Brian Quackenbush Golf

I took out the Monday qualifier for the John Deere on July 4th. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working with a good friend, Chad Moseley (now a pro at Belle Haven), on my game. We both agreed that I need to get into a few real, multi-day events. I need to stay competitive instead of just playing a bunch of Monday qualifiers. I’m also playing so well that we both want to see the changes we’ve made under some real tournament pressure. Because of this, we agreed that it made sense to just focus on the upcoming Tar Heel event instead of dealing with the potentially very heavy travel schedule if I had played the Monday qualifier.

Speaking of Chad, we’ve been working on very basic concepts for the last few weeks. A lot of work has been on-course behavior such as strategy and pre-game and pre-shot preparation. I was surprised at how much I could improve by putting some work into these seemingly very basic things. My preparation wasn’t as diligent (Chad’s word) as it needed to be and my course strategy needed to be tweaked slightly. Basically, I had fallen into the common mini-tour player’s trap of feeling like I needed to shoot way under par every round to win. This puts too much pressure on the game. So, I’m back to playing smart golf and giving myself a lot of good, safe chances for birdies and eliminating big mistakes. We have also worked some on short game and on simple swing concepts that I can take on the course. Over the years, Kirk Lucas got my swing shape so good that I really feel like there’s not a lot I need to focus on mechanically. So, now I’m working on simple, shot-oriented swing thoughts that allow myself to just play the game instead of trying to make perfect swings.

Since I started working with Chad, I’ve gotten a chance to see a lot of Belle Haven. Thanks very much to the Head Professional, Steve Danielson for allowing me to come out and work with Chad. I’ve also gotten a chance to play the renovated course several times and it looks very good. The new green complexes are very challenging and in great shape. We played yesterday in the morning (after a hard night of rain), and the greens were surprisingly firm, smooth and fast.

Yesterday was a busy day and I played another 18 in the afternoon back at International CC. In the afternoon, I shot a bogey-free 66 and missed a couple of short ones. My last 3 rounds at International are 63-65-66. I can’t wait to get down to Charlotte next week and put the changes into play in a tournament.

I had a pretty good day at International CC yesterday. In the morning, I shot a 63 (8 under) from the white tees. This is my career best at my home course…excluding the 60 I shot when we played a course shortened by a few temporary tees. The course was setup for the President’s cup, so the white tees were actually back further than normal. Hole locations were about average. The course record is 65 which I still consider valid because my round was not competitive.

After lunch, I went out for another round and shot 65 (6 under). I had my only bogey of the day in the second round. Same course setup as the first round. I was 14 under par, 128 for the day. I’m happy with this.

I wasn’t hitting it amazingly well, but did make a bunch of putts from 5 to 15 feet. I was playing smart most of the day. We have been working on course management a lot lately and I see now how it can pay off. Basically, I’m trying to get my tee shots into the best possible place to approach the green. This sounds simple, but it’s actually a pretty good mental challenge. For example, on the second hole, the best and safest shot is a 220 yard 3 iron off the tee because it takes the lake and tree out of play and still leaves only a wedge or 9 iron. Conversely, on number 6, the best shot is to try to blast a cut driver over the tree at the top of the hill on the right. Once over the tree, it opens up a bunch on the right. If I try to hit a driving iron straight away, it’s actually a more difficult shot because I run out of room left and need to hug the tree on the right. Plus, the driver gets me down to a lob or sand wedge into a 16 yard deep green instead of hitting a 9 iron over the lake with swirling winds.

My relationship with the Capital Hospice is going very well. I received a letter of endorsement from them today as well as their corporate logo. I will probably put the logo on a few shirts as well as on my staff bag. I learned something impressive from their letter. They help more than 600 terminally ill people and their families each day. They also provide their services to patients who are unable to pay for no charge. These are two more reasons that I’m proud to be partnering with them.

I just got back from New York and the PGA Qualifier. Again, I played well, but didn’t make it through.

It was a strange qualifier to say the least. To begin, when I called the shop at Pelham Country Club on my drive up Sunday, I was told that they were not allowing practice rounds. The practice round day was the previous Wednesday after 2pm. This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard for a Monday Qualifying site. Only the local golfers (and really only the ones who don’t play for a living) would be able to get in a practice round. It’s generally understood that Sunday afternoon is a practice round day for the qualifiers. I have no idea why this club decided to limit their practice rounds, but it was completely inappropriate. They did allow us to walk the course Sunday evening after 6pm as long as we didn’t take any clubs with us. To compound matters, Pelham didn’t allow us to use any of the practice facilities except the putting green on Sunday. Finally, they actually charged a range fee on Monday morning before the round. Again, this is unheard of for a Monday qualifying site. It seems that the club failed to realize that access to the course and practice facilities are always extended to competitors on the day prior to the event…mostly because of the travel burden we face coming to the site. I’m not sure where the breakdown in communications occurred, but Pelham Country Club and the Metropolitan PGA Section should be ashamed. OK, end of rant.

