Continued Journey

A Brand New Year

2011-02-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Well it's 2011 and I have been away for some time. As I look back my last post was talking about the possibilities of being a cast member of the Golf Channel's Big Break. Boy, I was really looking forward to that and hoping that I would become a member of that show. It was going to be a huge step forward in getting my face and name out there to the masses to be noticed and hopefully create some sponsorship buzz from it and hey, why not winning the whole thing!
Unfortunately, it wasn't the case. I received an email in December explaining that I had not been chosen but was asked to re-apply for the next season. It was an obvious let down as I had spent a good bit of money to travel to Florida and do the audition. Not only that but I had pulled myself out of the final Canadian Tour Palm Springs event which was being conducted on the same days. So I felt like I had wasted an opportunity to play in an event when I was playing great for an obvious opportunity of being on a TV show broadcast all over the world. I still stand by my decision but it makes you question your decision when it doesn't end up as you had hoped.
It seems a lot these past two months of 2011 have not turned out the way I had anticipated (as of yet). I have met a bunch of great people since the end of the tour season, some who I have been looking to as being a potential sponsor in my upcoming seasons. I have been working hard to find the financial help necessary to continue for my second tour season. I have been extending my reach to try and find companies interested in placing a logo on my golf bag and apparel in hopes of generating some of those funds.
This second year is a very big one for me and I fear it will have to be postponed because of the lack of funds. Postponing the charge in my golf career comes at a cost when everything is so fresh and I feel I am in the right position to get my break. There are a few reasons for that so let me explain.

1. Rookie Season is over - This past 2010 season on the Canadian Tour was not a very successful season monetarily but I learned a wealth of knowledge out there on tour. From how to travel, study the courses and plan your days leading up to the event. Where to stay, how to deal with caddies and how to conduct myself on the golf course, it was all the things a rookie has thrown at him and has never experienced. All the while having to compete at a high level against guys who have been doing this for years.

2. Course Knowledge - Now that I have played these courses I look forward to doing it all over again. It's no secret that the more you play a golf course the better you get. The more you play a course the more comfortable you feel out on that course and naturally the better you do. I missed 4 cuts by one stroke last season and looking back there are a million things I could have done to make those cuts but unfortunately it wasn't in the cards because of nerves, forcing shots or just not allowing myself to play at the level I'm able to. Returning to these courses with the knowledge I have gained from playing a few times already, getting all the greens breaks into my course books and tricks I learned throughout the year to compete at a higher level(Pre shot routines, breathing, in game thoughts). These things have all been huge breakthroughs for my game. I'm not saying I never had these tricks before but once you get out onto the competitive scene and professional golf it all changes. You need to re learn a lot of your tendencies to be successful because some may not work under the pressure of tour golf when it did in say, college.

3. Belief - The biggest lesson I learned out there on tour from the competition with some of the best golfers in our country and around the world is belief. It's something you have in yourself before you even start an event on the Canadian Tour but you don't exactly know where you stack up. You have a belief because of your past but everyone is so good out there and sometimes your belief is shaken. During my play on the Canadian Tour, even when leaderboard watching from the sidelines after missing a cut I have realized that I have what it takes without a doubt that I have what it takes to compete with anyone out there. The more and more I play, the more comfortable I will become and the more competitive I will be. I know that the Canadian Tour is the place where I will develop my game and grow to become a solid player. But the best thing I could have gained from this past year was the confidence that I belong out there. These guys are not far out of my league and I have what it takes to be one of the best.
Again, having the belief in yourself is one piece of the pie and same is gaining the knowledge of being a touring pro. But you can't do it if you don't have the money. Unfortunately for me (at this moment) I don't have what it takes. Some deals are in the works however and like these past couple months I am still waiting for them to materialize. I have confidence that it will work out but it gets tough as times begins to run out.
I have to return to Q School which takes place in Florida at the end of march. There is also another qualifying event which takes place the week after in California before the tour moves into Mexico. The events individually cost $2800 US but the Canadian Tour runs a deal if you want to sign up for both events. If I were to pay $5000 US I would be entered into both events, if I qualify for the tour in Florida I will be given back the $2200 for the California event, saving me $800 if I had to go to California. Just goes to show how expensive this pro golf stuff is when the qualifying school alone is so expensive, not mention the tour.
I plan on getting down to the warm weather in the next couple weeks so I can prepare for Q school. In that time I will be focusing heavily on cementing these sponsorsand getting the clubs swinging again over at Oakridge's indoor/outdoor range facility.
If you or anyone you think may be interested in helping out or getting their logo placed on my bag and clothing for the 2011 season please get in touch. My email is jacobscriven@gamil.com and I am still open to any possibilities. If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch.
It's a big season ahead and despite the past the future looks very bright, and I plan on keeping this journey rolling without hiatus.

JS

Reality TV ?

2010-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Last week I traveled to Orlando FL on an invitation to have an audition for a chance to be a part of the Golf Channel's reality TV show "The Big Break". A couple of months ago (sometime after the Tour Championship) I went onto the Golf Channel's website and found an application for the Big Break. My reason for doing it was because my season had finished and wasn't exactly the rookie season I was hoping for but thought that the Big Break would be another great way to continue having some excellent learning experiences on the golf course. I feel it's a great way to put my game under pressure in a whole different way. Being watched by a camera and knowing that Millions of people would be watching that episode would be a great way to develop my game into a whole other level. Plenty of players (now successful) have had their game flourish after being on the Big Break. Some notables are James Nitties - PGA Tour, Hugo Leon - Nationwide Tour, Tommy (two gloves) Gainey - Nationwide/ PGA Tour. I think a lot of their success came from their initial talent but blossomed from the high pressure created from this unique golf show.
My hopes are to be a cast member of this show. In order to do that, all I can do is sit and wait. In Orlando the audition was very quick and easy. After signing a waiver to allow the channel to perform a background check on me I was allowed to warm up for a few minutes. Shortly after I was asked to come in front of the camera and hit a few shots. That consisted of six 7 irons and 3 drivers. I thought they would have asked me to perform a few more golf shots but that was not the case, I guess they just wanted to see if I was lying on the application that I could actually hit a golf ball... Lots can be said by the looks of your swing, unless you use Jim Furyk as an example. Next I was introduced to a gentleman who mic'd me up and had a conversation or interview with him. We touched topics of how I got started in golf, what I thought my strengths were in my game, where I saw myself fitting in for the show and where I saw myself going on from here/what I thought I could get out of the Big Break.
I felt it was a successful but quick audition, I feel I did quite well considering I've never been in front of a camera but all in all I'm happy with the results up till now. So, at the moment we wait till they contact me and tell me that they will be conducting the background check. That's the point where I have made it to the "semi finals" of the audition process and then all that's left is them letting me know when I will be flying out for the taping, which I'm told will be between the 3rd of january and the 17th.

Wish me luck, just another chapter I hope added to the journey

JS

BIG 3 WEEKS AHEAD

2010-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't made a post since Saskatoon. I certainly have had some good things happen since that dismal day bogeying last two holes to miss cut by two. Unfortunately for me the same tough stuff happened the following week when I bogeyed my 36th hole on Friday to miss the cut by one stroke. It was upsetting but I have really been playing well and feel that my game is moving in a great direction. Some proof was made when I place T2 in the Coppinwood Invitational last Monday earning a little check. Actually again, I made bogey on my final hole and missed a playoff for the win and a $5000 payday.

Lately I have had a three week break and I have used them well. Since I have been playing well I haven't wanted to mess with it too much so just a little warm up here and there and a casual round with a little wager to make the putts worth a little more. The weekends have been enjoyable, going up north to enjoy the cottage life and relax before a big three week push competing in the final 3 events of the Canadian Tour schedule.

Aug 12-15 : Jane Rogers @ Greystone GC in Milton, ON
Aug 19-22 : Seaforth Inv. @ Seaforth CC in Seaforth, ON
Aug 26-29 : Tour Championship @ St. Catherines CC in St. Catherines, ON

I am presently confirmed into the Jane Rogers and should be fine to get into the Seaforth event. The Tour Championship depends on earnings and at the moment I am in the event but need to make some more money in the next two to confirm my place. The next two events don't have a very large purse ($125,000) and the Tour Championship having a $325,000 purse, the biggest of the year. Since I'm playing well I really hope to do well and have some strong finishes. I am tired of worrying about making cuts and want to put my focus solely on hitting good shots and playing a strong round. I now understand that I am playing well enough and have the ability to compete very well in these events and deserve far more than I have achieved this year. What I would really like to do is earn my tour card for the 2011 year. In order to do that I need to earn around $7,000 for the season, which means I need to basically earn that in my next 3 events. Not out of the question ... like I said I'm playing really well.

So this upcoming week I play in Milton, ON and would love all the support I can get while competing in my first Canadian Tour events in Ontario. If you are interested in coming to the event I can request tickets. All I need is an email of how many you would need. You can email me at jacobscriven@gmail.com. Of course these are some very big weeks coming up and any and all support will be much appreciated. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces out on the links and I certainly can't wait to play some great golf for you either.

JS

Saskatoon Missed Cut

2010-07-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, missing a cut in Saskatoon is no fun. I really enjoyed the golf course and have been playing well coming into this week. However, I still missed the -5 cut line yesterday and it hurt. Yesterday I rallied back, got off to a good start and found myself at -4 for tournament by my 16th hole. I was getting up and down when I had to (which wasn't much). I hit 14 greens and the two big ones were the final two holes 17 and 18. I knew I had to get it to -5 for tournament. That meant shooting a -6 66 for the day. A 219y par 3 over a bunch of gnarly dunes. I played it right and it rolled just off the green which meant a 40 foot putt from off green. Maybe I should have chipped it but I still like my decision to putt, it was over a couple humps and I left it 5 feet away and the killer was the lip out to ruin my bogey free round and put the pressure on to make an eagle on 18. Hitting the driver well I wanted to hook the ball into a dogleg left fairway and set up for a strong shot to the green. The ball not turning as much as I wanted flew through fairway and underneath the lip of the bunker. That pretty much solved the day there. Tried getting out, didn't and moved on.
All in all I can still say I'm happy. I'm learning, and I think I found something that I can really use to help me in the future. You see the first day I was really nervous and anxious over my putts, and I had looks at birdies all day. I was pushing, pulling, coming up short... A very timid sort of golf. It even felt like the day just blew by which I consider was lack of focus, or just trying to be too relaxed out there. Day 2 I really focused hard and controlled my breathing (deep breaths before putting) it seemed to help and I was hitting my putts. It was really the first round that hurt me. However I really think I found something that can work for in the future. It is always good to know that I can peg it with these guys out here and even better to know that I feel like I'm growing week to week even if I'm not playing in the event... Big key.
Looking forward to The Players Cup in Winnipeg, I have to Monday qualify at the moment being 3rd alternate. I hope I don't have to deal with it but whatever I'm playing well so hopefully I get through. Wish me luck

JS

Edmonton Out / Saskatoon Inn

2010-07-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Play on words for a title, but here I am in Saskatoon, a week after sitting around the first tee all day as first alternate. It was the second time I had been the first alternate for an event but this time I was surprised I didn't make it in. It was a pretty strenuous few days as I was the first alternate for three days until the final tee time went off 2:30 pm Thursday afternoon. Every phone call I heard ring in would have me so elated that I was going to get my start for the week. Instead, it was only a chance to get the heart rate up and the stress level higher. All is well though I promise. This week the tour is here in Saskatoon at Dakota Dunes golf club. Yesterday I played a practice round and can say that I am truly excited to play this event. The golf course is in great shape and seems like a great layout to have a good competition. I feel very comfortable with this course and hope to do very well and improve my position on the list before the Winnipeg re-shuffle. I can say I am playing well, during yesterdays round I was working the ball well both ways and also putting and chipping very nicely. Tomorrow I am part of a clinic held at the golf course where we will be getting paid $200 for the hour session. A very nice and easy way to pay for my food for the week. Anyways, Big week this week and I hope to do well, I am just going to calm down, let the stresses settle and get ready to have fun this week and make some serious money.

