tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15095477625285843352011-11-27T19:01:50.435-05:00One man's quest to qualify.Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-87312244759472233142009-11-12T02:50:00.005-05:002009-11-12T02:53:59.891-05:00

I realize that last post was a bit on the morbid side, and for that I apologize. I had just reached a point where concerns about my wrists and the stress of my job had pushed me over the edge. But at least that's all over and done with. I left my job near the end of September, and I'm in the midst of working on a new project that like to tell you about. In the end of August, I was admitted into

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-12245892607444124872009-07-19T17:24:00.001-04:002009-07-19T17:32:37.158-04:00

Be forewarned: this post is a little sobering. But it's something I need to get off of my chest.Out of the blue, I started to experience pain in my wrists and forearms. Having never experienced pain like this before, I wrote it off as a temporary inconvenience. When the pain and discomfort started to escalate, however, I began to consider the reasons why: well, I type like a madman at work, I

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-22355256346694359422009-05-31T17:29:00.000-04:002009-05-31T17:30:39.904-04:00

Yesterday, I spent almost 3 hours at the driving range, taking full advantage of the $10 “all-day” pass. Unlimited golf balls, bunker practice, putting practice, and plenty of targets? Who could resist that?I was preparing for two reasons: first, I knew I was going to be playing golf today, and so I wanted to keep narrowing my focus as far as my current weaknesses on the course are concerned.

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-28687477110449703782009-05-09T17:27:00.002-04:002009-05-09T17:35:19.671-04:00

Tomorrow I’m going to try and meet up with some friends to play, so I figured today I’d hit the range and try to practice a few areas of my game that have been plaguing me lately: driving, bunker-play, and putting. I decided to splurge, and spend $10 at a local range for a “day-pass,” which meant unlimited balls and a special area of the range with a bunker, putting green, and rest-area where

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-63413578494300712412009-05-03T13:48:00.000-04:002009-05-03T13:50:26.238-04:00

So I was finally able to hit the links yesterday after an unnecessary hiatus. Honestly, I don’t know what the problem was. I guess the unfortunate part of having weekends off is that this is also the only time when friends and other plans can actually take place. Stupid friends and their jumbled priorities.I have been going to the range every weekend, but yesterday was the first time in a

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-2079689194361053322009-03-28T23:34:00.000-04:002009-03-28T23:35:02.070-04:00

Today I played with a friend at a familiar 6800-yard track in order to determine who would be crowned “Master of the Universe.” He’s an old college roommate with an ultra-competitive spirit, and we engage in our regular ritual of “man golf” every time he visits. For those of you who don’t know, “man golf” can be defined simply as: going for everything. No laying-up. No conceded holes, and

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-43207088864103879422009-03-16T23:02:00.001-04:002009-03-16T23:02:23.614-04:00

So, I will be brief. I was scheduled to play golf this weekend, but the weather never really got the memo: it rained hard in the morning, so I waited and waited; then by the afternoon, when the sun was out and I swear I didn’t see one damn cloud formation in the sky, it began to rain right as I pulled into the golf course.After 10-15 minutes of solid, zero-visibility-esque rain, it was like

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-5394977213624621692009-03-01T23:02:00.000-05:002009-03-01T23:03:01.295-05:00

As I waited for the torrential rainfall to cease from the comfort of a local bookstore, I began to notice that I was shaking. After three cups of coffee and a small breakfast, I guess I hadn’t anticipated the effects of indulging in a little overdose of caffeine. But then I thought…hey…I could use this to my advantage and spice up my practice routine today. I mean seriously: how often am I

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-25235565947878775672009-02-22T22:18:00.001-05:002009-02-22T22:18:24.667-05:00

Well it had to happen sooner or later. I needed another test. I’ve been going to the range every weekend and working on my game as best I can, but just like English Dave and the rest pointed out earlier: at this point, I need to be playing golf rather than practicing.And today I did just that. The course is a Jim Fazio design, and although I’d like to act like I know the significance of that

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-62215619325890933462009-02-01T15:08:00.001-05:002009-02-01T15:10:04.103-05:00

I apologize for the hiatus, but the holidays turned out to be a little busier than expected, and I haven’t really been able to practice until this weekend. It’s always a downer when life gets in the way of golf. So the last time I posted something here I had just finished a rollercoaster round of golf that brought to light a few of the weaknesses in my game, and so today begins my practice to

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-2466850490086820552008-12-08T12:46:00.000-05:002008-12-08T12:47:09.756-05:00

Despite my best intentions, I have to agree with English Dave and Kiwi as of late when they started asking why the hell I was at the range all the time—and not playing. My original theory was to iron out the fundamentals and groove a decent swing BEFORE I started scrambling and getting all serious on the golf course. But what I’m finding is that the more comfortable I get with my swing again,

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-2395716012193194772008-11-26T07:13:00.000-05:002008-11-26T07:14:26.488-05:00

Saturday, November 22, 2008As I arrived at the range, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to work on. So far, my main focus has been on my impact position, alignment and grip. Now, that’s not to say those things aren’t important, but at this point, I need to move onto the next step.And I think my next set of practice sessions will be devoted to one thing: distances for my half-wedge swings.

