Mini Tour Play

[TN94z]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of scores do you have to shoot in the U.S. Open qualifiers? It must be nice to even be able to consider something like that!

[Ben]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of scores do you have to shoot in the U.S. Open qualifiers? It must be nice to even be able to consider something like that!

Make it to Sectional? If you're lucky, 1 over might get you passed. You'll more than likely get in at 2 under or better. To be able to play the next year, you'll have to shoot better than 8 over, I think is the number. Higher than that and the USGA will put you under review. I've never been to Sectional so I don't know what the number is to get into the Open itself, but I'd imagine it'd have to be 4 under at the least.

[jorruss]

Make it to Sectional? If you're lucky, 1 over might get you passed. You'll more than likely get in at 2 under or better. To be able to play the next year, you'll have to shoot better than 8 over, I think is the number. Higher than that and the USGA will put you under review. I've never been to Sectional so I don't know what the number is to get into the Open itself, but I'd imagine it'd have to be 4 under at the least.

If you aren't within 8 shots of the course rating they will not allow you to return to USGA events, or at least have the right to not allow you. Last year's sectional which propelled Bobby Collins to the Open was won with 69-69 for 2 under par at the crazy hard Jupiter Hills club Hills Course. I played that place in the FL State Am last summer. It's a Par 70, 7344 yards, 77.3/152. It's the hardest track I've been on. If you miss fairways you'll be hitting out of sugar sand waste areas all day to greens that were rolling at 12.5. While challenging, it was a blast to play. The competitive course record was shot on the last day - 4 Under 66.

Ken Green will be at my site, and Matt Every (of the Big Break and Nationwide tour) was there the last few years. Other than that it's mostly local pros, mini-tour guys and aspiring AMs like myself. I just do it because I enjoy getting out there on foot with my caddy and playing a nice course.

[chsinn]

This is a great thread. Ben - love to follow your progress.

I asked this question on the general talk board but thought I would pose it to you more directly. I am struggling to continue good play after strong starts. In my last three tourney rounds, I have been under par for most of the front nine if not all (nothing crazy, 1 or 2 under), and yet I can't manage to finish my rounds off. I wind up thinking about what could be. At some point that gets me in trouble. Someone suggested I try to get a song in my head. That actually worked pretty well in the last tourney. What works for you? I know that for most part as long as I continue to put myself in that position I will eventually have some breakthrough.

Best of luck in your journey. Wish I could do it.

[jorruss]

This is a great thread. Ben - love to follow your progress.

In the past I've noticed that some of my best tournament scores have been when I don't even keep track of what I'm shooting, so I know where you are going with this one. You need to keep your mind occupied on something else rather than getting ahead of yourself thinking about what you might do. If you have a caddy, have him keep the score card. That sometimes helps, but requires a caddy that you trust, because ultimately you are responsible for the scorecard. I find that it also helps to be in a good pairing. I'll start up a conversation with my fellow competitors to keep my mind off all the negative thoughts that try to creep into your brain during a round. Lee Trevino did it best. He would crack jokes with the crowd, whistle or sing a song, but when it came time to play, he turned on his game face. Once the shot was away, it was back to singing and cracking jokes. I find that this approach works best for me too.

[anthonykim3]

any updates

[Ben]

any updates

Pepsi Tour at Oak Quarry on 5/31

Golden State Tour at PGA West Stadium Course 6/1

[jorruss]

My partner and I finished 6th (72-66-73) at the FSGA 2-Man Shootout last weekend, and Thursday I attempt to qualify for the Florida State Amateur, which is being held this year at the TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass CC...

Messing with a 38 inch "half belly" putter. I extended a 35" Rife 2 Bar and put a long grip on it. I putt without anchoring it, like the Argentinians Romero and Cabrera. It allows me to really stand tall, and the weight is nice. Not sure if I'll bring it to the qualifier yet...

[Ben]

Pepsi Tour at

Bleah. Shot a lame 3-over par. Was cruising along, birdied the first par-5. Made a great up and down from a deep bunker. Then got to the 216y par-3 5th hole. All carry over a huge barranca, stiff wind. Anyway, went to make a great putt for, double... Then nothing really fired from there. Made a couple of birdies, but a couple bogeys too. 2-over made money.

Golden State Tour at

Man, I love this place! Kick your butt golf at its finest. 76.1/150, 7300yards. Not to mention the 100* heat. Ball flies for miles though.

