, for example, a 10 degree driver with a 2 degree closed FA will play like a 12 degree driver with a square FA. Conversely, that same driver with a 2 degree open FA will play like an 8 with a square FA. Again, it’s not quite this exact, but close enough. And this, friends, is all you’re doing with your HTECs, R9′s, and STR8′s. It works, though – effectively increasing and decreasing launch angles, although the driver may look a little ‘off’ at setup as you clock your way through the hosel. If you’ve had your driver properly fit, I say there’s no logical reason to run out and try to better your clubmaker with an off-the rack R9 or STR8. If you simply need the latest and greatest, then by all means – to Edwin Watts with you!

As always, may the course be with you.

Well the tournament season started for this Rotary swinger on Tuesday the 21^st and unfortunately it didn’t go as well as planned. Not too bad but not the results me and my partner were hoping for, we carded an 81 in the VA state 4 ball qualifier, I am an 8 handicap and my partner is about a 2. I shot 82 (39 and 43) on a 7000 yard track with woods and water all over and my partner was just off his game but we did have fun because we love the game.

 Overall I was not terribly disappointed. My swing is coming along and on this day it was ok…not great but ok. What killed me was short game and I realized what sets me apart from most scratch amateurs is the short game. From 100 yards and in I am absolutely horrific. I can bang the ball down with the best of them but I don’t come close to the pin with my scoring clubs and am not consistent with getting it up and down.  So… lesson learned and this is where I my journey takes a little turn…a little redirection if you will.

 I read recently in a book, and I believe it, that if you spend 90% of your time on your swing you will never become a scratch golfer and also that you NEED to find a pro and stick with him no matter what YOU think.  So CQ…like it or not is the pro that is stuck with me but I have  also searched and found  a local pro here in VA who works a lot with and has a relationship with Hank Haney (This is important b/c  CQ is the pro I believe in and I believe in CQ’s swing so the pro had to as well!) For me I need to have someone around since I can’t jet set to Florida or Colorado  Anyway we have mapped out a program that I AM going to stick to and man you should have seen this guys eyes light up when the first thing I said to him was that I wanted to focus on the short game! I can’t wait to learn the short game…to flag my wedges, use my imagination, learn new shots…and to know that I can get up and down from anywhere!

Well I have my weekly tournaments with my golf club association and a trip to Myrtle Beach (as long as it doesn’t burn down) next week so lots of golf coming up! Good luck this season Rotary Swingers and keep us posted!

I came home from night work late one day last week.  Daylight had broken.  It was cold.  Bitter.  A North wind was blowing down straight from the Arctic.  The bare trees moaned under the assault.  It was early March and winter was still in control.   Our little creek was still frozen as it had been since before Christmas.  There have been breaks and flaws.  There was even a complete melt.  But, it only lasted a day or so.

Something caught my eye off to the left.  It was a Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) standing on the ice up near the lee offered by some battered marsh grass.  The elegant bird was huddled, scrunched into a compact oblong statuette.  Facing straight into the wind he stared unfazed.  Somewhere out to the North was the tale end of this infernal, biting wind.  He stared as if he was intent to find it.  Always wary, he saw me.  His head barely turned, though.  The lee from the wind was too valuable to give up.  He went back to his important work of waiting and conserving energy.  He was going to look into that wind until some ice melted and he could go on with life.

There was something familiar in the bird.  I could relate.  Golf winter started with the unexpected closing of my Course.  I hadn’t played golf except at the Clinic since.  Golf itself was different.  RS 2.0 was a matter of conversion, learning, and “Neuromuscular Re-education.”  The Clinic was followed by a month of Alison’s exer-gyrations and medicine ball swings.  I didn’t hit a ball for a month before Florida.  I hadn’t hit one in the month after.  One thing was for sure: The golf year was going to be different in many respects.

I looked at the bird one last time before heading in for bed.  He and I were both staring North.  Looking for the end of the cold wind.  Both wondering what it would bring.

Today I am very nervous and very excited at the same time. The Viginia State Golf Association has posted it’s 2009 tournament schedule and now that there are actual dates for the tournaments that I want to play in I am both excited and nervous. I am excited b/c this is my very first step into competetive golf and I am nervous because I am going to put myself out there on display and compete with the best that the state of Virginia has to offer. That means if I hack up a 90 it will be on display for all to see. This is going to be such and awesome year! Regardless of what happens this, to me, is what it’s all about. I know in my heart I have the ability to compete with these guys and it is now time to step up and prove it. I really didn’t feel like it was real b/c there was no set schedule but now that the dates are posted it feels real if that makes sense and there is now a fire burning. Time to practice…I mean REALLY practice! Short game and putting must not be forsaken and I have one more trip to see CQ to get a driver fitting before my first tourney!!! God how awesome is this! I feel like a kid all over again!

