hey mike, good to see a fellow new yorker on here. wheres your qualifier at? 19 days is plenty just like riding a bike man, play the course once and then get up and rip it apart. good luck man i hope you qualify

What a smart 'regular golfing buddy'!!  I know you have the game to get it done.  Don't worry about a respectable showing...just enjoy the trip along the way.  I am like you though...nothing like a deadline/goal staring you in the face to motivate you.  And if that means a little more time on the range and the practice green....well, I guess someone has to do it.   ;-)  

Good luck!

Plenty of time!  Remember, you do not need to win the qualifier, just be above the cut line.  My one bit of advice (without getting into your head about "tournament golf") is to try and play the course where the qualifier will be held.  Familiarize yourself with the layout and get comfortable with the shots that you will likely be facing.  

Good luck and play well!

I think what you are doing is awesome. I severely tore my groin last march playing hockey (my other love) and didn't get to play golf at all last summer but finally felt good enough a year later to get the swing going again. I'm out of college (still trying to find a good job) and I have a lot of free time with my part time job and golf takes up my free time. I was a 12 handicap before the injury. My goal is to get into the single digits and maybe play competitively again. 19 days for you doesn't sound too out of reach as long as you stay dedicated to those 19 days. Good Luck Mike

PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE

And have FUN!!!

Good Luck in your attempt to qualify.

Awesome Mike,

I wish you the best of luck.  Practice that short game over the next 19 days.  As you know, that's where the scoring game really is.  Sharpen that and you'll do just fine.

Jason

Why not try Mike? What the heck...have some fun. :-)

Good luck!

MIKE. GOOD LUCK IN GETTING YOUR GAME IN SHAPE, WISHING YOU GOOD LUCK IN THE MATCHES. TRY TO PUT SOMETHING ON THE LINE  WHEN YOU PLAY YOUR PRACTICE ROUNDS, HAVE SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR, THATS WHAT THE OLDER PROS DID ON TOUR AND STILL DO.

That's rad you are getting back into it. Don't stress too much on getting in a lot of training, you dontt want to put a bunch of added stress not only on your body, but your mind.  Be proud you are making the step.  No matter how good or bad you are, scrutinizing your game does nothing but adds more pressure than you need to put on your mind.  Go out there, do your best, and let the little white ball do what it's going to do. 

My friend lives in Pebble Beach, CA and caddies out at Cypress Point.  When his mom was younger she use to play a lot of competitive golf and had a lot of success.  Needless to say she's not the same age as she use to be and her back holds her back from playing as frequently as she did in the past.  I talked to her and she actually said she hasn't played a round in a little over a year (how does someone living in PB who loves golf stay sane by not playing for so long? I would loose my marbles!)  To make a long story short, she got a chance to go out finally with some of her friends and play Cypress, having her son caddy for her (now if that's not a memory that will last a lifetime, I don't know what is!).  My buddy called me up and said that she started the back 9 with 4 natural birdies!!!! That just shows you how important your mind and thoughts make a difference during golf rounds.  I highly doubt she had any thought in her mind like "I need to go low."

Just like Bobby said, golf's a game of inches, the ones between your ears.

Very nice! 

Focus on 125 yards and in.

Search Mark Smith at mytpi.com....sprint interval training.

Zen Golf.

That's awesome Mike, best of luck to you.  19 days is longer than you would think.  Just like attacking anything- develop a plan, compartmentalize it, and stick to it (the hard part). You've got this!

Hey Mike thats great to hear your going to play a competitive round. You want my best tip and advice leading up to the tournament. Have fun. Golf is a sport and a game. Its ment to be enjoyed. even if you shoot a 105 atleast do it with a smile mike. i Play about 6 or 7 club tournaments a year. "I have three course to chose from. Navy, Army, and Airforce" Its all about having a good time. Don't get cought up in results. Good luck let us know how it goes. I know everyone here at team titleist wishes you the best.

I used to play 2ce daly and practice inbetween 7 days a week fromt he age of 14 to 18 and I even had a few moments of glory, youngest ever Club Champion, Scratch Champion and I shot 6 Under Par Gross in a local Junior Open playing off of 7 at the time!!!!! Any way I turned 18 and turned my back to the game and concerntrated on earning money, getting women and being a Teenager basically. With the Legal drinking age being 18 here that had something to do with it too.

     Anyway 3 years on and being out of the game for 3 years I come back to find my self 40 yards shorter 6ft heavier around the greens and fatting the ball on a regular basis, Embarrising! I got to the 17th hole in a practice round and found myself about 20 over par ready to hang up the gloves! Average drive 260 down the left side and then this is when I found the strength to keep going, 150 yard slight down wind high with a touch of fade 9 iron one bounce and in the cup! Since then for the past 4 months I have been hitting 400 balls a day on the range spending 2 hours on a short 9 hole pitch and putt course relentless hours playing shots on a quiet golf course at 6pm and with the help of the guys at the Titleis national fitting centre I've got teh clubs to match my new and improved game!

