Entry 1.)

My birthday March 28th 2004 I received a present that would change my life. A set of Golf clubs.
Who knew a simple little gift would cause such a stir of passion inside an athletic such as myself.
My friends laugh " Golf. You like Golf. I wouldn't think that you of all people would like Golf."
But another friend sat back and looked at me and said "I know why she likes it. It's a challenge. It's something she can't master after playing it a few times."
After playing softball, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, and any other sport I could get my hands on, I finally found a sport I could do alone.
I could go to the driving range alone and play the course alone.

Until they set you up with someone who wants to tell you what your doing wrong the entire time. Have you ever just wanted to turn to someone and yell Shut Up! "If I knew what I was doing wrong I would change it. And judging by your game I don't think you're the one I want to listen to."
You know I have to wonder, do men get approached as much as women do at the range by men wanting to help them? I guess "not."

So welcome to my world. I'll start with my progress. I know everybody wants to know how IM doing? What's your handicap? What's your index? What are you shooting on the course?
First things first. Lets start from the beginning. I went out after about 1 week of not knowing what I was doing and got a coach. You know I couldn't pick just any couch I had to get myself the best. My friends father is a master PGA instructor, she set it up so I could go to him to start my career. So I would drive once a week down to temecula for a lesson with John Hardy.
I took lessons with him for 2 months. I started out on the golf course shooting 110 to 120 normal for a beginner I guess. My first obstacle was getting up on that first tee and swinging. Man every time I choked. I am so hard on myself. I would go hit balls everyday, and at the driving range I was hitting pretty good, I thought. But every time that first tee would kill me. Until one day I went out with an instructor that wanted to teach me. I explained the problem and he looked at me and said "your human, of course you are going to get nervous. All of the top pros still get nervous every time they get up to that first tee." For some reason he just gave me permission to relax. And I hit the ball down the middle of the fairway.

Entry 2.)

About 2 weeks ago I realized it was time to find an instructor up were I live. So I started asking around. I started with Rich a week ago. Our first lesson he video taped me. Hey, not bad for 3 months. He adjusted my hip movement. I wasn't turning enough, I had a slight sway in my hips.
He gave me a simple exercise to do. Stand with my feet together and swing. That forces you to turn your hips and keep your balance. Keep your left eye on the ball at all times, and your left arm should be pulling through the ball.
Next week he will put me on a schedule. Chipping, putting, driving, and course management.
Oh yah, I just got the golf channel. Im sucked in now!

Entry 3.)

I have been going out playing golf with anyone I could or who ever asked. So this is what I have found out so far. When your just starting out, your game improves very fast. You go from scoring 120 to 100 with in weeks. I was so excited when I finally broke the 100 mark.
Relax on the tee's and hit the ball as close as I could to the middle of the fairway. It's funny because at first you find yourself dropping balls when you hit it out of play and not counting the ball drop. Then if you hit the ball fat, you would take another swing and not count that stroke ether. So by the time you got done with the round I would shoot a 90, but if I were to count every single stroke I would really shoot about 100.
That was a depressing reality.

Entry 4.)

When I hit balls I go to about 3 different driving ranges. I move around because I also found out that every golf teacher at each range sees me working hard and wants to teach me. So need less to say I don't want to be rude so each one gives me there input on how I should be swinging.
I remember this in bodybuilding. Everybody was an expert and wanted to tell you how to train or diet. If you listen to every person it would just mess you up.
But as a beginner, your like a sponge and you want to learn as much as you can so you find yourself listening a little to much.
I ‘ll try what they tell me and if it doesn't work for me, I'll stop. More than anything I found out I learn by vision. Meaning I can watch someone and copy what they are doing.
There's one girl at the range that has a beautiful swing she's about 19. I sit and watch her, then go hit. I watch her hip movement, back swing, fallow through, everything. I really hit better after watching.
I ask my instructor to hit for me so I can watch. What's happening with my swing now is that Rich is trying to slow me down.
I have to reframe from trying to kill the ball. Golf is a game of opposites. Swing slow and steady the ball flies. Swing fast and hard the ball dribbles.

Entry 5.)

I have been playing now about 6 months and faithful with my lessons once a week. I have learned so much. Every week it's something different. I try to play the course a least once a week, and I practice everyday. I hit a large bucket of balls, practice my short game, and putt for about an hour.
Sometimes I don't have time to putt for an hour so I skip it. Not good.
Im trying to play as many different course as possible. I don't want to get use to just one.
I am playing my first celebrity golf tournament next week in Palm Springs. I am so excited but really nervous about it.
It is a charity event for the mentally challenged. The charity is "The Stamps family Foundation for the mentally challenged " I will report the out come when I get back.

Entry 6.)

Oh my god! How fun was that? The charity golf event was amazing. The course was beautiful. It was a best ball scramble so it took the pressure off. We had a golf pro on our team so needless to say we won the tournament. I had some really good shots, and putts. The charity was for a great cause. They raised a lot of money to help the charity.
On to the next tournament.

Entry 7.)

