I’m back from the tournament grind and glad to be at my desk after playing in our Section Championship.
Congratulations to Todd Smith of Rock Hollow in Peru, Ind., on capturing the 2009 Indiana Club Professional Championship last week at French Lick. The courses proved to be very difficult, and the Ross course has some very tricky greens. The last two rounds of the tournament were played on the new and very demanding Pete Dye Course at French Lick.
As for my play, it all came down again to putting. I hit the ball well from tee to green but only made one medium-length putt that I shouldn’t have. I have not tallied how many putts I had for the tournament, but it was a lot. For the three rounds, I think I three-putted about eight times, most of them from under 30 feet and not that difficult.
The course got to a lot of people because it is very visually intimidating. It is very long and the greens are not overly large, but it is very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. The scores were a bit higher than I expected, but I was happy with my ball hitting.
Nevertheless, I ended up finishing tied for 21st, not bad for a senior , but I didn’t qualify for the National Club Pro Championship next June. My next big event will be the Senior Club Professional Championship qualifier in September at Harbor Trees in Noblesville, Ind.
Congratulations also go out to Jack Barber, the head professional at Meridian Hills Country Club here in Indianapolis, as he was named the National PGA Professional of the Year by the PGA of America.
Speaking of the PGA, how about Tiger not winning the PGA last weekend? I would have lost my house and everything else if I could have bet on him winning.
I must say that Tiger was very classy in his post-tournament interviews as he said that Yang played very well and did all the right things to win. Tiger went on to say that he hit the ball extremely well and just had a horrible day of putting.
Sounds so familiar!
It just goes to show that no matter how good you hit the ball, it is all about putting. So I am going to do some practice putting drills and work hard to get ready for the Senior Professional Championship coming up after Labor Day.
Keep checking the Web site here at the Brickyard as we get ready for Labor Day weekend. Now that the days are getting shorter, Twilight Golf will move up an hour, to 3 p.m., after Labor Day.
We will have pretty busy couple of weeks leading up to Labor Day as the Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race comes to the Speedway Aug. 28-30. If you didn’t see these guys on the bikes go around here last year, you need to check it out. It is crazy how fast they go and how low they lean the bikes over in the corners, and the only thing protecting them is their specially made leather uniforms.
Over Labor Day weekend, we will participate in Patriot Golf Day here at the Brickyard. We will ask golfers to donate $1 to the Folds of Honor foundation to help families of our service men and women who have lost their lives in the fight for freedom around the world.
This is a very worthwhile cause in which the PGA of America and its Play Golf America programs endorse. They really are the leaders for this cause. For more information on the Folds of Honor and Patriot Golf Day, visit www.patriotgolfday.com.
School has started here in Indiana, and that means fall is just around the corner. There still are beautiful golf days ahead, so don’t put up the clubs. Get out hit some range balls and book a time here at the beautiful Brickyard Crossing.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
Short blog this week due to the upcoming holiday. A couple things on the radar here at the Brickyard are an important upcoming event and a change to our Twilight Golf program start time to 3 p.m. starting on Labor Day, as the days get shorter.
The earlier start to Twilight Golf should allow players a little more time for that late-afternoon round here at the Brickyard.
In talking about Labor Day weekend, I want to let everyone know about a very worthwhile endeavor called Patriot Golf Day that will take place across the country next weekend at golf courses across the United States.
Patriot Golf Day is an initiative of the PGA of America, of which I am proud to be a member. We are asking every player who comes to a participating Patriot Golf Day course to donate $1 to the Patriot Golf Day Fund. In return, the facility will then donate that money to the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Folds of Honor was created by Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot and also a PGA Professional. The Foundation was created to provide educational scholarships for dependents and spouses of veterans who have been injured or perished in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. The program was started in 2007 and raised $1.1 million in its first year. Visit www.foldsofhonor.org for more details and visit www.patriotgolfday.com to locate a participating course. Patriot Golf Day runs Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
We also are selling a special Patriot Golf Day hat here at the Brickyard.
Last week, I mentioned the Indiana Club Professional Championship at the Country Club of Indianapolis. Jim Ousley of Tippecanoe Country Club in Monticello, Ind., won the tournament. Congrats to Jim and also congrats to Denny Hepler of Warsaw, who had a rare double-eagle (albatross) on the par-5 eighth hole.
As for my play, it wasn’t the best. I had a little trouble with the putter, and definitely my concentration was poor, at best. I need to follow some of my own advice and get out and practice the short game.
Make sure that you get out Labor Day weekend and support Patriot Golf Day.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing