THE LIFE OF JT

Currently living life.....stay tuned....

February 3rd - 7th, 2015

Tournament day 2 - PGA West Stadium Course
Tournament day 3 - PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course
Tournament day 4 - PGA West Stadium Course

February 3rd

Well....looks like I never made it to daily updates during the Pro Am. Whoops.

As I write this update on the plane all I can do is reminisce on a fantastic week. First off, my play. To summarize it, let's just call it mediocre in all ways except the -3 back nine on day 1. That was superb. Driving was decent, irons were decent, full wedge game was decent, chipping was good as usual, sand game was better than average and putting was slightly above average. One highlight was shooting 3 under on the back nine at La Quinta Mountain Course.

This Pro Am had no individual component, but those birdies sure helped out the team. On the team side of things....we had a good recipe for this event. After shooting a dismal practice round team score, who would have thought we would have placed where we did.... airplane movie break....The Good Lie.

Well, that was a beautiful movie. Well done Ron Howard.

Let me begin the second half of this update with something that tends to leave many of us at times....sometimes forever. Whether this comes from the movie or not, I am truly blessed....we are all truly blessed for the opportunity to play in this Pro Am in such beautiful conditions. I have four people to thank for these opportunities that I am so grateful for. Those four people are my father, who brought me into this world. Who let me pursue what truly makes me happy, playing and teaching golf. Golf is so much more than just hitting a little white ball into a hole. Golf is life. My father and I have played over a thousand rounds together all over the world. In those rounds conversations that were had made me who I am today. I love my father and look forward to playing every round we have together.

The second person is my mother. Although not understanding what golf truly is (being the typical Italian mother who never changed when she landed in Canada over 42 years ago), she knows it makes me happy which in turn makes her happy. Someone who brought me up with unconditional love. Fed me unbelievable meals, let me run around naked in the backyard, clothed me with girl attire..yeah, I said it. She means everything me. No matter what, she believes in me. We all complain about our mothers at times (if we're even lucky to still have one), but rest assured we owe them.

The third person is my beautiful wife. Although not really understanding what I did when we met, has grown to support me in what some might consider an odd profession. She is learning that golf is more than golf and I love her for that.

The fourth person is me. While many others I grew up with went on to pick a profession that they didn't quite love, I was very fortunate to find the secret to life early on. That is to do something you truly love and make it a living. I stuck with it through all the grunt work, the bad bosses and the terrible role models. I found my niche, spreading the word of golf through understanding and patience. This is not an easy game. It takes the mental strength of a champion to play well. That doesn't mean you need the mental strength of a champion to play, but if you want to succeed you have to put your big boy pants on and grind it out because that's the way this game is. I see it time and time again one bad shot causing people to fold like a cheap suit. This goes for EVERYONE from touring Pros all the way down to little juniors. The players that thrive are the ones that grind it out. It's not how you hit your shots rather how you handle the poor shots that define you. I will play with anyone once, but if I see someone handle themselves poorly you won't see me in that group again. Some people have no clue that how you conduct yourself on the course directly affects the other players in your group. If you're playing on a team such as these Pro Am's, that becomes a recipe for disaster.

....day two was a grind at PGA West. The course was tougher. The sun was hotter and we felt out of sync. We grinded out a -6. Thinking we shot ourselves out of the tournament we placed third overall. That goes to show that YOU MUST NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL THE BALL IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THR CUP. Period.

Day three at the Nicklaus course felt like it was going to be a good day right from the get go. We teed off in the morning which we all preferred over the afternoon. We started off pretty good and cruised to a -11 finish which put us 2nd overall for the day and 3rd going into the final round. Well done JF on a stellar round.

The evening turned out to be a lovely one introducing my team to one of my favourite pizza joints ever, Piero's. Real Italian pizza cooked in an authentic Napolitano oven. Yum.

