Not Gone

Wow. Sorry about the break. I haven't been on the road a whole lot, and I kind of fell off the blogging rhythm.

I played a match play tournament this week. Unfortunately it didn't last long, but I put up a strong effort. I played solid, but my opponent didn't make any mistakes. I was two under on a pretty good course, but I still couldn't push it to the 18th hole. More on that later.

My game is getting better. I'm pretty confident right now. I've got a big season that is right around the corner. I'm really excited, and my motivation has never been higher. I won't let the updates lapse quite so much any more. Hopefully.

Luke

Pelican Hill

I got a call out of the blue yesterday, and I ended up in LA this morning. I got the chance to play Pelican Hill GC in Newport, and we had a blast.

I was planning on being home in Salt Lake early Thursday night, but I couldn't pass this up. The drive was well worth it. I got to meet a couple great guys, and catch up with a great friend. And the course was spectacular! Not incredibly tough, but not easy. Just plain fun.

The South Course has three holes right over the ocean. You can't beat that on any golf course, or any walk, for that matter. "Soak it up," I told myself, and that's exactly what I did.

I woke up this morning at 5, making sure I was there for the tee time. I was very early, so I got a chance to drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. I did a little reading on the beach, and still had time for a solid 1 1/2 hour practice session/warmup before the round.

I saw a lot of great shots in our group, and managed a few good ones of my own. My team made a nice comeback on the front nine, and ended up winning the total as well. I have to thank Joe for holding me up!

So it was a very fun day. I'm looking forward to being home a bit before I head out on the road for an extended period, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to play such a fun course with some amazing people today.

Luke Swilor

No good today. 76, T8th. I'm having a hard time on the final rounds this year, something I'm not used to. My buddy Nick thinks it is the excellerated pace of play. All of my final rounds have been two-somes, riding, so it is an entirely diiferent pace than three-somes. I don't know if this is it, but maybe. I'm already a very quick player, and with just two I seem to play even quicker. I just play fast, but I need to keep an eye on it when I start to struggle. It can get out of hand in no time.

Two-somes walking (Canadian Tour format on the weekend) is an entirely different matter. Walking automatically slows down the pace, so the effect might not be as obvious.

Anyhow, I can't say for sure this is the problem, but it makes sense. I need to keep an eye out for things like this. I did slow down my swing on the back nine, with some marked improvement.

The great thing at this stage in my career is that I figure out something like this every week. It all goes in the memory bank, and it all pays off in some form at some point. I get closer every week, whether or not my scores are showing it. It makes for one great journey!

Week off now.

Luke

Back in Action

I was home last week, and I didn't do a whole lot golf related. I hit a few balls, but nothing too serious. I've got a long year ahead of me, so I took the rest while I could.

I'm back down in Vegas playing the Harmon Tour. I needed to make a check this week to make sure I was in the Tour Championship. It was a battle...

I hit the ball well yesterday. Despite some bad shots around the greens, I was three under after nine. It caught up to me, though, and I ended up shooting 1 over.

I was VERY frustrated last night. Throwing away the little shots, which are normally a very strong part of my game, was completely unnecessary. It hurt big time, and put me outside the cut number.

So I needed a good round today. The front nine was almost a carbon copy of yesterday. I hit it very good, but struggled around the greens. Two under on the front. Pretty good.

The back nine was a bit strange. I didn't feel like I hit it very good, and I didn't feel like my short game was very good. Somehow, I managed to shoot 1 under on the back, 3 under for the day, for a total of 2 under. Just inside the cut.

Anyhow, I'm in sixth place now. The leader is at -8, and second is -6. I'm in a pretty good spot, all things considering.

Things are coming around. My whole game feels pretty solid, and my bad rounds have improved tremendously. Now it's time to get hot and post some low numbers. My "preseason" (not a very fitting term, it's all big) is coming to a close. I'm looking forward to this year. Upwards.

Luke