In November I sent a simple and honest email that has now changed the course of my career. It goes to show that being truthful and honest can create amazing things. After a long season in 2012 playing inconsistent golf, working a job that wore me out, and running a local golf tour that kept me up until early mornings, it was time for a change. My family was growing and I was missing major milestones. I realized that something had to give.

So here we are, start of May 2013 and I've had a 360 degree turn of events in my life. I have a solid direction in my golf career, a consistent paycheck, and a happy family. This wouldn't be happening if not for Mike Zisman and the wonderful team at Golf Genius Software....

Today marks the opening of the 16th edition of the David Banks Winter Indoor Golf School.  I was involved with the School from 2007-2009 (three winters) and began offering fitness evaluations in 2007 to the students of the Golf School.  I built up a small clientele, and got to meet some great people.  During the summer months, I was working at a local club as the Assistant Professional and further built my list of loyal clients. 

In 2008, I was jammed almost every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday with eager students wanting to get their bodies and game ready for the upcoming season.  At the time I was offering packages that included both golf swing fundamentals and fitness training.  During this same time, I was going through a similar program with my personal coaches and I still had a great desire to be a touring professional or at least win a few high end golf tournaments.  So the progress I was making and the passion I had to improve was contagious to my students.  I also understood the importance of off season improvement and filtered that to my students. 

That particular season was remarkable, because as my body and game were changing, so were my students.  To this day I have never had so much positive feedback. 

If you are a coach or a player in the game of golf, the one aspect that hurts everyone is the dreaded and untimely THREE putt.  Sometimes they happen unexpectedly while putting for birdie from 6 feet, and then we find ourselves "at the back of the bus" on the next tee mulling over our careless bogey.  But mostly three putts in golf happen from longer distance.  Usually in the 20-30 foot range and further.  They occur when a player has to deal with tiers in the green either going up them or down them.  Nonetheless, three putts unfortunately happen.

I've always said, the worst thing in golf is a three putt.  You can make a great recovery after hitting an arrant tee shot or a poor approach shot.  But when you cover 400 or so yards in pure ball striking and then take three strokes over 30 feet, it can really play on your mind.  The third miss is always the toughest to handle and a player can never make it up....

Some things in golf disgust me, and probably most revolve around the etiquette of the game.  For example knowing that in my entire life I have never been in a bunker I haven't raked, and yet I seemingly get into bunkers that look more like Miami Beach after Spring Break.  I feel no matter how hard we try, some things will never change.  However, one side of golf that has become very disturbing, is the lack of junior golfers sticking with the game.  It has become very apparent that we are not nurturing the young generation, like the way my generation was taken care of.  I can't tell you how many of my friends have become golf professionals or are working in a golf related job.  As juniors, we used to get excited to play every round of golf we could.  We were extremely competitive and loved to beat each other and if one lost, we would try and redeem ourselves on the putting green in our famous putting contests.  I walk into facilities and see juniors but the kids just don't have the spark like we used to have.  I know through time, attitudes and personalities change, like fads and trends... but this is different.  The kids getting into competitive golf are being lead astray.  They're being put into the fire early and way to often.... 

As we get closer to the RBC Canadian Open Qualifier on Monday June 25th at King's Forest Golf Club in Hamilton, it's important to stay focused and keep moving forward.  After my extremely poor showing in the PGA of Ontario Spring Championship at Bond Head, it made me realize that I needed to seek help with my wild array of shot types.  Ernie Els made a comment: "If you don't have a game going into the U.S. Open, don't show up."  So if there's one good thing that happened at Bond Head, it was my realization that I need to work a little harder and make sure that my game is confident come June 25.  But before I sought help from my  Swing Coach, I wanted to keep things status quo going into Event #3 on the Golden Horseshoe Tour.. kinda sorta as a test...

If not for maturity and understanding the power of positive thinking, I would probably not play a competitive round for another six weeks.  This week in the PGA of Ontario Spring Championship at The Club at Bond Head just south of Barrie ON, I posted my highest competitive round as a professional.  I can't say I enjoy the layout at Bond Head and my past performances there have been like so many batting averages in baseball against Mariano Rivera....

With the RBC Canadian Open Qualifier set to go on June 25th at Kings Forest Golf Course in Hamilton, I've decided to document my progress in events leading up to the qualifier.  Today the PGA of Ontario took us to Listowel Golf Club for the PGA of Ontario Assistant's Spring Championship.  LIstowel is a small country town about 35 km west of Waterloo, and is very much in the middle of no where.  However, I made it there and was not feeling at my competitive best after waking up at 5am and then driving an hour and a half.  My original plan was to drive and play a practice round the day before and stay the night as my tee time was 8:50.  The major problem was that the nearest hotel was 45km from the course.  So I felt the best thing to do was play in the morning on Monday and spend the afternoon with my wonderful family.... 

I've only had a handful of drivers over my career.  I started with a second series Callaway Big Bertha Driver and used that for nearly 8 seasons before I switched over to a Taylor Made 360.  I still have the head to that driver, with the thought that maybe one day it will make a great 3 wood or positional club off the tee.  I then got my hands on a Callaway FT5 which I used until half way through last season.  But with those drivers now obsolete, the new baby that's in my bag has become my best friend and biggest weapon on the golf course... 

There's nothing better than settling in on Sunday afternoon and watching the final nine holes of The Masters.  My first memory of the Masters was 1986, and I'm so glad I had that as my first memory.  Funny thing, I don't remember Bernhard Langer in 1985.  So for that reason, the list is my Top 10 Masters since 1986 to 2011.  Over the last few years, though I've enjoyed The Masters, I feel it's lacked that edge of your seat feeling.  Not that it hasn't been dramatic with Charl Schwartzel in 2011 making birdie on each of his final three holes to win.  Or Zach Johnson laying up on all the par 5's to have the highest winning score since Sam Snead's 289 in 1956.  Then there's Fred Couples great run in 2006 where he finished T2 and Kenny Perry's bogey - bogey finish then a bogey on the first playoff hole to eventually bow out to Angel Cabrera.  My least favourite in recent memory has to be Trevor Immelman in 2008, where he posted a 75 on the final day to win by 3.  Here's my Top 10 and I would love to know what you think....