36 Hole PGA Event at Stirling 2023

After a tough event at Dundonald, I was keen to get playing again, but it’s hard not being able to play regularly, and despite getting a few holes in here and there it’s not really the same as playing a competitive round.

I still keep praying for more time to get out there but till then I am happy to keep at it as much as I can and the opportunities that will present themselves for now.

I had never met 3 out of the 4 players I was paired with at Stirling Golf Course on both days so it was nice to meet some fresh faces.
I got the chance to chat with one of the guys on the first day early in the round as he asked about my attachment. I went through everything from the events we’ve run to our mission statement, which took most of a hole, but it was worth sharing as he seemed genuinely interested. He didn’t have a faith as such but respected our views and thought it would be helpful to quite a few people, especially with the way the world is right now.
I stressed that we are here for anyone who wants to talk and our ‘door’ is always open.
My other playing partner is a quiet gent who I’ve played with before and he knows the script regarding LGMS. He never enquired how we were getting on so I decided not to push.

As we made our way to the back nine, I could feel that my swing was a bit off and despite playing ok on the front I was not particularly confident on the final holes.
It’s funny how you can feel you’re swinging fine and what you’ve been working on is paying off but unless you get the chance to properly consolidate the work it leaves without much notice.
I know I’m not far away but the honest assessment is that my par just now is probably about 4 or 5 over.
I can accept that with the amount of events I play but it’s the extra dropped shots over the final holes that are the most frustrating, and not even from poor shots.
The match sharpness is just not there just now but I refuse to let it eat away at me as I know I’ll get there eventually when I have the time to do it properly.

As we finished and said our goodbyes, I was glad to have had my Dad on the bag that day and we had a good honest conversation about the above. Sometimes it takes longer than we expect but accepting the situation is half the battle and patience is the key to getting there. 

36 Hole PGA Event at Stirling Day 2

On the second day, I had a very simple plan and that was to improve on the previous day.
I bumped into one of my good friends on the practice ground and we are trying to arrange a catch-up during the next month so hopefully this can happen despite the busy schedules. A good supporter of our events and always open to a meaningful chat.

I was out early and we got the best of the weather, which is always a bonus, but I was a little disappointed there was no more chat between us, apart from explaining to the starter about LGMS as he’d never heard of us.

I did get the nod of the head with a wink after my explanation so I guess he approved.
My playing partners that day were much younger so I imagine they maybe didn’t feel as comfortable going there as the older guys and I have to respect that.
They didn’t really chat much over the round and sometimes there is not much else you can do if the interest isn’t there.

The swing felt better today as I just slowed it down a bit and this gave me a bit more confidence.
We were all improving on the previous day but again I dropped a couple of needless shots in the last few holes from under 100 yards away each time, and not sure if it’s just mental fatigue or lack of concentration.
This is the sharpness I was talking about and if I was playing regularly, I’d have birdied the holes rather than bogeyed.
A four-shot difference is a lot to lose and an amount I can’t afford to keep throwing away.
I’ll keep trying as this is the difference between shooting decent scores and average scores.

On completion, Dad made a good point that if we’re to reach more people then we need to get out there more as that gives a greater opportunity for success.
I have faith that it won’t be long before we have the means to expand our program because I know God keeps his word and it’s no accident we’re still going.
Waiting on God has given me a great deal more patience and not too much gets to me anymore, but I trust he has everything in hand and I exercise my faith in him rather than myself.
He has tempered me greatly this past year so we could be closer than we think. All in Good time, or in other words, All in God’s time.

We keep going,

Vincent Brown PGA Professional and LGMS Ambassador to the Tartan Tour