Brian Manzella
Administrator
I actually thought of "Cadeus" a few times out there....
I played in my first PGA Section Championship, and my first multi-round tournament in 8 years the past two days at Metairie Country Club, not far from my home in New Orleans. And for a guy who supposedly looks like an old fat man unfolding a lawn chair when he swings, and can't even bust a grape, I played pretty well, especially the last 27 holes of the tournament. I shot 81-76-75 and finished in 21st place.
Metairie is a old Seth Raynor layout that was wonderfully restored a few years back, and is quite the challenging course. The winds blew a steady 15-20 mph both days of the event, and the greens were very speedy. Because of the severe Raynor undulations, you couldn't even be aggressive on a uphill 15-footer. Missing greens left you with a near trick shot to pull off, and the rough was quite penal. Not a push over by any stretch, the scoring average for the round 1 was 78.32, for round 2 it was 78.94, and for today's final round 79.90.
My student and English Turn Head Pro Derek Sanders closed with a 69 and fell short of 1st place and a spot in the PGA Zurich Classic by one shot. Phil Schmitt won with a 6-under par three round total, and Derek finished 9 shots ahead of third, as these two are the class of the section—no contest.
I played in the event for a few reasons. One, it was 5 minutes from my front door on a course I like. Two, I have to start playing in more events to get my game in better shape before I turn 50 next year. And three, because you just cannot teach good players as well as you can if you don't compete and do so decently yourself.
Plus I am tired of Cadeus' big mouth.
I'm sure he'll run my golf down to his buddies anyway, and they can go sit in hot tub and sooth the soreness they get from patting each other on the backs so much.
But I digress...
I learn a LOT about golf the past couple of days, and I will pass on what I believe is worth you folks knowing or confirming yourselves.
I was 4-over par after the first 4 holes of the tournament. I was 3-over par for the last 27 holes of the tournament. My poor start was mostly due to the fact that I was a wreck on the greens and knew I had no chance to putt it in the ocean with the stroke I showed up with under the gun.
So...that stroke.....
If I remember correctly, I was a poor putter my whole life, and one day about 1992 I was preparing for a US Open qualifier and couldn't make anything. Desperate, I tried sort a "Langer" style grip for a few holes, didn't suck at it, and went home and made myself a long grip.
I shot 74-74 the next day, missing the Sectionals by four, but happy with the way I putted.
I went away from it a bit, but when I went back to it in 1994, when I discovered the Never Hook Again pattern, I played the best golf of my life, putting like a wizard for the next two years.
But, as the story goes, on my 33rd birthday, playing Spanish Bay with Tom Bartlett and Mike Finney, and making a birdie 3 on the 3rd hole (really!), I also made a good putt for par after a SportsCenter-worthy pitch on #4.
So what?
So this.
That night at Ben Doyle's house, Ben watched video of me putting on that 4th hole while we all ate Ben and Jerry's.
"I'd rather miss it that putt like that," deadpanned Bentley.
So I didn't putt well again for a couple of years.
Then one day, I turned my right hand upside-down and I putted really well again for a long time. I infamously made 60-something in a row from 10 feet to win a putting contest at the PGA Show, and I once won a local qualifier for the Dave Pelz putting contest the same way.
Until I missed a putt and someone made fun of me again....
What a stupid I am....
I switched back to that grip on #5 the first day of this event and basically putted great for the next fifty holes. Today I made a whole smorgasbord of 10-foot and ins that would've made Tiger blush.
Can Tiger blush?
#1 thing I learned...putt like you would if you had to make a 10 footer for your life and be done with it.
Looking pretty is for girls.
Next.
The rest of the first round was mostly a struggle with me trying to figure out what shots I can and can't hit under a lot of pressure. I hit my cut driver well the whole event, but there are a plethora of shots I can hit under "ha-ha" circumstances, but I can't under the heat. It has NOTHING to do with technique. Like Hogan said, golf and Tournament Golf have very little to do with each other.
So, at the turn in the second round, I got a hold of my shot selection, and remembered my "golfing personality."
Every, and I mean EVERY, good golfer in history had one. And it may have had very little to do with how they are in person. Like Trevino and Hagen.
My golf personality is sorta like a real careful Arnold Palmer, with about 15 mph less clubhead speed.
My shirt comes out, and I walk around like I'm surveying a bank to rob. I steer damn near every shot, and I basically wrestle with my emotions for four and a half hours.
Whataya know?
I shot even par on the back nine of the second day, and 3-over today, and today's three over included a double-bogey start after I Hunter Mahaned a wedge from 120 on #1, and two non-up and downs from the fringe.
I hit LOTS of great shots, and impressed my playing partners with the amount of sheer effort I displayed and employed. And like one of them remarked today, "You really hit a lot of quality shots."
In other words, I was myself, my..ah...tournament self. And I was quite proud of my round today.
