Hi everyone, I know it's been a while since I posted anything. My last event was the Wyndham Qualifier which was so bad I have already forgotten about it.
I have been practicing and preparing for the first stage of Q School which starts next week. I'm playing pretty well, driving is much better and I'm confident I'll have a good week.
I am playing at the 6,800 yard, par 70 Brunswick Country Club in Georgia. My brother David is coming over to visit and he will be carrying my bag for the tournament. It's going to be a great week and I can't wait to tee of in round 1. The first round will be Wednesday 9th September. Don't know my tee times yet but they will all be in the morning.
I will let you all know how it goes.
Lee
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Saturday, 1 August 2015
Verdict Ridge Open
Hi everyone,
This week was the Verdict Ridge Open (Egolf event) in Denver, North Carolina. The course was pretty nice, quite strategic from the tee with a few holes requiring less than driver. The par 3's were pretty tricky, 3 of them around 200 yards and significantly downhill.
Round 1 started off a little slow, I hit a drive a bit right off the 10th (my first hole) but got away with it and made a par. Then a poor 5 iron into the the 11th followed by a poor chip, led to a bogey and +1 through 2. But then my round got going in the right direction.....I hit a lovely 7 iron into the 12th which gave me a good feeling in my swing. I rolled in a nice 15 foot birdie putt at the par 3 13th to get back to even. Then birdied 16 & 18 (both par 5's) before making the turn. Then I made one of only a couple of bad swings all day on the 2nd (my 11th). I hit my 6 iron right of the green and after a nasty kick into the hazard I walked away with a double. I bounced back well with a birdie at the 3rd, only to give it straight back at the 4th! After some solid golf I approached the par 4 9th at Even par. I hit a lovely wedge to about 10 feet and converted to finish my round at -1 (71).
With scoring being low on the first day, I was quite a way back but knew if I kept the ball in the fairway, my putter could get hot anytime in Round 2.
I got off to the perfect start, birdieing the first after curling in a 10-foot left-to-righter. I hit some really good shots in the first 6 holes, and after birdieing the par 5 6th got to -2. Then on the 7th I hit a bad shot from a really tough lie in the rough. I managed to save a really good bogey after finding the hazard. Then, on 8, I 3-putted for another bogey and fell back to Even on the day and -1 overall. I knew I had to play some stellar golf on the back 9 if I was going to make the cut. My good long game continued but I couldn't get anything to drop until the 16th. -2 overall with 2 to go and I knew I needed to birdie 2 more. I scrambled for a great par save on 17, so it was going to take something special on the par 5 18th. After playing over-aggressively, I got myself into trouble and ended with a bit of a silly bogey and could only post an even par 72 for the day, which wasn't enough to make it to the final round unfortunately.
Although that part of it is disappointing, overall I played some good golf this week. My swing felt a lot better for the 2 rounds and my confidence is growing all the time. As I said before the work I am continuing to do with my coach has been great. I am looking forward to what is in store for me for the rest of the season.
My next event will be the Wyndham pre qualifier on the 13th. Let's see if we can get in to the field and make a significant step in the right direction, it's about time. I am due!
Thank you all for following.
This week was the Verdict Ridge Open (Egolf event) in Denver, North Carolina. The course was pretty nice, quite strategic from the tee with a few holes requiring less than driver. The par 3's were pretty tricky, 3 of them around 200 yards and significantly downhill.
Round 1 started off a little slow, I hit a drive a bit right off the 10th (my first hole) but got away with it and made a par. Then a poor 5 iron into the the 11th followed by a poor chip, led to a bogey and +1 through 2. But then my round got going in the right direction.....I hit a lovely 7 iron into the 12th which gave me a good feeling in my swing. I rolled in a nice 15 foot birdie putt at the par 3 13th to get back to even. Then birdied 16 & 18 (both par 5's) before making the turn. Then I made one of only a couple of bad swings all day on the 2nd (my 11th). I hit my 6 iron right of the green and after a nasty kick into the hazard I walked away with a double. I bounced back well with a birdie at the 3rd, only to give it straight back at the 4th! After some solid golf I approached the par 4 9th at Even par. I hit a lovely wedge to about 10 feet and converted to finish my round at -1 (71).
With scoring being low on the first day, I was quite a way back but knew if I kept the ball in the fairway, my putter could get hot anytime in Round 2.
