How often have you been playing a round, be it a tournament or just for fun, and you get yourself in a hole, a big hole? It seems like everything you do is just wrong. The harder you try, the worse it gets.

I have had this experience numerous times, but there is a particular memory that is burned in my brain that I will never forget. It is the shot that ultimately turned my golf score around and helped lead me to a runner up finish in the 1998 Indiana High School Golf State Championship.

It was the first round of the 1998 Indiana High School Golf State Championship. I had to start on the 10th hole due to number of teams and the timeline. I wasn’t hitting the ball ‘bad’ on the range, but I didn’t feel good either.

I stepped up to the 10th teebox and pulled out a 3 iron. It was a short par 4 with a giant cliff that hitting anything more then a 3 iron could put you in it.

Wack! I chunk it about 180 yards. Well, thats ok because instead of a 6 iron into the green, I get another 3 iron! Yea.

So now I pull my next 3 iron short of the green. 2 chips and 2 putts later, I walk away with a double bogey. +2 after the first whole, “great” I thought.

Next hole was a par5. Bam, knock it down the middle. Lay up my next shot. Knock it 10 feet and make the putt for birdie.

Ok, so things aren’t so bad.

Next hole is a par 3. Poor tee, poor set of chips, walk away with a double.

Ok, so things are worse then I thought. +3 at this point after 3 holes.

The next hole is where my turning shot came.

I yank my drive into the left trees. It doesn’t help that the hole is a dogleg left.

I finally get to my ball and realize I can take a full swing, but there is absolute NO WAY I can get to the green let alone NEAR the green.

I am blocked out to the right for probably 40 yards. My best best is to chip out to the 150 yard marker and attempt at a smooth bogey.

Oh, but not me. I sometimes see shots that I don’t think others can see. I also know the type of shots I am capable of just like others can feel as well.

I envision hitting a rope hook around the tree’s and hit it toward the green. Well, to do this would require a hook that probably travels 50 yards from right to left. You don’t see hooks like that very often, let alone hitting the ball 200 yards while doing it.

I see my shot and I setup. My feet are aimed probably 30 yards right of the tree’s, which means they are aimed probably airmed 80 yards right of the green.

I close my clubface so its literally facing the green through the tree’s. The ball is up in my stance so I can turn it over. When I follow through, I am going to have to make sure I am following through like I am swinging a baseball bat.

I make my swing and just pure the shot. My father recalls wondering what in the hell I was thinking. He see’s the ball shooting out into the fairway thinking I just made the dumbest golf decision in my life. That is, until he see’s the ball make a sweeping curve around the tree’s, lands about 40 yards in front of the green and rolls up to about 15 feet.

I couldn’t believe it! At the time, I was 155 lbs, 5 ft. 10, and I just hit a 6 iron 200 yards, with a hook, around some tree’s onto the green.

I then proceeded to par the rest of the back nine except for 1 hole. I shot a 40 on the back nine. Not bad considering how my start was.

I started the front nine with - birdie, birdie, birdie. I lipped out my birdie putt on the 4th hole. I got a bogie down the line and then 1 last birdie.

I shot 73. Front-nine: 33, Back-nine: 40

I proceeded to shot another 73 the next day.

I got 2nd place and our team won the State Championship. You can’t ask for a better ending then that.

Trent Tormoehlen, the medalist that year, went on to the University of Evansville in which I joined him 1 year later.

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