Golf tourney

I've got a big golf weekend coming up in exactly 23 days. Yes, I'm even counting down the hours and minutes thanks to our tourney web page (23 days, 0 hours and 20 minutes). The rain this winter and early spring has been ridiculous, so I'm not even close to being ready to play. Therefore I'm committing a great deal of time between now and tourney time to practicing like a mad man. It needs to be productive and not over done. So here is the plan:

Mondays - pitch target practice. I've got a small target net and a full shag bag, however I need to find a place to practice. My back yard is not ready for use yet. It is still owned by the dogs, but we are taking it back and it should be fully landscaped by fall (fingers are crossed). There are two schools by my house, one, which is closed, has a sign that specifically states "no golf practice" and the other which is open doesn't have a sign, but there are people on campus all the time. I'm going to jog by there tonight and see if there is a secluded corner where I can practice without everyone seeing me. If I can't find a place to practice I might just make this an off day.

Tuesdays - putting practice. There is a muni golf course right by the client I work for on Tuesdays. They don't have a driving range, but they do have a putting green. Putting is my strong suit, but I haven't practiced much lately and the plugged greens I've played on lately have made me lose a little confidence. This should help get it back.

Wednesday - Golf lessons. I haven’t taken a lesson with my regular instructor since last fall. One reason I didn't go during the winter is because I was still trying to fix the last problem we were working on (I keep moving my head on the down swing and hitting it fat). When I saw him at the range last week, I was impressed that he remembered my name. I'm scheduled to see him tomorrow and every Wednesday until the tourney.

Thursday - The BIG driving range. There is a range that is a 20 minute drive that has everything, grass and mats, big pitching area, sand bunker and a great putting green. Every time I go there it takes almost a long as it does to play a round. If I go there just one day a week and limit what I work on, I can cut my time down. Plus I have a buddy that goes here every Tuesday and Thursday. He knows more about golf than I will ever know. He is the sole reason why my short game has been on fire lately. Hopefully more will rub off over time.

Friday - Play golf. I'm so excited that I was able to rearrange my work schedule so I can work 1/2 days on Friday. Last summer I had this schedule and I played a lot of golf on Friday afternoons. The client that I worked with on Fridays was acquired at the end of the year, so my schedule changed. But now I've got a similar setup and can't wait to play this Friday. The best part is there is a great muni course only a few minutes away from the office.

Saturday - Local driving range. It's a much shorter drive than going to the big range, but they only have a range, which is fine for a quick trip. I bought a range card from them a while ago that I've hardly used, so I still have a bunch buckets coming my way. If I get out there early, I can even be home before my wife gets up.

Sunday - Short course. I played the short 9-hole par 3 course last weekend and it really helped rebuild my confidence in my short irons. I even played without tees to make it more like an approach shot which is what I really need to work on. I can also do this early in the morning and be home before my wife gets up. She is not on my case about golf at all. She is actually very tolerant. However, with this schedule I'm practicing every day, so the less interference with our home life the better.

The tourney will be four rounds of golf from May 12-15th. I really want to do well this year and I think this schedule will have me ready in time to do so