I got off to the perfect start, birdieing the first after curling in a 10-foot left-to-righter. I hit some really good shots in the first 6 holes, and after birdieing the par 5 6th got to -2. Then on the 7th I hit a bad shot from a really tough lie in the rough. I managed to save a really good bogey after finding the hazard. Then, on 8, I 3-putted for another bogey and fell back to Even on the day and -1 overall. I knew I had to play some stellar golf on the back 9 if I was going to make the cut. My good long game continued but I couldn't get anything to drop until the 16th. -2 overall with 2 to go and I knew I needed to birdie 2 more. I scrambled for a great par save on 17, so it was going to take something special on the par 5 18th. After playing over-aggressively, I got myself into trouble and ended with a bit of a silly bogey and could only post an even par 72 for the day, which wasn't enough to make it to the final round unfortunately.
Although that part of it is disappointing, overall I played some good golf this week. My swing felt a lot better for the 2 rounds and my confidence is growing all the time. As I said before the work I am continuing to do with my coach has been great. I am looking forward to what is in store for me for the rest of the season.
My next event will be the Wyndham pre qualifier on the 13th. Let's see if we can get in to the field and make a significant step in the right direction, it's about time. I am due!
Thank you all for following.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Cabarrus Classic
This week was a return to the E golf tour for me. The week preceding the event, I had a great session with Andrew Rice. I made a lot of progress in the long game, and was feeling a lot better about it.
In round one I played pretty solid. Although hitting only four fairways I shot two under par. I didn't quite have the same feeling with my swing as I did in the days leading up to the event. However my wedges and putter help me shoot a pretty solid first round.
In round two my long game all but disappeared. I was hitting the ball all over the golf course but somehow I managed to recover well from the positions I found myself in. My putting was exceptional, I made several good par saving putts and managed to turn in an even par round. This two day total of two under par was good enough to make the cut. Of course after the results I have had lately, this was a step in the right direction.
Going into around three I was confident that if I could keep the ball in the fairway, I could post something that would leapfrog me up the leaderboard. Unfortunately this did not happen. I played more of the same golf that I played in the second round, this time my mistakes cost me big. I started off 4-over par through the first 3 holes and was never really able to recover. I ended up shooting five over par, finishing in 30th place.
Some of my tendencies throughout the season crept into my game. I think with the added pressure of a competitive environment, I reverted back to some of my old swings. It will take time to perfect and I will have to grind out old habits on the range and with my coach.
I am looking at this as a positive week, I know that I can compete and I know I have to game to succeed. As soon as I start hitting the ball more consistently well, great things are going to happen. I still have plenty of opportunities ahead and my confidence is improving all the time.
My next tournament, another Egolf event, is in 12 days back in the Charlotte area, the Verdict Ridge Open.
Cheers
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Greenbrier Qualifiers - re post
This week I played in the Greenbrier Classic Qualifier in West Virginia.
Thursday was the Pre Qualifier and I played pretty average. I shot 73, which was enough to scrape through to the Monday Qualifier. I didn't hit that many greens in regulation, but was able to make a few good par saves and achieve the objective of the day which was to progress to the final qualifier on the Monday.
It is a course that I really like, a lot of the tee shots fit my eye and the greens are good. So, although my play of late hasn't been up to the standard I set for myself, I was expecting to give it a good run to try and get in to the tournament.
I started off by hitting 2 really good shots in to the 10th (my 1st) to 12 feet. Somehow I missed a 2 foot putt after my birdie try slid by, so I walked to the 11th tee +1. 2 more 3-putts and a bad iron shot left me at +4 after 9 and I really wasn't playing that badly.
My back 9 wasn't much better on the greens. I did make 2 good birdies but I also made a quadruple bogey at the par 4 6th hole. I ended up signing for a 79, obviously nowhere near the qualifying mark.
Following the conclusion of the event, I have decided to take a little break for about 5 or 6 days. I did it last year and it helped. I am a little lost with what's going on in my game and my swing, I need a little time to get away from it and then come back raring to go for the summer and Q school.
I know I will turn it around, I am capable of achieving great things but I am not playing my game at the moment, or all season really. A little lay-off will help and when I come back I will be ready to go.
My next tournament will be the Cabarrus Classic. I'll be back and then ready to compete.
