Final Florida Event
I played my final “off-season” event in Florida this week at PGA National Estates course in West Palm Beach. This was a two-day “major” on the Minor League Golf Tour. As I mentioned in previous emails, these guys do a great job for a small mini tour. They “get” the fact that mini tours are, for 99% of the golfers who play them, a losing proposition. For most players, they’re a way to improve to the point where you’re ready to play on the next level - PGA or Nationwide. For a few players, they’re simply a way to stay competitive between opportunities to play on the next level. Regardless, financially savvy players should be looking to minimize their losses in mini tour events. This tour, by charging lower entry fees and paying out half the field (with less money at the top), enables players to minimize their losses more effectively.
Back to the event… It was incredibly windy the last two days - around 20mph sustained each day. This made it difficult for me to maintain trust in my swing changes. Consequently, I made more poor swings than I have in recent weeks.
My strategy also failed to pay dividends this week. When I mapped out the course each morning based on the strength and direction of the wind, I knew which holes would offer opportunities to get aggressive and which holes were “good pars”. In particular, the 5th, 6th, 15th and 17th were playing significantly downwind. On the first day, I hit it in the lake on the 5th and 16th with drives that were just slightly off my target. I simply misjudged the wind and that cost me about 4 shots. I also tried to drive the 6th, a shortish par 4, and misjudged the wind there as well. That cost me a bogey on a relatively short hole. Today, I played those holes better (2 under), but hit a poor drive on the 17th when I was going for the par 4 with my drive. Overall, I believe those 4 holes cost me 6-8 shots over two days and that was just about the difference between finishing 10th and having a chance to win down the stretch.
In other news, I had my first three-putt of the year in the first round. I was keeping this fact to myself…respecting the streak. The streak lasted 195 holes. It’s another measure of how well I’m putting it this year, and I feel that my best is still to come.
I’m looking forward to heading back north on Sunday and possibly getting out of this wind. Next week I will be playing the Tarheel Tour event at Oldfield Golf Club in Bluffton, SC.