BY: Tim Graves, PGA

Hello Everyone –

Wanted to share a couple of golf stories from this past week.

First Story – I (Tim) had the opportunity to play in the 2023 National Senior PGA National Championship Qualifier last week.

Long story made short – after 36 holes of golf, I was tied for the qualifying spot. It came down to me and 2 other PGA professionals.

We went to the first playoff hole, a par 5, 560 yard dogleg right (uphill tee shot).

Myself and one other pro, hit pretty good drives down the fairway, the 3rd, hit it into the right trees (and was basically out of hole..).

I had 300 yards remaining to the hole and laid up to 60 yards out. The remaining professional had 250 yards to the hole (he hits it a LONG way) and hit his 2nd shot right of the green.

I went to my 60 yard shot to a very tough tucked pin behind a bunker with minimal green to work with and bunker behind the pin… About 25 total feet of green between front edge and back edge of green..

Here is point of story… I set up over my 3rd shot – obviously nervous – trip to the Senior PGA Professional National Championship on the line, and trying to calm down my heart rate and brain…

I realized I needed to find my “comfort zone” ASAP… I was exactly 60 yards to the pin and needed to fly the shot 55 yards (minimum) with spin. As I set up over the shot, I thought and repeated in my head, 60 yards, 60 yards, 60 yards, 60 yards…. (I’m a numbers guy and have practiced different yardage shots repeating the numbers in my head 1,000,000s of times…) I hit the pitch, it landed at 57 yards, skipped forward and stopped 1 inch short of the hole… Easy birdie (4). My opponent, could not get up and down from his position and playoff over after one hole….

Moral of story:

1. Play to your strengths. I could have laid up to a 100 yard, 50 yard, etc.. shot. I wanted the 50 to 60 yard shot for spin.
2. When over nervous shots, have something in your head (MENTAL GAME) to fall back on. Might be a word (easy, soft, relax, etc..) or might be a number (yardage as I used), or might be a something like a song you are singing in your head to relax you…. We STUDY and REVIEW this extensively in our Mental Game School (Alert Attitude of Indifference School) with Paul Monahan.

Second Story – Congrats to LeeAnn Fairlie

LeeAnn punched her ticket to the 61st USGA Senior Women’s Amateur last week!

Quote from LeeAnn: “Love Des Moines Country Club North course!! I Can’t wait to go to Troon Country Club at the end of September for the Championship! Thank you to my caddie Kristy for being so supportive, Paul Monahan for helping me with my mental game and Graves golf with my swing!”

Single Plane Swing + Mental Game = WINS!!!!