Thanks for following,
Lee
Thursday was the Pre Qualifier and I played pretty average. I shot 73, which was enough to scrape through to the Monday Qualifier. I didn't hit that many greens in regulation, but was able to make a few good par saves and achieve the objective of the day which was to progress to the final qualifier on the Monday.
It is a course that I really like, a lot of the tee shots fit my eye and the greens are good. So, although my play of late hasn't been up to the standard I set for myself, I was expecting to give it a good run to try and get in to the tournament.
I started off by hitting 2 really good shots in to the 10th (my 1st) to 12 feet. Somehow I missed a 2 foot putt after my birdie try slid by, so I walked to the 11th tee +1. 2 more 3-putts and a bad iron shot left me at +4 after 9 and I really wasn't playing that badly.
My back 9 wasn't much better on the greens. I did make 2 good birdies but I also made a quadruple bogey at the par 4 6th hole. I ended up signing for a 79, obviously nowhere near the qualifying mark.
Following the conclusion of the event, I have decided to take a little break for about 5 or 6 days. I did it last year and it helped. I am a little lost with what's going on in my game and my swing, I need a little time to get away from it and then come back raring to go for the summer and Q school.
I know I will turn it around, I am capable of achieving great things but I am not playing my game at the moment, or all season really. A little lay-off will help and when I come back I will be ready to go.
My next tournament will be the Cabarrus Classic. I'll be back and then ready to compete.
Thanks for following,
Lee
Greenbrier Qualifiers
This week I played in the Greenbrier Classic qualifier in West Virginia.
Thursday was the Pre Qualifier and I played pretty average. I shot 73, which was enough to scrape through to the Monday qualifier. I didn't hit that many greens in regulation but was able to make a few good par saves and achieve the objective of the day which was the progress to the final qualifier on the Monday.
It is a course that I really like, a lot of tee shots fit my eye and the greens are good. So, although my play of late hasn't been up to the standard I set for myself, I was expecting to give it a good run to try and get in to the tournament.
I started off hitting 2 really good shots into the 10th (my 1st) to 12 feet. Somehow I missed a 2 foot putt after my birdie try slid by, so I walked to the 11th tee +1. 2 more 3-Putts and a bad iron shot left me at +4 through 9 and I really wasn't playing that badly.
My back 9 wasn't much better on the greens. I did make 2 birdies but I also made a quadruple bogey 8 at the par 4 6th hole. I ended up signing for a 79, obviously nowhere near the qualifying mark.
I have decided to take a little break for about 5 or 6 days or so. I did it last year and it helped. I am a little lost with what's going on in my game and my swing. I need a little time to get away from it and then come back raring to go for the summer and Q School in the autumn.
I know I will turn it around, I am capable of achieving great things but I'm not playing my game at the moment. I need a break to turn it around.
My next tournament will be the Cabarrus Classic. I'll be back and ready to compete then.
Thanks for following,
Lee
Friday, 12 June 2015
Repost: last 4 events
My apologies, I know this post is long overdue. My travel schedule has been pretty intense over the last 3 weeks, covering nearly 3000 miles. I haven't had much time to post a summary of the events I have played.
I have played in 4 events since my last blog. U.S Open Qualifying (Okatie, SC), Rex Hospital Open qualifier (Greensboro, NC), Egolf Biggs Cadillac Championship (Hertford, NC) and St Jude Championship qualifier (Memphis, TN).
From a results standpoint, my golf over the last few weeks hasn't been up to the level I expect of myself. I have shown signs of good play but have been struggling particularly off the tee. I have put in some good work, focusing on my driver and I'm starting to play the way I know I can play tee to green.
U.S Open local Qualifier: started off pretty steady, level par through 8 but went through a really bad stretch around the turn, hitting a lot of my drives right. I birdied the last to shoot +3, but not low enough to get through. I enjoyed the day though and I had a great caddie in Terry Sambrook!
Next up was Greensboro, NC where I met Duncan Playford and Phil Head, who had planned a U.S. tour to watch me in action and do a little sightseeing along the way. We had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed their visit. For the qualifier, (Web.com event) again I started off solidly, -1 through 5 but the shot that has plagued me over the last few weeks came back into play on the par 5 6th. I hit 2 out of bounds and ended up taking a 9. Unfortunately my day went downhill from there and didn't make the top 6 in order to qualify.
