As a junior, my dad taught me the importance of writing important information down, especially when something successful happened.  I used to keep notes in a make shift duo tang.  Well I stumbled across this booklet a few weeks ago, and the glaring detail that stuck out was an entry the day before the 1998 Ontario Junior Qualifier held at Scenic Woods in Binbrook.  The entry stated "Tomorrow I will go with my first instinct."  I shot 70 in windy conditions and was the medalist at the qualifier. 

I remember bits and pieces of that day, but not enough to go into details.  But what I do remember is when I was a junior golfer, I had a great ability with my short game.  Most juniors putt and chip with no fear, and this is a direct result of having a great imagination and going with what their mind's eye first sees.  Or in other words, going with the first instinct.  I had this ability and over the years lost it.  As I learned more about this great game, I filled my brain and eyes with too much information, resulting in indecision and poor shot making.  I was still a good player, but I wasn't trusting my own gut anymore. 

So, as we progress through this game, I believe it's very important to stay close to our inner child.  I am now back to getting behind my ball around the green, taking the first club that comes into my mind, picking the first target my eye sees, and trusting my ability to send it at the target.  My results recently have been the best in 10 years.  Also, for putting.... I suggest you try reading a putt and the first line you see, get in and stroke it down that line.  Only think of one thing.... Making it.  Let me know if instinct is a part of your game.  I am interested to see how much success you have had.

Over the years, reading a pin sheet and walking off yardage has been a part of my overall routine.  I still, to this day, use the traditional way to choose my club while playing competitively.  However, when I play casual golf or practice rounds, I fall victim to technology and will use all devices to make things speedier and more precise. 

I think the average golfer can get great benefit from a GPS device.  The new wave smartphone applications will not just give you a yardage, but will keep important stats like driving distance, greens in regulation, fairways hit, and total putts.  They are getting so advanced we'll soon be able to play the hole without even looking at it.

I still like the traditional way though.  I grew up learning that one pace was one yard, and I practiced by walking out 100 paces and hitting wedges to a shag bag.  I grew up on my paces and I trust my own yardage and have a swing geared to my personal yards.  I understand, if used in the proper fashion, that GPS and laser range finders speed up play.  However, I have also been ready to play before some players even get the yardage from their device because they have to wait for the GPS to catch up, or the wind is too strong for the laser range finder. 

I have seen the positives and negatives of both methods, and feel they help my game.  The worst thing we can do is guess, and no matter what, we should always have a routine to get a proper yardage.  I encourage you, if you have a Smartphone to download the free application below.  If you already have a GPS system, let me know how it's helped you.  If you don't, follow the link and give it a try for your next round.

I began working with the Great Lakes Tour Tournament Operations Crew for many reasons, and one of them was to gain some insight into how golf courses operate internally and externally.  Externally, I have found ground maintenance have some problems setting a golf course properly for day to day play, be it tee positioning, pin placements, or marking of hazards.  I find this not a great problem, but one that should be assessed to insure all players are getting a fair chance to score their very best.  However, internally I am seeing greater problems and IT HAS TO STOP.

As a CPGA Professional, I come into contact with many golfing individuals on a daily basis.  These avid or keen golfers listen to almost anything a golf professional will say.  When I tell them of a great golfing experience I had or an equipment change I made or a swing thought that works, they really listen.  In the end, that individual will tell his friends and they will go try that golf course I told him about or buy that new driver or practice that new technique.  So it makes no sense that any golf course manager or owner should feel inconvenienced or angry  when the Great Lakes Tour comes to their facility. 

I was recently told by a course owner while tearing down after an event on the GLT that I was disrespectful and everyone on the tour doesn't honour the game and etiquette of the sport.  This as I was expressing my thanks to him and his staff.  I feel that the Great Lakes Tour has some of the finest Professionals to ever be associated with the game.  Ben Ferguson, Danny King, Warren Sye, Keir Smith, Brian McCann, Alan McLean, and Danny Mijovic were all playing in the field on that particular day.  I don't believe any of these great players are at all disrespectful to a facility that opens their doors for us on a day in the busy summer months. 

So I find it no wonder that REAL competitive tournament golf is falling off in our country.  There is very little support from the fortunate few who can actually make a difference..... THE OWNERS.  Many managers and owners have been very snooty towards us, and feel that we are not worth the hassle.  However, always remember that we on the Great Lakes Tour are a close knit community and we all talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly to all our clients, members, and family.  So if your an owner of a golf club and your reading this... HAVE AN OPEN HEART AND WELCOME ALL TO YOUR FACILITY BECAUSE WITHOUT YOU WE HAVE NOTHING.  And if this state of mind keeps up.... we'll truly have nothing for everyone in the not so far future. 
     

 

I believe the Great Lakes Tour is a very underestimated Tour and should be recognized as THE developmental Tour in Canadian Golf.  I just finished watching the HP Byron Nelson Championship, where 16 year old Jordan Spieth made the cut.  This is a great accomplishment, and I do believe it's important to test your game against higher levels.  However, not every young player has the ability to qualify for a PGA Tour event.  Will they at some point... maybe... but where do they develop that kind of talent?

