In Full Swing!

Hello bloggers & golf fans!

It's now the middle of summer and my golf schedule is in high gear for the next two months! Since my last post, things have been extremely busy on and off the golf course to say the least. As many of you know, I've been engaged to my high-school sweetheart Ann since February of this year. We had a beautiful wedding day on July 9th in Eden Prairie, MN with family and close friends surrounding us. I'm so very blessed to have an amazing and supportive wife. After a fun honeymoon at a cottage on the north shore past Duluth, MN, we were off to Waterloo, IA for the Waterloo Open.

With Ann on the bag caddying for me, we did our best to survive the extreme heat and humidity. In the first round, things started off slowly on the front nine. Rallying with a late birdie, I made the turn at even par. On a course that surrenders lots of birdies, I knew I'd have to pick up the pace. After making eagles on the par-5 12th & 14th, I quickly jumped to -3. Two holes later I added another birdie, only to bogey the 18th for a round of 69. This score would later prove to be just enough to play the final round as I made the cut right on the number. Feeling good about my ball striking, I was off to the putting green to find a little momentum to climb the leaderboard on Sunday. The final round would turn out to be a better day on the greens. Making the turn to the back nine at -1 on the day, a few putts started to fall the last nine holes. Birdies on three of the last five holes helped cap off a solid round of 67, and a 14th place finish in the field of 193 players.

Following a couple days of rest and practice back home in Alexandria, we were right back on the grind this past weekend at the Minnesota State Open at Rush Creek GC in Maple Grove. The beautiful layout would be a great test of golf that would challenge all parts of the players' games. My first round afternoon tee time saw the greens playing firm and fast. A solid start over the first few holes, followed by back to back birdies to round out the first nine found me turning to the back at -1. Making just one bogey and one birdie on the next nine holes allowed me to card a one under 71. This was one of only a handful of under par rounds in the afternoon, so I wasn't too disappointed with the result. I'd been hitting the ball so well, but just unable to correctly read the putts and hit my intended lines. I was trying to be patient, but frustration was starting to set in. My second round score of 75 was very similar to round one, minus a big number hole that set me back. Another great ball-striking round on the final day was once again held back by the "flat stick." A final round score of 72 saw only two conversions on eight chances inside of 15 feet for birdie on the last 9 holes. A 33rd place finish wasn't the result I was hoping for over the three days, but I could take away great confidence in my ball striking into the next  tournament.

I wouldn't have to wait long for my next round as my first appearance on the Dakota's Tour would happen the very next day in Marshall, MN. Another course that tends to yield plenty of birdies, was doing so again this year with soft conditions and smooth quick greens. A trio of 69's (-6 for the tournament) at the end of the three days placed me in 12th position. The surprising part was the change in how I hit the ball. Each day I struggled with my full swing and wedge-game, not giving myself a lot of opportunities to make many birdies. My chipping around the greens is what saved my score during each round, going 20/26 in successful up & downs. Putting was pretty streaky again through the first two rounds, so I decided to make a change for the final day to try and find some magic. I brought my belly putter out of the trunk after the 2nd round while I was practicing and it felt great in my hands. The results showed in the final round as I started to hit my intended lines. I'm okay with misreading greens or an occasional misjudgement on speed as long as I'm committing to and hitting the putt in the direction I want to.

Once again, there isn't a lot of rest between events as we kick off another three day event tomorrow here in Yankton, SD. Today was a great day to get my legs back some and touch a few things up on my game to prepare for the tournament.

Upcoming schedule:

July 29-31: Yankton, SD (Dakota's Tour Event)
August 1: Omaha, NE (Nationwide Tour Monday Qualifier)
*August 4-7: Omaha, NE (Nationwide Tour Event - if qualified for)
*August 4-7: Yankton, SD (Dakota's Tour Event)
August 11-13: Rapid City, SD (Dakota's Tour Event)

That's all for now from "the tips," but until next time remember..."your true opponent is always the golf course!"


Bryce