Golf In A Parallel Universe

by Jimmy Bloodworth

  I told Zack that I do not really feel like my swing has really changed all that much. I explained that Gus has a way of making gradual changes that you do not notice. And that is the beauty of his teaching. “Believe me. Your swing has changed. It is most definitely for the better," he said shaking his head in disbelief, but happy manner.

  We hit a few more balls and did some chipping and putting for a while. Then we teed off at 11:30am for our practice round. I was hitting the ball great. I never felt that I have hit the ball so solid in my life. “Good thing this is a practice round” Zack said. “It is going to take me awhile to get used to this. I have no idea on what clubs to recommend on shots now," he said laughing.

  “Just take away three clubs less," I replied in a somewhat joking but, matter of a fact tone. If I am in a situation where I would normally hit a five iron, then give me a eight iron. If it is a normal three iron in the past, then give me a six iron.” “Wow” he replied. “And your drives. I used to be able to count on taking a break when we got to your short drives. Now I have to walk 30 to 40 yards every time. You are going to wear me out," he said laughing. We joked around for a few minutes about my new distance.

  But then we got serious and played our practice round. He had already scouted out the course early this morning. He had info on all the pin placements, the contour of the greens and all the things that he does so well. He worked to adapt to my swing and gage my distances. He said it will be awhile before he can accurately determine what clubs I will need to hit in different situations. What really surprised was my tempo and even my concentration. Every shot was the same. Did not matter if it was an eight iron or a three iron, I kept the same tempo. And I seemed to be more mentally focused on each shot as I addressed the ball.

  As we played our practice round I had a few bad shots here and there. My score was not really all that good. I had a few shots where my approach to the greens were a little right left or right and took some bad kicks. Also had some shots where I chose the wrong club because I am not used to my distance and I hit way over the green. But overall I had a good solid round as far as striking the ball so I felt invigorated with my new swing.

  The follow day Wednesday it was more of the same. But starting to get a little more consistent. We had a good practice round, and I went to the range and hit some more balls after our round. Zack worked with me on the range on getting a good handle of my distances with each clubs. We talked about our game plan this week. We both agreed to do as Jerry Churchill recommended. To just treat this as a no stress tournament. We both felt that I have some work to do because of some of my shots I am having trouble gauging my distance. We could see the potential of some bad holes. I better be ready for some double bogeys or worse. I may not make the cut. But the future looks good. Once I get this swing down, I have a chance of really competing for some tournaments. The US open is two weeks away, and that's what I got my mind set on. After our time on the range we called it a day. My Tee off time is 10:00am in the morning. I tell Zack I do not plan to be here too early tomorrow. I will see him at 8:00am here. We call it a day.

  I go back to the hotel and relax. I grab a beer and sit by the window. I think about what is ahead of me. I think how strange things have been the last few weeks. Before the Masters, I was a struggling professional golfer just barely making it. I felt that I was going nowhere in my career and that my career was winding down. Then I played out of my head for a few days and won the masters title. Since then, I have won another tournament, and was competitive in some others. I now have a golf legend which seems to want to help me. I have gone through two crazy weeks of lessons and transforming my game which may be a great boost to my career. And another possible life change, I may have a chance to have a relationship with the girl of my dreams. I feel good about all of this.

  However I feel a little scared and uncomfortable. It's all like this is not real for some reason. Can this really be happening to me? And then to make things worse on the on the weird side of things. Somehow I have this strange feeling like I have two people inside myself. One is my old self. Then the other person inside me that seems to be from another time and place. And that other person or emotion inside of me is so thrilled about my golf game. And that little voice or second emotion is getting stronger and stronger every day. Also sometimes I feel sad that I am missing someone or something. I feel like I want to go back home or something. I wonder if the place I want to go back to is the same place I have in my dreams where I have a family. And the dreams are getting stronger and more clear each night.

  “Oh well” I tell myself as I take the last swallow of my bottle of beer. Just that one beer for tonight along with a good dinner in the hotel restaurant. I got to bed early. I am ready for tomorrow. I feel fast asleep and had the same old dreams.

  Thursday morning 8:00am. Zack greets me in the parking lot. We get our gear together and and go to the range and warm up. I feel good but a little nervous. And Zack sees that. “Hey Hey, this is just a practice tournament remember?” I just somewhat chuckle and tell him I remember. He’s right. But I still a little anxious.

  We do all of our pre game routines and finally it is Tee Time. As we are walking up to the Tee Box, I really felt nervous. Which is unusual for me. During my whole career, I have always felt confident on the first tee. The only time I ever had a problem was when I played my first tournament after I won the Masters. That time I felt fine going up to the first tee. But then I freaked out when I got there. And I had a bizarre start, and it took me a few holes to get myself together. This time I have that same feeling as we are walking to the tee. I know that I have changed my swing for the better, but wonder how it will hold up under pressure of a real tournament.

