There's Nothing Like Tournament Golf
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:22PM Over the weekend nine friends and I embarked on our annual golfing tournament. We're not talking about a bunch of guys getting together for the sake of having a few beers, reminiscing about the old days and calling it a day. No. This was serious.
We're talking about five teams of two battling over the span of 36 holes on Saturday - best-ball, round robin style - then letting the dust settle and playing another 18 on Sunday for a shot at the chance to be deemed the Champion of the 2011 Mountain Manor Invitational. And although there are no FedEx points accounted for, pride and a traditional trophy were at stake.
Before offering my perspective, let me tell you: if you enjoy golf but have never had the opportunity to experience a tournament format, do yourself a favor and grab a few friends and organize something similar. The level of play is magnified and the intensity is second to none. To illustrate my point, imagine standing on the last tee box tied with the team you're facing off against three holes a piece. Your partner potentially hits an unplayable. You're last to tee off knowing the other team has a decent look at the green. Crushing one just to show you can does you no good. Making sure you put one in play is crucial, otherwise the hole is just about over, and the match to follow. This, my friends, is pressure. And it's great! If you appreciate golf for its mental demands, tournament golf is simply fantastic and right up your alley.
OK, so leading up to this weekend I was determined to sharpen a few personal flaws in my game (not that there aren't many still remaining). I promised myself I'd take one last range session to work on a few things, and in response to that promise, a reader commented on how I should approach my practices.
To summarize, he basically stated instead of hitting the same shot over and over, with the hopes that it would become memorized in the muscles, he suggested never hitting the same shot twice in a row. Because when you think about it, how many times do you consecutively hit the same shot twice? (To read more of this reader's comment, click here.)
With this method in mind, I attacked practice like a round of 18. With a club in hand, I focused on what I was trying to accomplish and delivered as best I could. (It's worth noting that in my previous sessions, just because I wasn't implementing this tactic didn't mean I wasn't aiming to deliver as best I could.) Rather than trying to hit a poor shot over just to see if I could, I accepted the poorness of it, and moved on with the session.
For some reason, it worked like hell. The four hours I devoted that day were efficient and calm. I never got frustrated nor discouraged. As we all know, though, how practice on the range carries over onto the course always remains the great unknown.
On the Friday morning before our weekend began, three goals entered my mind that I committed to for the entirety of the tourney. They were as follows:
- Keep my tee shots in the fairway
- Hit my long irons with more consistency
- Maintain mental composure
While the second one mostly fell short, I'm happy to say the first was probably the most successful, and proud to say the last was my greatest achievement.
I will admit that at times keeping my state of mind centered on the task at hand was a challenge. For starters, there was the heat. Couple the extreme temperatures with playing 36 holes of golf and believe me, your mental state would deteriorate as well (at least your game would). Over the course of 54 holes, and two days of golf, there were maybe two moments where I mentally broke down.
The first was after my team blew an opportunity to go two holes up, then proceeded to lose the next two, the weight of playing more than the usual 18 was taking its toll on me physically, which in turn affected my mechanics.
The second was after losing the semi-finals, we squared off with a chance for a 3rd place
finish. The significance of it all seemed mentally worthless, but that's the necessary composure I speak of. (We won this match and finished 3rd.) In these two moments I didn't have it.
Fortunately I had my partner to lift my spirits and help put matters into perspective. My temper tantrum lasted all of one or two poor shots and immediately I was focused again. But knowing golf isn't structured towards a team dynamic, I still have a lot of mental work to do.
Afterwards, and even now a few days later, I can't help but wonder that without the format of the weekend, would I have been so concentrated on execution? My gut is telling me no. After all, on a leisurely day out with friends, are you caring about playing good golf as much as if you were competing? As much as I'd like to say I would, I'd be lying.
Nevertheless, if I had to grade my performance for the weekend, I'd give myself a B-. As I mentioned, my long irons could have been more consistent along with a better short game when it counted. These two factors were responsible for bringing my grade down. Off the tee, overall, I'd say I earned an A-. My drives and 3-Wood were struck solidly with only a handful of errant shots coming to mind. My putting was OK, probably earning somewhere around a B to B+. And my mental composure, considering the factors I've already alluded to, would fall in the A range.
Aside from the mechanical obstacles golf offers, there are always the people that accompany you on any given round. The nine that did this weekend were an absolute pleasure to play with. Thanks to everyone for a great weekend, and my partner, Brian, for dealing with my intense insanity. Most of you haven't experienced it as intimately as Brian did, but sometimes I take this game a little too seriously. This weekend Brian took the brunt of it. He was a gentleman and a great partner when I needed him most. Thanks, Brian!
Coming off this golfing high may be the hardest challenge of all. With the rest of the season ahead of me, I look at it two ways: It'll be hard to match the intensity of the moment, but it's uplifting to know that my game can be taken to new heights.
Brian and I of course didn't have the good fortune of taking home the title. That went to a worthy Champion.
But I do look forward to next year.
Hours of practice: 575
Reader Comments (3)
It's always good to set realistic and measurable goals. How else will you measure your improvements and gauge your shortcomings?
Great time at Mountain Manor. RM - Man of the Match, hands down.
There is no better partner then the writer of this blog.