From there we travelled to Hertford, NC for the Egolf Biggs Cadillac Championship. I played a bit better in this one but again my tee game held me back. For the week I played the 7th & 13th holes in +8 but was +4 total for the 2 rounds. I took some confidence from the fact I was making plenty of birdies. Duncan was on the bag for the 2nd round, a great experience for both of us.
From there I travelled to Memphis, TN after working on my game for a couple of days. I played really nicely in the pre-qualifier shooting 69. Big improvement off the tee and felt in control of my game for most of the day. I qualified through to the main 'final' qualifier on the Sunday.
In the Sunday qualifier I just couldn't quite get the same feeling back in my swing. I shot 72 but it was never really going to be lower than that, o scrambled quite well but was playing recovery golf too much to go low enough to qualify. But a very positive weekend for me after a disappointing last 3 events.
I will now use the next 2 weeks to work on my game and get it ready for the busy couple of months ahead. My next event is the Greenbrier qualifier which I narrowly missed out on last year. I have every expectation of going one step further this time around.
I will update soon, thanks for following.
Lee
Thursday, 11 June 2015
Last 4 events
My apologies, I know this post is long overdue. My travel schedule has been pretty intense over the last 3 weeks, covering nearly 3000 miles. I haven't had much time to post a summary of the events I have played.
I have played in 4 events since my last blog. U.S Open Qualifying (Okatie, SC), Rex Hospital Open qualifier (Greensboro, NC), Egolf Biggs Cadillac Championship (Hertford, NC) and St Jude Championship qualifier (Memphis, TN).
From a results standpoint, my golf over the last few weeks hasn't been up to the level I expect of myself. I have shown signs of good play but have been struggling particularly off the tee. I have put in some good work, focusing on my driver and I'm starting to play the way I know I can play tee to green.
U.S Open local Qualifier: started off pretty steady, level par through 8 but went through a really bad stretch around the turn, hitting a lot of my drives right. I birdied the last to shoot +3, but not low enough to get through. I enjoyed the day though and I had a great caddie in Terry Sambrook!
Next up was Greensboro, NC where I met Duncan Playford and Phil Head, who had planned a U.S. tour to watch me in action and do a little sightseeing along the way. We had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed their visit. For the qualifier, (Web.com event) again I started off solidly, -1 through 5 but the shot that has plagued me over the last few weeks came back into play on the par 5 6th. I hit 2 out of bounds and ended up taking a 9. Unfortunately my day went downhill from there and didn't make the top 6 in order to qualify.
From there we travelled to Hertford, NC for the Egolf Biggs Cadillac Championship. I played a bit better in this one but again my tee game held me back. For the week I played the 7th & 13th holes in +8 but was +4 total for the 2 rounds. I took some confidence from the fact I was making plenty of birdies. Duncan was on the bag for the 2nd round, a great experience for both of us.
From there I travelled to Memphis, TN after working on my game for a couple of days. I played really nicely in the pre-qualifier shooting 69. Big improvement off the tee and felt in control of my game for most of the day. I qualified through to the main 'final' qualifier on the Sunday.
In the Sunday qualifier I just couldn't quite get the same feeling back in my swing. I shot 72 but it was never really going to be lower than that, o scrambled quite well but was playing recovery golf too much to go low enough to qualify. But a very positive weekend for me after a disappointing last 3 events.
I will now use the next 2 weeks to work on my game and get it ready for the busy couple of months ahead. My next event is the Greenbrier qualifier which I narrowly missed out on last year. I have every expectation of going one step further this time around.
I will update soon, thanks for following.
Lee
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Staying positive despite disappointment
I've had 2 tournaments since my last post. The first of which (Sedgefield Classic in Greensboro) I won't go into too much detail about, I have learned from it and have moved on. I think it was a slight case of being caught out thinking too much about the swing, combined with really tough conditions. I did redeem myself a bit in the second round and at least had a good front 9.
My second event was the Wells Fargo Pre Qualifier in Charlotte on Thursday. The round was ticking a long really steady and started to hit the ball great mid way through the back 9. I was level par through 14, hit driver-wedge to 8 feet on 15 which i made for a birdie. Then hit 3 wood-wedge to 6 feet on 16 which I missed. Then 3 wood-wedge to 7 feet on 17 which is where the round turned on me. I hit the first putt without a thought but finding the middle of the hole, the ball missed and rolled about 1.5-2 feet past......I marked it, went through my routine, hit a slight pull, lipped out. bogey! crazy mistake. Anyway, I headed to 18 tee a little shocked which I tried to control but ended up making a poor swing which led to another bogey. All of a sudden I turned a 69 or 70 into a 73. I ended up missing the qualifying mark by one shot.
