Tournament Time

Hey all, sorry to leave you post-less yesterday but was exhausted.  If you've checked out the Leaderboard link you know that Justin shot 142, and as of about 6 pm today looks good to make the cut and is currently in T-36.  There are still some players yet to finish, but we're playing the weekend!  Now for those of you who aren't familiar with professional tournament golf, this is important because first it means we can still win, and second it means that Justin makes a check this week.  Golf is unlike other sports in that even if you qualify to play, there's no guarantee that you make money.  You must finish in the top 60 (including ties) to "make the cut," and thereby make money and have a chance to win.  A great first event so far!

Random thoughts:

• I prefer my Ecco Gortex tennis shoes over my Nike Airs.  More comfortable and truly waterproof, not just water resistant.  I hate wet socks.
• My shins still hurt, but I now realize it's from resisting with my feet and toes on the downhill parts of the course.  Today I just let myself fly down hills and it got better.
• There is a very delicate balance to find as a caddy to know what to say and when to say it.  For the player, a day is filled with ups and downs emotionally, and to gain the feel for what Justin needs from me is one of the most important things that needs to happen.  Time.
• This is hard work.
• But I get to eat for free.  At least this week.

Follow us tomorrow on TV or online and send your positive energy and thoughts.  I'm looking for a good day tomorrow that moves us up the leaderboard.  Talk soon and thanks for reading!

Day 2...The Pro-Am

Wednesdays are Pro-Am days on the Nationwide.  Justin's position on the money list got him a spot in the Pro-Am today, and gave us a chance to look at all 18 holes in warmer and calmer conditions.  We also played with 4 great guys, all of whom help sponsor the purses in these events.  Mike, Mark, Ed, and Foy were all average golfers and great guys, sympathetic to my newbie status as a caddie.  We had a relatively late start and finished play at about 7 pm, then practiced a little more later.  I had my first solo experience walking the back nine (as we only looked at the back if you recall yesterday) and doing my caddie thing--compass notes, elevation changes, green contours and slopes--and got a private look for myself for the overall feel of the course.  After a quick lunch of pulled pork and mac and cheese...we are in the south after all...off we went.  Again, learned a lot and met some nice folks.  I thought I'd struggle more physically, but find interestingly enough that the only part that hurts are the fronts of my shins!  Anyone have any suggestions?  Besides bengay or a massage?  As I catch up on sleep and the routine, my usual charm and humor will hopefully come out a little more, but for now, that's it.  A little chill time and sleep.  The links on the blog will give you this info anyway, but we tee off for real tomorrow in Round 1 at 1:20.  That means a chance to relax and sleep in a little!  Ready to go and looking forward to tomorrow...til then friends.

The End of Day 1

Back at the hotel after a long day.  Met a lot of people, learned a lot of things.  Arrived in Atlanta at about 10 this morning, Justin picked me up and we went straight to the course, The UGA Golf Course.  I will say without a doubt that it is one of the best University courses in the country and  has an amazing practice facility.  Justin hit some balls, chipped, and tried some drivers.  The weather was unusually cold, maybe about 60 degrees at best.  We walked the front nine and J introduced me to professional caddying by lasering yardages, mapping north on each hole, pacing off greens and talking about what he would like from me.  LOTS of work, especially for someone coming off of 3 hours of sleep.  But lots of fun.  Tomorrow I'm on my own in the morning, charting the back nine while Justin practices then plays the pro-am in the afternoon.  As for me, I'm going to bed, happy, tired, missing my bed but altogether great.  I'll check in with you all again tomorrow and post some pics as well.  For now, good night all...

Day 1

Nervous.  Excited.  Sad to leave things behind.  Happy to see what's ahead.  Walking the course, lasering yardages, wedges, and taking a look at the course today.  I'll be in Georgia at about 10 am.  Check in later, flight is boarding...

My First Taste of Life on the Road

It' 9:22 pm Monday night, and my flight leaves for Atlanta tomorrow morning at 7:30.  As I scramble to pack and make sure I have everything I need, I'm feeling a slight bit frantic and want to get to bed at a reasonable time given that I have to leave the house at 5 am.  I needs to chillax...all will be fine and I'll check in tomorrow to give you an idea of how the course looks and what to expect.  I appreciate all who are following along and hopefully I make this interesting enough to have you all continue to read!  And feel free to comment and make requests for topics, or ask any questions that you may be wondering about.  Later for now.