It’s been three weeks since the jolt came about my golf club closing.  Enough time for some of the film to develop.  Enough time for some prospecting for a new course.  Enough time to get really, really mad and then cool down.  And, enough time to realize I had witnessed a Greek tragedy up close and personal.

On Monday, December 1′st the course was open and running when the CPA for the course entered the Pro Shop at nine in the morning and declared that it was closing immediately.  The Assistant Pro looked up to see a locksmith changing the locks on the front door.  People on the course were allowed to finish their rounds.  Staff members not at the course were called at home and told not to report to work.  The Head Pro was told to e-mail the members that the course was closing and told to leave with two-weeks of severance.

By Friday, the course was stripped.  All the markers, driving range dividers, everything…gone.  There was a four-hour period to buy out the pro shop.  70% off of everything.  No special consideration for members.  There were 50 people there.  I recognized, maybe, five or six.  Seagulls swooping in for cheap gear.  It was a sad chore to stay there and witness it.  I waited in line for an hour and a half to buy a few things…mostly logo items.  The whole time, this gorgeous course, in pristine shape, and full of memories was right outside the window.  On the porch was the maintenance crew.  The Superintendent was being retained to mow the grass at turf height through June so that it didn’t turn back into a field.  He was hugging his folks one-by-one.  I remember the smile on the face of his Assistant.  They had done a great job over the years.  And, they had just finished a tough chore in stripping the course.  It was the last time I’d ever see the Assistant.  He passed away four days later from a heart attack.

Since then, they’ve sold off all the equipment, carts, tables…you name it.   A General Manager at one club told me that if I joined, I’d recognize the yardage plates.  He had bought them from my old course.  Nothing left behind.  Not even the lights in the parking lot.

The great Greek Tragedy playwrights would have nodded in appreciation.  Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus would have been hard-pressed to do better.

Life moves on, however.  The search for a new course continues…

The Rotary Swing and the instruction provided by Chuck Quinton is the way to go… period. I have taken lessons from professionals my whole life and have never really noticed any improvement after any of them. Always hitting the ball the same and shooting the same scores.

Every year I have the same goal in mind…to work my butt off to break into the single digits and this year was no different. I started this golf season with a handicap of 10.6 and worked on my own and got it down to a 9.0 around May. I then decided that I can get even better and went to a local pro for a couple of lessons and immediately the wheels began to fall off and before I knew it the handicap was a 10 again with the possibility of going higher because I was now a mess obsessed with tinkering and freaking out. Then I found RotarySwing.com and hooked up with one of the long time members who I found out lived not too far from me. 

Through the site and the help of Bob34 I was able to get a grip on myself and calm down and start to really understand the golf swing and my playing leveled off from the upward climb. Then the first week of October I had my first one on one lesson with Chuck Quinton and things have just been incredible ever since. I am much more consistent and can now go several rounds without losing a ball (that saves me a lot of money!)  

Well…The golf season is now officially over here in Virginia. As of December 1 I can no longer post scores into the handicap system until March 2009. And since my lesson with Chuck Quinton in October my handicap has dropped 2 full points to 8.0! So boys and girls this guy can say that the Rotary Swing revolution is without a doubt the best golf instruction I have ever experienced… the proof of the pudding is in the eating…and this pudding tastes damn good!

Handicap Index History:

I received an e-mail on Monday from the Head Pro at our home course.   The title was one word, “Closing.”   With all the suddenness of an accident our course had closed, effective immediately.    No warning.  Gone.

The principal owner died.  The partners said, “Close it.”

It’s a tough pill to swallow.  This was a course that fit.  It was a walker’s course, strictly golf, no houses or swimming pools, fabulous conditions, wonderful Staff, and the best greens in the area.   Over time it came to be a sort of home.  It spoiled us.  And we knew it.  We’d travel to some up-scale coure and critique it to death on the way home:  “It was good.  But, it ain’t Upland.”

Golf course ownership is a tough gig now according to An August piece in the WASHINGTON POST:  golf-course-communities We interact with the Pros and Staff without really seeing the financials and the real power behind that front.   A few years ago, a lot of courses were worth more as housing developments.  Today, new-construction housing is dead.  My course was a soybean field that received millions of dollars of infrastructure.  There’s simply no demand for it in its current state as a pristine golf course.  And, it won’t make for much a bean field anymore.  It’s caught in some Rod Serling-esque Twilight Zone.

Working through the mourning stages, Acceptance feels a ways away.  But, the world moves on and these are tough times.  The e-mail box is suddenly full of offers from courses in the area looking for new members.  We’ll find one and move on.  No doubt, it’ll be good.  But, it won’t be Upland.

www.uplandgolfclub.com