NSU Shark Invitational

After the winds hit PGA National we set out to try to go one better than last year and win our home tournament. I went into the event with great preparation and was really excited to play one of the toughest courses on the PGA tour schedule. Our practice round was good jotting down the best way to play each hole, effectively picking the safest way to make the lowest score. Despite this, there really are no safe ways to play some holes at PGA, you just have to step up and hit a golf shot. The bear trap is famous on the PGA tour as the closing stretch of holes on the whole circuit.

My first round got off to a quick start, starting on the bear trap. I safely pared the 16th my first and then hit a 7 iron to 10 feet on 17 and holed the putt for a 2. The round was going ok until i reached the tough 12th where i hit it ob and salvaged a 6. I finished off with 77 (5 over par) very disappointing giving me a feeling of leaving plenty of shots out there way too many mistakes. The 2nd round i really couldnt get anything going and made a lot of little errors resulting in a 76 (4 over) at 9 over par i tied for 38th. I felt like i played superb in places and my lack of competition in recent months probably meant there was a little bit of rust there causing me to make some little errors that i might not have if id have been in competitive shape. Its all part of the process through playing over here in the states the benefits of playing round some fantastic courses against great fields every week really takes your game and your experience of playing golf to another level. 

Iv been working hard on my swing for last few days because we have some time off, the key is posture. Tightening the shoulder blades allows my arms to stay connected with my chest and so the swing is shorter and more in sync with my body

Weaknesses
Driving Accuracy 42% - led to poor accuracy out of semi rough
Wedge Play - not many up and down birdies from 140 and in
Short Game - not enough scrambles
Par 5 scoring avg

Strengths
Putting - some great streaks of putting missed 2 putts inside 6 feet all week
Iron play out of fw - only missed green 3 times after hitting fw
Sand saves - 70% for the week

Plan to improve
Work on extra time creating safety go to shot off tee - little fade
Consistent pre shot routine practise
Extra time spent on 60 - 140 yard shots (yardages)
More one ball short game practise

Onwards and upwards

The last three weeks have seen a whole lot of great things happen, i have made some unbelievable improvements in my game and I'm feeling as confident as ever it really feels like im improving each and every day out here in south Florida.

My Psychology work over the years has taught me that true real confidence comes from evidence not thoughts. For instance i know my putting is great because the Worlds top 10 players average just below me on my average putts per round, i'm holing more putts per gir (birdie putts) and i'm having less 3 putts than the worlds top 10 players. Obviously they are playing the toughest courses on the globe but it just shows how im making great progress

I took a trip for 5 days to the David Leadbetter academy at Champions Gate to see David for a check up on my game and the advice so far has shown some phenomenal improvements. He really does have a wealth of knowledge of the golf swing and i learnt so much from spending time with him and all the academy staff there. Not only this but i got to watch David coach Nick Price and Trevor Immelman for a whole day which was great, they both hit it so good and really are similar to us!! People theres no secret but hard grind in the right direction.

  

We started our next qualifying for PGA National and California trips and so far im leading the qualifying with a 74 and 71, Im playing solid just need to make more birdies with the short irons and wedges, and of course holing some nice putts.

What im working on in my game

Full Swing 

• Posture - Shoulder blades pulled down and tighter together
• Backswing - Synchronisation between arms and body - tighter arms to chest towel drill
• Width drill
• Through swing - body and arm connection through to the finish
• Keep spine angle throughout the swing - hook comes from sternum shifting forward

Pitching 

• Posture
• Set the club more on plane (feels more outside Fade)
• Turning chest and body through the shot hard
• Keep spine angle stay down through it longer

Tournament preparation starts for the NSU Shark Invitational next week, its three rounds at PGA National playing the HONDA Classic pins and tees a great experience and fantastic course

Until next time .....

Vince Lombardi ""Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a 

habit."