S. Georgia Classic Recap and onto the Stadion Athens Classic!

Hey all!  Sorry I've been away for a few...finals week kicked my butt.  But now I'm finished, and tomorrow morning at 7:30, I board a Delta flight to Atlanta to begin my internship for real, and I'm pretty pumped up about it.  It'll be great to get away from Ann Arbor for a while!

Anyway, as I'm sure you all saw, Justin shot 146 in the first Georgia event to miss the cut by one.  He had some swing issues that we fixed via iPhones, but he just could not get the putter to cooperate.  Look for a better performance this week as super caddy gets on the bag for real.  Off to pack, tie up loose ends, and stretch.  I'll be checking in with you all week and during the tournament.  Here we go, baby!

South Georgia Classic 1st Round

About halfway through the opening round, Justin is currently 1 under through 11 holes.  Doesn't look like a shootout this week as he stands T-8, only two shots behind the current leaders.  Keep following and I'll post something again after the round is complete.  Looks like Justin is coming into form, which is unusual for him as he generally gets it going in the early summer.  But no complaints...let's keep it up!

South Georgia Classic

Follow Justin in his last event before he takes on a new caddy.  I'll fill you in more on this character as I find out more.  I hear he's crazy and not so bright (but has streetsmarts), a pretty good guy, and cleans clubs real good.

Professional Golf Primer

Hey all!  I thought I'd give those of you who are unfamiliar with professional golf a primer so that as the season goes on, you can understand the posts a little better.  I'll do it in bullet form because I like bullet lists, so here goes:

• There are two basic types of golf pros--a professional golfer, or touring pro.  These are they guys and gals who play tournament golf for a living.  Justin would be an example.  A golf pro, or club pro, or teaching pro, are those who earn a living from golf, just not necessarily from competing.  I would be an example of that.  While touring pros are governed by the PGA Tour, golf pros are governed by the PGA of America.  By the way, the PGA of America is very involved in the PGA Tour, running the PGA Championship (one of the four "majors") in August and the Ryder Cup every two years.
• The PGA Tour is the goal of every professional golfer.  Only 125 players are fully exempt into the tournaments of their choice on the big tour, and you must finish in the top 125 on the Money List by the end of the season to keep your playing privileges for the following year.
• The Nationwide Tour is in a sense the developmental tour for the PGA Tour.  Each year, the Top 25 finishers on the Nationwide Money List earn PGA Tour cards for the following year.  Also, if any Nationwide player wins 3 times in one year, he receives a "battlefield promotion" that elevates him immediately to the PGA Tour and gives him exempt status for the following year as well.
• The top 40 players on the Nationwide each year retain full playing privileges for the following year (and that includes the top 25, who will go on and play on the PGA Tour).
• Finishing in the top 40 on the Nationwide Tour exempts that player into the final stage of Tour School, a grueling 3 stage process involving 16 rounds of golf, and another means of earning a PGA Tour card.
• When I post that Justin finished a round or an event in T-6, that means a tie for sixth (Curt!).
• Each week, the field of players on either the PGA or Nationwide Tour is cut down to the top 60 and ties.  The remaining players play out the weekend and make checks.  The players who miss the cut make no paycheck for the week.
• A top ten finish in an event earns a non-exempt player a spot in the tour's next event
• We, like those on the PGA Tour, play almost every week through October all over the country.  The beginning of each Nationwide season actually starts in New Zealand and Australia.
• This is an extremely competitive tour and business.  Pay for performance.  Lots of travel, lots of hotels and motels, lots of early mornings and long days, lots of extreme weather, especially heat and sometimes cold.  But the show goes on.
• My job as a caddy is primarily to carry the bag, count, keep track of, and clean the clubs, laser distances and make notes about the course (hazards, green contours, yardages, wind tendencies, etc.) but is also to keep my player in the present and positive.  It can be a delicate balance to know what to say and when to say it.

