Almost ready for the Senior PGA Tour...

As I was getting ready to retire from the Navy 5 years ago, I had this plan to practice and get ready to go on the Senior PGA Tour when I turned 50. I had been playing a lot and had done well in some local tournaments. I hit the ball as well as anyone, but I didn't have the consistency and tournament experience. I thought if I practiced more and played more tournaments that I could give it a shot although I knew it was a long shot.

In reality, I probably don't have the talent to begin with, and I never practiced like I should have if that was really my dream. You can't just go from not playing any tournaments to playing against guys who have been competing their whole lives. These guys have had people giving them everything from custom fit clubs and equipment to lessons, and have done nothing but play golf their whole lives.

If you look at my profile, you will notice my favorite book is called, "Miracle on the 17th Green." It is a story about a 50 year old man who really doesn't like his job, is having marital problems due to 2 people going their own directions. On Christmas day, in Chicago, he is playing golf alone and all of a sudden he can see the line that he needs to aim to make every putt. He has been a pretty good golfer, but with this new ability to see where he has to hit the putt to make it his confidence grows. He had been toying with the idea to try out for the senior tour before this happened. Now he knows he has to try. Coincidentally, after Christmas he gets laid off from his job, and he sends his money in to go to Q school to try and qualify for the Senior PGA tour.

I would guess that most golfers who have competed and have had some success have had the dream to play golf professionally. I know that I have. I made poor choices in my youth that derailed my chances to get a golf scholarship which was the next step for me. I played with many guys who went on to play golf professionally, and with better choices on my part and a break or two, I might have played professionally as well.

That is why the lure of the senior tour was always in the back of my mind. The problem is that I didn't do the things I needed to do to be ready for it. Life got in the way. It is like that for a lot of us when it comes to the goals we have. We don't do what we need to do to accomplish them, or maybe life just gets in the way. Either way we don't accomplish our goals, or something that we want stays beyond our reach and we miss out. Instead of looking back with regret or sadness, we should look at what we want for the future and focus on it. Make a plan on how you are going to achieve it and make achieving it a priority. Don't let life get in the way if it is something that will make you a better person or make you happy.