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-44697317962567621202008-11-15T19:37:00.001-05:002008-11-15T19:37:45.018-05:00

I went to the range today with just one goal in mind: working on getting comfortable with a strong weight shift onto my right side. As I mentioned before, due to my half-swing practice regimen thus far, I’ve been steadily improving my impact position and making good, crisp contact, but when it came to me transitioning to the full-swing, my muscle memory seemed a little weak when it came to

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-63252267365023617782008-11-11T00:17:00.001-05:002008-11-11T00:19:38.196-05:00

I apologize for the hiatus, but two rare events prevented me from practicing recently: an incredible amount of rain decided to fall precisely from 7-6 pm both days this past weekend, and the Buffalo Bills lost to the Miami Dolphins the weekend before. Now, I understand the rain. But come on…the Bills losing to the Dolphins? Ridiculous. And of course, a Dolphins fan came with me to see the game.

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-77902285735062731982008-10-19T21:29:00.000-04:002008-10-19T21:31:15.784-04:00

Although I’ve enjoyed my recent laid-back excursions to the range, today I decided to try something a little different. Whereas before I would turn on my iPod, hit shuffle, and crank up the tunes while I went through my normal routine of practicing my impact position via punch-shots, today I decided to turn it up a notch and remove the music.And what I found was a little annoying. It was

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-13959050453109594032008-10-12T21:26:00.000-04:002008-10-12T21:27:39.027-04:00

Today I ventured to a new golf course a little south of where I normally play to see if their prices for golf varied enough to change my normal routine. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised: great rates ($20 for 18 holes with a cart) and an interesting membership possibility ($240 for unlimited range balls for 1 year).The course is a Fazio design, and from my previous experiences with caddying,

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-87601115746227497652008-10-05T10:57:00.000-04:002008-10-05T10:58:17.088-04:00

So yesterday was my preliminary “assessment.” My task? Play a 3,300 yard golf course in a scramble format. My goal? I had no idea. I think a part of me wanted to get to at least 10-under par, as this course is less than HALF the length of normal tournament courses and SHOULD be no problem whatsoever to dominate. So I guess my goal was to rape and pillage.At least, that was the plan.I pull in

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-73778263972346791892008-10-01T23:11:00.001-04:002008-10-01T23:14:18.344-04:00

After giving it some thought, I realized today that while I do have an ultimate goal of getting my game in shape to enter a local qualifier for a US Open, I need to determine ways of defining intermediate goals along the way to make sure that I’m making progress.This, of course, is an issue as well. Everyone knows that golf is a funny game: you can shoot lights-out one round and then have no

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-26226679841731180772008-09-28T22:07:00.001-04:002008-09-28T22:10:11.831-04:00

Upon further reading of “Complete Conditioning for Golf,” by Pete Draovitch and Ralph Simpson, I prepared a daily stretching routine to help increase my flexibility as I begin this crazy journey.In my preliminary assessment, I found deficiencies in the following areas:Hip Mobility – After doing the squats required for the test, I couldn’t help but feel that my right hip was slightly higher than

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-89537318636637379132008-09-22T07:04:00.003-04:002008-09-22T07:11:25.910-04:00

Today I performed an initial “screening” to determine different areas of restriction that currently exist in my golf swing. The test was designed by Pete Draovitch and Ralph Simpson, who wrote “Complete Conditioning for Golf.” The evaluation assesses components of flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination. So basically, today is the day I officially start this whole process, determining my

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-29404124071635087152008-09-20T20:04:00.001-04:002008-09-20T20:08:11.771-04:00

Over the last few days, I’ve been surfing the net and reading different books regarding “golf fitness,” and finally came across a book I think I’m going to stick with, cover to cover, because it’s incredibly thorough and helps me design a custom-made fitness regimen based on my areas of weakness.While this book and my subsequent training program may appear to be a little hardcore, I assure you

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-1439415135755321652008-09-16T21:55:00.000-04:002008-09-16T21:56:22.595-04:00

In order to help me start this whole crazy process, I went to the bookstore today and picked up a few books on the game of golf. One focused on tempo, one claimed that it was the only instructional book I would ever need, and one was a logbook to help me track absolutely everything in my game, right down to the amount of obscenities I use in an average round of golf.After buying my incredibly

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509547762528584335.post-59298886298713771962008-08-13T21:43:00.001-04:002008-08-13T21:45:39.303-04:00

Ever since I was a 12 years old, I have wanted to play on the PGA Tour. Growing up, I devoured anything and everything related to golf: I read books on the mental game, fitness, golf instruction, and even cut out my favorite pages or articles from GOLF Magazine and plastered them all over my walls. After one season you couldn’t even see the paint anymore.I played golf in High School and loved

Tom Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11022106971991560269noreply@blogger.com1