JS

PS for those of you that have been loving the weather in Ontario... it hasn't stopped raining all day, 30 mile winds and 15 C.

Tough Week

2010-06-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

As you know I had the misfortune of playing this week through injury. I had hoped I would be able to work through the pain and stay calm and take it easy. At least get through the first couple days of pain, make the cut and hopefully by weekend pain is gone... Not the case. Because of the location of the spasm (under right shoulder blade) there was pain on the back swing however, the real problem was on downswing and finish I found myself leaving a lot of balls out to the right because my body wasn't allowing me to finish swing. That led to a lot of work on the short game or just a really really long putt... and I had a lot of those.
It's certainly dissapointing to have missed the cut but as I look at the number of great players that scored about as bad I did I realize I played some fairly decent golf through injury. Never once did I quit or give up due to pain and always tried to get myself right back in the game. I hope it's a character builder for when it comes to count and I feel healthy. I hope it's not long before this goes away, the most unfortunate thing about all this is how excited I was about competing in the Times Colonist which usually leads to good results. Second, how well I had been playing leading into this week. I felt like I was in the perfect place to have a strong finish. Either way, this had never happened to me where I have had a physical injury (other than flu) and had to make the decision to play through pain or WD. Another life lesson on the course and like I said before I hope it helps in the long run.

Tee Time 2:20

2010-06-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

It's 10 am here in Victoria and I've already been to the golf course. Not exactly for practice but for therapy. Yesterday before I rolled in for the practice round the muscle underneath my right shoulder spasmed and left me in a little bit of discomfort, enough to finish after 10 holes and see the on site Dr. for some treatment. Last night was not a pretty scene as I was keeled over in pain hardly able to take a breath. I have never had this sort of problem and I will say for a golfer, this is one of those pains you wish you never had. Fast forward to now, the pain is still there but I have a larger range of motion in the back and I feel I will be able to get through today hoping the pain reduces by tomorrow. The weather is great right now, the sun is out, the wind is down and the course is soft. There is no reason why I would want to withdraw from competition at this point even with the discomfort.
Funny story, a couple of the guys who are the #1 and #2 alternates were offering $2000 to WD (under the table) from the event so they could get in. It goes to show you how important that cut in Puerto Vallarta really was as I would be one of those guys stranded in the alternate list. After this event is a reshuffle which means a chance for me to move up in the category 6 and after that there will be no more until we hit the Ontario events. Who knows, maybe being slightly injured or sick in my first rounds will be a good omen for me. I tee off at 2:20 and will be playing with two other Canadians. Greg Mactaller and a great guy who I was practicing with in Houston, Roger Sloan. Should be a good day, I'm looking for red numbers but mostly just trying to be calm relaxed and get through a day that may prove to be a little more challenging then I expected.

JS

Arriving in Vancouver

2010-05-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well almost a month after my final round in Puerto Vallarta I am sitting in the Vancouver airport waiting to board my flight to Victoria. In the past three weeks I have been working very hard to get myself in game shape to compete in this weeks event... The Times Colonist at Uplands GC in Victoria BC. After the Puerto Vallarta event I felt like I knew where I needed to improve and what I needed to focus on to be competitive for this weeks event. I wanted to make sure that I was mentally confident coming into this week and worked on hitting a lot of shaped shots off tees to keep myself in the zone. One of the things I wasn't ready for was the familiarization with the V groove wedges in the longer blue grass we have in Southern Ontario and most of Canada. It was pretty confusing and very frustrating trying to get used to the sometimes sudden flyer lie or thick grass but not being able to swing hard through the grass. Needless to say my time at Woodensticks practice facility really got me into a pretty good place. I had some really strong rounds while I home even a bogey free round (which I can't even remember the last time I did that, if ever). With all that training I also took some time off ala Rory McIllroy's week off before winning with a closing round 62. A long weekend spent up at a friends cottage was exactly what I needed to calm right down and relax 100%. So I sit here in the airport, may not have a chance to practice Uplands GC until Wednesday but myself and Barry will be heading out tomorrow to Bear Mountain to have a game and get swinging again. I'll post again before event... by the way, the forecast does not look good. 12 degrees avg. rainy for the next few days, now is the prefect time to bring out all the brand new Galvin Green clothing and rain wear for this week... I hope it helps.

JS

Puerto Vallarta Check Out

2010-04-26T06:07:00.001-07:00

As I get to pack my suitcases I feel ready to come home. I had a great time in Mexico, the food was great but I'm tired of it and I learned a great deal over the last two weeks. Despite shooting my worst round ever as a professional (I can't even remember the last time I shot higher than 80) I was able to pick away at all the positives that I did this week.
To touch on day 4 I can say that again I put myself at a disadvantage at the first hole of the day (10). I was no longer focused on shooting a score, I was focused on getting myself higher on the category 6 ... so make more money, say like $1,000 or more. Instead of trying to shoot a score that would help me. That helped me get off to a poor start, even though I hit some great shots early (first 4 holes) and was payed off terribly. On hole 13 (my 4th) hit right at the pin, hard bounce and kicked up into a tree foot off ground. I managed to try and get it all back and for the next 5 holes I gave myself great looks at birdie. Then I made a terrible bogey from 105 yards on the par 5 #2 and then it seemed to blow away. My tee shots were already poor on this day, and when I got to the open windy side I couldn't get my ball in play, I was steering the ball which is a no no. I lost 3 balls to OB and then that was it I just wanted to get into the clubhouse and get out of there.
It's tough to shoot a score like and see it on the scoreboard after you have worked and played so well to get yourself in a great position but these things happen. It's a learning experience out here and I've been taking in all I can. I'm really excited to come home and work on a few things so that I can be ready for the Victoria BC event. I think it's best to forget about what happened yesterday and just remember all the good things that have happened these past couple weeks. I did what I set out to do, I needed to make a cut and I did so I'm happy. I get to learn more now as I have a few more events I will be confirmed for. That's all I need is more tries at tournaments. I know that the Canadian Tour is where I need to be to take me to the next level and I can already tell it's working.

JS

Day 2 : 71 (-1) Puerto Vallarta

2010-04-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well if you've been following online you already know I made the cut. What a relief that was considering the nerves I had coming in. Knowing you are near the cut is a bit of an experience, I wanted to play aggressive but didn't want to miss more. My back nine the body was stiff I was steering it off the tee which was out of my control. I tried to be calm and patient but it was just an experience I had never had before in my career. Remember this is truly the 3rd "tournament" I have played that has a cut after 2 days as a pro and my first ever cut made. I now have a "career earnings" HA! Either way a lot was riding on making this cut. I now am guaranteed a start in the Times Columnist in Victoria BC and hopefully everyone else. I hope this week I get myself some good money where I can get ahead of a bunch of the guys who were in my category and made cuts. This is a crazy event though, so many guys are going low. I mean a -4 cut is crazy. The course isn't that easy I can tell you but it's teh greens, they are basically straight putts on a 7" stimp. (Stimp is the speed of the green and 7 is very slow) The one good thing is that they roll pretty true (as good as 7s could I guess. So guys really don't have to fear running a putt by too far so the guys in teh lead are basically ramming these putts in. Hell, I may be the guy making the best putts on the golf course this week. I made so many great (pressure) putts coming in on the back nine today including a 25 footer for par, and a 15 footer for par save on the last (9). As all of us golfers should know it's putting that makes your round and I'm glad it's there so hopefully tomorrow (9:40 am off 10 tee) I look to be loose and ready to shoot a score and get myself closer to the top of this leaderboard.

JS

Day 1 : 68 (-4) Puerto vallarta

2010-04-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a very big surprise for me not because I didn't think I could shoot a round like 68 but because no more than 10 hours before my tee time I was freezing cold with a fever and feeling terrible. I took some Pepto Bismol yesterday and have progressively been feeling better but Mexico is definitely getting the best of me. Tomorrow I tee off at 2:30 from the tenth tee and hope to have another great day on the greens and get closer to these leaders. I had a couple bad tee shots today which led to my double bogey and my bogey but again, I feel like this course suits me and I think I can do well in this event. Stay tuned at www.cantour.com

JS

Day 2 : 76 (+4)

2010-04-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Heading says it all... Can't compete in a tournament when you're over par and unfortunately for me I was only able to make a couple bogeys and pars. The afternoon proved a little more difficult for me and the rest of the players with the p.m tee time. Very windy but most of all tough putting conditions. The grass had grown throughout the day and proved to be very challenging to get a putt to stay online. I missed 6 greens, missed 7 putts within 6 feet, and the other pars on the card were putts from no more than 15 - 20 feet, I just couldn't get that ball in the hole. It's very frustrating when that is happening. In my case I was hitting the tee ball very well, always in great position and was hitting great shots into the greens considering the wind. But frustration begins to mount after a you make it through the back nine and you hadn't seen a putt drop of any length. The back nine I got the ball even closer to proximity which was great (it was the more difficult side), I managed to play it superb, 6 of nine holes were 15 feet or less in proximity to the hole, but alas, no birdies... until it was too late, hole 17 rolled my first 15 footer in on the 611 yard (wind in face) par 5.
It's unfortunate that I didn't make the cut especially when I look back at my two rounds. I know I played well enough to be competing in this tournament if it weren't for a couple poor tee shots at the wrong time and a putter failure... But you learn. For my first event I have proved my ball striking is in form and I can compete in these events. I plan on regaining some confidence with my putter over the next few days and go into next week with a good attitude and a desire to be in the red. The key is putting and I know it's there, I just have to retrieve it.

