First of all I would like to apologize for the delay of this update. The month of December has had some up's and down's, with a lot of learning experiences as a result. I have had some great conversations with players, coaches, and mentors, which will help me to achieve my goal of capturing my first win. I have been knocking on the doorstep and I feel like it is just a matter of time before this milestone will occur.
I have played in 7 tournaments during the month of December. The WFGT held its Summer Series Tour Championship on the 29th of November. I was happy with the way I was hitting the ball but struggled on the greens a bit and as a result shot 75-41 – 216. . Moving on, I traveled to River Hills in Tampa and the Riviera Open in Ormond Beach, where I shot rounds of 74-74 – 148. I was able to diagnose the problems I was encountering with my golf swing and take a step forward while building some confidence entering into the next tournament at Ridgewood Lakes. This was a difficult course with small landing areas and fast greens. I played alright, still making a few mistakes, but held it together to finish 72-73-145 and finished back in the top 10 with a t-7. Feeling better about my game I went to the Founder’s Club, where we played in 25-35 mph winds and cool temperatures. It was fun, but the course played hard. I ended up shooting 80 with a t-11 Next on the list was Old Corkscrew in Estero, which may have been the hardest, ruthless and most relentless golf course I have ever played. I played great for 16 holes, maneuvering the golf ball around the course to my liking, but it’s one of those courses that will come up and bite you. I ended up finishing with a 77 and a t-7. The final tournament to round out December and the 2010 season was yesterday at the Ritz Carlton Members Club in Sarasota. Again, I played well for 16 holes and unfortunately made one bad swing that put me into a double bogey and a finish of 74, a t-11.
Overall, I have learned a lot this month; most importantly I have re-evaluated my practice habits. I have learned that first and foremost I need to understand who I am as a golfer and what works for me. I have been hitting a lot of golf balls and working on my short game relative to what I have and will encounter in the upcoming tournaments. I have gotten to the point that I understand I am not going to hit the ball perfect day in and day out, but if I can get up and down that will help in keeping the round going. Also, I keep coming back to this, but when you are in the heat of battle it sometimes gets overlooked, and that is to commit to every shot. Pick a target, fit the shot to that target and make the swing needed.
I have the next two weeks off to take some time and recharge the battery to get ready for the 2011 season. I am very excited about where my game is going and how I have taken a step back to look at what I need to do.
The Holidays are right around the corner and I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year with your families and friends. We are all truly blessed with the friends and family that we have.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Eric Higgins