Day 4 was an interesting one. We knew that we needed a good day to take the lead being four back. Our starting time was in the afternoon and if you read what happened that last time teeing off in the afternoon our track record wasn't very good. We arrived at the course with plenty of time to practice. The team seemed like they were in good shape. We started off well with a great natural bogey for birdie by Eggy and a par from myself getting us to -1 right off the bat. The round could have been written as a story book as we went up and down like a toilet seat, but I have to say it ended well. The team was a little shell shocked when I had a rare three putt for bogey and my teammate missing a one foot birdie putt on the second last hole of the tournament. We went from going -1 on the hole to +1 just like that on one hole. Standing on the 8th hole a long Par 5 (our last hole), I truly didn't think what was about to unfold, unfolded. My teammate who missed the one foot putt dropped a ten foot birdie putt and my other teammate made a natural par with two strokes giving us and eagle. That's -3 on one hole. Where did it put us in the end....not first and that's ok because I was extremely proud they grinded it out. We gained one spot in the end to finish a very proud 2nd. Well done boys.

Highlights of the Pro Am....JF firing a gross 75 on day 3 and winning 5 skins, Eggy nailing the stick on two consecutive holes and winning 6 skins, Jonny making us constantly laugh keeping us in check and me firing a -3 on the back nine on day 1.

Lastly, I want to thank my wife Eve. This was her first experience attending a Pro Am with me at 27 weeks into her pregnancy. She was an honorary teammate that cut the testosterone. What a trooper.

What's next...teaching indoors, getting the house ready for the little one and enjoying life.

Thanks for reading.

-JT

February 2nd, 2015

Tournament round 1 - La Quinta Mountain Course 8:30am shotgun

Out here in La Quinta seem like Groundhog Day everyday weather wise. The morning starts out a little chilly. Once the sun peaks over the Santa Rosa mountains the temperature rises quickly to a comfortable average of about 25 degrees Celsius.

The team + my wife, made our way to the course for a little breaky. The view from the dining room is ridiculous and by that I mean amazing. It was nice to have Eve join us while we discussed our team strategy which was simple. Keep it together and enjoy yourself. It's not over until the ball is at the bottom of the hole.

We started out with a team bogey on the first hole. Definitely not a good start in a one net, one gross ball format. We managed to persevere through the bad start and finished up -11 on the last 17 holes good for second place for the day. A great start to the tournament. I was pleased with the way I finished my round with a clean 3 under back nine with six pars and 3 birdies good for a 73.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

-JT

February 1st, 2015

The day started out with a view of the sun peaking over the Santa Rosa mountains. Just gorgeous. I made my way to the hot tub in front of my room for a relaxing dip before the practice round.

I met a teammate at the putting/chipping green on the resort grounds to work with him a bit as well as on my own game. It is super cool to have that green on the grounds in the midst of tangerine, grapefruit and lemon trees. I must say the grounds at La Quinta Resort are absolutely stunning. Fruit trees (grapefruit, tangerines and lemon) are scattered throughout the property and yes, they can be picked and eaten.

Making our way to the course less than 2 minutes away again staring at one of the most beautiful vistas one can have, we made our way to the range to warm up. Not having played on grass for about seven weeks, who knew what was going to come out. Surprisingly, ball contact was good immediately.

My team managed to have some good laughs and shake off a little rust. We had played as a team for the first time and it was mission accomplished enjoying a wonderful practice round.

Tournament round 1 tomorrow at La Quinta Mountain Course.

Janurary 31st, 2015

Here we are again sitting on a plane this time on route to Palm Springs for the ClubLink International Pro Am. This time I have a special guest along for the ride or should I say 'two' special guests, my wife and soon to be daughter. This a welcome relief to us all as we departed for the airport at 6:30am this morning with a temperature of -25 C with the wind chill. The last time I competed in this event was three years ago, the year I proposed to my wife soon after the Pro Am.

La Quinta, California is a golfers paradise. The weather this time of year is nearly perfect, at least for me. The courses are lush and the vistas are absolutely gorgeous. The event starts on Monday, Feb 2nd and finishes on February 5th. Arriving today (Jan 31st) and finishing on February 5th allows us a little time to acclimatize before the start of the event and allows us a leisure round before we depart.

This time I bring along a different team for the years past. Thank you to JF, Eggy and rookie John. This event falls one week after the PGA Tour stopped in the area for the Humana Challenge won by former FedEx Cup winner Bill Haas. The conditions should be mint.