JS

Day 1 : 74 (+2)

2010-04-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Day 1 is in the books and despite a round of two over par I feel somewhat happy about the round. I teed off the 10th hole to start which is the more difficult of the nines (very tight). I had a few good chances at birdie to start but was a little nervous, as you can probably imagine. As that nine went along and I turned to the back I felt great with a score of even par through that tough side. Unfortunately I hit a really bad shot off the 1st tee (my 10th) and found water and had a long shot in where I made a double bogey. Next hole par 5 I hit a great second shot and almost made double eagle, missed the 15 footer and took birdie. Then on the only tight shot on this side I knocked my ball out of bounds and was left with a double bogey again. Bogey on the next and then felt enough was enough and I came back hard with three great holes and birdie on them. missed another birdie on my 17th hole by nothing and on the 18th hole missed a tough putt to save par on my 18th. All in all I was happy with my play, the first round of my Canadian tour didn't start off guns a blazin but I feel like it was respectable enough and I didn't get blown out... it really could have once I got to 4 over par. I'm happy I battled back and look forward to putting a good score in tomorrow afternoon and playing the weekend.

JS

Mazatlan

2010-04-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well I have arrived safe and sound in Mazatlan Mexico. Since I arrived Monday evening I have had one 18 hole practice round and managed to get about 6 holes in this morning before the Pro - Am started at 8:30 am. The course is an interesting design, somewhat open on the front side and pretty tight on the back. The entire course is surrounded (in pretty close proximity) by Out of Bounds which demands a very strategic game plan to make it through the course effectively. On two occasions I played a 3 iron off the tee on par 5's and then a 3 wood (or 3 iron) to set up the hole. My thought behind it is, if I can eliminate the penalty strokes all together I should gain at least 2 strokes on the field easily. The other thing I have been focusing hard on is which way the grain is facing in certain locations on the green. These greens are very grainy much more than what i would be used to, even in the southern states. Same is true with into or away from grain, they will be fast or slower and also may pull side to side if going across it. I have marked as much as I could down in my course book to help from the fairway navigate to a down grain putt for different pin locations on the knowledge that the down grain putts will be faster but will also hold it's path or line to the hole much better which hopefully means I make more putts. I feel good this week though, my ball striking is looking good and my wedge game has improved. I'm hitting the tee ball very well as usual and as an added bonus I will be paired with my good friend Barry O'Neill for the first two days which hopefully will bring us both luck with a lower sense of urgency and pressure. We will be able to play golf the way we usually do everyday in Houston, light hearted and always very competitive. It's definitely a great way to start off the season (when making a cut is crucial) and you're playing with the one guy who would be able to alleviate any negative pressure you may be feeling. I look forward to this first week on tour. I'm going to relax the rest of the afternoon, maybe have a swim and maybe even listen to a few waves crash in on shore. I'll be in touch with more results but you can follow at www.cantour.com

JS

Mexico Bound

2010-04-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since my last post and I do apologize for that. I've been up and down with my game but seem to be on the up now. I have been working hard on my short game after losing it a little bit and have been seeing my putting come around really nicely which helps the entire game. Since my last post I had the chance to speak with a past Masters Champion (Jackie Burke II) and he said you have to be great at one thing in golf, that being putting. Pretty simple idea really but it's true, if you're a great putter it will either save a bad game or make a good game great. It really allows you gain confidence on the rest of your game when you feel confident with a putter in your hand. You feel like you don't have to get it as close to the hole which relieves pressure on chipping, then back to approach shots , then back to tee shots, which in turn usually makes you hit it closer all together anyways... golf is a funny game like that.

So Monday I make my way to Mexico to begin my season on the Canadian Tour. We begin in Mazatlan and then we move to Puerta Vallarta. It should be a great time and I am so excited to get started on the tour. It should be a great experience and I hope it brings my golf game to a whole new level. One of the things that I hope will help along my path is the support of Galvin Green Clothing. They are an amazing brand and have agreed to clothe me in shirts, jackets, and sweaters for this season. The product is gorgeous and unbelievable quality. It gets me excited to play right off the bat from how good this stuff looks, and when you look good, you feel good. So I truly appreciate the help they have offered me for this year. You can check out the catalogue at http://www.galvingreen.com .

One of the things I did want to mention was the removal of a couple events on the Canadian Tour in the beginning of the season which has left some gaps in the start of our schedule. This means I will have some free time after Mexico and the Times Columnist in Victoria, BC. I plan on coming back home for a couple weeks to get some practice in at Wooden Sticks and hopefully enjoy some home cooking. I don't know if it will work out but I'm going to find out if it's possible that I open myself to some instruction and maybe a clinic or two in hopes of fundraising a little bit. It could be a great opportunity just as the season is about to start. If it all works out look for an ad or some notice of it in the local paper (Cosmos).

Until then I'm off and if I get a chance over the two week period I am out of country I will try and blog as often as I can with an inside look or response to how I am doing out on tour. I look forward to competing and am thankful for all the well wishes I have received, it is what helps me dig in when times are tough.

JS

Red Numbers, THERE YOU ARE!

2010-03-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

Today I was invited to play a round of golf at the Redstone Golf Club in Houston. This is the course where the Shell Houston Open will be played in a couple weeks from now. All the grandstands and tents are up for the vendors so it has that feel of a PGA event, without the spectators. Anyways, the condition of the course is nearly immaculate considering the winter Houston has had... cold and rainy. The course just looks great though, the ground is firm, the grass is lush and the greens are smooth and fast. As you know I have been working hard on getting my game in shape and finally I saw some serious game show from it. I was able to pull out a 67 (-5) today which was great not only as a ball striking and putting day but mentally i was fairly sound as well. I hit 14 greens in regulation and had 27 putts with 8 birdies (could be a personal birdie record), hit a bunch of fairways and only had a couple dirty shots. I did have a tough time in the bunkers which has not been the case as of late... but the green side bunkers at Redstone have very little sand in them at the moment, actually they are more like cement, and in the week prior to play they will be filled and packed in with a bunch of sand for that oh so good "tour" feel. This still means the two shots I put in the bunkers I bounced off the ground and had avg. 30 feet back to hole.
67 or not today was a great day because my head was in it and I started to look at flags and zone in... not many worries about how to swing the club, I was more just letting myself do it. This is great because it shows me that the hard work is beginning to pay off. And no better time than now...
This morning I signed up for the pre-qualifying tournament for the Shell Houston Open Monday Qualifying. Every player who does not hold a PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour card has to play in this event to earn a spot in the Monday Qualifier like the one I played in to get into the 2008 RBC Canadian Open. Like last year this event will be played on the Tradition course at Cypresswood, the course I practice and play on daily. I feel it's a great chance for me to play into this Shell Houston Open because who knows the course better than me. I have birdied every hole on that course and just missed last year trying to get in. the way I feel with that course is, if you were to bring any PGA Tour player to that course I would still be able to compete with you solely by course knowledge alone and even if you were a better player I would still have an advantage.

Well that's the way I'm thinking right now, it's pretty positive and I keep doubt from my mind daily and I think it's really starting to pay off. I hope I see some strong results in the next couple weeks, I mean hell, if all goes well I could be playing The Masters in a month.

JS

OH Canada !!!

2010-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

This is a quick video of the Maple Leaf Pub in Houston where me and a couple friends made our way to cheer on the Men's Olympic Team. What a game it was, and so good to be able to do this when out numbered by Americans in the bar... I will say Canada has huge support here in Houston. Such a great game and so proud to be Canadian !

Work In Progress

2010-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been working on these last couple days. By using video during a range session I have assessed some flaws in my swing that have come over the time off. I then try to remedy the problem and ensure it's corrected by again using the video. This is all done quickly as I sit on the range on one of these gorgeous days we are now getting and progressively getting better.
In the first video you will see that the club is in a weird position at the top of my swing which means I have to reroute the club on the way down to have a solid strike. In the second video I will show you how I have tried to feel like I am swinging a little bit "flatter" to get the club more online. The club's shaft (in my mind) should be on an angle towards the ball if you were to draw a line. I'm trying to get my swing in the position that I try in a pre swing before I hit the ball in second video So here we go.

SUN SUN SUN

2010-02-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well it finally looks like the weather is going to turn around. After a good week of windy, cold, rainy weather the forecast shows the next 6 days full of sun and warming temperatures. I’ve still been “braving” the conditions to wear this rust off and yesterday showed some signs of tempo. The hardest thing I find when returning after a long break is to regain your tempo or some sort of rhythm with your swing. Tee shots with long irons or drivers are out of sync and shorter shots are missed due to deceleration in the swing. It’s just an inconsistent trend when trying to back in fine form. I’ve been experiencing this very same thing in my game as I try to find form, and it’s been tough due to the lies you find out here on Bermuda grass and wet lies. The ball always seems to be in contact with the ground and never sitting up, or on a firm lie to use the bounce of the club which in essence makes it easier (in theory) to hit.

The last few days I have been practicing with a guy who will be playing on the Canadian Tour (Roger Sloan – Canadian) and a friend of his, past #3 junior in his country (Travis O’Connell – New Zealand). It’s been nice getting to meet these guys and even better after playing with them, Travis, found flaw in my short game and offered some advice to improve the part of my game. This is what I am presently working on:

If you look at my previous post (the video) you can notice as I make contact with the ball my clubface is open as in not square with the target. You can notice that because the butt end of my club runs past my body and my hands end up in front of my left hip. This is creating an inconsistent strike. I get away with it (most of the time) because I have strong hand eye coordination. This also means that I am using the left hand/arm to swing this shot which is from what I have come to understand is the opposite goal. Travis had to opportunity to have an hour lesson with (forget name ... maybe Jim Connor - AUS) who was then considered to have the best short game in the world. His theory is amateurs always hit chip/pitch shots with an open face trying to spin the ball by coming across it. In actuality you want to hit the ball as square as possible (certainly now with the V grooves – lower spin rate) so you catch the ball on the grooves as solid as possible instead of letting it slide off the club. The other thing with hitting the ball like this means that you also will have a consistent back spinning ball over and over again.

To do this, the shot must be hit with the right arm/hand and bigger muscles (shoulders). In doing so the club will come back to square every time creating a more consistent strike. You can see you’re doing this correctly by observing the butt end of the club. It should be pointed to your belly button at contact and through the shot as you roll your right hand and arm over through the shot. I began to practice this shot by setting up closed to my target (shoulders square with my hips and feet), drawing the club back inside and trying to hook the ball even with a sand wedge. This is a tough thing for me to do because I have swung with my left side for so long but I think I can get it … after a good 1000+ shots over a few weeks.

I will definitely put in the work and get the most out of the good weather that is upon us.

Video of the swing to come.