So there's some basic stuff that should help.  Please post something on the blog if you have a question or don't understand something.  My real adventures start in a week when I leave for Atlanta bound for Athens.  And keep following!

Big Move!!

Justin's outstanding week moved him from 83rd on the money list to 36th, with $27,150 earned to date!  This is very encouraging with most of the season remaining, as the Top 25 on the money list at the end of the year earn their PGA Tour cards.

Final Round

So Justin saved his best for last today, shooting a 65 with 7 birdies and only 1 bogey.  He had an outstanding week and will likely post a top ten.  25 birdies for the week leads the field for now, and bodes well for the weeks and months to come!  Good playing dude...feel free to send him a message of congratulations on the blog if you feel like it and keep on following us!

3rd Round

So yet another 68 today, and he stands in T-16 going into tomorrow's final round.  Had it to 5 under for the day through 13 holes but lost a couple coming in.  Justin is 6 shots behind the leader with 15 players ahead of him.  On the Nationwide, that lead isn't safe as everyone can go super low on a given day...so we'll hope that he's that guy tomorrow.  Great to see another 6 birdies today and he's made 18 over three rounds!

Moving Day in Cali

It's 5:35 pm on the east, and Justin is 3 under after 9 holes in the third round.  The telecast is on the Golf Channel for those interested in taking a peek.  Let's see what happens on the back and hope that he's moved himself into position for Sunday.  Keep making birdies!

A Golf Instruction Rain Delay

My good friend and colleague wrote me the following email when he saw that one of the captions of a photo on the original blog said "keep your head down."  I purposely put that in there cause I wanted to see if he was going to go through my blog in detail.  Not only did he, he sent me the aforementioned email that appears now:

"Change the caption on the website to "keep your head stationary"  or "stationary head" not "keep your head down."  A stationary head provides a central pivot point that secures the pivot from the top.  The stationary feet secure the pivot's anchor to the ground.  Moving the head side to side (swaying) or up and down (bobbing) is not permissible.  A stationary head that rotates is o.k. (see Annika or Duval).  Everything between the stationary head and stationary feet moves as a series of interconnected hinges to extend the pivot's range of motion to the player's personal extent.  Feet stay in place and can roll or lift up at the heel but moving the feet off the ground or changing their location from side to side is equally as destructive to the pivot as moving the head up and down or side to side.  Justin's picture looks good, but he is not keeping his head DOWN, he is keeping it in place and steady.  If his head was DOWN, his chin would be glued to his sternum and his eyes would be staring at his dick.  The website looks rad, keep the the captions pure."


So not only was I happy because Scott looked through everything, I get to share his vast knowledge about the golf swing and mechanics to anyone who's readying.  Fantastic email!  If you want to take a lesson from Scott, let me know and I'll get you in touch with him.

Round 2

Justin shot another 68 today, putting him at 6 under for the week.  More importantly, he moved from a T-28 to a T-16, placing himself in a position for the weekend.  Not as many fireworks today, 5 birdies and 2 bogeys.  Let's see what happens this weekend!

Day 2 at TPC Stonebrae

A quick update...3 under through 7 holes today has moved Justin from T-28 to T-7, only two shots behind the leader.  Go lowwww....

First Round at the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae

Justin shot a 68 today, 3 under par.  He really had it going for a while but finished rather poorly.  6 under after 15, 6 birdies in seven holes, 7 birdie total...good stuff.  I'm always encouraged when he makes lots of birdies and gets silly, cause that's when I feel like he's getting back to form.  So at one point tied for the lead, he's in a T-28, in good position to make a solid move tomorrow.  Shot by shot.  Good playing dude.

Change and new opportunities

Hello all, I'm back!  In 12 days, I'll be boarding a plane to Atlanta, GA, on my way to Athens, GA to caddy for Justin for the first time in a professional capacity.  This is what I hope to be the first of daily posts of my adventures with him on the Nationwide tour through October of 2010.  I hope we play well and qualify for the PGA tour, have tons of fun, and that you read along...in the meantime, I have a few more MBA obligations to take care of, get my caddying gear and mentality in place, and enjoy the time I have left in Ann Arbor.  Talk soon...