So, back to the round. The course setup was very, very firm and fast. I would estimate green speed in the 12-13 range on the stimp and very firm. In fact, the superintendent was syringing certain greens between groups (debateable whether this was appropriate). It’s an interesting, old course with several very quirky holes. I made a couple of errors, but several birdies and was one over with two to play. 3 under made it through. Overall, I hit it solid and putted OK, but found it difficult to get comfortable on several of the stranger holes because I had never hit a shot on them in practice.

A new schedule is posted on the schedule page. It’s a work in progress and is only through the end of August. I have a hole to fill at the beginning of August and need to decide whether I’m playing the John Deere PGA qualifier on July 4.

MacGregor sent me two new versions of their Bobby Grace M1 putter today. One is a solid head and the other has a very soft insert. My existing M1 has a beryllium insert. The soft insert feels great. I will probably put it in play for the Monday qualifier in two days.

I’ve continued to work on my pre-shot and visualization. Practice sessions are now involving less shots, but I feel like I’m getting more out of them. My “full-bore”, long-game practice session is now about 1 hour 15 minutes and involves hitting 75-80 shots…all with perfect pre-shot routine. I’m also working on a slight technical change in my backswing. I was just getting too closed on the backswing. Three days of work on this and it’s feeling pretty good. Everything feels solid going into Monday’s qualifier in Long Island. It’s the qualifier for the PGA Barclay’s Classic at Westchester CC.

I’ve done some preliminary work on my schedule changes. As I mentioned in my last update, I’m going to shift my qualifier focus from Nationwide to PGA Tour events. I’m also looking at putting a few Tar Heel Tour events on the schedule. I haven’t finalized everything yet, so the schedule page is still the same. I should have it all finished and posted in the next week or so.

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote something, so this is going to be a big update. I’ve been in Knoxville for the last few days…played in the Nationwide Tour qualifier down there. Thanks to the West’s (Jim, Nikki, Katherine…Smokey, Juliet, Trigger and Kiki) for their hospitality. I think I need to invest in a speed bike now! Oh - the qualifier…missed the playoff by a single stroke. I shot 4 under 68 with 2 birdies and an eagle…no bogies. I hit 16 greens in regulation and sniffed birdies all day long. It was really a cruise control round. The two greens that I missed were on the proper side, so they were relatively easy saves. Despite another very close call, I’m very happy with how I played and with my game in general right now.

I’ve been working a lot on pre-shot routine and visualization over the last week or so and it’s really paying off. I hit a lot of shots exactly how I pictured them during the round. All my work also made it easier to stay in the moment when there was a little pressure…like the last 9 holes of the round. I got it 3 under par through 7 and figured 3 or 4 under would be good enough (more about this later). I hit the last 10 greens in regulation and had 8 birdie putts inside 25 feet. I was starting to play strategically instead of trying to hit shots. When I stepped on the tee, I was visualizing shots that would allow me to score my best on the hole instead of trying to make a perfect swing. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is an enormous mental shift that gets me back to “playing” the game.

I learned something very important at the qualifer - Nationwide Tour qualifiers seem to be more difficult than PGA Tour qualifiers. Last week’s PGA Tour qualifier had more players for fewer spots (4 instead of 7) on an easier course, yet the number was 3 under par instead of 5 at this week’s qualifier. Not only was the score lower, but there were a slew of players one shot off the number this week. It makes absolutely no sense that the PGA qualifiers are easier than the Nationwide, but it’s really proving to be the case. In last year’s Nationwide qualifier at Williamsburg National, I shot 5 under on a reasonably difficult course with hard hole locations and was in a 14 for 3 playoff! I had a talk about this with my agents at Player’s Group after the round and they agreed. It doesn’t make any sense, but the PGA qualifiers are easier than the Nationwide ones. Financially, it will cost a bit more… $50 higher entry fee and perhaps more travel expense for more diverse locations. But, if you make it through a PGA Tour qualifier, you’re probably going to get a bonus just for teeing up your driver for the week. This isn’t necessarily going to happen at the Nationwide event. The driver bonus covers your expenses at a minimum. Plus, if you make the cut at the PGA Tour event, you’re playing for almost 10 times the purse money. Finally, the PGA Tour cuts to the low 70 and ties instead of low 60 and ties on the Nationwide Tour. The only drawback (aside from slightly increased expense) is that if you get top 25 in the Nationwide Tour event you get to play the next event versus top 10 for the PGA Tour event. So, after thinking it through and talking it out with my agent, I’m going to switch as many qualifiers as I can from Nationwide to PGA Tour starting with next week’s event at Westchester (NY).