JS

Pitching @ Cypresswood

2010-02-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a really nice day ... it's still a bit soggy on the golf course but I'm getting some good practice in. I decided to shoot a quick video of my swing while pitching the ball at the practice green at Cypresswood . Here is what it looks like... remember, I'm still getting that rust off, it is only day 2 after all. I'm using the new Titleist Vokey Spin Milled Gold's 62 degree and these are the wedges that are conforming with USGA & R&A starting this year.

JS

2010 Houston Arrival

2010-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally reached Houston. A 30 some odd hours on the road and a few packs of gum later I am away from snow and ready to start my preparation for this season. Unfortunately upon my arrival it was pouring rain, the kind of rain that reduces the courses to puddles. Tomorrow there is supposed to be sun and stay for the next 5 days so hopefully I will be able to get some good practice in this week. It won't be "practice" as much as shaking the cob webs out. It's been a while since my last round of golf as I took the winter months to focus on my fund raising and weight training, which is going well I might add. I plan on using the Redstone facility which is where the Shell Houston Open is played. They have a world class practice area which includes brand new Titleist range balls and a very nice surface to hit off of. Certainly with all this rain it will be the best place to get some swings in tomorrow. I can't wait to try my new Titleist AP 2 irons that were fitted in October and I have to start playing around with the new Titleist Vokey (Gold) wedges as they have the V groove and will respond differently to the square grooves I used in the past. Some of the guys on tour are using the only square groove wedge "allowed" on the PGA Tour at this moment, the 1980 PING i2 wedge I believe. Only because of a lawsuit this club is on the good list for clubs allowed to play on the PGA Tour however it certainly does not conform because of its grooves. Many have weighed in on the debate whether the grooves even help... remember this is a 20 + year old club. As far as I'm concerned the old PING i2 or any PING club made back then weren't even a good looking club, and perhaps the grooves have worn down some over the 20 years lifespan its had (if you can even find one used or unused... they aren't making any new ones). I'm sure there won't be much of difference when it comes to these grooves and the TV commentators are blowing it well out of proportion. Either way I will weigh in on that after i get a chance to try them.

Be sure to follow me at www.twitter.com/scr1ven for daily updates.

JS

We're in

2009-09-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

Quickly... I earned my 2010 Canadian Tour Card. Finished even par, day to day totals were -3, -3, +3, +3. It was one hell of a stressful week, it felt like one full month went by. Either way I have my card and I will be starting in March in Mexico.

I'm going to keep day to day updates on Twitter from now on and most likely a month to month update on Blogspot from here on out.

Follow me at www.twitter.com/scr1ven

JS

Update II

2009-09-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Fall Q School is teeing off this Wednesday. I have been getting ready for this event and have already had a practice round at Hidden Lake located in Burlington Ontario. It's a great course and will suit me well. I am really excited to get this going, this entire year I have been pluggin' away and I know I have it. This week will get me where I need to be playing, and the Canadian Tour will be the place to help me move to the next level.

Follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Scr1ven

I have found that twitter is a great and easy way to keep a "quick blog" and I will be using it over this upcoming week. Wish me luck

JS

Update

2009-07-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I last posted but nothing has really been going on. I have been working hard on practice and getting everything ready for the august month. This year I was unable to test my game for a chance at the RBC Canadian Open. The field filled up very early and had nearly 50 worthy local pros on the waiting list. Other than that disappointment, I have put my focus toward a few things happening this August month. Monday July 27 I will be competing in the Dick Grimm Invitational at the Coppinwood golf club. It's an 18 hole event and hosts some of the top local pros. It should be a great event to get the competitive juices flowing again. Earlier in July, I sent letters requesting sponsor's exemptions to the next two Canadian Tour events and I hope I receive them. August 3rd is the beginning of the Jane Rogers Championship for the Canadian Tour at Greystone Golf Club. August 31st is the Seaforth Invitational which is another great event on the Canadian Tour schedule. I sent resumes trying to prove I deserve one of the spots to both those tournament directors and I hope I'm given a chance to play the events without having to endure the stress of Monday Qualifying. Lately I have really been playing well and I'm super excited for it. I always seem to be peaking this time of year but this time around I have so many more experiences and a little more confidence and know how of whats going on around me. I feel like I'm ready for the opportunity to play in these Canadian Tour events and ready to play well enough to perhaps gain more starts on the tour. I have been working hard on my driver these days though. I bought and put together a Taylormade R7 460 TP and thought that I made a perfect match to the one I used during Florida Q School and Shell Houston Open Qualifying. At the moment I don't see the resemblance but sometimes I hit a tee shot that just soars and it seems effortless, so I know it's there within that driver.

Other things on the schedule this August is a golf tournament I'm hosting at our local Foxbridge Golf Club. The GM at the club asked if I was interested in hosting one at the club, and being the club I have played probably 1000 rounds at growing up we will be teeing off on August 16th. I am actually taking care of everything on this tournament myself so it's going to be tough to weigh the practice and the run around and stress of a golf tournament but it should all fall into place and I feel up to both challenges.

August could be a great month and I hope I have great news,

JS

Decisions

2009-06-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well another week has gone by and another miss on the Monday qualifying stage. Even though last week I was so close to being in the event, this one bothers me far more than the last. This week I felt like the ball was in my court, I felt great over the ball and was seeing some great scores all week while in Banff. When I had my practice round for this course I found easy to make a game plan and find great lines to be aggressive yet still be in control of the course. I had 7 birdies and 3 eagle chances during my practice round and really felt like there was no problem being able to shoot at least a 69 on the course, I just felt the course suited me great. Things didn't go as planned and I got behind early and never felt right all day. Despite keeping a very level head and going through all my processes I wasn't able to convert the chances for birdie I had made for myself. Sure enough I pressed on the final holes and missed the number.
From what I've learned since being out here following the tour there are many players who have gone through the same trials. Monday qualifying is a beast and really drags on you. You are always counting on having the one great day and being the best out of 80 solid golfers to get into an event you already feel you belong in. It's tough keeping your head straight when you get in a situation like this. Lucky for me I have guys like Barry who know this devil far too well. It makes it a little easier because I won't beat myself up too bad thinking back on an unsuccessful start to the season.
So, I have decided that following the tour for the next 3 weeks through Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg will not be on my schedule. I have entered into the Great Lakes July 6-7 event at Royal Ashburn which means I will be coming home early. Not a bad thing... but I'm just tired of wasting my money trying for a tournament, missing it and hanging out the rest of the week around the event while eating out everyday for every meal while staying in a hotel.
There is no doubt this fuels my fire for knowing what I want to do and what it takes to be successful for the ENTIRE 2010 season.
This has been a disappointing start to what I believed was going to be a great beginning to my career out here as a professional.

Although it was unsuccessful as far as my goals go perhaps it's a good beginning. Coming home I do feel a bit defeated but I learned some great things out here and do believe I belong week to week in every field. So all in all I can take some extremely positive things from this past month and a half and look forward to making it happen.

See you back in Ontario,

JS

Road To Calgary

2009-06-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

After this week at the Surrey Invitational the Canadian Tour has a scheduled week off before continuing in Calgary for the ATB Financial at Sirrocco CC. For the week off myself, Barry and a fellow player have traveled to Banff to play a few courses and enjoy the Rocky Mountains on our way to Calgary. We will be playing Silvertip CC today, Banff Springs tomorrow, Stuart Creek on Thursday and are planning on getting in a round at Kananaskis Golf Club on our way to Calgary.
I personally have never been in the Rocky Mountains and the drive from Vancouver to Banff along Highway 1 was amazing, it was a 9 hour drive that felt like 1 hour. I am definitely spoiled to be here, it can feel like a vacation so quickly but I am trying to keep my head straight and focused on the fact that I have a job to complete. This entire week Banff Springs has offered their practice facility to us and will be playing those courses. My game has really turned around in the last week since getting all that practice in during the week in Surrey. I am going to try and attach a picture to this entry, other than the rain (which is the first time I've seen rain in a month) this place is gorgeous.

JS

Rolling With The Punches

2009-06-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post although plenty has been happening. I am now in Surrey, BC at the Surrey Invitational. Today was the first day and unfortunately I was unable to play in the field. This past Monday I played in the qualifier for the event where only four spots are available. I finished with a round of 69 (-3) and was sitting in 4th place behind two 68's and a 67. Two groups left I felt as though I had a chance and one young 15 year old kid came through with a round of 68 and booted me out of contention for a spot. I would be the first alternate for the Monday qualifiers and the 13th alternate for the event. Not really believing I had a chance to play this week I practiced and worked on game preparing just in case but still no word I was playing through the start of the week. I will say that it was a great week as I was able to really work through some things in my game. The week coming off the Q School in Victoria my swing seemed to be all but gone and I had no idea what to do with myself. Last week in Victoria I worked on a new swing which felt very mechanical and tried and tried working on it until Sunday evening the day before the Monday qualifier here in Surrey. I decided to go back to what used to work and just stay relaxed... no over swinging and take it shot by shot. Well I managed a three under 69 and here I am... still out of the tournament.
Because I missed the cut I planned on caddying for Barry O'Neill, my good friend here on tour. As we arrived to the tee I was told to get my bag I was first alternate now that 12 withdrawals had happened. So I had to potential to play this afternoon if someone pulled out... This never happened, I was looking all day towards the officials wondering when they would be bringing to my bag to warm up but it never happened. So unfortunately I will be carrying the bag this week and taking a week off as the tour does next week and be trying to Monday qualify for Calgary. I feel great, I wish I could play in this event as I feel quite comfortable with the course layout. Greens are quick and firm but it plays well for me. It has been nice being able to hang out around the tour though. I have had plenty of good practice and it seems we stay out here during the practice round days for 10 hours. We may even hit the range twice even three times, putting and chipping games and everything really get your game in shape. So I am just hoping things can get rolling in the next week in Calgary because I am so ready to get out there and compete. This has been somewhat of a miserable start to the season as far as achieving my goals go but there is plenty of time and hopefully I start to peek at the right time. Stay in touch, good news to come.