With that said, the Great Lakes Tour has a strong base of competitive players whom are champions as professionals and amateurs.  We have some of the top playing and club professionals out there this season.  Some players have even started out playing on the Great Lakes Tour and in two or three seasons have found themselves playing on a major PGA associated tour.   Some players that come to mind are:  David Hearn, Chris Baryla, Bryan Decorso, Brad Fritsch, Rod Spittle, Adam Short, Alan McLean, and others have gone on to play Canadian Tour and overseas.  There are also players whom have competed on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and Canadian Tour who now make the Great Lakes Tour their summer home.  Those players include:  Brian McCann (our all time money winner, Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour), Ben Ferguson (PGA Tour, winner on the Canadian Tour), Dave Levesque (Canadian Tour), Eddie Maunder (Canadian Tour), Ian Doig (Canadian Tour, Asian Tour),  and Martin Price (Canadian Tour winner).  And finally, some players split time between the Great Lakes Tour and the Canadian Tour.  Victor Ciesielski, Ryan Kings, Mike Gligic, and Will Mitchell.

I could keep going with names and playing ability, but the bottom line is that this tour is as good a training ground as any mini tour in the world.  If you are a young aspiring player dreaming of one day playing on the PGA Tour, it might be worth your time to invest in a few events and see  where your game stands against some of the best professionals in the province of Ontario.  When I was Jordan Spieth's age, I only wish I had the opportunity to play in an atmosphere such as the Great Lakes Tour.

For more information on the Great Lakes Tour please visit
www.greatlakestour.com         

Stay tuned for further posts on my time with the GLT and also some comments from future winners of the events.

I am not only a certified CPGA teaching professional, I have a certification in golf fitness and nutrition.  There are some essential areas that we should cover if we want our season to live up to our expectations.  They are:

1.  Recovering Sleep Debt
2.  Controlling our Emotions/Stress
3.  Thermal Effect of Food - Timely Eating
4.  Resetting our Body Clocks - Synchronization
5.  Nutrition
6.  Developing a Golf Specific Fitness Routine

1.Recovering Sleep Debt
Sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes to our bodies defending more fat.  For every 16 hours we are awake, we accumulate 8 hours of sleep debt.  If we don't pay back this debt, we consistently give our bodies underlying stress.  This debt inhibits our ability to perform at a peak level.  Our brain needs to achieve 4 levels of sleep plus R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement) on a regular basis to fully rejuvenate and repair.  This also enables us to think clearer, be more aware, and have more energy throughout the day.  Bottom line is... before a big round of golf make sure we get at least eight hours of solid sleep so we can perform at a higher level.

2.Controlling our Emotions/Stress
Most of our stress and severe mood changes on the golf course rarely ever happen because our ball went in the water.  The stress was created hours to days even years before we even struck the first shot of the day.  Most highly emotional people build stress up at work, home, or daily lifestyle and carry that stress over to the course.  We need to have a stress relief system in tact.  We have to be aware of our heart rate and breathing pattern, understanding that negative and positive emotions have the same affect on our system.  A negative/positive  reaction creates a severe spike in our heart rate which increases our breathing pattern and stress levels as our body works hard to maintain itself.  So if this happens, try pace breathing.  You can do this at any time, breath in for 5 seconds and than out for 5 seconds.  Do this for 3-4 minutes and you will feel much more at ease as your heart and breathing become synchronized and your mind will become calm.

3.Thermal Effect of Food - Timely Eating
Thermal Effect of Food or TEF is the flame in our stomach when we wake up each morning.  In Other words the most important meal of the day is breakfast.  No matter the size of breakfast, our personal TEF will burn off 40% of the calories without any activity in the first hour after eating.  As the day progresses our flame or TEF gets smaller and our ability to burn calories becomes less.  We often don't eat a big breakfast and this results in us hitting a wall or getting sleepy in the middle of the day, and creates poor food choices and bigger portion sizes as we eat later in the day.  The ultimate outcome... we gain more weight and become sluggish or lazy.  If you are preparing for an important tournament, make sure you include a big nutritious breakfast many days prior to and during the event.  This will increase energy levels later in the round.

4.Resetting our Body Clocks - Synchronization
Resetting our body clock is like getting ourselves into a healthy routine.  One that involves proper sleep, controlling stress levels, timely eating, and regular exercise.  However, the synchronization part is that we do the above at similar times day in and day out.  If we are synchronized than we will achieve proper release of hormones, meaning serotonin and melatonin among others are released when they should be.  Serotonin is our daytime hormone which keeps us energetic through the daytime hours, and melatonin is our night time hormone that helps us go to sleep.  If we have a routine that involves waking up shortly after sunrise, stepping outside and getting 10 minutes of direct sunlight to our eyes, than going in and eating a big healthy breakfast, followed by a cool and hot shower we will release our serotonin.  Comparatively, to release our melatonin, we should exercise approximately 2 hours prior to sunset for maximum 30-45 min, have a high protein dinner with smaller portions, than go for a walk 30 min after sunset.  Also, eliminate or avoid fluorescent light use, TV/Computer viewing, and eating a meal 1 hour prior to bed.  All this will help us reset our body clock and ensure we wake up fresh and ready to go each morning.

