The demanding part of the competitive golf season has arrived with the playing of the state-am qualifiers. No longer is there time for swing tweaks, equipment changes, or self-doubt. It’s #gotime.
This year I returned to the site of the 2015 New Hampshire State Amateur Championship to attempt to qualify for this year’s event. Having played well there in 2015, the location made the most sense for me out of all the available qualifiers. The Mount Washington Resort is a Donald Ross design and fairly tame by anyone who uses Donald Ross as a type of benchmark. The layout is relatively flat, given that it’s in the shadow of Mt. Washington, and generous both for tee shots and approach shots.
Having successfully navigated through qualifiers for the previous 3 years, it was time to step up the goals a bit higher than “make the cut”. It was time to set the sights on medalist.
After spending the last two weeks getting mentally prepared for the challenge ahead, it was time to warm up by playing a practice round. A fairly mundane 74 left room for improvement. The goal for the next day was -2.
The round went incredibly smooth. Missing only 3 fairways and 3 greens, there were ample opportunities for birdies. Thankfully, the putter cooperated and 5 birdies offset 4 bogeys for a final round of -1. When it was all said and done, medalist honors were split with myself and another gentleman. Mission accomplished.
Now it’s on to the state-am at one of my favorite courses in New Hampshire: Bretwood Golf Course in Keene. What makes this year even more special is that it’s the first year my son and I will both be competing together. He qualified two days prior and I was fortunate enough to be his caddie for the day. Saying I’m a “proud dad” is a massive understatement.