My game feels sharp having kept up with regular maintenance through indoor training. Add that along with using some great putting aides I've come across lately and I'm feeling great. In this event, I will be introducing my new 915 driver, 3 wood and hybrid.

We'll see what the week brings shortly .....

December 4th and 5th, 2014

Day 4 and final round of the tournament
TPC Eagle Trace

Waking up feeling good and refreshed, we made our way over to Eagle Trace. We were sitting in 6th place. The field was split into different flights. The top eight teams would play in the Champion flight with an accumulation of the first and second day scores. The other flight scores were wiped clean starting out fresh as a one day free-for-all score. The twist was...we had an option to move into the second flight if we felt we didn't have a chance to get into the top three overall in the first flight. Way out of first, eight shots out of second and four shots out of third, we decided as a team to drop into the second flight as the top prize was apparently the same for the first and second flight. We felt we had a better chance. 

The day was windy as heck, the same as day one. We started on ten as it was a shotgun start. The day started out well for us. The 11th hole was a 185yd Par 3 into the wind with water to the right. I pulled out two clubs more and busted a 1 hybrid straight at the pin ending up 40 ft from the hole. If you read my Scottsdale putting experience, I putted like a chump. This time the confidence was riding high. The putt was uphill to start, dropping downhill moving to the right at the end. Bam! Dropped it baby. This greens were absolutely mint at TPC Eagle Trace. I thought the best greens of the week until I played a round the next day which I'll get to later.

The team ended up shooting the same as day one, -4. We have no idea where we sat as we left the event early, but definitely not winning. I shot a decent 75 on my own ball with 28 putts. I averaged about 36/37 putts in Scottsdale at the PGA of Canada event. That's a significant difference. The comments I hear often are, "why can I do it today and not yesterday", or, "why can't I do this every time"? One simple answer....listen up over there....that's golf. That's it. It's no secret. You take the good when it comes and embrace it. Cherish it, embellish it (this is called building confidence) because it will not last forever. You must forget about the bad rounds or shots and just keep plugging away. If you can't, it will consume you like the ugly monsters in the movie Tremors. This will come and go for the rest of your golfing life, period. Ask any Professional golfer and I promise they'll agree. Again a metaphor to life. You have good days and bad days. Sometimes you can't control it. The best advice I can give is to seek professional help to fix any issues if it becomes consistent. I know this guy for golf help, just look up JTgolf....he's real good....ha.

It never seeks to amaze me when I see people I know in random spots worldwide. It has happened on several occasions. You know how it is...I'm sure it has happened to you too. My group shook hands on the 18th hole (another nice tradition that I enjoy in golf). As we drove past the driving range, I once again noticed Lexi Thompson practicing her putting. Now you know why she's top fifteen in the world on the LPGA Tour. By the way...she's only 19!! So I look to the driving range and sure enough I see a member of Emerald Hills and a former student of mine who was not there for our event. What are the chances....crazy. Of course I went to salute him.

The day ended with a beautiful Italian meal at a great restaurant in Coral Springs. Eggplant Parmesan was my choice. JT likes that.

Dec 5th

One of the beautiful things about being a PGA Professional is the professional courtesy we give to each other. For those that know me, I'm a researchaholic. I strategically booked our flight for a 3pm departure allowing us to sneak in one last round before heading home. I had researched top Miami courses near the airport. The Biltmore Hotel and Golf Course came into many reviews. A 1925 Donald Ross course that had been played by the greatest golfers of all eras. Bobby Jones was one that impressed me. Babe Ruth graced his presence many times playing in exhibitions. We apparently just missed Michael Jordan.

Anyway, Bob Coman, Director of Golf was kind enough to let us out first thing in the morning understanding that we had a flight to catch. I was as excited as a little kid waiting for Santa. Having researched the hotel and golf course, I knew we were in for a treat. I live for this kind of stuff. Again, always in complete understanding that I am blessed to be in the situation in life. We left our Coral Springs hotel at 5:30am sharp. Those that know me know that punctuality is very important to me. Wasting peoples time in my opinion is one of the greatest forms of disrespect. JF and I made our way to the Biltmore on a rainy and dark Friday, December 5th morning. That did not last, thank God. 

