Steadier This Time at First Stage of PGA Q-School

What a difference a year makes. In 2007, the sports psychologist I consulted made it clear I was not ready for Q-School. My long game was erratic. My practice habits were not focused enough. Practicing into a vacuum too much.

I went to Q-School anyway. Didn’t get past second stage.

It was about August of this year that I noticed things coming together. Maybe the two month layoff with my finger injury helped me. Who knows?

I had been working with Sean Foley for about a year on my long game. Plus, Marius Filmater has kept the pressure on me, putting me through all kinds of tests on my short game. The feedback has been just what I needed.

Then there’s the mental side of golf. I picked up Robin Sharma’s The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari in the Winnipeg airport after not making the cut in a Canadian Tour event. My mother got me started on Eckhart Tolle’s and Tony Robbins’ books.

I realized that I had some thinking habits to clean up. Like, every time I have a negative thought (“That was a bad shot.”), I should make up the “opposite” thought (“I will do better next time”, or “The good thing about that shot was…it didn’t go in the water!”).

So, first stage of Q-School felt a bit different. Not easy. The first day, I was shaky. But my game was more steady. Overall, I played solid golf—fewer bogies, no drops, more greens in regulation and some birdies here and there. It’s nice when I am not scrambling all the time.