KEVIN HALL
Blog: August 2013
“Summertime Swings!”
Hello Friends,
What a busy summer I’ve had so far! In what has been one of the hottest summers temperature-wise that I have ever experienced, I played in a couple NGA events in North Carolina and the Ohio Open near Cleveland, Ohio.
We played two of the best courses on the schedule in Scotch Hall Preserve and Cutter Creek. Scotch Hall was in gorgeous shape and the greens were really firm and fast. It was also unbelievably windy all week long and it made the course really tough to play.
The winning score ended up being only eight under par. I drove the ball really good and hit some awesome iron shots but my putting was not up to par. I struggled to stay stable in the wind and missed some key putts that eventually cost me the chance of playing the weekend by a shot. I carried the solid ball striking into the next week’s event which was held at Cutter Creek. I loved the course from the get-go. The layout fit my eye and it was a true ball striker’s course.
We had to shape the ball off the tee and also be able to shape it into the greens because of all the slopes they had. The greens were in perfect condition and they were rolling really fast. It was perhaps the best ball striking tournament of the year, I gave myself a lot of opportunities to make birdies. I played well enough to be tied for first going into the weekend. It was a great feeling Saturday morning when I teed off in the final group and it was also very exciting to see my name on the leaderboard. Unfortunately my putting wasn’t on the same level as my ball striking and I struggled to put together two good rounds on the weekend and eventually finished tied for 19th at eight under par.
I went back home to play in the Ohio Open, an event that I have had a chance to win a couple times. I was coming off a great ball striking week and I was really excited about my chances of winning the tournament however my putter stayed cold. The courses we played during the Ohio Open were soaked due to all the rain they got the week before the tournament started so it was open season as far as birdies were concerned. I struck the ball very good and gave myself so many good looks for birdies but the putter kept me from going low.
I took some time off in July to go home and get some rest but after one day of sitting on the couch watching tv, I got the golf bug again. My dad and I hit the practice range pretty much everyday. I worked on the stuff that I did when I was hitting the ball really good and just tried to build on the experience. I also played a lot of rounds with my friends and I participated in some fun games to keep me mentally ready to compete when it was time for me to get back on the road. It was a very productive month of work. I will be playing in three NGA events this month.
I’ll also be playing in Florence, SC. And during the last two weeks of August, we will be playing in Georgia and South Carolina.
I am looking forward to seeing if my hard work will pay. Now, at 30 years old, it is truly a blessing to be able to get out there and compete against the best players in the world because I do not know how many opportunities I will have in the future. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do. The next few weeks will be exciting for me. I look forward to keeping you all updated on my progress.
Hit them long and straight,
Kevin