5.Nutrition
Well we all have our ideas on nutrition, and there are a million books and print on this topic.  However, I am going to talk about nutrition on the golf course.  The main problem I see on the golf course with players is, not enough water intake, and not enough protein intake.  I will keep this short and sweet.  We require 2 litres of water a day with light activity levels, add a round of golf and we require an additional 1 litre of clear fluid.  There are some tell tale signs of dehydration on the golf course.  One, cramping of any muscles.  Two, joint pain.  Three, blurred vision or poor decision making.  Any of these symptoms requires water immediately.  Also, seek out protein bars, bring almonds/nuts, hard boiled eggs, and protein mix that can be ingested to make sure our muscle tissue can feed and repair.  We put our bodies through lots of work during a golf round, so it is vital that we intake as much water and protein that we can. 

6.Developing a Golf Specific Fitness Routine
Finally, I suggest seeking out a fitness trainer or health coach who is specific to golf and understands how the golf swing works.  Dr. Sean Flecth of SwingLink is a great example of this.  Developing a fitness program that revolves around your physical limitations and swing flaws can greatly benefit your game.  A good fitness routine will be one that works on the 5 physical factors to a golf swing.  They are, balance, posture, mobility, stability, and functional strength.  A proper fitness routine should be done for approximately 30-45 mins a minimum of 3 days a week.  Make sure to incorporate exercises specific to those areas and you will become much more golf fit for the new season.   

Well it's not that easy.  I have recently stepped down as a Pro Shop staffer to free up my time to pursue the parts of golf i enjoy the most... Teaching and Playing.  What I can't understand is how some of my peers expect to be great teachers, great players, and great employees of a club when they are constantly draining their main resource... their bodies.

As individuals in the golf business we put ourselves through long hours and days off are spent grinding our way around golf courses trying to make a few extra dollars.  Also, not all of our tournaments are played in spectacular weather conditions... throw in some rain and wind and a day off turns into a real wash out.  It really isn't that easy, and it takes special guys or gals to excel at all three areas of the golf business.

When I first started working in the golf business, at my true home course Southbrook Golf Club, in Binbrook ON (I call it my true home course as that's where I grew up) I concentrated on being a Pro Shop staffer and creating a great golf game.  I did each very well, I felt I did a great job helping Brian Hutton run that shop.  In the meantime, I played lots of golf and qualified for 5 straight Ontario Match Play Champs., 2 Ontario Amateur Champs., and 1 Canadian Amateur.  Once I turned pro and pursued teaching and coaching, I felt my game was being drowned out, I was constantly tired when working in the shop, and my lessons were never ones that really stood out.  So I asked myself the question "What do you truly want to do?" Well, I want to keep playing the game at the highest level possible, and help people through all the great things I learn through golf.  So working inside, behind the counter had to take a back seat.

As Golf Professionals we have to offer the greatest service possible.  If we are run down, stressed out, or truly do not enjoy what we are doing, we have to ask ourselves "What do I truly want to do?"  If we don't figure this out, our customers and ourselves will ultimately struggle in the long run.  A happy coach/employee/player equals happy customers and family.  

What excites me so much about the GTNAS is that it is open to all golfers and not just elite players like provincial and national championships.  Each event is a qualifier, and the winner of each flight or category will earn an exemption into the National Championship held at Angus Glen Golf Club on September 18-19.  The series is 18 events and spans across 7 provinces in locations close to a host Golf Town store.  The eventual National Champion will earn an exemption into the  2011 Canadian Amateur Championships.  And remember, the winner and runner up of the Canadian Amateur earn exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open.

The GTNAS is run by the Great Lakes Tour staff and will provide a great professional experience for all the amateurs.  Live Leader boards, Online scoring, and top notch golf courses will provide the ultimate tournament atmosphere.

I feel that the country has been slipping into a depressed mode towards tournament golf.  Most tournaments or even the word tournament scares the average golfer away.  I have always felt, the only way to become a better player/person in golf, is to play competitively.  Competing has opened many doors for me, and introduced me to some wonderful people.  It is a tour like the Great Lakes Tour that has made me become a better player and coach.  I hope many players sign up and play this new national series.  Meet new people, make some great memories, and have awe inspiring experiences.  Tournament golf has been my passion, and it gives you greater respect for the game and your fellow golfers.

Tell me what stops a person from playing tournament golf? Feel free to share your thoughts.  

view GTNAS website:
www.golftownnationalamateurseries.com