Golf is the biggest mental game I have ever played. One day your on the next your off. I am reading everything I can about the game. I order the video coach54 last week. I read Tiger book, I haven't bought Anaka's book yet.
I now have a handicap. My index is at 13.5
I play with this guy once in a while who wants to play for the seniors tour. Very good player, he told me one day Im just a boggy golfer. That bothered me! I don't want to be a boggy golfer.
But this is how mental this stupid game is. Every since then I can't seem to shoot under 90. So that means Im just a boggy golfer. The point is this. Before he said that to me I was shooting anywhere from 84 to 90. But because he said it out loud my brain heard it and now I have to overcome that.
I started keeping track of how many fairways Im hitting, my up and down shots, and my putting.
When my driver is on it seems my irons are off. I really, really need to put more time in on my putting. I would drop my score by more than 8 points just by getting rid of the 3 putts. That would drop me to an 82 score.
When my driver is on I can hit anywhere from 250 to 280 in the middle of the fairway.
Im still a little off on my irons sometimes missing the green by a foot or 2. But it's all coming around. I travel to Arkansas next week for another charity golf event.

Entry 8.)

Just got back from Arkansas yesterday. The charity event was for 3 different causes. We played softball the day before the golf event. Oh my god, I have been playing golf so long I almost forgot how to swing a bat. That was a little scary. I played my first 36 holes in one day. The course was called eagles nest. It was built on the side of a mountain, there was not one flat green.
It was a weekend long tournament but I didn't get to play on Sunday because I got the flu that night. Had to fly home with the flu, that was fun! I felt like I played good. They used a lot of my drives. I don't know how the team did, we were in 3rd place when I left.
Time to get well.

Entry 9.)

Why is it you lose that lovin feeling? The drive. It's there, it's gone, it's there, it's gone. This is the game of golf. Irons are on driver is off, driver is on irons are off. Back to the lessons.
Driver...starts with the feet. Feel the weight shift. Swing thru the ball, hips, release, fallow through, and relax. Sounds easy! Practice, practice, practice!
I started hitting at a new driving range today. It has real grass, no mats. Now, this was interesting at first. The first time I hit it fat and took up to much grass I felt a little embarrassed so I was afraid to hit down again. A golf pro came over and gave me a few tips on hitting off grass and I told him what I was thinking, he told me just to hit. The grass will grow back. LOL
He made me realize where the grass was and to take that divot every time.
He taught me a pre swing routine and how it is so important to when you are out on the course.
He spent a good hour with me on the range then took me out on the course. I was nervous because I was hitting well on the range and I wanted to do well in front of him.
Well, needless to say I hit like shit! I expressed this to him and he said I need to start feeling comfortable on the course. Those words have stayed with me ever since.
Feel comfortable!

Entry 10.)

November 2004 I have been playing now 8 months. Why aren't I a scratch golfer yet? LOL
But that's what is in my head.
Im putting to much pressure on myself, so I decided to stop keeping score and just play the game.
That's a hard thing to do come to find out. I need to learn the strategy of the game and enjoy the game. What is my intention?
I found a 9 hole course where the greens are really difficult. I hit a large bucket, practice putting for a half hour and then go play 9 holes.
Im now walking the course. Oh I forgot that part, in the beginning I would not walk!
Back to my intention. Every shot has an intention, why Im playing the game has an intention. Keeping focused on one shot at a time is a hard thing to do.
I have another golf tournament in LaCosta in 7 days. Im very excited about this one, it is the first all female celebrity charity golf event. It's called "GogirlGo."
This one is for the Women's Sport Foundation. I really encourage people to get involved in this charity. You can learn more by going to www.gogirlgo.com

Entry 11.)

I called Taylor Made and got hooked up with there celebrity division. I went down to there corporate headquarters and got fitted for new clubs.
That was so cool. What a great experience.
First I went out to there own driving range and warmed up. Then went inside to the computer room and had 9 camera's on me. The driver I had in my hand had all these probes that would get picked up by the camera's. They saw my swing pattern, hand speed, club head speed, and everything else that has to do with your swing. Then I went back out on the range and they put the club in my hand that the computer said I should be swinging with.
I got fitted for the new R7 driver, R5 woods, and Rac irons. I love the clubs. I can't believe what a difference they have made in my game.
I love Taylor Made! Off to the tournament with my new clubs.

Entry 12.)

LaCosta was amazing. Our team came in first place on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday. It was so cold on Sunday. Im starting to see playing golf in the cold is not that much fun.
The charity event was so cool. Gina Davis was the host of the event and the US Soccer team was there. I meant Lisa Fernandez the Olympic gold medal softball player. Man, she's a good golfer.
As a matter of fact this weekend was the first time I have ever played with women. How weird is that? I would love to play golf with Lisa again.
My irons and my driver was on both days. And I loved playing the game.

Entry 13.)

December 2004 O.K. it's cold! Not good with cold. I try to go out, but it's raining and cold. Here is something I will not do again, play at 6:00am in the winter. My friend and I wanted to get an early start. The grass still had frost on it, I couldn't feel my hands and my legs felt numb. I played like shit, and I didn't warm up until the 11th hole.
Never again. Did not have fun.

Entry 14.)

January 5th 2005 a new year, new goals, and new golf clothes. LOL The funny thing is when you dress the part of a good golfer, most people view you that way. If you are playing bad they just think your having an off day. Haha
I went out yesterday and played 9 holes. It was the first break in the clouds with no rain. My driver was O.K. but my woods were off. No, I did not keep score. I just wanted to get a good practice round in. Im looking for a new coach that will give me a serious golf practice routine. I am so use to a coach drilling me that I want that in a golf coach. I know I could probably go and buy a book but Im not much of a reader. I would rather pay someone to tell me.
Like I said before I am a visual learner. Show me what I have to do.
I have been searching on the Internet for female amateur tournaments for this year. They are few and far between. This game is designed for men still all of the tournaments are for guys.