Looking Ahead to 2008

The biggest challenge in golf is to be patient. My first swing coach and still my mentor, Steve Chapman often wanted me to tone my “hurry up and win” thoughts (and my big frustrations when I did not). Hard to do when you’re so competitive. But, his advice was right on.

When I saw Rick Jensen in September, he reminded me of this. Mastering the method takes time. Smart practice is where it counts. Instead of practicing in a vacuum, always practice with a goal and target in mind. Track the results. Learn from the feedback. Take the long view and aim for an upward trend.

Jon Mills’ story sure points that out. It’s been a wild up and down experience. After finally making it on the Nationwide and getting his PGA card in 2006, he lost it all. But, he hung in there, fought back doing Monday qualifiers at Nationwides and now is back at the PGA.

I’m taking a page out of Jon’s book. By sticking with it, I’m going to work on inching up.

I’ve set some goals for 2008. Aim for more top five and ten finishes. Do more Monday qualifiers. Try out for the Canadian Tour. Continue to work closely with my swing, putting and mental coaches. Find a better practice facility. Improve how I practice. Get better at strategy when competing. Work on my mental game.

How I manage my thoughts is a big goal in 2008. I have a better idea now about how to do that. Practice seeing the positive in every outcome first. Notice those negative thoughts and frustrations when they come up. Don’t fight them. But, don’t let them get to me either by dwelling on them. Just let them go and play ball!

As I found out when at Q-School, golf’s easy when you’re doing great. It’s when things start to fall apart that the going gets tough. That’s what makes golf exciting!