  We get to the tee and I really do not feel good at all. But somehow I am able to hide it. I do a lot of smiling and talking to make the appearance of calmness. We have a threesome and I have been told that I will be the third. I stand on the back of the tee the starter introduces the first player, and he hits. I am really starting to get mad at myself as the second player is being introduced. I tell myself to not be such an idiot. This is just a practice round for me as we planned. After the second player hits, the starter introduces me. “Ladies and Gentlemen, from Orlando Florida, the 2014 Masters Champion, Jim Galloway.” I acknowledge the applause from the gallery and tee my ball up. I get set, my legs feel weak. I take a practice swing then step back. I approach the ball and I really not sure if I can do this. But then it happened again. Just like a few weeks ago when I was freaking out. Then, I hear Jerry Churchill ’s voice in tandem with some other voice which seem like from another time and place “Keep it Parallel Jim. Keep it Parallel.” At that instant, I had no stress. No pressure at all. I relaxed over the ball and made a smooth swing just like Gus had worked with me. And I hit the ball right down the middle about 300 yards.

  “See that was not so bad was it?,” Zack told me as we walked down the tee box. I just gave him a nervous little laugh. If he only knew how confused I am about all of this. But we were able to play this round to our plan. I was relaxed. My new swing was performing just as planned. I had a lot of good shots. But I had some bad ones as well. I ended up shooting a 73. Not good. Unless I have a good round tomorrow then I will not make the cut. But as we discussed. If I do not make the cut that is OK. At least I will have two days of tournament play to work on my new swing.

  The next day Friday morning we had an 8:00 am tee time. Zack advised me to really concentrate on my short game today. That hurt me yesterday. I had missed a few greens and did not get up and down a few times and that really killed my score. “Sure you adapting to a new swing” he said. “But you need to chip and putt better until we get this new swing figured out and start hitting more greens in regulation," he told me. “Good point. I will concentrate on that today," I replied.

  “Also one other thing,," Zack tells me in a serious and positive tone. “Look. I believe I have a good handle on your distances now. And I can tell that you
are not too sure what club to hit sometimes. Just trust me and let me pick the club selection and do not think about it. All you need to do is make a good swing and not worry if it is the correct club or not. Let that be my job exclusively the next couple of days. As we progress over the next few weeks we will get back to normal on how we decide club choices.” I thought about it. “Sounds good. I will go with whatever club you recommend,"I replied

  As usual Zack is right on. Usually each player and caddie has their way they work together with club recommendations. Most caddies will recommend a club selection for a player. Usually it is a discussion they work out together. The player will usually follow the recommendation unless he feels otherwise and may override the caddies recommendation. Often that causes stress if the caddie or the player has a strong feeling about a certain situation. There have been many cases where a caddie strongly recommends one club and it is the wrong club and the player gets upset. A lot of caddies have been fired over club selections. Zack and I agreed a long time ago to never let that be an issue. If he makes a club recommendation. I can decide to take it or override it. The final decision is mine. I told him I would never be upset if club he recommends turns out not the be the correct club. Hell, no one can pick the correct club every time. But I trust his judgment.

  I was more consistent than yesterday but still had some stray shots. And my short game really came into play. I was able to make some good chip and putts to save par. And gave me more confidence. I ended up with a 70 today which was a two day total of 143. I made the cut by one stroke. I was very happy. I actually felt like I won the tournament. Making the cut is is a big deal. The last couple of years I have struggled and there were several tournaments where I did not make the cut. So this is a good day. “Ok the pressure is off” Zack said after we were all finished for the day. I agree and we call it a day. I go back to the hotel and prepare for the third round tomorrow.

  I played the next two days just like practice rounds. I just worked on my swing and my tempo. And I worked on my mental approach like Gus taught me. I let Zack make all my club selections, and I concentrated on my short game like Zack recommended. And I never paid any attention to the leaderboard.The final round Sunday was my best day. I shot a 67. I felt like things are all starting to come together with my swing. So when it was all said and done I had put together rounds of 73,70,69,67 for a total of 279.

  To my amazement I ended up tying for 6th place! And I almost did not make the Cut! “You gotta be kidding me! Sixth place!," I yelled out to Zack. He just laughed. So these four days of just sticking with the plan and working on my game really paid off. I cannot wait until this swing becomes one hundred percent natural and I can focus on competition. I can see a bright future with my golf game.

  And Zack is happy as well. He made some good money again. As we are getting things wrapped up, I realize that both of us are leaving for home tomorrow. I am ready to relax and have a few beers. “Hey how about a few beers," I shout out to Zack in a festive mood. I tell him I will meet him back at the hotel and we will have a party. He is happy and he will meet me later. There are a couple of other pros in the locker room and they say they may drop by as well. I told them the more the merrier.

  On the way to the hotel. I stop and pick up some beer for me and Zack. I get to my room and grab a beer and look out the window and think. “Wow, is this real?” With this new golf swing and possible getting my game up to the next level. I feel like I am starting a new job or something. What will the future hold? But I am not really in a reflective mood. I am just happy. Golf is really really fun when you play well. Finally, Zack shows up and we just hang out in the room. I got some beer, and he brought some snacks. We sit down and are both in a great mood and just talk. In professional golf, the golfer and the caddie can be different types of relationships.