Of course I was disappointed in myself to let the round slip like I did, however there are a lot of positives I can take away. The back 9 is the best I have been tee to green all season. I feel like my swing is starting to feel really good and implementing the slight alterations i have been working on. I have also just had a visit with Stan my psychologist which went really well, I have gotten away from a few of the on course techniques that really helped me last year.
My next event will be the US Open local qualifying which is the first stage, fully expecting a great result and progression into the sectional qualifier.
Stay tuned. Thanks
Lee
My second event was the Wells Fargo Pre Qualifier in Charlotte on Thursday. The round was ticking a long really steady and started to hit the ball great mid way through the back 9. I was level par through 14, hit driver-wedge to 8 feet on 15 which i made for a birdie. Then hit 3 wood-wedge to 6 feet on 16 which I missed. Then 3 wood-wedge to 7 feet on 17 which is where the round turned on me. I hit the first putt without a thought but finding the middle of the hole, the ball missed and rolled about 1.5-2 feet past......I marked it, went through my routine, hit a slight pull, lipped out. bogey! crazy mistake. Anyway, I headed to 18 tee a little shocked which I tried to control but ended up making a poor swing which led to another bogey. All of a sudden I turned a 69 or 70 into a 73. I ended up missing the qualifying mark by one shot.
Of course I was disappointed in myself to let the round slip like I did, however there are a lot of positives I can take away. The back 9 is the best I have been tee to green all season. I feel like my swing is starting to feel really good and implementing the slight alterations i have been working on. I have also just had a visit with Stan my psychologist which went really well, I have gotten away from a few of the on course techniques that really helped me last year.
My next event will be the US Open local qualifying which is the first stage, fully expecting a great result and progression into the sectional qualifier.
Stay tuned. Thanks
Lee
Monday, 20 April 2015
Not my best golf in New Orleans but feeling better for Greensboro.
Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. I have driven 1,600 in the past 5 days and haven't had much time to blog.
I traveled to a very wet New Orleans, Louisiana to try and qualify for the Zurich Classic (PGA tour event). I had been feeling a lot better about my long game back home in Hilton Head since my visit to Andrew Rice. But when I got to New Orleans for the practice round on Thursday I felt pretty drained and the body wasn't firing as it usually is, perhaps something to do with driving 11 hours cross country the day before.
However, I started off steadily in the qualifier. Four pars and a birdie through the first 5 holes and I was settled into the round. I made an alarmingly bad swing with a 5 iron on the 6th, finding the water hazard right on a lay up shot. Although I tried to remain in the moment and focus on the process, this kind of freaked me out and I went through a 3 hole stretch of missing everything right. After dropping 4 shots in 3 holes, I found myself +3 through 9 and facing an uphill battle to make it through.
I made an excellent birdie on the 10th to steady the ship, then missed medium-short length birdie try's at 11 & 12, before what can only be described as bad luck and a total momentum killer at the 13th. I hit my tee shot a little right, maybe 5 yards off the fairway in the rough. When I got to where I thought my ball was, I couldn't find it even after 5 minutes of searching. Assuming it was plugged, I went back to the tee, hit another, walked up to that one (similar position to ball #1) and found the original ball plugged in a low wet area! The double bogey kind of killed the momentum I had built over the last couple of holes. I made a nice putt for birdie at 16, but my ultra aggressive strategy got the best of me at the last to put the nail in the coffin.
I ended up with a very disappointing 77 and obviously didn't qualify.
What I have learned from this week is probably to try and break up my travel so I don't write off a day before a competitive round. I have also learned that I can't let a mistake rattle me. I allowed the shot on 6 to define my front 9, and I can't afford to let this happen.
My stats for the day were:
Fairways - 9/14 (64%)
Greens in reg - 9/18 (50%)
Putts - 28
Up & Downs - 6/10 (60%)
Bunker saves - 1/3 (33%)
On to the Sedgefield Classic in Greensboro, a course I like and played solidly at last year. I have had time to recoup and rest so I am ready to go on Wednesday.
Stay tuned, thanks for following.
