Jun 26, 2007 @ 01:40 pm by chris
I dragged my sorry ass out to Willow Valley in Hamilton on Saturday morning. I had heard good things about the course and was happy to finally get out and play it. I really enjoyed the course, awesome condition and great layout…and it had some of the fastest greens I had ever played on.
I have shot some decent rounds this year so far, especially considering where my game was last year so I thought this would be a sign of how my game was. I was well rested and focused. If I shot well then perhaps most of what Jon had taught me last year was sinking in, if not, it may be time to let the poor guy off the hook.
As you can tell by the title of this post, I shot well. I put up a solid 90, where as last year on a course like this I would have been around 105. I played very well, had a bunch of pars and very make able birdie putts. I also missed 3 putts from less than 3 feet (once again, very fast greens), and on the 10th hole I hit a great tee shot down a tight fairway and was sitting 90 yards out. My next shot went 15 feet into water…chalk up a triple bogey!! Subtract the water shot and 1 or 2 putts and I am sitting sub-90! I’ll take it!
I am off to Ottawa this weekend for Canada Day where I hope to squeeze in 3 rounds…but there will be a lot of friends there and even more beer. Could make for some interesting golf!
Jun 21, 2007 @ 01:41 pm by chris
Since starting the whole ‘Going Pro’ experiment, I have realized the importance of practice in becoming a better player. Not just getting to the range and whacking balls but actually having a goal and working on it.
My biggest issue right now is finding time to get to the range! I live in downtown Toronto so there are no ranges anywhere close. To get to them after work would take a lifetime due to the traffic. Weekends don’t work because I play and when I play we like to tee it up nice and early. This is becoming a real problem for me. That being said, I am scoring much better than I did last year. I know this won’t continue…but I need to find a solution.
I’ll keep you posted…
Jun 11, 2007 @ 10:05 pm by chris
My good friends over at Element 21 have been building one hell of a business and really believe their clubs are the best on the market. They believe their clubs will benefit everyone from professionals (who are already using the product) to the weekend hacker (yours truly) who is struggling to improve their game. They stepped up and put their Scandium where their mouths are and have offered to let me use the clubs and see if they help.
4 weeks in and guess what?? THEY HELP! My shots are flying straighter and longer. This is a combination of me naturally improving over time but the extra distance is something I didn’t expect right away. My irons are going 10-15 yards further than last season. In fact, after only a few rounds this season, one of my bigger issues is guess the yardage on my approaches.
Damn this game is getting fun!
Jun 11, 2007 @ 09:52 pm by chris
I had a rough year in 2006. I started the ‘Going Pro’ experiment and had very high hopes. I thought after a year of lessons and training my butt off, I would go from a regular 105-110 hitter to cracking 90 on a regular basis. In hindsight…wow I was an idiot.
I am a typical ex-jock, well past my prime but supremely confident in my athletic ability. Like most people who watch the game, I thought it was very simple…I now know different. Playing this game is tough and requires tremendous mental and physical discipline. So this off season I didn’t pick up a club at all. I read back through all my past lessons with Jon. I went over my notes not just on the swing and everything he taught me, I also went over my notes on how I felt, what was good and what I struggled with. Guess what? It might have worked!
This spring I hit the range and couldn’t believe the results. I was hitting long and straight, my chipping was better and so was my overall understanding of my swing. I will get into the rounds in more detail but my first round I shot 100, followed by a 95 which was quickly followed by my best round of all-time…and 86!
Perhaps sometimes we just need to walk away and reflect. Let’s hope I can keep up the improvements.
May 10, 2007 @ 06:45 pm by chris
The off-season may have brought a change in my game but I have also changed some of the partners helping me with my goals. The biggest change may be my equipment. For those faithful readers of the Illogicial Golf Blog, you know I have been following Element 21 for sometime. They have agreed to come on board as an equipment sponsor and I can’t say enough already. I plan on writing more about this equipment and the results they have posted in independent test. In the meantime, please see the latest press release on the Going Pro experiment below:
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From Weekend Duffer to Pro Golfer, With a Little Help From His FriendsAre professional golfers as good as they are due to superior natural ability or because of privileges not normally afforded to the average golfer? What would happen if we took a 30-handicap weekend duffer and provided him with instruction from one of North America’s top golf instructors, access to top courses and training facilities, state-of-the-art golf clubs and equipment? These are the questions we’ll continue to answer throughout the coming seasons, with a reader experience that has proven to be both entertaining and informative, in the Going Pro Golf Blog.
The Going Pro Golf Blog will follow our weekend duffer, Nigel Da Costa, as he trains and plays, documenting his scores and sharing his thoughts on his successes & challenges as he works to become professional golfer.
Assisting Nigel through his journey into professional golf are some of the industry’s most sought-after individuals and companies:
- Jon Roy is one of Canada’s top up and coming golf instructors. John works under Henry Brunton, Canada’s National golf coach and one of Golf Magazines Top 100 Instructors. John will work regularly with Nigel to help reveal his own consistent swing style and help correct any swing flaws that occur throughout the season.
- Equipment is being provided by one of the top up and coming equipment manufacturers, Element 21, who manufactures their golf equipment with a patented Scandium Alloy, the first new material to be introduced to golf since Titanium.