JS

Canadian Tour Spring Q School : Morningstar GC

2009-05-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

This wasn't a very exciting week for me. It was littered with frustration. My pitfall the entire week was putting, I was misreading the greens where if I wasn't missing on pace I was missing on line. It got so bad for me on these greens that once I would read a putt I would sometimes give more or less break than what I read standing over the ball to make it fall and of course nothing. Not to mention a bad start, the first day I made two swings on the front nine when I wasn't ready, swung anyway and it cost me 3 strokes by the 8th tee. Day two the putter was cold still and I was 73, it was amazing though how little momentum I had on the course because nothing would fall for me. Can't say I wasn't doing everything else great I hit a flag from the fairway day two (and 4) they rested only 8 feet away and missed both. I hit almost every shot into the greens from within 140 yards to 20 feet or less all week. So when you have no momentum I tried to make something happen which again was a bad decision because it was completely out of my game plan to cut corners on certain holes. I payed the price on every single one and managed to escape with a 75 ... somehow. The final day was of course a little more relaxed, in my mind the only thing I could do to get into the top would be 8 or 9 under and that's pretty much out of reach on this course. Either way, the entire day my ball striking was impeccable I hit so many balls to within 10 feet it was ridiculous. 2,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,14,15,16 were all balls 15 feet or less, one of them hit the flag, and one sat on the lip which was hole 11 from 132 I was an inch from making an eagle... I made that putt. So the final day was rough because I felt like I was playing a great game and the ball never could get rolling to the next hole because I would miss the putt and I would question what I did wrong. It was painful.
The good thing is I was able to pull some positives out. Along with the old ones of remember to never shoot when not ready, be fully committed to your shot, stay even keel I was able to see the potential for great scoring. If I just learn from a few mistakes and take that to the next week there is the potential for some great things. I saw the ball hit from 140 yrds and in nearly to perfection... it was more than I could've asked for I gave myself so many chances all week. Again though, it's putting that held me back this week.
Monday I will be travelling to Victoria for the Monday Qualifier for the Canadian Tour Event. I will be travelling with my good Irish pal Barry O'Neil who is meeting me here in Parksville today and then we will continue to travel.
I would like to thank the Loftus family for giving me their home, it's always nice to feel at home when you are playing in these types of events. I would also like to thank my caddy Bill Vandervelde, who not only was a great fan of mine on the course but gave out some good hard cheers for my fellow competitors in my group, we had a great time and I hope he did too. I will be in touch this Monday, I intend to get these putts dropping and see my potential actually be realized in the coming months.
Thank you Morningstar, for a stressful but excellent week.

JS

Canadian Tour Q School : Practice Round

2009-05-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow morning the final Canadian Tour Q School begins and I can say I am as ready as I'll ever be. I've put a lot of practice and work into getting my lines and thought processes ready fro this event. The Morningstar GC is a tough little track but if I steer clear of trouble I should do just fine. Earlier this week I had to make my own course yardage book as the club here does not have one of their own. It's a good thing I've been around some of the best course yardage books made by the guys at the GAO in Craig Loughry and Marcus Strom. Making this book also gives me a better understanding of the course and got me to focus more on the courses ins and outs. The tee shots are a key factor on this course. There is a lot of trouble around this whole course but most of the time you can hit irons off the tee to be in just as good position as someone with a driver. The greens are also a key factor here. Today in the practice round the greens keeping staff still hadn't double cut and rolled the greens as they plan on doing this week for the event so I anticipate the greens to be a whole different kind of beast tomorrow. These greens look like a Pete Dye design, very undulating and many tiers. This was the main reason I made the course book so that when I am hitting into greens I know exactly which way the green will be sloping for that specific pin placement and hit my ball into the correct spot as needed for best chance to make a putt. I'm assuming like most greens like this getting the ball below the pin is imperative.
I tee off tomorrow morning, actually the very first tee time of the day so I will be the very first group on every single green. That's definitely an advantage, the greens will be slick but extremely smooth with no footprints. Hopefully all goes well, I know I can shoot some great scores on this course but most importantly I know where to be aggressive (which is hardly ever) and when to play smart and keep my lines straight. I'll let you know how the first round went tomorrow. As I can see on www.cantour.com I am on the top of the leaderboard so I intend on keeping it there.

Wish me Luck, this is the one!

JS

British Columbia Arrival

2009-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it's been a little while since I last posted. Since the Shell Houston Open monday qualifying I have been working hard on being ready to compete and earn my card once and for all here in Parksville, BC at Morningstar GC. First of all I would like to thank everyone who has been giving me well wishes and encouragement. An especially big thanks to Woodensticks Golf Club for allowing me to use the facilities at my leisure to make sure I was ready for the Canadian Tour as well.
So, I arrived this morning in Nanaimo, BC at 10am and was then brought back to where I'll be staying alongside the Morningstar GC. I will be staying with the Loftus's and already they have made me feel right at home. Eventhough I was feeling a little tired I went out for a quick round on the course just to get an idea of what the courses feel is like. I don't think the course is playing as tough as it will be for the event as the greens are slowed down at the moment but was assured they will be close to 11 on the stimpmeter for the Q School. Mike Loftus (who I'm staying with) is the General Manager here at Morningstar GC and I feel this will be a great test, especially once the greens start rolling at 11. The views on this course are amazing, a few tee shots are right into a large mountain range in the distance... it's absolutely beautiful. There is even a family of Bald Eagles on the front nine which is quite a thing the see up close, today two of them flew directly over my head only missing by a good 20 feet while I was on the green putting. With all this nature surrounding the course it will be easy to drift off into the beauty. Over the course of the week I will spend a little more time on learning the lines for tee shots and of course the greens. Stay tuned, I'm feeling good and ready to join the Canadian Tour through Morningstar GC.

JS

Shell Houston Open : Monday Qualifying 73

2009-03-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my round at a +1 73 ... Please don't be fooled. I got off to a boring start hitting all four greens and tapping in each of those 4 putts. I was somewhat upset with not making the putts or even one of them because I spent a lot of time on my putting the last week and yesterday in practice we played 9 holes i made 5 of 7 tries at birdie yesterday to finish 5 under for nine holes. Today I even gave myself a 20 foot birdie putt on hole #4 which is the toughest hole and the toughest pin placement. So a quick recap of what happened today starting after 4 goes like this...

Hole 5 par 5 ... had a 71 yard flip over a bunker and landed 2 yards short on the lip of bunker, chipped it to 3 feet, heavy swinger... and missed. I came back with a birdie on the next and lipped a chip out for eagle on the 7th and tapped in birdie. The par 3 8th i stuck to 12 feet, downhill slight break, i just hit a little too firm, tap in par. Nine I par, Ten I par... The 215 yard par 3 #12 I birdie which was a great birdie and led me to the next par 5 which I lipped out again for eagle (I kid you not ... two lips on chips for eagle) and tap in birdie.

So I'm 3 under through 12 and I hit a great drive down the long 13th, 140 yards... pin right ball was below my feet and I just came out of the shot and it went into the bunker and underneath the lip... i missed par. Up and down for par on 14 par 3 and then another one of my 3 poor shots in scoring position that led to bogey. I had 104 yards into the 15th hole but the wind was blowing hard into my face. I would normally use a 57 degree wedge in that position but because of wind I even went up to a smooth choked down wedge... wind blew and I came up short and didn't get it up and down. So now I was only -1 and I knew that I really needed a miracle now to make it into the tournament. Two putt on the tough 16 for par and then I came to the "easy" 17th... a 318 yard par 4. Usually I would lay up have 100 yards in and a good shot at birdie but in my mind I needed to go eagle eagle finish. So I hit driver with wind blowing back into my face. This shot was a carry completely over water and I found it. I actually found it again on the next hole but I missed clubbed on the next one... the damage was done anyways, I knew I had to get into -5 at least really to have a chance. So I made a 7 there and went to 18 +2 ... I birdied the 18th and there you go a +1 73. In a tournament that round would have been a "disappointing" 69 but really if it wasn't for those three poor shots I made I would have had a serious chance at a spot into the SHO. These things happen and as I see the leader board (and it's not finished as I write) plenty of great players had a real tough time with this hole... At least I can say I didn't just try and come in with a 69 and have everyone say "great score". That would make up for missing the number by 3 or 4. I went for it and was happy how I played... I just wish I could've had those three strokes back. That's the way it is though in these Monday qualifiers... If you look at how the guy who shot 65 (there are 2 at the moment) you will notice they may have made only one mistake... and that's all you really get. When I made it into the Canadian Open I made only one mistake.

So there it is... The conclusion to a 3 month run at improving and chasing my goals. I feel like I have come a long long way from where I was in January and am a firm believer in the idea that i have a great shot at succeeding in this profession. I will be taking the next couple weeks off to go home and visit with friends and family. At that time I will be looking for extra help in sponsorship, so if you are reading this and want to be involved in my pursuit or you know of someone that might be interested please send me an email for details. I will be travelling west in march to make my way to the Canadian Tour Spring Q School... before then I will stop in Calgary to practice with a friend at his course and then onto Vancouver to meet up with Barry on the Canadian Tour. It's not a long way till then and I'm excited for what's to come. It's been a long three months, I worked super hard and the work in paying off. Please keep in touch and keep an eye on the blog ... I'm sure I will be seeing some of you shortly but thanks again for reading and being involved in what I'm doing. It's helped a lot and I will say it again, this is what I want to do and I feel like I'm on the right path.

JS

Shell Houston Open : Monday Qualifying (Preview)

2009-03-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to hopefully find a tee time for the Monday qualifying coming in a couple days. Finally they are up, 8:10am off the first tee. I'm pretty excited about that because it's the best chance to play under perfect conditions (no wind, smoothest green conditions). As I looked through a day or so ago I noticed the player roster... Frank Licklitter II, Ricky Barnes, Tommy (two gloves) Gainey... I was thinking it was going to be a big time field, lots of strong, seasoned players. Then this morning I see even more... Bob Tway, Colt Knost, Brant Jobe, David Gossett and more.
So seeing that I got excited that I might be able to be paired up with one of these guys... unfortunately I haven't been but I'm still excited to go out and have all putts drop. I've been telling myself I'm due, yesterday I was invited out to the Houston Country Club and dispite 2 putting nearly every green I finished -1. It was unfortunate for my visit the greens had been punched two days prior, sanded and they had let the grass grow... so it was a slow and grainy day on the putting greens. The HCC is a great course and a lovely atmosphere, I had a great conversation with some of the members afterwards who were excited to see my name on the roster for the Shell Houston Open. It's always nice to know people are pulling for you. Which is why coming into Monday I know I have just as good a chance to shoot the low round of the day as an old seasoned veteran on tour, a bunch of US Amateur Champions, and a number of PGA Tour card holders and Nationwide Tour players because as long as the putts fall I will be in teh same position to get in as they are... playing Monday.

And let me tell you, if I do get in I am ready for my performance on the PGA Tour ... again.

