The First Tee of Greater Austin 2010 More than a Game Event!

Come join J.L. along with other celebrity golfers in the First Tee of Greater Austin 2010 More than a Game event. On Sunday, November 7th, there will be a Dinner and Pairings Party at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa (just 20 minutes away from downtown Austin), where there will be live and silent auctions, excellent food, and introductions to some of The First Tee of Greater Austin’s children golfers. The First Tee program teaches nine core values through The First Tee Life Skills Curriculum and through the game of golf.

The following day, November 8th, there is the “Captain’s Cup” Golf Tournament. Each foursome in the group is led by a “Celebrity Captain.” J.L. is one of the “Captains” in this tournament. The rest of the 2010 team captains are Huston Street, Tyson Cole, Jody Conradt, Cindy Figg-Currier, Larry Degenhart, Dexter Fowler, Kate Golden, David Gossett, Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, Sam Irwin, Tom Jenkins, Jesse Litsch, Hilary Lunke, Chad Qualls, Amy Read, Bob Schneider, Wes Short, Greg Swindell, Sid Steiner, and Curtis Thigpen. All golfers in the event will receive memorable keepsakes in their tee gift.

Following is a schedule of events for Sunday and Monday.

• Dinner & Pairings Party, Sunday, November 7, 2010.
  • Attendee Doors Open- Registration Begins – 6:30 pm
  • Silent Auction/Reception/Games – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
  • Dinner/Program/Live Auction – 8:15 – 9:15 pm
  • Patio Re-Opens – 9:15 pm – 11:00 pm
  • Auction Check-out Opens– 9:15 pm – 11:00 pm

• Captains Cup Golf Tournament: Monday, November 8, 2010.
  • Player/Captain Registration Opens - 8:00 am
  • Shotgun Start – 9:15 am
  • Awards – 3:00 pm

If you’re interested in supporting this event, click here to learn more, register for the event, or become a sponsor.

Giving Back to the Game of Golf

Homecare and Hopsice First Tee Open at Pebble Beach

Last month J.L. played in the Home Care & Hospice First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. This tournament is a great opportunity to bring aspiring young golfers together with seasoned Champions Tour Professionals. For the professionals it is a good reminder that as ambassadors of the game they have a responsibility and opportunity to lead by example. The First Tee program is a fantastic organization that “provides educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.” The dinner prior to the event focused on the First Tee 9 core values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, confidence, judgment, responsibility, respect, perseverance, and courtesy. At the dinner a celebrity speaker, Champions Tour professional or First Tee participant spoke on each core value.  J.L. was impressed by the maturity of the juniors and their ability to speak in front of a room full of their peers with grace and inspiration. This tournament was a nice reminder for J.L. of why he plays golf – to promote and to give back to the game of golf.

J.L. was paired in the Home Care Hospice First Tee Open at Pebble Beach with First Tee junior, Annie Diebert. Yesterday, J.L. and Dawn met up again with Annie and her family, Major John Diebert and his wife Leilani in Washington D.C.  Major Diebert gave J.L. and Dawn a fantastic tour of the Pentagon. More on our trip to the Pentagon to come tomorrow.

Try out these golf tips or pass them along to your friends!

• Arnold Palmer says the best beginners golf tip is to learn to putt cross-handed and never change. This method is fundamentally more sound and a great method for beginner golfers.
• Learn to be unaffected by people or events you have no control over. Control what you can and don’t worry about the rest.
• An important quality to learn is emotional control. Allowing the emotions to flow freely and not to get stuck in any one emotion is  essential to the success in golf and life.
• Do and say what you know is right. Don’t worry about what others do or say.
• An important lesson I learned as a beginner in golf was to play the same no matter the stakes. A golf shot is a golf shot and nothing else, regardless of what could be won or lost by perfect or less than perfect execution.

Test your golf knowledge with the Golf Swing Challenge Game!

In 1983 I asked our local professional if he thought I could make it on the PGA TOUR. His reply has stuck with me to this day. He said, “There is no way anyone else could ever answer that question for you. You have to believe in yourself and what you are capable of. What you achieve will be a reflection of your own thoughts.” This was great advice because it made me realize that the amount of effort, the intensity of my desire, the ability to overcome adversity, and the level of tolerance and perseverance needed to succeed are all controlled by my own self motivation.

Ability is a factor in being able to play any sport professionally. However, there are extremely talented athletes that never achieve their potential. On the PGA TOUR numerous players have done extremely well contrary to what many critics believed they would do.

PGA TOUR Player Personas:
There are many examples of players on the PGA TOUR who have created their own winning personas. Corey Pavin has had many PGA wins including a major championship during his career. He makes up for a lack of distance with gritty determination and an outstanding short game. Additionally, Corey has a tremendous desire to win and works nonstop on all parts of his game. Scott Verplank has been one of the most consistent money winners in the history of the PGA TOUR. His caddie once told me that on approach shots from inside 100 yards Scott rarely ends up with a putt of more than six feet. Since forty-three percent of all strokes are taken from inside 100 yards, mastering this aspect of the game, short game and chip shots, has led to his success. Many criticize Jim Furyk’s unorthodox golf swing; however, results are what matter. Jim has improved his golf swing to perfection which now produces consistently good shots and top finishes with regularity. Corey Pavin, Scott Verplank, and Jim Furyk have developed outstanding skills to go along with the work ethic needed to be successful on the PGA TOUR.