  For some caddies and pros, it just business, that's it. They never see each other off the course. Some relationships are tense where they do not get along very well and pro is the big boss, and the caddie is just an employee. Some pros are good buddies with their caddie and they hang out a lot together. I would say most pros are someone in between. Most pros have great respect for their caddie and maybe hang out a little but mostly just have a professional relationship. That's where I am. We do hang out every once in awhile and have couple of beers. The last two years we have become closer and I see him as my friend. But he is married with a couple of kids, so he is usually ready to get back to them when he can.

  But his flight is tomorrow so we are just hang out. We were both in a talking mood. He was somewhat of a “I am away from the wife and kids” mode, and he felt like drinking a few. We just talked about a lot of various things. I told him about my new possible relationship with Emily and that was a big deal for me. We laughed about that for a while. A couple of other pros dropped by that were in the hotel. They hung out, and we all talked golf golf golf golf, and then more golf. They remarked out how they noticed that my game seems to be solid. I just told them that I had been working on it. I was not going to spill the beans that I have been working with a swing coach. Not sure if Gus wants to get back in the business. So it was a great night just hanging out with the guys. No serious drinking just everyone having fun. It was a good time. And a good way to end the week.

  I get back home Monday about 4:00pm. “So what's the plan this week?," I ask myself. Basically, I got all this week off and then I will fly out next Monday to Pinehurst North Carolina for the US Open. I plan to have a casual week and get some much needed rest. I will also work on my game this week. I will work on the techniques that Gus taught me. And I do want to see Emily this week. I am so happy and I really want to talk with her. I picked up the phone and dialed without hesitation. No scared school boy this time. She picked up, and we started talking. It was so good to talk her. I was talking a mile a minute. I was telling her how good things are going for me right now. She just laughed and was happy to listen. After a few minutes I realized I was talking too much. I apologized for talking too much and I asked how are things going with her. She just laughed and said no problem. We just talked about everything. I really enjoy talking to her. It is such a big change for me to be talking to someone like her.

  Before I knew it we had been talking for an hour. “Gosh we have been talking for an hour," I told her in a surprising tone. She acknowledges she was a little surprised as well. We talked about getting together again. I told her I was free this week and wanted to see to see her again. She said she was happy to get together again. We talked about Wednesday and decided to meet the same place we met last time about noon for lunch. I told her maybe we can hang out after lunch and see some sites or something. She was happy with that, so that was all set and said goodbye.

  After got off the phone with Emily, I got a bite to eat and planned my week. Today is a rest day. Tomorrow I will sleep late and work on my game. I will do a lot of chipping and putting as Zack recommended. Wednesday, I plan to get up very early and work on my game. Then come home get cleaned up and meet Emily. The rest of the week I just plan to work on my game and really work on my mental preparation for the US Open next week. I go to bed early, I need a good night's sleep. As usual I have the recurring dreams again. And as each night getting much stronger. I dream about a family and kids, a job, all which I do not see clearly but seems so familiar.

  The next couple days I work on my game. I work on my tempo and all the things Gus told me. I also work a lot on my chipping and putting as Zack recommended. Before I won the Masters, I had slacked off quite a bit on my practice. I felt like it was just work, and not fun anymore. But now it is fun again and I am really enjoying it. For the first time in years golf is fun again. And that little voice in the back of my head is having a blast. I still do not understand where it is coming from. But I am getting used it. Somehow it just seems to be a part of me now. I tell myself that if this continues I may go see a psychologist some day. But now I got too many things going on in my life now.

  T
uesday I really worked hard on the practice range. My plan is to get a good day's work in today. Then tomorrow a short day and I will meet Emily. After hitting balls on the range all day, I decide to play nine holes. It was late in the day and the course was almost empty. No one in front of me, no one in back of me. I walked with a push cart, and it felt great. It was just one of those perfect times on the course.

  On the course virtually alone, getting close to dusk. There were long shadows on the course as the sun was getting low in the sky. And the beautiful sun rays making the grass look so green. It was so nice when you walk up to your ball and you have a nice short iron approach shot to the green. You got a great lie on the lush green fairway and you see the green just waiting for you to hit a high iron shot to plop down on the green with a thud, close to the pin. You can just picture it in your mind. And when you execute that shot, it is an emotional high like your cannot imagine unless your are truly a golfer. This was a great nine holes for me. No stress, no worries. I was just enjoying the great feeling of being out on the course alone, and having a relaxing fun game of golf. It was very peaceful.

  I finish my work early on the range Wednesday morning and head back home. Today I am meeting Emily again. I am excited but not nervous for some reason. I meet her at the same place we met a few days ago. She looks great. We have a great lunch and we have some good laughs and conversations. I tell her about my golf game, but I try not to dwell on it. I have become to realize that talking to someone about golf and if they are not a golfer, it is pretty boring to them. I asked her what she has been doing the last few days. She tells me how much she has enjoyed being out of New York and just relaxing for a while. She said that she is not bored yet, but she is sure she will be ready to start looking at career moves sometime in the future. She told me that she has really enjoyed and spending time with her Parents.