JS

Shell Houston Open : Pre Qualifying 72

2009-03-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

I am trying to enter into the Shell Houston Open the same way I entered into the field at the Canadian Open, through Monday qualifying. Unlike the Canadian Open, the Shell has a pre qualifier because of the amount of contestants. Yesterday there were 173 players in the field... 50 moving forward. The qualifying will be done at Cypress Tradition Course which just so happens to be the course I played on for years as a collegiate player and the course in which I practice on daily. Through the practice round I could tell the pins where going to be set in the easiest positions the course which gave me an edge as well (Pins are marked by a paint mark the day before, you just have to find it). So if top 50 move forward I knew I really just had to stay calm, take with me what I had learned in the past couple weeks and cruise through this pre qualifying with as little stress as possible. I tell you what if it wasn't the "pre qualifying" and it was a tournament or the actual Monday qualifier when you have to make just about every birdie chance you are presented I would have been having fits. I struck the ball great , tee shots were again fine and my putts were all rolling smooth, great pace but lipped out 6 times ... 6 lip outs, 1 for eagle and the rest for birdie. I had myself prepared for the event mentally though where I understood that this round meant nothing, you don't have to shoot a real low score, you just have to make it through. I could see from my playing partners they weren't so prepared. One of them was going at every shot possible trying to tear the cover off the ball. Another was so nervous I felt bad for him, he was shanking, he was blocking everything right, his putting was too hard or too soft... I at one point just had to give him a little advice on being in this kind of stuff. I knew how he felt, he looked like I was on those first couple holes of the Canadian Open when everything was moving too fast. So like the season veteran I am ha... I let him know he was still in it, we have plenty of time and not to feel pressured to go quickly. The other fella I played with was a Nationwide member last year, his name was Ben Willman and I had good conversation with him through the round.

Today was the best I had ever felt on a golf course, I wasn't scoring as well as I should've been but I was accomplishing the task that I had set out for. I was calm and had confidence in hitting the shots and really had a laissez faire attitude toward if the putt went in or not... as long as I had my line and I hit it where I wanted it I could do no more. From speaking with Barry it seems that's the attitude you need towards putting is... pick your line, hit it... if it goes in move on... if it lips out and misses, move on. Sometimes that's tough and I still say there is a place for willing the ball into the hole but there sure is a whole lot less stress when you don't care if the ball goes in or out... and i would rather them in all day thank you.

One of the stories Barry had for me on the road was oddly enough from a guy he had met on his travels ... Ken Tarling. Anyone in the golf industry in Ontario for sure would know that name and it's quite ironic. He and Barry had been practicing for a couple days together and after a round Ken asked Barry a question and maybe I'll try and just narrate this thing... good story I learned a great deal from it.

Ken: "How do you feel after a great round of golf when you score well?"

Barry: "I feel great, confident, I love the game and very positive."

Ken: "How do you feel after a bad round of golf?"

Barry: "Quite the contrary, I am negative, upset, angry, I wonder if I'm in the right profession."

Ken: "See you're in the wrong profession if you're going to be changing your state after each individual round... You need to look at the process. You need to be in love with the process of being a professional golfer. You need to love waking up and going to the range and chipping and putting for hours. You need to love the process of meeting the new people and competing, you need to love the process of traveling from place to place. Good or bad days, you will learn from it and move forward within that process."

I really liked that story and it made me realize how great this life actually is and how much I want to be able to do it for years to come. It is the process that makes you a better player and those who learn from it, you can tell because to them a good or bad day is just another day.

By the way ... the pre qualifier moved 50 players forward to Monday qualifying... I was one of them shooting a 72.

JS

Day 4 - 71 : Silverthorn CC

2009-03-21T04:58:00.001-07:00

I apologize for not posting as prompt as the last three entries but the end result was disappointing and has been haunting me now ever since I tapped in my bogey on the eighteenth hole. Before the round I believed that if I shot a 67 I would have no problem earning my card. That would leave me at -2, I felt that was a comfortable place to sit as I was one of the first guys in on that day and would have to wait the duration of the back nine. Once we began the round I felt great again, the second hole I left a downhill putt short by a dimple for birdie which I laughed off as I was instructed by Barry who had been having success by laughing off tough breaks the last two days. When I went to the 3rd hole I hit a big drive straight down the middle favouring the left side which gave me a great angle at going to the green in two... downwind, 220 over water completely. I didn't catch it as well as I would've liked and it came about two feet short of clearing and I made a bogey. When I came off that green I was upset because all I really wanted to do was avoid the bogey and take my birdies when they came... and there would be a lot because I have hit my tee ball so well. Next hole I flew the ball just too far and missed a 7 footer par putt... Now I was getting a little angry, the 67 I was looking to shoot was going to be tough and didn't have to be as hard as I was making it. I actually got angrier on the 6th hole, the number 1 handicap hole on the course. I had a 6 foot birdie putt and missed it short side (and I felt like I had hit a great putt). I missed my 10 foot birdie on the next hole 7 par 5 and the same thing on 9... had an 8 footer and had a 4 footer coming back (it was actually a very tough pin placement). So when we made the turn it was tough telling the scorekeepers I was 2 over because I knew I had 9 holes left to make something happen.
On the tenth hole I hit a great tee shot and was left with 62 yards to a back to front green... hit past the flag and spun back to the front of green which was only a 12 footer, it lipped out. 11th hole I got up and down and at that point I said to myself " I will play these next holes perfect"... kept on repeating it. Numbers 12 (493 par 5), 13, 14, 16 and 18 are all terribly easy golf holes if you make your tee shot. As I kept telling myself that I was just hoping the putts would fall and sure enough I had a 12 footer downhill for eagle on 12 and made it in. Moved to next hole, 60 yards left from a divot, 15 feet left of hole and lipped it out (and yes I was angry)... made a 12 footer for birdie on 14. Stuck my 15 hole ball 15 feet right of flag (par 3) and rolled that putt over the edge. 16 I made about a 20 footer , thank goodness that straight putt stayed online. I two putted on 17 for par and made my way to 18 four under par on the back nine only have making three putts. Very nerve wracking tee shot I had a couple re grips more than usual, I ripped my tee shot way down fairway. 18 is a par par 5 520, and it was playing downwind and I hit my ball in perfect position to make the green in 2 to hopefully two putt, make my birdie and sweat out the afternoon at even par... hey maybe I eagle and -1, I thought that was in for sure as well. 180 yards a good breeze downwind... water is in front and to the right of green and the pin is located on the right side of green 7 paced off right to be exact. From the middle of the green there is a slope that falls to hole. That made it quite easy for me, I had a lady in a prominent blue dress standing behind the green on the left portion of the green, I took aim at her with a 7 iron and hit the shot. I caught it slightly low on the face which means coming out of it a bit. I watched my ball sail towards the at the middle of the green, straight at the flag, then right of green and in the water. Crushed I dropped my ball and two putted for a bogey on the last and knew I had ruined my chances at earning my card. Now I know I made a good run at it in the clutch and all week no putts fell even tough I felt I putted well, and over the 4 days missing by two strokes is really nothing. But I had that card in my hand, a 7 iron to the center of the green.
That is "the" nightmare of the Q school, the tree putt on the last, the ball in the water... those are the ones you hear about and you hope you never have to endure it. Well, it happened... to me, and it really sucks. I've been using my NLP training from my mental strategy sessions to replay the round and further more that shot. I've hit that shot a thousand times perfect now in my head and I can assure you it makes me angrier to know just how easy that was to make that shot and earn my card.
I did learn some good things this week however, I know I have it within me to be there and I know it will happen. I learned a little more how to plug away one shot at a time in a 72 hole event and never get down. It has given me a great deal of confidence in myself to play to my potential... I mean when those putts start to fall, look out.

I return back to Houston today, Barry and I will be stopping in New Orleans half way to break the drive up. Maybe do some celebrating as well as he earned partial status on the tour in first position... so basically he will be in every event this year. I have entered myself into the Shell Houston Open qualifier and hope to make it in to that, win and go to the Masters. If not, I will be working on the game and get set for spring Q school in Vancouver May 26th.

Thanks for all the well wishes I play as though you all are watching every shot and I enjoy having that ... because I hate making bad shots in front of anyone.

JS

Day 3 - 71 : Southern Hills

2009-03-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day, I was able to move myself up in the field. Unfortunately for me I was playing so well I almost felt as though I was letting strokes get away when I was missing so many birdie putts. I really felt like I was going to shoot a great round straight from the start because everything was struck so solid. Anyways, long story short... I am looking for a huge round tomorrow. Stick to the good things I've been doing which has been getting my ball in position to have a chance at rolling in a birdie. I went over to the greens at Silverthorn CC and rolled my putter for an hour and I do feel confident rolling the ball. Wish me luck, I have a long way to go, but I know deep down I have it in me to take care of this when the pressure is on.

JS

Day 2 - 72 : Silverthorn CC

2009-03-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Today was an alright day. I felt great and hit the ball great off the tee which is a big reason why I was a little upset with my outcome. Again I had a rough time on the greens, I missed a good 5 putts inside 8 feet and even missed a 2 footer (it was a swinging putt to the right) but no matter. For some reason the greens here at Silverthorn were just as slow as Southern Hills the day prior. Just that speed had an effect on me where I wasn't making anything and wasn't able to create any momentum. I felt like I was when I turned to the front 9 and went birdie, par (missed a 10 footer), birdie, and then par (missed another 10 footer). Then I had another 10 footer for par and missed that, followed by the missed two footer. It's quite a game when you look back and think had any of those dropped I would be well under and and working back against my first round.
That's my project right now, I know there is plenty of golf left but I need to make some strides in climbing back into the field. In all honesty I'm not far out, if I can put together two solid round in the red I will have a card no problem. I feel great out on the course and am just waiting for these putts to fall. I'm not trying to do anything different on the course, just trying to play safe and make my pars... birdies when they are available. Tomorrow I play Southern Hills again and I feel confident that I will play well and hopefully ready to make aq run and show my name up in the hunt. A big help for me has been the help from a hometown friend Mac Boucher. He has offered to help me as a caddy here as he's visiting his grandparents in West Palm Beach. He's been doing a great job of keeping me focused and positive. We look forward to tomorrow I'm going deep, that course is in my back pocket! ... Mac says so.

JS

Day 1 - 76 : Southern Hills CC

2009-03-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well today things didn't go as well as I felt out on the course. I feel as though I really hit the ball well off the tee and put myself in great position to score well. I did hit some bad shots from the fairway a couple times but in all honesty I felt great on the course. My problem were the greens... my thoughts were that the greens there would be cut and it wouldn't be a big deal dealing with how grainy the greens were. This morning when I got on the putting green I thought the greens were cut and smoother than the days prior. That was on the front of the putting green, go to the back of the green where there was much more grass and it was just as slow. So I felt like I hot my ball in some great spots I was just never able to make the putt to get me moving in the right direction. I made two bad swings which ended up costing me a good 4 strokes... one was on the 8th hole I missed the green and hit a poor pitch shot. The other was on the 12th hole, I hit a great drive in perfect position and tried to hit a 4 iron up against the wind to fall left into the fairway... sure enough it flies straight and lied in an elevated bunker, 48 yards from pin... went over green , bad chip and two putts. Those were the 2 double bogeys I made.
Looking forward to tomorrow morning I feel great and confident about my tee shots, this course will allow me plenty more chances at wedges in my hand and chances at scoring ... also as I sit here outside towards the 8th hole I see they are getting the greens in great shape. So I'm pumped because I've been hitting my putts online and I feel like they will fall, especially out on Silverthorn.
So today may not have been the best scoring day for me but all in all I feel like I'm not out of position or out of this race in any way. Wish me luck as I wwork my way back inside the cut line.

