Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

The holiday weekend is usually slow for the golf course, and this weekend is no exception. Everyone likes to play in the morning and then go parties and so forth in the afternoon. So it is a great time to get a friend, spouse or family together and play a little golf this weekend!

Professional golf kicks off this Monday thru Thursday in the Indianapolis area with the Indiana State Open being played at Prairie View in Carmel. Yours truly is in the field, and I am looking forward to my first competitive event of the summer here in Indiana.

My expectations are not really high, seeing how I have not been playing or practicing much at all. I hope to get in some practice time this weekend. My pairing for the first two rounds is a pretty strong one: I am paired with Jeff Cook, a four-time Indiana Open champion and former PGA Tour player.

Jeff is now the Mizuno golf equipment rep on Tour, and I believe his best finish on Tour was a top-five finish at the L.A. Open. Jeff and I are pretty good friends dating back to high school golf and junior golf in Indiana. Jeff is a very strong player and is always a contender for the Open title.

Our other player is C.D. Hockersmith from Richmond, Ind., a graduate of Ball State University. C.D. was paired with Michelle Wie in the USGA Publinx Championship a few years ago. C.D. has since turned professional, and I assume he will try for his Tour card in the fall.

If everyone remembers, a few weeks ago I talked about getting the opportunity to play with players that you might consider better than yourself. I mentioned that you needed to just be yourself and play your normal game.

Well, this is what I will be encountering this next week. Both of these players are very good, and they play the game or have played the game for a living: That is why they are called professional golfers.

On the other hand, I am what I refer to as a golf professional. I still play competitively when I can, but my main job is to administer the game of golf. My responsibilities are to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Brickyard and to make sure that every player who comes to the Brickyard walks away with a golf experience they will not forget. I am not saying that PGA professionals are not competitive — that is simply not true. What I am saying is we are not paid to play, but rather to grow the game of golf at our respective clubs and courses.

But believe me, when I go to the first tee on Monday, two things will most likely occur. One, I will be nervous. My father told me along time ago that if you don’t get nervous before that first tee shot in a tournament, then it doesn’t mean much to you. Two, I am going to try to focus on the task at hand and play one shot at a time.

Hopefully I will follow my own advice and not get caught up the moment, and complete a successful tournament. The tournament starts with 156 players, and then the field is cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes. I hope to report to you next time that it was a successful tournament for myself as I will set a few goals before I tee off on Monday.

Once again, happy Fourth of July to everyone, and remember: Golf is a game of a lifetime.

Jeff Schroeder

PGA Head Professional

Brickyard Crossing