Game Time...Let's Tee It Up! More Tomorrow!

Facts and Info About Justin

Here's some miscellaneous info about Justin...

In his bag:

• TaylorMade SuperQuad Driver, 9.5 degrees, Graphite Design Prototype, X-flex...270 yard carry
• Adams RPM LP, 14.5 degrees, Graphite Design 902 Prototype, X-flex...245 yards
• Adams Idea Pro Tour Prototype, 18 degrees, Mitsubishi Rayon hBassara...228 yards
• Adams Idea Pro Tour Prototype, 22 degrees, Aldila NV MLTi Pro-X...218 yards
• Titleist CB Forged, 4-iron through Pitching Wedge, Rifle Flighted 6.5
• 4-iron...205 yards
• 5-iron...190 yards
• 6-iron...180 yards
• 7-iron...170 yards
• 8-iron...155 yards
• 9-iron...143 yards
• PW...130 yards
• SW (54 degrees)...114 yards
• LW (59.5 degrees)...90 yards
• Odyssey Tour Black #9 (no insert) for slower greens, #9 (with insert) for faster greens
• Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
• Apparel: Sligo
• Hat, Shoes, Glove: Footjoy/Titleist

So there it is.  You can see it's quite a mix of equipment, which reflects the narrow tolerances that players of Justin's caliber need to perform their best.

Chow for real this time!

Course 2 and It Feels Like Michigan!

Hey all...just had dinner at On the Border and relaxing in the hotel room.  By the way, I'd never been and it's very good and fairly priced.  We played Carolina Country Club today, and had a nice day and got some good pre-event work done.  Justin and I are figuring things out and we talked today about how we both feel pretty good about the pairing and have positive feelings about the next few weeks and the remainder of the year.  It seems to becoming a situation of me providing what he needs and him providing what I need.  Good things are coming our way...

As promised, a new feature to spice the blog up a little:

• I met a veteran caddy named "Rings" today.  His name comes from the fact that he has what must be 8 or 9 earrings.  I then found it necessary to demand that I have a nickname without delay.  The choices are:
• Miyagi
• Sensei
• Chow (vote for this one)

Please cast your vote by commenting on the blog, texting me, calling me, posting on facebook, or however you'd like, but it might be interesting to see which wins.

Tomorrow is our last practice day and we'll be heading into North Carolina actually to take a look at the third course, Bright's Creek Golf Course.  The saving grace for me is that because of the many pro-ams this week, players and caddies have been allowed to ride carts during practice rounds.  This is NOT usually the case, so my legs feel fresh, which is nice given the forecast of higher temps than the mid 60's we've had so far.  So much for the hot and humid deep south!

Lastly, we learned that one of our amateur playing partners for the first three days will be Paula Tricky.  This could prove to be a special challenge (like I don't have enough to learn and do!), as she is a former Baywatch Girl and actress.  I promise to do my best to stay focused and avoid the distraction!  I do have to say that having a beautiful amateur join us is preferable to any man (my apologies to all the guys, you know where I'm coming from).

Later for now, I'm off to the hot tub for a few minutes, some alone time to meditate for a bit, then to bed. I hope you all are doing great and enjoying the blog.  At least a little.  ;)  Chow.

Celebrities Scheduled To Play This Week

Here's a couple of links to who's playing along side the pros this week:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100420/SPORTS/304200030/NFL-great-Jerry-Rice-joins-BMW-Charity-Pro-Am-lineup

and,

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=BS&Dato=20080402&Kategori=YOURUPSTATE&Lopenr=804020802&Ref=PH

BMW Charity Pro-Am Week

Monday at a tour event usually means practice and some holes.  This week's a little different as it's a celebrity tournament (celebrities to come later), so the pro-am was today.  We actually played with 4 guys from Michigan!  Nice guys but a long, long day.  Not their fault but they hadn't touched a golf club since September!  Needless to say, the team wasn't so competitive.  Again, weather is unseasonably weird--65 degrees and drizzle.  We hear that it'll clear up and work up to 90 by Wednesday.  That's more like the south!

We'll have a good two practice days Tuesday and Wednesday.  We'll need it as this week the event is played over three different courses.

I'm gonna start a few new features to the post tomorrow that will hopefully be interesting and funny.  Stay tuned and keep reading.  I'm out, hitting the sack soon.

The Weekend

Justin finished in a T-34 for the tournament, with an overall score of 283, or 1-under for the week.  The winner was Martin Pillar with a final score of 12-under.  As you can all see, it's very competitive out here and every stroke carries with it great significance.  We were looking for a couple more under today as he had his best round of the week, but couldn't quite figure the greens out (and the course for that matter).  An ok week because he made the cut, but a bit disappointing for him because he was near the top of the list in ball striking stats for the week.  After a week off, we move onto South Carolina and play in the Celebrity event in Greer.  Should be fun.

I had a good time this week.  People were very nice, Justin was very patient with his rookie caddie, and I'm happy to have had a new experience.  I hope that I can get nothing but better from here.  The week off will help me rest my legs and I should feel strong for the BMW event.

For those of you just learning about golf, the first paragraph in English:

• T-34 means a tie for 34th place.  Finishing alone in a place is always more ideal than tying for a place, as then the player must split prize money for his finish.
• Tournament scores are referenced in total strokes played for the four rounds (283), and also in a score relative to "par."  Par for one round in Athens was 71 strokes, therefore par for the tournament would have been 284.  The 1-under means that Justin used 1 stroke under the par total for the week. The winner was 12-under, therefore shot a 272.
• When Justin feels like he left a couple out there, he means that we had opportunities to score better but let them slip away or got bad breaks...but such is life and golf, no?
• Figuring out the greens and course is a week to week adventure and challenge.  Each course may have different grasses, speeds of greens, wind, fairway and rough lies (of the ball in the grass), and lines of play that make navigating the course easier or more difficult.  World-class players adjust to all conditions in addition to competitive pressures, but all players have preferences and play better on average given certain course conditions.
• Making the cut, as described in a previous post, means that Justin made a check.  That's a good thing.  I also make a little more money as I receive a percentage depending on the finish.
• Having good ball striking weeks means that you have more opportunities to score lower.  Leading or being near the lead in ball striking for the week but finishing in the middle of the pack means that we did not take advantage of the excellent swings and shots Justin made all week.
• For all who care...Kevin Costner usually plays next week.  So if you want to see him because you're a fan, come on out.  But we'll know it's really because you want to see us.

That's all for now...waiting for my flight back home at the Atlanta airport.  I'm gonna take a nap.

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...