And I found no grape I couldn't bust.
I played in my first PGA Section Championship, and my first multi-round tournament in 8 years the past two days at Metairie Country Club, not far from my home in New Orleans. And for a guy who supposedly looks like an old fat man unfolding a lawn chair when he swings, and can't even bust a grape, I played pretty well, especially the last 27 holes of the tournament. I shot 81-76-75 and finished in 21st place.
Metairie is a old Seth Raynor layout that was wonderfully restored a few years back, and is quite the challenging course. The winds blew a steady 15-20 mph both days of the event, and the greens were very speedy. Because of the severe Raynor undulations, you couldn't even be aggressive on a uphill 15-footer. Missing greens left you with a near trick shot to pull off, and the rough was quite penal. Not a push over by any stretch, the scoring average for the round 1 was 78.32, for round 2 it was 78.94, and for today's final round 79.90.
My student and English Turn Head Pro Derek Sanders closed with a 69 and fell short of 1st place and a spot in the PGA Zurich Classic by one shot. Phil Schmitt won with a 6-under par three round total, and Derek finished 9 shots ahead of third, as these two are the class of the section—no contest.
I played in the event for a few reasons. One, it was 5 minutes from my front door on a course I like. Two, I have to start playing in more events to get my game in better shape before I turn 50 next year. And three, because you just cannot teach good players as well as you can if you don't compete and do so decently yourself.
Plus I am tired of Cadeus' big mouth.
I'm sure he'll run my golf down to his buddies anyway, and they can go sit in hot tub and sooth the soreness they get from patting each other on the backs so much.
But I digress...
I learn a LOT about golf the past couple of days, and I will pass on what I believe is worth you folks knowing or confirming yourselves.
I was 4-over par after the first 4 holes of the tournament. I was 3-over par for the last 27 holes of the tournament. My poor start was mostly due to the fact that I was a wreck on the greens and knew I had no chance to putt it in the ocean with the stroke I showed up with under the gun.
So...that stroke.....
If I remember correctly, I was a poor putter my whole life, and one day about 1992 I was preparing for a US Open qualifier and couldn't make anything. Desperate, I tried sort a "Langer" style grip for a few holes, didn't suck at it, and went home and made myself a long grip.
I shot 74-74 the next day, missing the Sectionals by four, but happy with the way I putted.
I went away from it a bit, but when I went back to it in 1994, when I discovered the Never Hook Again pattern, I played the best golf of my life, putting like a wizard for the next two years.
But, as the story goes, on my 33rd birthday, playing Spanish Bay with Tom Bartlett and Mike Finney, and making a birdie 3 on the 3rd hole (really!), I also made a good putt for par after a SportsCenter-worthy pitch on #4.
So what?
So this.
That night at Ben Doyle's house, Ben watched video of me putting on that 4th hole while we all ate Ben and Jerry's.
"I'd rather miss it that putt like that," deadpanned Bentley.
So I didn't putt well again for a couple of years.
Then one day, I turned my right hand upside-down and I putted really well again for a long time. I infamously made 60-something in a row from 10 feet to win a putting contest at the PGA Show, and I once won a local qualifier for the Dave Pelz putting contest the same way.
Until I missed a putt and someone made fun of me again....
What a stupid I am....
I switched back to that grip on #5 the first day of this event and basically putted great for the next fifty holes. Today I made a whole smorgasbord of 10-foot and ins that would've made Tiger blush.
Can Tiger blush?
#1 thing I learned...putt like you would if you had to make a 10 footer for your life and be done with it.
Looking pretty is for girls.
Next.
The rest of the first round was mostly a struggle with me trying to figure out what shots I can and can't hit under a lot of pressure. I hit my cut driver well the whole event, but there are a plethora of shots I can hit under "ha-ha" circumstances, but I can't under the heat. It has NOTHING to do with technique. Like Hogan said, golf and Tournament Golf have very little to do with each other.
So, at the turn in the second round, I got a hold of my shot selection, and remembered my "golfing personality."
Every, and I mean EVERY, good golfer in history had one. And it may have had very little to do with how they are in person. Like Trevino and Hagen.
My golf personality is sorta like a real careful Arnold Palmer, with about 15 mph less clubhead speed.
My shirt comes out, and I walk around like I'm surveying a bank to rob. I steer damn near every shot, and I basically wrestle with my emotions for four and a half hours.
Whataya know?
I shot even par on the back nine of the second day, and 3-over today, and today's three over included a double-bogey start after I Hunter Mahaned a wedge from 120 on #1, and two non-up and downs from the fringe.
I hit LOTS of great shots, and impressed my playing partners with the amount of sheer effort I displayed and employed. And like one of them remarked today, "You really hit a lot of quality shots."
In other words, I was myself, my..ah...tournament self. And I was quite proud of my round today.
And I found no grape I couldn't bust.
