Two Weeks Until Grand Junction

Since the Utah FootGolf Open on June 4, I've only played two rounds of footgolf with the Rocky Mountain Qualifier in Grand Junction just two weeks away.

Not the best way to prepare.

The good news is that there's still time to get ready. 

Lately I've been getting up earlier and kicking soccer balls around a nearby park for an hour. I'll start on one end, pick a spot on the other, and get there in as little kicks as possible. The grass isn't close to the length or quality found at golf courses, so putting and approach shots don't really translate. I focus primarily on my drives and as of right now, I'm still not seeing the consistency that I'd like to. Granted, why would I expect improvement when I've only played 36 holes in almost two weeks?

At the Utah FootGolf Open, I played a decent round shooting three under par. It wasn't enough to win and it wasn't close to being the best that I know I'm capable of, but I'll take it. Gavin, my little brother, came away with the first place finish. I think he shot nine under par but I can't quite remember.

It's funny, we played together last week and we were tied through nine holes. I thought I put myself in a position to get the best of him but he ended up beating me by six strokes. Birdie after birdie after birdie while I was saving pars.

They don't call me Parside for nothing.

What a terrible nickname to have.

I played at Glen Eagle Golf Course with two players from Syracuse on Tuesday and played very well. My drives were inconsistent but my putts were right on the money. I double-bogeyed the fourth hole to go one over par, but eagled the next to get back on track. I finished with my personal best on the course with five under, which was the best score of the three players competing by eight strokes.

It felt pretty good.

Glen Eagle has very few trees, and therefore very few roots on the greens of footgolf holes. That's not quite the case for Riverside. A lot of the holes are among trees, and the greens can be tricky to read.

When I get some free time, I want to study Chipeta Golf Course, the site for the qualifier in Grand Junction, using Google Earth to get a feel for what I'll be facing. I didn't do that for the qualifier in Idaho, so why not try something new to get an edge?

Right now my main concern is paying for the trip to Grand Junction. Donating plasma is rough when you're trying to eat right and don't consume many carbohydrates. My body uses more protein for fuel as a result and my protein levels often go below the required amount for donation, so they tell me.  I've been looking for odd jobs here and there, gardening, canvasing to name a few. I should be ok. If I'm short I'll just take a bit out of savings and pay myself back. No biggie. I made a deal with my wife that I could footgolf all I wanted as long I didn't affect our budget. Therefore, I need to do things on the side to pay for everything.

I'm not happy with how little I've been playing as of late, but I'm confident that if I make the best of these next two weeks I can put myself in a position to move on the Regional Championship, which is the goal for now.

Here comes summer

Over Memorial Day weekend I played my 50th round of footgolf this year. Now, I've already surpassed the total amount of rounds I played a season ago.

A lot has happened these last few weeks.

I had a stint where I was not playing nearly to level that I know I'm capable of. It was frustrating shooting just below, at, and sometimes even over par when my goal is to break into the double digits below par. My drives were inconsistent, my approaches lacked the same precision they had before and there was little confidence in my short game.

I play a lot with my brother Gavin, who is a goalkeeper coach for a high school girls soccer team. I was telling him about my struggles and he suggested I take a break from the course for a few days.

I did, and I believe it helped.

It gave me time to think about what I was doing wrong. With my drives I've been switching between hitting the ball like a striker would on goal and like a goalie would on a goal kick.

My foot is more vertical with the first type of kick as I approach the ball straight on, and when I hit it right the shot stays low but drives far with little spin. While affective when done correctly, it's also very inconsistent for me. If I'm off by the slightest margin, the ball is spinning off to the side along a fence line or in the tress.

In the approach of the goal-kick style drive, my foot is at more of an angle when it hits the ball, and my body more towards the side. There is more backspin and less power with this kick, but it is more consistent and easier to execute successfully. Occasionally, I'll be able to keep it low with relatively less back spin for a nice drive, but it's harder for me to do that consistently.

Long story short (not really), I'm sticking with the goal-kick type kick with a nice, clean and slow approach. I did so this past Tuesday and shot seven under par -- one shot off of my PR at Riverside.

Technique is more important than speed or power. Once I've mastered my technique and can be consistent, then I can start applying more speed and power. I know I've said this before, but sometimes a reminder to not get ahead of myself is good.

What makes that seven-under-par mark even more impressive is that it came after the course had moved some of their holes to make it more difficult and longer to appease to the AFGL. A qualifier is coming, and no one will have played the course more than me. It's an advantage that I have to capitalize on.

It's interesting. I feel like I play better when I'm under pressure. I've heard the opposite to be true in sports, like a basketball player being able to make shots all day but when the game is on the line, he chokes.

I'm not saying that I'm a clutch footgolfer or anything like that, I just think it's somewhat odd that I'm able to do well under the circumstances. That round was a one-on-one skins match for 50 cents a hole. Not a big deal, but I turned it on. I love the feeling of playing for something. It's epic. Not sure how else to describe it, but it feels great to compete.

Speaking of which, this weekend is the Utah FootGolf Open. I'm not really sure how many people will show up, but I'm sure the intensity will still be there. Due to my responsibilities, I haven't been able to play as much as I would have liked to prepare for it. In order to get another round in before the tournament I have a tee time for early Friday at 6:50 am, and it will be my third round this week. A lot of my friends will be playing in the tournament, and I'm looking forward to see how everyone does.

I was in a rut, and it feels good to have a round like I did Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the tournament on Saturday, and hope that it prepares me to succeed in future qualifiers.

Let's do this.