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Every year, my home course hosts their year end tournament "The Ridgebowl". This year it falls on the 29th and 30th of September.

The greens will be faster than they have been at any point this year, the pin placements will be in the trickiest of positions, and the competition (18 holes for qualifying score, 9 hole horse-race, and then match play on the Sunday) will be fierce.

In the 3 years out of the last 4 that I have played I have finished as B-side flight champion, A-Side Flight Champion, and A-side Flight Runner-Up. My expectations are high. My flighting was the highest it has ever been 2 years ago when I last played, but even then I think I was 4th flight.

My goal this year, is to qualify for one of the first 3 flights (Champion, First or 2nd Flights). I know I can shoot the scores to get there, but it is a matter of making it all happen. My game has been a wreck this year. Ball-striking has been erratic, putting and short game have been off and on, and my Driver on most days might as well stay home. I have walked off the course after 9 holes more times than I can count, just out of frustration.

I have 12 more days to prep. Emphasis this past weekend due to the poor weather was on putting. I switched back to my Cleveland Classics 4.5 from my Seemore FGP. I fell out of love with the FGP the past couple weeks. Distance control was off, stance felt uncomfortable, and I needed a change. I had been rolling the CC as well as anything I had owned in the past, and then snagged an FGP and tried to give it a go for half the season. It worked some days, and failed me on others. I felt I needed to switch back, just due to the consistency I had with it.

The weather looks poor for the next week. Hopefully I can get some range or course time in. Otherwise it looks to be backyard pitching/chipping, and indoor putting. (Not great to get the driver/irons straightened out, but ok that I can still get a club on a ball at least)

My Keys for Ridgebowl Success:

1) Stay Relaxed & Stay Calm - perhaps my biggest struggle, bogey won't wreck the round, but how I handle it could

2) Hit GIR's - hard to make birdie when your first putt is for par

3) Putt Consistently - qualifying is one thing for score, but if I can't putt well in Match-Play, it will make for a short Sunday

Until next time,
Cheers from Manitoba