You can do it! Keep focused!

I've even lost 12 lbs since i started playing again!

I've started back running, last year before my wife got sick I was running for an hour and lifting weights for at least an hour. After about 6 weeks of not working out, it has been really hard to get back into it.

I'm at half hour run right now.

I'm planning on joining the Golf Channel Am Tour next year, but to get myself ready for the competition I'm going to play as a guest in a couple tournaments this year.

All you have to do is contact the the director of the division in your area, most likely there is a tournament near you next weekend.

Go to www.thegolfchannel.com then somewhere on the home page there is the AM Tour link, once you go there at the top is a find your division, once you find your division there will be contact info for the director. You can play 2 a year without being a member.

I love golf dreamers!  I think it's awesome that you are going out there to give it a chance.

I went to watch a Women's US Open Qualifier in Minnesota a few Mondays ago - there were 35 women competing for 2 spots to go to the US Open.  I wondered around and watched the 2nd 18 holes...even those that weren't in contention anymore were playing their hearts out and it was fun to see them all play. 

So, enjoy the experience!!

I can't wait to hear all about it.  Good Luck!! Cathy

chipping and putting.....chipping and putting so that you have the confidence to get it up and down from anywhere.   Golf is not a game of perfect is a good read by Bob Rotella.

Definitely keep us in the loop and let us know how it's going  Good luck!!!

First, thanks for all of the words of wisdom, encouragement and tips so far. With only 16 days to go, I'm feeling confident that regardless of the end result I will have a good time and put my best effort out there with the game I have on that given day. Like many of you have already said, in the end it's about having fun and that's my goal.

However, it's obviously a lot more fun if you post a good score and make the cut. 

As for the journey, I was lucky enough to sneak out twice this weekend and carded a couple of okay scores. There were definitely signs of life to the game this weekend, which is great to see. I also put some new C-C Vokey Design Wedges into play for the first time and as always, they are amazing. I'll post some pics of the new set up when I get home tonight.

Looking over my stats from recent rounds it's becoming pretty clear that I need to spend some time on the practice tee working on approach shots with the short and mid-irons. I was decent around the green but I also spent a little too much time around the green instead of on it. Translation, I need to hit more GIRs.

So here is my plan of attack for the week:

Today: 3.5-mile run and some time in the gym. A few reps with a new swing trainer later tonight to help with tempo and lag.
Tuesday: 3.5-mile run. 15-minutes of stretching with some guidance from TPI. Practice tee after work to focus on short and mid irons. More reps with the swing trainer.
Wednesday: Rest. (We all need a day of rest, right?)
Thursday: See Tuesday.
Friday: Quality time at the practice tee after work. 

I'm not sure what the outloook will be for the weekend yet but what do you all do during the week to work on your game if you're not able to make it to the course? What works for you? What are you favorite practice tee drills? How do you keep your focus and practice with a purpose?

Good Luck.

I go by the course by my house and chip/putt 3 nights a week.  I usually hit balls 2-3 nights a week also.  Might get the chance to sneak in a late round once a week.

Tim

I would not recommend using a swing trainer 2 weeks before crunch time.

I would not recommend trying to fix some little swing flaw.

I would recommend going to the range, before each ball take a couple practice swings to get the feel right then step up and hit the ball. At most, during your practice swings, concentrate on 1 thing, for me that is making sure I fully turn my shoulders.

Then on the course, take a couple of practice swings to get the feel right, concentrating on 1 thing, then step up and hit the ball.

The clubhead should feel like it is on a smooth track, no sudden changes in direction.

Now if you have a slight fade or draw, don't try to fix it, play it.

You are too close for any swing changes to hold up thru a  competition.

Looks like a pretty good training regiment that you've got going.  Good luck Mike!

Mike, it looks like you have it all planned out and will have a great time.  Good luck to you, I wish you all the best in your adventures back into competitive golf. 

Good luck!

It's easy to think you have to go "all out" and spend lots of time practicing and getting ready before the big day.  But you'll be playing with the skills you've acquired over the years and not with what you acquire over the last two weeks.  Competition is about getting the most out of the skills you already have.  Scoring is about keeping the ball in play, and getting up and down.  If you drive, chip, and putt well, you'll score well.  Focus on sharpening the skills you already have in those areas.  That means gaining confidence and being comfortable with the shots you play.  Remember to study the course and learn which direction "straight" putts tend to break. Good Luck and play well. 

How are things looking Mike?  Did you play this weekend?