Approaching the golf course, we could see the magnitude of this Biltmore. If I was feeling this now....can you imagine the feeling of people back in the 20's? The Biltmore is massive hotel. We arrived forty minutes early. We took a walk around the impressive lobby making our way downstairs to grab a coffee and chocolate croissant. The coffee, delicious. The croissant, even better. I felt nostalgic and stuck in a time warp walking around the courtyard. The design was magnificent. Tile and marble everywhere. It wasn't perfect as it has been restored many times, but still impressive. I read that Bad Boys, the move had several scenes shot there as well as CSI Miami to mention a couple of productions of many shot there. 

Now to the course...the starter was told about our early arrival. Got to love proper communication. The service was great. Efficient and effective not hard to do, but very hard to find these days. The starter let us out first time. Now, I knew a little history of the Biltmore. I knew of the course designer, Donald Ross who designed Pinehurst #2 along with many other classics. A classic course with false front greens some being turtle backed. We played the tips which turned out to be a fair 6800 yard course. What I was not expecting was the impeccable conditioning. This ranks in the top 10 of JT's courses played worldwide. It was just awesome especially after birding the 2nd and 5th holes. There were iguanas everywhere. I've seen them many times in the Caribbean, but it was still impressive.

The Florida trip had moments of awesomeness and moments of disappointment, but one thing for sure...I had an awesome time with my team. One thing that is a little stressful for me is if the team I put together jive. Not everyone on my team knows each other prior to the event at times. You know how it goes...some people just rub others the wrong way. This team was great off and on the course. Thanks for a good time fellas. You know who are.

I'm excited to see my wife who just approached 17 weeks into her pregnancy. I'm taking the rest of December off to finished JTgolf duties, start 2015 plans and get the house ready for the arrival of our little princess.  

JTgolf lessons are planned to resume in the new year at Metro Golf Dome and Launch Golf Center. I invite you to visit me this off season as I promise it will be worth it.
Indoor coaching information. 

Until next time.....

December 3rd, 2014

Day three of tournament
Heron Bay Golf Club

The weather today was spectacular. Right off the bat our mood was set for a good day. Our team managed to play the best of the week despite a couple of interesting mishaps...one being yours truly accidentally stepping on a fire ant hill. Word of advice, don't do it! -16 was today's score dropping us from 8th to 6th. The round could have a been a story book again persevering through a couple of setbacks.

The first place team is running away with it, but we're well within reach of 2nd of 26 teams. If we shoot lights out tomorrow, we could surely end up top three.

The final round it set for tomorrow at Eagle Trace.

December 2nd, 2014

December 1st, 2014

November 19th, 2014

Round 2 completion and final round.

Well, it's over. After decompressing in my hotel room I had a chance to mentally rest after day two. It was a really long day having to head back to the course at 7am to finish up my day two round as we ran out of sunlight. I was well within the cut line which wasn't a worry, but I wanted to finish the last three holes well to place myself in a good spot for the third round. That didn't work with a par, bogey, bogey finish.

Not to make any excuses whatsoever and I mean no disrespect to my first two day playing partners (who were gentlemen)...I watched some terrible golf for the first two days. For whatever reason, the two others in my group didn't have their best days. One shooting in the 90's and the other in the high 80's on both days. I witnessed high numbers (a 13, 9's and 8's on the scorecard). Yesterday, one shot a 58 on the front nine. It can happen sure, but seeing it really puts a toll on your own game. My sister, who is somewhat of a golfer asked me why so? Let me put it this way...you're driving your car down the center lane and cars left and right of you are crashing into the guardrail. No one is hurt, but you still stop to help. Although confident in your driving skills, you can't help having negative thoughts setting in. Catch my drift?

As I mentioned, there was a cut of the top 70 and ties after day 2 (day 3 in my case as I had to complete my round 2 on day 3). As the first two in my group did not make the cut, I was paired with two that had the same two day total as myself. Thinking I was going to see good golf with my new playing partners, I was mistaken. One played decent, but again one shot the worst score of the day of the remaining 70 with a 89. What gives?