JS

Silverthorn CC

2009-03-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today was the second day I was able to play the Silverthorn Country Club. As I said this course would will be where I can take advantage of the short yardage. It is 6900 yards and that would be stretched out at its max. Their is plenty of out of bounds, pretty much on each side of every hole but rarely comes into play even on the worst of shots... their is enough room, especially if you take a good line off the tee. We have played the course the past two days with the greens fairly slow and I know that the greens will be cut, rolled and will be quite different from what we have practiced but in my mind they will only roll a little more true so I can look to make a few more putts. I'm excited to play this course though, in my mind if you play well through the two days at Southern Hills then there is no doubt you will be looking good for the top 18.
Today the Canadian Tour Officials made their way to the course and we have been notified that we are playing for 9 full exempt cards and 9+ties non-exempt spots on the tour. There are only 78 players in the field this week thus the reason for reduced cards available. Anyways, I tee off around 9:30 am on Monday at Southern Hills so I look to get off to a great start and ready myself to take advantage of the Silverthorn CC and make my way onto this tour... it's all i want.

JS

Southern Hills CC

2009-03-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

Today was my first time getting a look at the Southern Hills CC, the course which we will be playing our first and third day for Q school. Southern Hills is a three year old course and was designed by Mr. Pete Dye. It's a great course and you really don't feel like you're in Florida because of all the hills you have go up and down. It's also tucked away in the woods and almost has a homey feeling for me. This morning Barry and I arrived at the club just before 10 and weren't able to tee off until 2:30. Fortunately they have a great practice facility with an 8 hole par three course, all holes ranging from 80-130 yards. We worked on our short game for a good hour or so, played the par three course, rolled some putts, then hit balls on the range and even had a chance to play a game of pool in the men's locker room before finally teeing off at 2:20. I feel like I was able to get a good feel for the course and feel quite comfortable on it. It sets up well for me as it's a ball strikers course and long positioned tee shots are rewarded. You never really have too much pressure off the tee either. As a matter of fact earlier this week a fella I play golf with from time to time who has been trying to play in some Champions Tour events let me try a driver he wasn't hitting too well. The Taylor Made R7 460 TP, it has a graffaloy platinum shaft and I will be using it off the tee for Q school. It is a great golf club and because of it's size I rarely have to go at any tee shot or even worry too much about misses. My misses are now in the fairway and when I hit it right I'm better than before... This will be a great addition to my bag and will give me a boost while playing in this Q school. Anyways, back to the course... the greens are fairly slopey but not up to standards with a Pete Dye design, they are more subtle. Today the greens were a lot slower than what I would assume we would play in the Q school, they just have them ready to be cut way down. Once they do that the slopes will be more of a hassle and I will have to navigate to the hole a lot smarter because I won't want to be caught above any holes on these greens... I also know that the Canadian Tour loves to place their pins in the trickiest of spots to drive you nuts. Tomorrow I will be practicing on the Silverthorn CC golf course where we will be playing tuesday and thursday. I'm told it will be the course were we will be doing most of our scoring, it's a 6900 yard course and the greens are in great shape but flatter in comparison to Southern Hills.

JS

Arrival in Florida

2009-03-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Barry and I have made it to Florida. We decided to drive through the night so that we would miss traffic and be able to arrive today and relax get a good nights sleep and wake up refreshed tomorrow ready to practice. We have been lucky enough to be put up by two members of the club that we are playing, the Bill and Estelle Corrigan are their names. They have a great place here right on the 8th hole and couldn't be more hospitable towards us two. It's like being at home already, we are too lucky. Later this afternoon we're going to take a drive down to the club and chip and putt around just to have some fun, we may even just go in the back yard and fool around on the 8th green behind us.
I'll keep you posted on what we're looking at for courses (we play two courses for the Q-school) and will get underway tomorrow. So I can say 100% that I'm off on the right foot, this is a very comfortable and relaxing place to come to during this upcoming event.

Stay Tuned,

JS

Round 2 : MC +9

2009-03-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Full Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	5	3	4	4	4	3	4	3	5
Rnd2	5	6	4	3	5	5	5	5	5	5	4	4	5	4	3	4	4	5

Well, can't say I saw that coming. There were a couple things that I was pleased with today and of course more things that were disappointing. I'm going to try and stay away from excuses although there were many differences today compared to yesterday. One of the positive differences was that I didn't have the tentativeness over the ball like I had seen yesterday. Unfortunately this is what started me in the wrong direction. My driver was amazing today, my first four tee shots were as perfect as they could be. Second hole my tee ball rested only 80 yards to the hole, I must have driven it 350 yrds (fairways are firm). I did have to deal with the very tight and firm lie to a tucked and elevated pin. Seemed easy enough I had a scoring wedge in my hand but I caught the shot thin and it flew over the green and in the hazard. This was the story of the day. Many of my shots struck well ended up completely different then how I had planned. I short sided myself more often than not, and of course on these greens 20 feet away it's pretty tough to drop them. Don't get me wrong there are guys that shot crazy low scores. Barry actually played with both of the leaders and said for both of them it was rediculous to watch, they made everything they looked at from anywhere (that's how you win). But you get my drift... I will concede that the course should have been played in 1 to 3 under par if you were doing well... Eight under is just nuts. Anyways, eventhough I had some bad luck on the first couple holes i just focused on hitting the greens and sure enough I did but 3 putted those 3 greens in a row. Everywhere I put my ball was just no good to get close. I will say that I had an uninhibited swing but i was just killing every shot, I even clubbed down from my partners 206 into strong wind and my 5 iron flew the green completely. It was very confusing.
Then I started to lose it and I am upset at where my mental game went. Because I felt so good at the start of day and wasn't tentative over any shot I got down on myself because if I felt like that I would've done a lot better, I had bad self talk "why are you doing this?" kind of stuff. I started to speed up my play a little bit and I was certainly in a rut for 5-6 holes. At about the 13th hole I came around and started to think more about how I could still make the cut and keep going... I struck a big drive right into perfect position left with 100 yards downwind to a moderate pin ... I caught it thin and was at the back of the green 40 foot putt and 3 putted. Somehow I didn't get down on myself there and gave myself birdie chances on the next holes 14,15 and 16 not making one of them. I basically stumbled in from there. So it was pretty dissapointing, but at least I know what to work on and what to expect. I really feel like todays score could have been avoided had I stepped back and taken a little more time... unfortunately I didn't notice until it was too late.

It's tough to deal with these things only because I don't have many chances to play under pressure, and matched with the high expectations I do. When something like this happens it's tough to dig yourself out of the doom and gloom but I know I have every bit of skill that the guy next to me has... and soon enough (say 2 weeks from now) it will be evident.

JS

Round 1 : T9 -1 70

2009-03-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Full Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	5	3	4	4	4	3	4	3	5
Rnd 1	5	5	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	4	4	3	2	4

So for my first round back in competition since the Canadian Open I have to say I'm pleased with how things went. They do say the scorecard has no pictures and it's true, however, the weather was perfect for scoring and I felt as though scores would have been super low. I do think the only reason the scores weren't so low is because of the condition of the greens, and I missed a bunch of reasonable birdie chances. From the beginning I felt a little tentative over my shots, I wasn't completely comfortable shooting at the flags. Lucky for me the practice I've been doing helped me trust my game enough to keep me on the greens. I just wasn't able to get close enough to the hole to make the putts, I was leaving myself 15-20 feet from the hole and with these greens you really just want to hit the right weight so you're not left with but a tap in. I hit 7 of my first 9 greens and was only able to convert the 9th hole par 5 for birdie. Later in the middle of the round I got some shots in close but wasn't able to convert. I'm glad I had prepared myself for the greens mentally and stuck to the plan, on the back nine I missed a couple greens and was still missing the putts. Usually you would start to try and mess with your stroke and that usually messes with your head. NOT ME !
My last three holes I finally got my ball inside 10 feet and sure enough made every one. So There it is... first round back in competition and I made it in under par. I'm thinking the cut will be somewhere at +1 or +3. So I'm not worried too much as I feel like a round in the 60's is right there. I'm looking forward to having another round in competition and just get used to the feeling of having some stress over the shot. It makes me zero in and make stronger decisions on the course. Keep an eye on the website for score, I tee off at 9:20am.

JS

Tight Lies Tour : Northgate CC

2009-02-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

This Monday will be the first tournament I will have competed in since the Canadian Open back in July. I'm quite excited to get back in the competitive side of the game... these past couple months have been all about preparation and I feel like I have done a great job in doing so. Earlier this week Barry and I visited the Northgate CC for a practice round. Other than the extremely windy day, we were able to do some good scouting and figure out some key strategies for getting through this somewhat tricky course. It only measures around 6,950 yrds but it's the tee shots that are the key to success. Driver is not always needed for this course but position is imperritive. Once you have found fairway and better yet and angle to some of these potential pin locations, there will be a great opportunity to score. Most holes after tee shot should place me no more than a nine iron into practically every hole. The par threes are all 190yrds and higher but the rest of the course seems quite scoreable. There is one issue that will come up throughout the round, however I have come to terms with it. The greens ... they are quite damaged, bumpy and slow. At least that was what they were like when we played the other day. It's unfortunate to want to test my game under the pressure and know that it is quite possible for a ball to run offline with the condition of the course. It's something we will all have to deal with and hopefully I have an edge because of early decision making on how to deal with the situation.

From time to time when this comes up on a golf course (and it has been lately in TX because the grass is dormant) when you miss a putt you look within to figure out what went wrong. Eventhough you know the putt bounced on it wway to the hole and went offline you will always try and do something different next time. There really isn't one special way to deal with bad greens. If you do know a solution please let me know...

Anyways, I'm going into this event knowing that the posibility is there for frustration to mount because of bouncing putts. I have told myself that I will continue with the same putting stroke and mental process through the round regardless of a miss... I will not try and change my stroke or anything because of a miss. Reason being I trust my stroke and feel that it is reliable for me. Hopefully this way I can just take what I'm given and give it my best shot at making the putt. Naturally they should just fall all day... and that's what I plan on doing... that's just contingency to stay the course and not try to overthink anything.

You can track progress through this link :

http://golf.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=golf&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adamsgolfprotourseries.com%2F

I hope it works, but it's at the adamsgolfprotourseries website.
I'll be keeping you up to date day on how wthe round went day to day. I plan on having good news each and everyday, like I said my preperation will have a chance to finally pay off.

