Last week we were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in a town called Harris. There is not a lot happening in this small town and the closest store, of any kind, is 30 minutes away, in Escanaba. I’m sure you’re all wondering how this could possibly be the most fun week on Tour? Well, we get to stay in the hotel right on the golf course, which is also a Casino. With almost all the girls at the hotel, unlimited food all week, and promo money to gamble, it sure makes for a great atmosphere. On top of that, we are given $200 worth of $2 bills, which I just think is the neatest idea. They originally came up with the idea as they were trying to find out how much the community was affected by having the Island Resort Championship in the area. We are encouraged to spend our $2 bills within the community as much as possible. I’m not much of a gambler, but I’d imagine that would be where most of the money would have been spent!
Sweetgrass golf course is also part of what makes this event a huge success. It is definitely one of the Top 5 courses we play all year. The conditions are always top class and the setup is great too. It is more of a Links style course, with long fescue grass and double greens. I know, I know, you’re thinking how does a girl from Britain not play well on a links style course? I asked myself the same thing. However, when you don’t play Links golf for a long time, you get out of the habit. It definitely has a different way of thinking and hitting shots. Last week was one of those weeks where I felt I played better than I scored. I made a few minor mental errors, like laying up into the bunker, which quickly add up. Birdies can be hard to come by on that course, so I find myself starting to press a little more than I need to, which, more often than not, leads to mistakes. The second round, I was really playing well. 1 under through 13 holes, then I mentally ran out of steam. I was the only player in the group without a caddy, which can be really exhausting, both mentally and physically. You feel like you’re running all day to keep up and then you don’t have anyone to talk to, which gets very boring. There are only so many songs I can sing to myself! My only choice after last week is to focus on the positives and keep remembering how well I’m playing. When the time is right, the results will start coming. I’ve had a few good weeks in a row, so it’s important to put last week behind me and start looking forward to this week.
I’ve also had to make some equipment changes this week. My driver has been giving me some trouble the past few weeks. I kept thinking it was technical issues in my swing, but when I look at videos, there is really not much wrong. Not enough wrong to produce some of the shots I’ve been hitting. And what was really frustrating me, was the fact that my irons shots were like darts. So I knew I had to be swinging relatively well. I was talking to one of my friends out here about my driver etc and we thought that maybe the driver shaft had become too weak. I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym working on my power the past few months, and I think I’ve finally outgrown the shaft I’ve got. This is obviously very exciting, as it means my hard work is starting to pay off. Thankfully, I was able to contact the Rep at Taylormade and he is sending me a few different shafts to try this week to see if it makes a difference. Right now I have a regular shaft, which is 50 grams, so it’ll be interesting to see which one will suit me better. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on this. This just proves how crucial the right equipment is for us. I never really believed it made that much of a difference, I have finally been proven wrong.
This week we’re at Tullymore golf course, in Canadian Lakes, Michigan. This is another of our Top 5 courses that we play. The conditions are outstanding and the weather is supposed to be perfect all week, so I’m excited. Be sure to keep an eye on the live scoring this week, it tends to be a birdie fest out here! J
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