- Debbie Horovitch, the first Ontario yoga instructor certified personally by Katherine Roberts, fitness expert to the Golf Channel, to instruct her groundbreaking Yoga For GolfersTM program, will work with Nigel to train his body for peak golf performance the way the pros do. Yoga For GolfersTM is specifically designed to enhance golf athletic ability, enjoyment and performance with increased club head speed, accuracy and mental calm by practising a tailor-made series of stretching, strengthening and breathing exercises.
- Nigel will train out of the Titleist Fitting Centre at Eagles Nest Golf Club. Nigel will also play out of 2 home courses, Eagles Nest Golf Club and Royal Woodbine Golf Club. In addition, practice sessions will take place at Inner Golf, Toronto’s newest indoor golf facility.
- Online analysis of Nigel;s game will be conducted by Peter Sanders of Shot By Shot.
The Going Pro Golf Blog started in January 2006 and has generated a tremendous following from all over the world. By September of 2006, the blog was already generating over 7,000 readers a month. “An experiment of this type has never been attempted before and unlike TV, the internet allows us to create an international audience and provides the reader direct interaction through questions and comments directly on the blog.
“Every golfer has asked themselves how much better they could be if they played more, had better equipment and had professional instruction. The Going Pro experiment will help answer some of these questions”, says Da Costa.
Readers can follow Nigel’s progress on his Going Pro Golf Blog:
http://www.golflogic.ca/going-pro-golf/
May 08, 2007 @ 06:16 pm by chris
A lot of time has passed since my last golf game. I thought I was going to spend the winter training and devoting my life to golf in an effort to improve. Instead I did the exact opposite. I put my clubs away and focused more on fitness and mental preparation. I thought about golf and reflected on my game, and the game in general, but that was about it.
2 weeks ago I picked up the clubs for the first time and hit a few balls. I have no idea what happened but the ball was flying off the club. Everything seemed to make sense all of a sudden. I am not sure if I am a slow learner or if I had just been packed full of too much information but all of a sudden it all made sense.
Last season I was thinking about my driver, how to hit long irons, chipping, pitching, putting, etc…I really needed the time off. After all these months of reflection, I think a lot of it sank in.
I recently played my first two rounds of the year and they were great…I will recap them in the coming days. Last season I was driving the ball about 220 yards, which made it very hard to hit many greens in regulations. After two games this year I was averaging drives of 250+! It really makes the game a lot easier.
I am not sure what this season holds but I am excited to get started. I meet Jon for my first lesson this weekend…keep your fingers crossed!
Feb 05, 2007 @ 01:40 pm by chris
Jon recently invited me to a class he was hosting revolving around Ben Hogan’s 5 Secrets. The first class was different from what I expected but still a lot of fun.
We had 6 people in the class…3 men and 3 women. Some were very experienced golfers and some were brand new to the game. The course entails 6 classes. Each week we will review a chapter of the book then hit the driving range to work on the fundamentals which Hogan discusses in his book. This was such a great experience that I asked Jon to start a second class for some of my blog readers. Jon enthusiastically agreed so if you are interested, please email me at Nigel @ golflogic.ca and we can arrange a time. Sorry to those who aren’t local, but the classes take place on Sundays at The Ultimate Golf Center in Vaughan, just north of Toronto.
This will be a great tune-up for the season so let me know if you are interested or have any questions.
Jan 03, 2007 @ 11:25 am by chris
…or at least the reading glasses. I spoke with Jon last week so we could start planning our 2007 training. I asked what I should do in preperation for our next meeting and he said I need to go out and purchase Ben Hogan’s 5 Lessons - what Jon and others refers to as the Bible of Golf.
In the coming weeks, Jon will be teaching a class using ‘5 Lessons’ as the text book. It has been a while since I last studied but I am looking forward to it. Once I have more information on the class and structure, I will pass it along.
Dec 07, 2006 @ 04:54 pm by chris
…well sort of. As some of you have noticed, I have taken more than a month away from golf and the blog. Time to clear my head of playing and thinking about playing. Monday I finally got around to taking my clubs out of the car and giving them a good season ending clean.
In almost CSI-like fashion, each club really tells the story of my game. 3 and 4 irons are almost spotless as I rarely take them out of the bag and all other irons are dirty everywhere except the sweet spot. I noticed toward the end of the season that I was hitting most shots off the inside of the club…I guess I am still doing it!
So what happens now? I still have a wedge in my living room which I swing from time to time but I am almost happy the season is over so I can re-charge my brain. Over the next few weeks I will be meeting with Jon to make a plan for the winter and next season. I have been spending a lot of time at the gym as well. Really working on improving my core strength which is really helping with my normal day-to-day activities as well.
Aside from that, I am going to enjoy the winter, the NFL playoffs and not think too much about golf. That being said, the blog will continue…with what. I have no idea but check back often!
Oct 26, 2006 @ 03:59 pm by chris
I am looking at a round of golf mid-next week and in all reality, that should be it for my outdoor season. This weekend is supposed to rain so that kills any hope of getting out.
After my final round next week (hopefully), I am going to take some time away from the clubs and process everything going through my head. My head is crammed full of golf information that I fear other valuable information like my name,or how to chew will somehow overflow out of my knowledge bowl. As funny as it sounds, I wish I could hold a microphone to my ear as I stand over the ball and let you all hear the chatter going on in my head.
I think it would be usefull to review my lesson entries and spend some time thinking about what worked and didn’t work over the season. The hit an indoor range sometime in December to see how things progress.
