Lets start with the swing. It has changed. Drastically. For the better.
After getting to a place where I felt I could play great golf, I decided a lesson was in order. If I was gonna make the record books that was the way to get better. Not heeding the advice of my boss; "Nate, you know your own swing better than anyone..." I took the lesson in March 2011. And almost quit golf. In one session I could no longer hit the ball. Well, thats not true. I could hit it, but not where I was aiming.
Picture a duck gracefully soaring through the air...that was my ball flight before. Gorgeous. Now picture that same duck being shot out of the sky with a gun and twisting, turning, and crashing to the ground - my new ball flight. Not so gorgeous.
I wanted to quit. Give up. I would continue to pursue being a golf pro, but not a pro golfer. I COULDN'T EVEN HIT THE BALL!
But each morning God would remind me of the dream, His belief in me, and I would go back out believing it was going to be different. I waited. It didn't become different. It stayed the same. But each morning, during prayer, there was an urge to push me to keep trying. A feeling in my heart that I was gonna accomplish the BIG Dream. Not to give up. So I kept practicing. It was ugly stuff...trust me.
The next step was my clubs. I stopped playing my beloved Nike TW Blades. I realized I couldn't hit them. I couldn't.
At this point I was desperate. I began playing with a set of our rental clubs. Taylor Made Burner 1.0 Irons. I took them to the range, emptied my mind of all that I "learned" and tried to tap into what came naturally, get back in my flow. After a while, the beauty was back. Every shot. High draw. High fade. Great ball striking...BETTER than before. My joy was overflowing. I was so excited that I hit hundreds of range balls (the beauty of working for a golf course).
The next step was playing. You know this, and I know this, practicing and actually doing what you've practiced in a true setting, are two totally different things. I could hit it great on the driving range, but I couldn't bring that onto the course. Until just recently.
Enter the PGA Playing Ability Test (PAT). I had failed my first PGA PAT in April. I shot an 83 - 75. The playing ability test consists of playing 2 back to back rounds of golf and shooting a total score of 155 or better to pass. My best playing score around this time was a 79. VERY AVERAGE. I don't want to be average, I want to be GREAT. I started practicing every morning to get ready for my next PAT in July. As I neared my test date, I just felt like something special was going to happen. Out of the blue, literally, I shot a 72-74 in back-to-back rounds at my PGA Playing Ability Test (in 115 degree weather no-less). I was stoked, literally, I was on fire. It was so hot that near the end of my second round, I started getting the shakes. It was bad - and yet, I pushed through and nailed it! Passed by 9 shots.
The present step is my current game. I'm now playing Taylor Made Burner 2.0 irons, Taylor Made R11 3 wood, and a Callaway Razr Hawk Driver 9.5 degree. Amazing clubs. Amazing.
My game has been coming along smoothly. I started shooting rounds of 72, 73, 71, etc. I couldn't believe I was shooting just a couple of shots above par. Sometimes I still can't. It seemed so far away at one point, and now I'm close. So close I can almost taste it. But no rounds under par, at par, but not my goal of playing under par.
My change of fortune culminated yesterday.
Each year Trilogy Golf Club at Power Ranch has Ryder Cup style matches. There is a staff team from the course and a resident team from those who live in the Trilogy community. The final matches are Singles Matches where each team member plays against another person of the other team. Each match counts for a point if you win and helps your team finish strong, and even win.
Yesterday, I played my Ryder Cup match. I played a great match. First hole I hit my driver out of bounds. Double bogey. Great start right? I took a moment at the tee box of the second hole, put my head down, and took some deep breaths... I didn't want to get stuck on this hole and carry it with me to all the rest. 1st hole - 2 over par. Next 17 holes I played 5 under par for a 68. A 68! 3 shots under par. UNDER PAR! Are you kidding me?!?! Only pro's and really good amateurs shoot under par. Its still hard to believe.
My score card read like this: 1 eagle, 5 birdies, 2 bogeys, and one double bogey. It was the best round of golf I have ever played. Up to this point. I am convinced that this is what my scorecards are going to look like from here on out. I've put the work in, hard work, daily. It's my time to see results.
Where do I go from here? Since the PAT in July, my momentum has been growing. In January I wrote down my golf goals for the year, and as of today, I've completed them all. I reached my year end goal of playing scratch golf (par or better) 4 months early.
Sweet.
God is amazing. He pushed me through a desert place in my dreams to a place of a more solid and foundational hope.
Its been a while...but its happening. BIG Dreams.
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