I started my round on the 10th hole. Right off the bat, I couldn't find any rhythm. I was witnessing huge numbers by one of my playing partners and it really was rough to watch as I had my own set of issues. Finally on the 17th hole, a beautiful long Par 3 of about 180 yards downhill over the canyon, I stuck a 7 iron to 6 feet. Not making the putt although struck well, I was pleased. I proceeded to play the next ten holes at 1 over Par. Although not my playing to my full potential, I was pleased with the finish. How did I do it? Putts were made!

Congratulations to the winner, Matt Peavoy winning in what turned out to be an exciting one hole playoff. Thank you to the PGA of Canada and SunRidge Canyon for putting on a great show.

76-79-79 were my scores putting me at T54. How do I feel? Disappointed. The best part of my game let me down, putting. Why? I was not accustomed to greens of those types. Slick, severely undulating and the grain of the grass just outright fooled me. I did finish with 14 putts on the last 9 which was decent. Leaderboard.

SunRidge Canyon turned out to be one awesome place. The course was a heck of a challenge. It demands accuracy, not distance off the tee (check), precision to the greens (most of the time) and some steady hands with impeccable green reading skills (doable) = great scoring.

The hosts of the venue were awesome. There was some shuffling that needed to happen on day three to make sure everyone finished before sundown. The PGA decided to have crossover tee times (half the field teeing off 10 and the other half on 1), something that I understand had never been done at SunRidge Canyon. Cindy and Don (owners of the club) shuttled players from the clubhouse to the 10th tee (in a van on city streets) to make it all happen. Pretty awesome of the owners to help out. The opening VIP party MC'ed by former PGA Tour player Gary McCord was great. They sure knew how to win us over.

In closing, in my books there is no such thing as losing...just learning from the experience. Would I change anything? No. I was there early enough to play several practice rounds and acclimatize. I learned the course sticking with my game plan of creating custom notes. What needs to be practiced now is putting on slick greens.

What's next in JTgolf-land...spending time with my beautiful pregnant wife before heading off to another event in the Ft. Lauderdale area. JTgolf coaching sessions are planned to resume in the new year.

Winter Coaching info

Thanks for reading

- JT

November 17th and 18th, 2014

Tournament round 1 - tee time 9:54am.
Tournament round 2 - tee time 12:54pm.

Round 1

No matter how prepared one can be, the nerves always set in. It's how you deal with it that makes you or breaks you.

I woke up before my alarm as expected. What I came for was starting today. I had a relaxing morning watching none other than the golf channel sipping on a coffee. Sticking with a fresh fruit breakfast, my body was thanking me. I made my way to the course for 8am one hour before my tee time as I preach to my students. Making my way to the driving range first, then to some chipping followed by a brief putting practice. Things felt good.

Making my way to the first tee circus, I was anxious to hit the first shot. I was greeted by the starter, the PGA of Canada President, a couple of Titleist reps (doing club counts), the President of Titleist Canada and of course my playing partners who seemed nice. The starter pronounces loudly, "On the tee representing Academies of ClubLink at Emerald Hills, Justin Tomasulo'. The first hole...285 yard tight little Par 4. Driver to the green? Nope. Hybrid draw. Nope. Why would anyone choose anything other than a 4 or 5 iron leaving less than 100 yards in? Poor course management is my guess. Drew a nice four iron about 215 yards out leaving 88 yards. I stuck a wedge on the green and two putted for a routine Par. Good start. One of the guys in my group pushed his tee shot into the desert, found his ball and punched back onto the fairway. Proceeded to push his third shot right of the green striking a rock which bounced onto the green to about thirty feet from the hole. Guess what happened next....a bird came and took his ball. Kidding...although I wouldn't have been surprised. He drained the putt making 4! That's what I shot playing the conventional way. That's golf.

I could write a novel on my round, but to summarize it....it was a grind. The course played extremely hard especially the greens which seemed like glass for most of the day. Driver was straight, irons were fairly tight and short game was alright. It was my putting that let me down. The nerves got the best of me three putting a few times. I managed to sneak in a couple of long snake putts one being on the last hole. Talk about leaving a sweet taste in your mouth. It took about eight holes to find my rhythm on the greens. Boy do I wish I had those back. The round took five hours and thirty minutes. WAY too long.

76 was the grand finale which is five off the lead and tied for 24th out of 106. I'm pleased with the opening round which was clean with no doubles or birdies.