Lee
I traveled to a very wet New Orleans, Louisiana to try and qualify for the Zurich Classic (PGA tour event). I had been feeling a lot better about my long game back home in Hilton Head since my visit to Andrew Rice. But when I got to New Orleans for the practice round on Thursday I felt pretty drained and the body wasn't firing as it usually is, perhaps something to do with driving 11 hours cross country the day before.
However, I started off steadily in the qualifier. Four pars and a birdie through the first 5 holes and I was settled into the round. I made an alarmingly bad swing with a 5 iron on the 6th, finding the water hazard right on a lay up shot. Although I tried to remain in the moment and focus on the process, this kind of freaked me out and I went through a 3 hole stretch of missing everything right. After dropping 4 shots in 3 holes, I found myself +3 through 9 and facing an uphill battle to make it through.
I made an excellent birdie on the 10th to steady the ship, then missed medium-short length birdie try's at 11 & 12, before what can only be described as bad luck and a total momentum killer at the 13th. I hit my tee shot a little right, maybe 5 yards off the fairway in the rough. When I got to where I thought my ball was, I couldn't find it even after 5 minutes of searching. Assuming it was plugged, I went back to the tee, hit another, walked up to that one (similar position to ball #1) and found the original ball plugged in a low wet area! The double bogey kind of killed the momentum I had built over the last couple of holes. I made a nice putt for birdie at 16, but my ultra aggressive strategy got the best of me at the last to put the nail in the coffin.
I ended up with a very disappointing 77 and obviously didn't qualify.
What I have learned from this week is probably to try and break up my travel so I don't write off a day before a competitive round. I have also learned that I can't let a mistake rattle me. I allowed the shot on 6 to define my front 9, and I can't afford to let this happen.
My stats for the day were:
Fairways - 9/14 (64%)
Greens in reg - 9/18 (50%)
Putts - 28
Up & Downs - 6/10 (60%)
Bunker saves - 1/3 (33%)
On to the Sedgefield Classic in Greensboro, a course I like and played solidly at last year. I have had time to recoup and rest so I am ready to go on Wednesday.
Stay tuned, thanks for following.
Lee
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Championship @ St James
Unfortunately my good play in Monday's Pro-Am somewhat dried up for the main tournament this week. I shot 74 (+2) and 78 (+6) and missed the halfway cut.
My game was pretty solid in round 1, and barring a double bogey at the 5th (my 14th hole) I would have been in the top 15 or so. Going in to round 2 I was confident of posting a low score to assure I made the weekend and started off great, birdieing the 1st and 2nd. However my momentum was halted abruptly after double bogeys at the 3rd and 4th, following 2 hooks off the tee. For the rest of the round I couldn't seem to build any momentum. I made 5 birdies but couldn't sustain a good run of holes.
Throughout the 2 rounds of the main event I struggled with my ball striking particularly the long irons. I also struggled shaping the ball right to left when I needed to. This comes mostly from being a little steep with the downswing and a slightly shut club face in the delivery of the club.
My short game (as my statistics will show) was good, as it mostly is. I just have to sort out my long game. I am booked in Tuesday to see Andrew Rice a very well renowned swing coach based here in Hilton Head. Really looking forward to working with him.
My stats for the tournament were:
Fairways: 18/28 (64%)
Greens in Reg: 19/36 (53%)
Putts: 28.5 per round
Up and downs: 10/15 (67%)
bunker: 1/2 (50%)
Some better stats to come.......
A couple of action shots from this week:
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My game was pretty solid in round 1, and barring a double bogey at the 5th (my 14th hole) I would have been in the top 15 or so. Going in to round 2 I was confident of posting a low score to assure I made the weekend and started off great, birdieing the 1st and 2nd. However my momentum was halted abruptly after double bogeys at the 3rd and 4th, following 2 hooks off the tee. For the rest of the round I couldn't seem to build any momentum. I made 5 birdies but couldn't sustain a good run of holes.
Throughout the 2 rounds of the main event I struggled with my ball striking particularly the long irons. I also struggled shaping the ball right to left when I needed to. This comes mostly from being a little steep with the downswing and a slightly shut club face in the delivery of the club.
My short game (as my statistics will show) was good, as it mostly is. I just have to sort out my long game. I am booked in Tuesday to see Andrew Rice a very well renowned swing coach based here in Hilton Head. Really looking forward to working with him.
My stats for the tournament were:
Fairways: 18/28 (64%)
Greens in Reg: 19/36 (53%)
Putts: 28.5 per round
Up and downs: 10/15 (67%)
bunker: 1/2 (50%)
Some better stats to come.......
