CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK DIARY

Monday.

                Here it is again, Vardon’s Galley Club Championship.  Like the Pro’s mark their calendars in April for the Masters or June for the US Open, I look ahead to October, and our little club’s annual championship tournament.  18 holes, stroke play, winners in both net and gross.  I have played for six consecutive years now, including the year I was living in
Boston, and I have never had a good showing in this event.  This year, though I wouldn’t say my game is at its sharpest, in some ways I am playing better than ever.  This year it’s a strong field, but I feel all the confidence in the world; my swing is smoother, more consistent, I know how to score on each hole, and my putting feels effortless.  If a few of them fall, and I avoid serious mistakes, I have an outstanding chance to be right there at the end.

                Work did not permit a practice round today.  I worked on putting for half an hour, felt pretty good about it.

Tuesday.

Very aggravating. Work prevented me from setting foot on grass all day. I was forced to confine my practice regimen to visualization exercises. I played several rounds in my head, imagining each shot from club selection to follow-through. Look at the target, imagine the shot, stay down, all the way through. 1 through 9, 10 through 18. Stay within yourself and let yourself go. Always with golf, as with life, it is a matter of balancing the paradox. Self-confidence and humility. I know I can make the shot anytime, but I remain humble to the notion that I am infinitely fallible as well.

Spent the evening drinking wine and reading a spiritual guide.