Round 2

Start time, 12:54. Knowing our group would surely not complete the round before the sun went down, patience was the goal today. Again, tee to green pretty solid. Putting once again failed me. Chugging along with my round, one of the guys in my group again wasn't able keep his game together. He decided to use only short irons off the tee giving him a better chance to keep the ball in play.

As I suspected, the sun was setting quickly after 5pm. The temperature dropped several degrees and the light was diminishing. Number 14 was a 108 yard Par 3 from the 170 yards it played yesterday. I managed to stiff a SW to four feet and made the putt. It would have been a nice way to finish the day. As a team, we decided to finished the 15th which was a 427 yard tough Par 4. My last putt was pretty much in the dark and missed it for bogey. Talk about a sour taste in my mouth. Back to the course at sunrise complete day 2.

- JT

November 15th and 16th , 2014

As I sit here in my hotel room, I can really understand the life of a touring Pro. It's not meant for some and definitely meant for others. For me, I'm loving it. Of course, I miss my family. I am very grateful to my sponsors and members of Emerald Hills for helping me get here.

What's does a wise tour player do when they arrive to unfamiliar territory? Well, I would hope they make their way to a local grocery store to pick up essentials such as water, snacks and things that make you feel at home. I made my way to the hotel and unpacked my things. People that have travelled with me could vouch for this....I'm a neat freak, ha. Clothes folded and paired with the correct outfit and put away neatly and organized.

Time check...4:45pm. Local Fountain Hills sunset time 6pm. Distance to the club from the hotel, twenty minutes. After contemplating whether to relax or head to the club for a little practice session after a long travel day, I chose the latter. The drive was beautiful to the club. Fountain Hills is perched higher in elevation to Scottsdale. Situated in a valley, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club is a beautiful facility with an impressive outdoor patio.

Arriving to the club at 5:15pm, I couldn't help noticing the feeling of dusk setting quicker than expected. Walking past two waterfalls, I made my way to one of two putting greens met with a white tailed bunny rabbit. Surely I thought it would run away. To my surprise, little bunny decided to keep me company as the sun set quickly. I managed to squeak in thirty minutes of putting practice. It's very tough to gage green slopes and grains of the grass in low light conditions. I did manage to find a nice rhythm and catch myself tensing up. Phew! My last round of the season in Canada was met with great putting disappointment, so it was nice to correct that. 

After the putting practice, I made way to the pro shop and booked a tee time for the following day. I like to play with random people because it allows me to play in somewhat of the same group settings as a tournament. What I mean by that is, we get paired with strangers when playing in events most of the time. I know a bunch of guys, but these are players across the country. I received a few local tips by one of the local pros before leaving. Good info.

After a restful sleep, I made my way to the club for my 9:01 tee time. As I say to my students all the time, I arrived one hour before my tee time. Not feeling rushed whatsoever, I was met in the parking lot with a friend who was there for the event as well. He mentioned he booked in my time since there was still a spot open in our group. So much for playing with strangers, ha. All good. Sticking with my pre game routine, I hit some shots on the range, chipped for a bit and then finished off with some putting. 8:55am arrived and we made our way to the 1st tee met by the starter and our other twosome. After a brief introduction, we realized that not only were we playing with two Canadians (not in the event) but  a legend....Kevin Martin. Again, amazing how things happen. Great guy!

The round went great. It was nice playing desert golf which I love. The course is very playable with positioning off the tee very important. I struck the ball well and putted fantastic with 27 putts for the day with a three putt on the last hole (boo). I made some tee shot mistakes which cost me, but that is to be expected not knowing the course.

After the round, my friend and I had some amazing fish tacos on the patio with some local brews. After a relaxing post round meal we decided to head back out for another (sunset round) nine. With a better understanding of the course, I managed to play a couple of strokes better. Upon completion of the sunset nine, I made my back to the hotel and called it a day.

Tomorrow's practice round tee time is 12:30'ish. Roughly the same time as my day two tournament time.

Until tomorrow....