JS

Preparation

2009-02-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update everyone on what's going on down here. I have been continuing my practice schedule and things have been progressing on schedule. This week I will enter into the Northgate CC Tight Lies Tour event it begins March 2-4, it's a 54 hole event and I hope to have this event help me with preparation for the Canadian Tour Q School Mar. 16. I feel like all is going well, my head is in the right place and I feel confident that my game is ready for the stress of Q School. I have been searching for a driver that will give me a little more forgiveness and have found the Titleist 909 D3 ... I was fitted the other day by a club fitter I have met down here who's working out of the Golfsmyth I use for equipment work. I hope that this driver arrives before the Q School so I can get a feel for if and figure out if I can trust it for the event. The D3 feels extremely solid and with a larger face compared to my older 983 E model I will get a little more help on miss hits. Driver aside my main focus is being in the right mind frame to go through the Q School as smoothly as possible.

Sounds easy enough.

JS

Busy Week

2009-02-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

I started this week off in the search of a coach to help move me into the next level of my game. Within that search, it didn't take long for me to learn a few quick things about myself as a professional. During my practice sessions I have really been focusing on something I don't think I cared enough about ... consistency. Lately I have been working on short game execution which will keep me consistently better around the greens. Barry has been a big help on that, working on shots around the green that are just no brainers. This has made it progressively less stressful when making those shots I have been having trouble with. To make this consistency happen I am working on eliminating most of my moving parts during my short game shots. Eliminating my lower half and using my shoulders and chest to swing through the ball at impact. Stress will come up in a round but if i can reduce the potential stressful occurrences during the round I know I will on average have better results.

I have always used a little more of my arms to swing through the ball at impact which is fine, it has been working for me up to now... It's just a matter of understanding how your swing works and what are your tendencies. Tuesday I met with a potential coach who had played on the PGA Tour in the 90's. Carl Cooper seemed like he could be a great fit as he would be able to give me an insiders view on how I can take my game to the tour. As we spoke on the range I let him know what I was looking for... number 1, it's a month away from my chance at Q school and I don't want to be making any swing changes. Two , Three whatever... you see where this is going. By the fourth hole I hit my tee shot and Carl lets me know that to be better I need to change my swing. Long story short I tried for the entire round to make this golf swing work and all it did was help me lose not only a dozen golf balls in the woods but i lost all confidence in what I had been working on up till then. It wasn't a good day.

Carl and I will not be working together.

That was Tuesday...

Another guy I've been playing with is Michael Borrote from London, England. He's a class A PGA professional and plays some events on the Tight Lies Tour. I played with him on Wednesday and later went to the range. He had a suggestion for my swing which would help me be more consistent. The best part was, it wasn't a big change at all. I squared myself up to the target and weakened my grip (my grip has always been fairly strong*). From there I was able to swing through my swing a lot more, he found I was holding my shots off to keep them online.
A good 500 balls on the range and short game work we made it to today. Wind was blowing this weekend and today was at least 35 mph... it was strong enough that a large cypress was knocked over beside the green we were on. Either way I played like their was no wind out there... I hit 12 greens, 2 or 3 may have been missed on the fringe. Had 27 putts (missed two 5 footers, two 3 putts) and shot a 2 under 70. I was 4 under on the back nine, which we played first. I only had to make 3 tough up and downs, two were from sand... but i did, and they were basically tap ins. It was a great day and my playing partner even said he was inspired to practice harder. He was 79 and played well... the wind was tough. Today was incredible just how tough the course was playing with the wind but I just stuck with what I had been practicing and I was very pleased to play my best round in the toughest conditions yet.

I look forward to this week, I will be working really hard on my short game and making everything more and more automatic. I have to say I'm also really looking forward to a day where the wind just sits still and I can see what I can do out here without mother nature in the way.

* A strong grip doesn't mean you grip the club harder, it's a position where if you grip the club strong you are more likely to hit the ball to the left (if you're a right hander). The reason is because the grip makes the club head close a bit at impact. It's completely the opposite for a weak grip where the ball will move right because the club head is open at impact. I weakened my grip so that I would be coming through the impact zone with a square club head more often.

Stay tuned, things are looking good.

JS

Presentation @ Woodensticks

2009-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the video from the evening at Woodensticks. Many were unable to attend that evening due to weather, fortunately I was able to record it for later viewing. There are five parts on youtube and the tab if you're looking for it is simply Jacob Scriven.

New Month, Same Vision

2009-02-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

Well at the start of this week I had the feeling that I was turning the tide and moving my game back to where it was in July. Perhaps I was asking a little too much when I thought I might be seeing some 60's later in the week. As I explained earlier the bermuda grass has been an issue on gaining confidence with shots around the green and putting. This week our golf course fertilized the greens which didn't allow them to cut, although they are dormant they still cut to keep them flat and smooth. Since they didn't cut this entire week it put doubt in the mind when putts would be pulled by the grain* left or right after making a great stroke. The objective for this week has certainly been staying confident and trust what I'm doing is right.

My practice has been going well and have been working on making even better contact and keeping my lower body as still as possible on shots around the green. This will increase my consistency and when I get to courses that have a fuller (almost easier) rough this practice will be extreemly helpful. I say easier because at the moment any time I miss a green I'm left with the toughest shots in golf. The idea is that with a fuller, more consistent rough the ball has a greater chance of sitting up off the ground allowing the ball to be hit a little easier. Unlike here in Texas the ball is sitting on the soil almost 90% of the time. I've also turned to some drills, Barry (my practice partner) has introduced a drill that works on putting and shots around the green. It takes about 2 hours to go through it completly but seems like it will really help with club selection around the green. This has really helped my putting and I've found my putting stroke getting extreemly smooth. This has helped with staying confident on the greens, with that grain it seems only the best of putts will fall. I've also found my ball striking to be getting increasinly better. I think it's because of the increased short game work and focus on solid contact around the green.

New into my schedule has been the addition of fitness in the morning. I joined the Bally's Gym here in Houston and it is a great facility to continue my fitness program. I have been out there by 7am and to the golf course by 10. This is the first time I have been able to include a productive fitness program with my increased time on practice. I'm hoping this will be my recipe for success. The work that's been going into my game these days can only help me reach new heights. One the perks to the early morning workout is the Bally's Gym I attend has a wonderful steam room to loosen up before swinging the club all day.

I'm looking at one month until Qschool comes and of course I feel like I'm on the right track. Keep a look out for video from practice sessions and playing. I want to use that for getting a better visual picture of game in general, hoping it will help in improving my game.

JS

* Grain, for the non golfer is the direction in which the grass grows. Usually on greens back home in Canada the grass on putting surfaces are bentgrass. When cut, there is really no grain grain affect the putt. Here in Texas and the south the grass is bermuda grass which is a weedy type of grass and grows in all sorts of directions. This makes it difficult to rewad and keep putts online. As the grass gets longer on the green, the grain will increase as well.

Practice Makes Progress

2009-01-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well it's been exactly 2 weeks since I arrived and only a good week that I have been working through an effective practice routine day to day. Over the weekend the weather wasn't all that great; windy and somewhat cold which made it even tougher to execute my shots. Feeling like I had done a lot of work I gave my body a rest on Sunday and worked through a few visualization techniques hoping to bring a positive week ... scores to prove. Today I made it to the club at 9 am and worked through a progression of short game drills, worked on being quiet through my swing on the range and followed that with another good putting drill before teeing up around 12 pm. I guess the rest, along with solid practice has me on the right track because today I was finally able to finish a round under par. Here is a look at how I did it at Cypresswood Tradition Course.

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 4 4 3 4 5 4 5 3 4 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 5 72
Score 3 3 3 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 4 71
Grn Y Y Y NW Y Y Y N Y Y Y N N Y Y N N Y2 11
Putts 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 28

Today's weather was close to 70F partly cloudy, wind was prominent around 25 mph throughout the day. I felt that I was beginning to strike the ball solidly and on line which was great. My driver was hit well accept for the 4th hole where a pulled it left and was forced to hit a draw into a strong wind coming from left ... pushing my ball into the water. Either way, I feel like I was rolling the ball better on the greens and playing well with the grain. More importantly my shots around the green were far better than I have seen to date. Even my misses seemed to be within a reasonable range where I would have a fair enough chance of making a save (which did happen on 10, 13 & 16).

So ... there is some proof. The practice is working and I'm feeling confident in the fact that I am hitting better and better shots. Perhaps by next week I'll be well under par.

Don't hold your breath.

Sorry for scorecard it's the best I could do.

JS

Scratching @ The Rust

2009-01-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

Today I seem to be making progress on the rust that comes from a couple months away from swinging the club. Not to mention the adjustment it takes to play the bermuda grass. At the moment the weather has been great but with the dormant grass it's tough to make solid contact with the ball around the greens. There isn't much grass around them and the soil underneath is soft, so you end up with a lot of tight lies with no substance underneath to hit a solid shot. It plays with your head when you are left with a pitch shot inside 20 yrds. The only option in that situation is to hit it crisp with an accelerated motion at the ball. So this truly needs practice. I've been working on my short game (those shots especially) a good three hours to start my day. Then I will continue with shots on the range to groove the swing and get on target. From there I will jump on the tee and play a full 18 to work on game situations. It's also a good way to learn what really needs work.
Today has been the best for seeing progress; I feel the red numbers are upon us. With about two months to go until Q school I feel like I am making the right strides in being ready to earn my card and play a full schedule. I have also been working on my short term goal setting for a little extra clarity on my short game progress.

JS

The Beginning

2009-01-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well it seems I have finally got myself situated down here in Houston. I arrived Last week and have made a few strides in getting myself comfortable. The past few days have been absolutely amazing golf weather and I have found myself out at the golf course just enjoying the weather and having a few fun rounds with my old teammates. My practice will be done predominantly at the Cypresswood Golf Club in Humble TX. It's a great facility with 3 courses. The Director here has allowed me to play and practice as much as I would like.
Sunday I played at the Redstone Tournament Course (which is where the Shell Houston open is held) and will be speaking with the Head pro there to see what kind of coaching he might be able to provide. However, Today I was introduced to a guy who is living here with a family near that course and is playing in the Adams Tight Lies Tour and intends on going to Q school for the Canadian Tour. He is a strong player from Ireland and it seems he and I will be practicing a lot together in the next couple months. In my mind this will be a great thing for me as I will have someone in the exact same mind set as I am. This will for sure increase my practice productivity and makes the decision of finding a "pro" to be with me for practice sessions a little difficult as this new "teammate" in a sense may be exactly wwhat I'm looking for.
I've been seeing some good things in my game already although there is definetly a bunch of rust to wear off. This next week I will be spending a lot of time on the range and will be developing a strong schedule that I will be able to follow throughout the year.
The next few days look very promising with weather being sunny and in the 70's right till next week. Sorry to rub it in for those of you shovelling the driveway each day. Look forward to more posts, the drive to Q School has begun and I will keep you posted all along the way.

JS