A couple of action shots from this week:
Monday, 30 March 2015
Duke School of Nursing Pro-Am at St James
Hi everyone, sorry for my lack of updates lately, I have been working hard to prepare my game for the coming events in April. The weather has been great in Hilton Head, and I am getting closer to playing some proper golf.
I was invited to play in the second annual pro-am benefiting the Duke University School of Nursing. 37 teams (each with 1 professional and 3 amateurs) competed. There were plenty of prizes available for the amateurs and a small purse of $4,000 for the strong list of pro's.
I shot a very solid round of 70 (-2) in windy conditions on the tough Reserve club which was good enough to finish in a tie for 2nd place. I made a small but helpful cheque of $800, which is even better considering there was no entry fee!
My team came about middle of the pack, but I was happy with my performance on a course I have struggled on the last 2 years. My putter was hot all day, needing only 25 putts for the round.
Today was great preparation for the main event starting Wednesday on the same course. I will take a lot of confidence in the knowledge that my form is heading in the right direction.
My tee times for Round 1 and 2 are 12:40 and 8:40 respectively.
Here are my stats for the day:
Fairways: 11/14 (79%)
Greens in regulation: 12/18 (67%)
Putts: 25
Up and Downs: 6/6 (100%)
Pretty good on the short game!
Check www.egolfprofessionaltour.com for tournament updates starting on Wednesday
Cheers
I was invited to play in the second annual pro-am benefiting the Duke University School of Nursing. 37 teams (each with 1 professional and 3 amateurs) competed. There were plenty of prizes available for the amateurs and a small purse of $4,000 for the strong list of pro's.
I shot a very solid round of 70 (-2) in windy conditions on the tough Reserve club which was good enough to finish in a tie for 2nd place. I made a small but helpful cheque of $800, which is even better considering there was no entry fee!
My team came about middle of the pack, but I was happy with my performance on a course I have struggled on the last 2 years. My putter was hot all day, needing only 25 putts for the round.
Today was great preparation for the main event starting Wednesday on the same course. I will take a lot of confidence in the knowledge that my form is heading in the right direction.
My tee times for Round 1 and 2 are 12:40 and 8:40 respectively.
Here are my stats for the day:
Fairways: 11/14 (79%)
Greens in regulation: 12/18 (67%)
Putts: 25
Up and Downs: 6/6 (100%)
Pretty good on the short game!
Check www.egolfprofessionaltour.com for tournament updates starting on Wednesday
Cheers
Friday, 6 March 2015
Mid Pines recap
This week at Mid Pines wasn't my best performance on the course. A mixture of some rust and poor course management cost me making the cut, so from that standpoint it was a pretty disappointing week. As always though, there were some positives I can take out of the first two competitive rounds of the year.
The conditions were pretty tough for scoring, +4 ended up being the number to make the cut. My 2 rounds of 74 and 77 put me in a tie for 45th out of a field of 85....obviously too low down to make it through to the final round.
Stats for the week:
Fairways: 14/28 (50%)
Greens in regulation: 20/36 (56%)
Putts per round: 30.5 - including 3 3-putts
Up and downs: 8/15 (53%)
Sand saves: 4/6 (67%)
Played the par 5's in -2
Par 4's +10
Par 3's +1
Have to improve on the par 4 scoring.
Back to work today on the range and short game area. My game will be ready for my next event which will be at St James Plantation, on the 1st April.
Will send an update soon,
Here is a picture of the putting green Mid Pines golf club after the storm came through...
The conditions were pretty tough for scoring, +4 ended up being the number to make the cut. My 2 rounds of 74 and 77 put me in a tie for 45th out of a field of 85....obviously too low down to make it through to the final round.
Stats for the week:
Fairways: 14/28 (50%)
Greens in regulation: 20/36 (56%)
Putts per round: 30.5 - including 3 3-putts
Up and downs: 8/15 (53%)
Sand saves: 4/6 (67%)
Played the par 5's in -2
Par 4's +10
Par 3's +1
Have to improve on the par 4 scoring.
Back to work today on the range and short game area. My game will be ready for my next event which will be at St James Plantation, on the 1st April.
Will send an update soon,
Here is a picture of the putting green Mid Pines golf club after the storm came through...