- JT

November 13th, 2014

 

December 4th, 2013

Having taken on the Director of Instruction position at DiamondBack Golf Club along with Emerald Hills Golf Club this past season, it's been quite a ride this year. Add that along with getting married not only once, but twice (to the same beautiful woman might I add) it's been one for the record books. My wife and I had two beautiful ceremonies filled with wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. It was such a pleasure to spend time and introduce my wife to my extended family in Italy. Boy, do the Italians know how to live!

JTgolf has been growing nicely having added quite a few new students to my roster. I want to thank all of my dedicated students who have spent their valuable time with me this season. Working out of two great facilities is such a blessing allowing my students (along with myself) to learn and practice off of different terrains. One facility allows one to hit from ground level and the other allowing one to hit from an elevated tee deck. I find it important to hit from different places as much as one can. This allows one to understand that no matter where one is, the swing thought must remain consistent. Take for instance one who plays the same course often; once a new course gets thrown into the mix, the mind runs wild with new visuals. This usually adds unwanted thoughts which usually leads to added strokes. Moral of the story, switch it up as much as you can to improve!

I recently had the pleasure of participating in the Ontario PGA Pro Am at TPC Sawgrass. This is the 5^th year in a row playing Sawgrass and I must say...it never gets old! The golf course is just awesome. From the clubhouse to layout to the condition, it is absolutely a MUST play. Our team was fortunate to make it in the championship bracket after day two. The final two days were a bit of struggle as Sawgrass won again. Finishing middle of the pack as a team was respectable. In the Pro category I was able to snag a couple of skins with a great birdie on number 11 on Dye's Valley Course along with birdie on our very last hole of the event, number 9 on the TPC course. It was such a personal achievement because of the day I was having. It was a moment where I had to have a little talk with myself on the tee. That transpired in helping with much needed focus. Skin or not, birdie on 9 and birdie on 13 at the TPC course were personal accomplishments in the final round. Finishing 18^th of the 42 Professionals was respectable as the format was changed this season to a modified stableford system.

Next on the Pro Am circuit for me is the Golf-Connection Barbados Pro Am. This will be the first time participating in this event. Having spent many winters of my life in the neighbouring island of Tobago, it will be nice to finally visit Barbados. The courses for the event are the best on the island which adds to the excitement. As always, it will be nice to get out of this miserable weather soon!

Many often ask me if I actually watch golf. Although my life does revolve around golf, once home, I enjoy non golf activities. I have had the great pleasure of training our little wonder dog Fergie, who has turned out to be such a wonderful dog. She's almost ready for the golf course! I do want to comment on a few things that really stuck out for me this season on the professional circuit. First off, Henrik Stenson...what a year winning 5 times, the FedEx Cup and the Race for Dubai. One tournament I was able to watch quite a bit was the PGA Championship which was won by Jason Dufner. I especially enjoyed watching his flawless final round at one of my all time favourite courses that I have played, Oak Hill Country Club. Jason is a great role model as his moral on the golf course is one of the best!

Rory McIlory. What an interesting year it has been for Rory. Since joining Tiger on the Nike bandwagon (who wouldn't for over 200 million), his game has fallen apart. Many have their own reasons why, but we'll never know unless we ask Rory! From a professional golfers point of view, switching everything from your golf ball to clubs and everything in-between, it can be quite a shock. Yes, there was lots of testing to fit Rory into the right gear, but I don't care who you are...it messes you up for bit. Who knows what was happening in his personal life. All I know is Rory is fighter. Proof given having rebounded from the melt down in the final round of the 2011 Masters followed by not only winning the US Open, but winning by 8 strokes! While watching the Australian Open this past weekend, I noticed that Rory was coming back to his old form. His swing looked tight and he was walking with that 'swagger'. He unfortunately squashed hometown boy, Adam Scott's amazing final stretch of his season nailing a wicked birdie putt from about 12 feet. It was such an amazing finish since at no point was Rory winning the event until he dropped that putt with a little help from Adam bogeying the last hole. What a true inspiration!

Lastly, I wanted to close with thanking you once again for reading a piece of, ' The Life of  JT'. The next few months will be filled with travel, home renovations, spending time with my awesome dog, training and teaching indoors and most importantly spending time with my beautiful wife. If you're interested in improving your game, come on out to see me indoors. Although not the same as outdoors, it's better than nothing and come on...it's me, JT!
Winter Coaching Sessions

- JT