How to Win the Club Championship

I've been lucky enough to win the club championship three times in my short career, so I'd like to share my thoughts of what I believe are the keys to winning (in no particular order):

1) Patience
2) Good Putting
3) Confidence
4) Make Birdies

1) Patience - When I say patience, I mean you must not let mistakes carry over to the next shot in a 72 hole stroke event. Every shot counts as much as the one before and the one after. Don't get caught up if you leave an iron shot 10 yards short of the green or fly one over because the next shot is way more important in that it could save you par or better. If you let it carry over, you will be looking at double in no time. If you are struggling with your swing, try to return to something basic (alignment, grip pressure, initial takeaway of swing); then be realistic and execute the shots you feel comfortable with.

2) Good putting - It requires good practice prior to the tournament and it requires trust. The speed of the greens will be a little intimidating, but don't let this trick you into thinking that putting is more of a challenge. In fact it should be more fun. All you have to do is pick the line and trust it. Fast greens will reward a good putting stroke.

3) Confidence - Be prepared to deal with nerves and pressure shots. When the time comes to execute shots, you must believe in yourself. You must visualize the shot and let it happen. If you only visualize the one shot you want and nothing else, it will happen. Confidence is built over time prior to the tournament. When you get on the course, you show it off.

4) Make Birdies - All of us are going to make a fair share of bogeys, a few doubles, and maybe (hopefully not) greater than double. Therefore, birdies are necessary to offset over-par scores. I'm not saying you need to make 5 birdies per round. My number is 3+ per round. Not only does it boost your score, but it boosts your confidence!

These are my keys to winning the club championship. Every winner has a different story of how they got there and what worked for them. Last year, Lee Smith won with 75-75-75-75 = 300. Expect to go 295 or better to get it done.

p.s.: props to Kenny Collina for having fun no matter what he shoots, now thats a key to a good life!

p.p.s: I played my first round w/ Tim Diskin, Steve Potter, and TJ Lombardini, a pleasure of a group; we only made 3 birds between the four of us; ouch!; i finished 38-39= 77; struck the ball excellent, but i missed in the wrong spots; i sit here with confidence and look forward to my chance tomorrow to get back at the golf course; Rob Lynch shot 70 (-1)