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Mid Pines Classic
Tomorrow will be my first competitive round of 2015 and I'm definitely looking forward to getting started. It will be great to get back into tournament mode and kick off the season with some good form.
The weather here has been pretty poor for the last couple of weeks, not ideal prep but same for everyone. I was only able to play 9 holes in the practice round because of the weather but the course looks in good condition and I'm ready to have a great tournament.
The field is only 84 players this week with $100,000 guaranteed purse - really good potential payout. My mind however will be focused on the 'process' as usual.
My start times (Eastern U.S time -5 GMT) for the first 2 rounds are:
Round 1: 9:03 a.m off the 1st
Round 2: 8:00 a.m off the 10th
For scoring updates please check: www.egolfprofessionaltour.com
I will update the blog with a summary at the conclusion of the event.
Lee
The weather here has been pretty poor for the last couple of weeks, not ideal prep but same for everyone. I was only able to play 9 holes in the practice round because of the weather but the course looks in good condition and I'm ready to have a great tournament.
The field is only 84 players this week with $100,000 guaranteed purse - really good potential payout. My mind however will be focused on the 'process' as usual.
My start times (Eastern U.S time -5 GMT) for the first 2 rounds are:
Round 1: 9:03 a.m off the 1st
Round 2: 8:00 a.m off the 10th
For scoring updates please check: www.egolfprofessionaltour.com
I will update the blog with a summary at the conclusion of the event.
Lee
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Hilton Head
Hello everyone,
Just a short update to say that I arrived on Hilton Head Island yesterday (17th Feb) and moved into my new digs with the Sambrook family. The Carolinas have been hit by a bitterly cold patch this week, nonetheless practice at my new home club - Palmetto Hall Plantation started today. The game felt a little rusty today following my travel schedule, but scoring pretty nicely.
Although the next couple of days look a bit ropy weather-wise I plan on practicing and playing for the next 11 days before heading to Southern Pines (next door to Pinehurst) for the Mid Pines Classic - site of my first paycheck as a pro!
I will update the blog before the tournament begins.
Here is a picture of the short game practice area at Palmetto. I will be spending quite a few hours here over the next 10 months:
Friday, 16 January 2015
2015
Happy New Year everyone!
I thought I would post an update as I get ready for the start of the 2015 season.
I've had a really good rest and social golf over the Christmas period, it's been great to wind down for a few weeks to recoup a little after a busy year of golf, training regimen and travel. I had some physio work done, with Aileen Ross (based in Hurst Green/Oxted) on my hip which at times has been troublesome particularly in the latter half of the year. Aileen has given me some pointers as to what I should be doing to keep the areas around my hip less tight and to protect from injury.
For this coming season, there will be a couple of new ventures. I will be slightly relocating. I have an unbelievable opportunity to move to Palmetto Hall Plantation, Hilton Head Island sight of the Egolf's tour championship at the end of 2014. I will be staying with two members of PHP, The Sambrook family and will have a very similar set up to the last two years in Charlotte.
The fund raising has been going pretty well and I am getting closer to my target figure. I am finalising my schedule as well which will include more qualifiers to give me that chance to make the breakthrough to the Web.com tour which is what this all about.
Stay tuned for more updates. I am aiming to get to the States on the 15th Feb, a week before my first tournament.
Thanks for following,
Lee
I thought I would post an update as I get ready for the start of the 2015 season.
I've had a really good rest and social golf over the Christmas period, it's been great to wind down for a few weeks to recoup a little after a busy year of golf, training regimen and travel. I had some physio work done, with Aileen Ross (based in Hurst Green/Oxted) on my hip which at times has been troublesome particularly in the latter half of the year. Aileen has given me some pointers as to what I should be doing to keep the areas around my hip less tight and to protect from injury.
For this coming season, there will be a couple of new ventures. I will be slightly relocating. I have an unbelievable opportunity to move to Palmetto Hall Plantation, Hilton Head Island sight of the Egolf's tour championship at the end of 2014. I will be staying with two members of PHP, The Sambrook family and will have a very similar set up to the last two years in Charlotte.
The fund raising has been going pretty well and I am getting closer to my target figure. I am finalising my schedule as well which will include more qualifiers to give me that chance to make the breakthrough to the Web.com tour which is what this all about.
Stay tuned for more updates. I am aiming to get to the States on the 15th Feb, a week before my first tournament.
Thanks for following,
Lee
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