Home of the west coast's PGA Q-School finals. NASTY off the tee. I was hitting some ugly tee shots. My short game saved my butt today, when it could at least. Must have made three par saves from about 40-60 yards. Dropped some nice 10-15 footers for par. Greens were sweet! Perfect speed, nice and true roll too. I was cruising along today. 1-over on the front, and 1-under on the back through 16. Alcatraz the par-3 17th. That stinkin hole. 168 yards, quite elevated tee. The best part, an island greet. 27 yards deep and wide, with jagged rock around the edges. For some reason I pull out a 7iron with the idea to cozy one down in the heart of the green. Pull-job, splash. I should have hit a solid 8. Now I know. So, that put me at 2-over for the day with only the 18th to play. 439 yards of, water along the entire left, par-4 fun. Bomb driver, whatever approach (35 feet), two-putt from just off the fringe. Whatever par. Four shots out of the money. The good news, of the 8 or so time I've played over about 8 year, 2-over is my new personal best. Feels like plenty of room for improvement. I'm excited about that! I finally remembered I had my camera in my bag on 15. Got a shot looking at my approach of 171y on the 468y hole. Finally hit a good drive there. Nice high draw 7iron to about 12 feet. Missed that though... dork. Got another one on 16. This is from the fairway, I think it was 264y to the pin. We were all within 10 feet of each other off our drives, I was the first to play. Hit a pretty good 3wood right at that cart, had 40y to a back pin. Check out the bunker guarding the left. My competitors both hit it down there. Couldn't even see them. That bunker continues around to the back of the green as well. So, long or right was not somewhere I wanted to be. Hit a doofy chip to only 17 feet. Gave the putt a great run, but it missed.

This is a great thread. Ben - love to follow your progress.

Yeah, finishing off. My trick to keep my mind off my score is to recite. When I broke my ankle last year, I took up Buddhism, helped me heal. Anyway, I recite the Buddhas name and focus on my breathing. Just helps keep my mind clear of distractions. Its not something I do at the end of the round either. Right from the beginning, whenever I find my mind getting too involved, I focus on reciting. Makes things very calm. On the golf course particularly. I do use it in real life situations too. I believe being able to control your emotions is a vital part to good golf. Not to low on the lows, and not too high on the highs either.

[jorruss]

Any Florida residents planning on playing in the Florida Open? I was going to skip it, but they clarified the rule on Pros playing. Club Pros and teaching pros can play, but mini-tour players cannot. I think I'll give it a go now that I have a hole in my schedule opened up...

[golfbarefoot]

I compete in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour. It's the largest amateur tour in the country and it's top notch.

Playing stroke play tournaments by USGA rules is the best, I live for it. As Bobby Jones said, "there's golf, and there's Tournament golf"... They are completely different

Good luck

[Ben]

I compete in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour. It's the largest amateur tour in the country and it's top notch.

Cool, you doing any good?

[TN94z]

I compete in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour. It's the largest amateur tour in the country and it's top notch.

Does that require a lot of travel on your part? I thought about doing that

[jorruss]

I compete in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour. It's the largest amateur tour in the country and it's top notch.

Where do you play? I played on the Orlando tour in the summer of 2007 and some limited events in 2008. I was fortunate enough to win 6 times and earn player of the year honors in 07, making it to Nationals where I proceeded to stink up the joint.

They play some good courses in the Orlando area and the tour director is a great guy and does a very good job considering the workload in organizing these events. The events in Orlando tend to run between $90 and $130 for most one day events, and the Majors run about $350 - $400 for a 2 day event on a premium course such as Innisbrook or TPC Sawgrass. The competition seems to be strongest in the Palmer and Hogan flights, where handicaps run from 4 to 8 and 8 to 12. They always seem to get 20 to 50 guys in these flights. The Championship flight (0-4) is competitive, but the turnout is usually 8 to 12 guys only.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

Any updates on your mini-tour guys?

I enjoy reading about ya'll hopping around and playing tournaments.

Hope things are going well. Anyone hit up the U.S. Open qualifiers and make it through sectionals?

[Golfing]

Any updates on your mini-tour guys?

One of my friends made it Shawn Stefani he hits it a ton..! I think that course will be good for him, now he just has to keep the nerves in check. Gotta love tournament golf.

[MiniMoe]

I missed going past sectionals. I was -1 with 10 to play and took a double on the 25th hole. That took the wind out of my sails. Had a blast, though.

[Ben]

3-under 69, Tied for 2nd place.

Played in the weekly Pepsi Tour event at Brookside (Koiner Course, #1) in Pasadena today. Made some footage of putts, and some stupididage of bogeys. Seven birdies and five bogeys spread throughout the round. Birdied the 1st and also the 18th. Bogeyed the 2nd and lastly the 12th. Didn't par a hole until the 6th (Birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie, bogey).

Three of the four in my group were on fire. One guy also shot 69, and the winner shot 68. We were on freakin fire. If this was a three man best ball we probably would have shot 17under. It was nuts.

Yay golf!