I got the rest of my equipment from Titleist today…new 690MB irons (3-9) and a Vokey 48 degree pitching wedge. As always, everything is perfect. Titleist came through for me with new Driver, irons and shoes. They’re really a great organization. The driver has been in play with the new PROV1X ball for about 2 weeks now and it is absolutely incredible. I’m definitely getting a little more distance and a lot more on off-center hits. The ball looks like it’s spinning more (it is…about 500RPM), but it carries forever even into the wind. I’m very, very happy with the setup.

MacGregor is sending out new versions of their Bobby Grace M1 putter for me to try. One is a solid head and the other has a very soft insert. I’m looking forward to trying the soft insert one since this is one of the qualities that I have always loved about Bobby’s putters. Should get the new weapons this week!

I played well, but had a couple of bad bounces and one bad drive, so I missed the playoff by two or three shots. That’s the nature of Monday qualifiers…especially PGA Tour ones. You normally have to get everything going right for the whole round or you don’t have a chance. The bad drive and two goofy bounces cost me 4 shots. I had 5 birdies, so I feel like I had as good a chance as anyone.

A few things I noticed today: I have two swing thoughts…one is rather technical and is really meant for my practice sessions and one is more of a performance-based thought that I can use on the course. I found myself perhaps using the technical thought a bit too much today. We’re going to work on that this week. I also noticed that the things I’m doing with my putting stroke held up very well under pressure today.

Yesterday, I ran into the Tour rep from MacGregor’s Bobby Grace division, the maker of my ‘M1′ putter. He suggested I come out to the tour van this week at the Booz Allen to look at their new putters. I’m looking forward to seeing what their new stuff looks like.

I’m at 11:33 in the qualifier for the Booz Allen Classic on Monday. I still haven’t heard “no” yet about the sponsor’s exemption. It would be nice to get a call this weekend. That’s how it happened when I got the exemption back in 2002.

I’ve been working on simple swing thoughts for the last few days and I’m happy with how it’s going. I’m a little off at the top of my backswing with my wrist hinge. That’s the only mechanical thought I have and it’s only something I focus on in practice. On the course, my thought is to try to get my hands moving square to the target line in the impact zone. It’s a performance-oriented thought that really isn’t that mechanical so I like it.

I’m back to working with the putting laser about a half hour each day. I may fiddle with working the Putting Arc and the laser in the same practice session. I’m cautious about overdoing the mechanical thoughts right now though. Doing a little work with putting with my eyes closed as well. It tends to free up my stroke and takes my mind off mechanics.

A common theme you may notice in the last two paragraphs is that I’m trying to get away from so much mechanics. I think that all the work I did with Kirk Lucas over the last few years really got my swing into the right shape. I’ve gotten compliments from fellow pros more frequently over the last couple of years about my swing shape. Coming from “experts” like that, it confirms to me that I really don’t have any mechanical “deal-breakers” in my swing. I just need to start translating the efficiency in my swing into good shot-making on a more frequent basis. I feel like the swing thoughts I’m focusing on now are more geared toward hitting good shots instead of making good swings and I’m excited about that.

Fedex dropped off the new 905S driver today. 8.5 degree with a Grafalloy Blue S flex shaft. I put it in play today at the “I” along with the new version of the PRO V1X ball. Great combination to say the least. I notice a slight increase in spin rate off the driver and a lower launch angle (these are both due to the driver…not so much the ball). Distance is about the same except off-center hits retain ball speed better. It’s easier to control because the spin rate is right now. The new PRO V1X ball does exactly what Titleist claims it should do…spins more predictably off the short irons. My wedges definitely were spinning less (which is a good thing). On hole 8, I hit an 8 iron to a front pin on consecutive days. Day 1 I hit the old PRO V1X. Day 2 was the new ball. Even with wind in my face on day 2, the ball spun a lot less. On Day 1, it hit the slope and spun right off the green. The new driver just sits perfectly. Most clubs come off the factory floor with a very slight open or shut look to them, but this one looks perfectly square. I’m very happy with the entire setup.

I sent in my entry for the Booz Allen qualifier on Monday. I’m still hoping for a last-minute sponsor exemption. I haven’t heard “no” yet.

The partnership with the Capital Hospice has been finalized. We’re getting together some materials that I can include in correspondence for the LLC. I’m very excited about this partnership.