Catching Up and Looking Ahead

Posted Nov 27 2011, 10:53 PM by Cathy Erickson
Wow, it's the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving and I'm having one of those "where did my YEAR go??"  We're coming up on December at the end of this week and before you know it we'll be singing Christmas carols and making resolutions for 2012.  My year is a combination of a blur and vivid moments of both special and challenging experiences.
 
I feel like I'm at a point where I need to catch up a bit and also look forward to the holiday season and to the next year...I've just started my golf off-season and I hope to make the most of it.

With a lot going on in my world this year, I feel like I left my golf passion on the way-side.  This year marked my lowest number rounds in a season for the past 10 years...I did my best to keep track of the PGA Tour and my fantasy golf league, but I dropped the ball several times during the season, too.  And even now, with one of my favorite golf events of the year coming up, Q-school, I haven't kept up.  But thankfully, it's not too late since the final stage is coming up this week.  But before I go there, let me catch up on a few other things...
 
Congratulations Team USA at the President's Cup!  With several of my favorite players on the roster I was anticipating this great event, but I didn't get to watch much of it because I was out of town for work.  I'm a huge fan of team play, and even though I heard some of the guys struggled, they still brought that team spirit to the course each day.  I also think it's neat when you see the greats of the game on the same team as some of golf's future stars.  And of course I'm once again reminded that I really need to look into getting the Golf Channel.
 
I might not normally follow the World Cup that happened over the Thanksgiving weekend, but when my brother told me that Matt Kuchar was one of the 2 players representing the United States (along with Gary Woodland), I needed to find out about this!  It was on the Golf Channel, and since the event was over in China, it was being televised late at night.  This worked great for me since I was staying at my brother's with the Golf Channel and a big screen TV!  I wasn't expecting to see a USA win, especially with Australia playing well and having McIlroy and McDowell partnering up for Ireland also lingering on the top of the leader board.  The final round was alternate shot, and Team USA was able to finish with a final round 67 to win by 2 strokes over the English team of Ian Poulter and Justin Rose.  According to http://www.golf.com/, this was the first win for the US since Tiger Woods and David Duval partnered up 11 years ago.
 
Now, back to Q-school for a minute...I missed all of the 2nd stage, but took a quick peek through the list of players that will be heading to the final stage this week.  I try to follow all of the Minnesota guys, and I'm so excited to report that Clayton Rask has made it to the final round.  Rask is a former golfer at the University of Minnesota and he played on the Canadian Tour this past year.  I'll be rooting for him!  There are also a whole host of players either dreaming of their chance to play on the PGA Tour or fighting to keep their card for another year.  Be sure to follow all of the action on www.pgatour.com/qschool and watch the finals on the Golf Channel.
 
I also wanted to share what a great year I had playing fantasy golf at http://www.kerplookee.com/  I had my low points, but also had a weekly win in the free game and the pro game!  I wasn't focused enough to be in contention in the segments or year long race, but I learned a lot and am looking forward to next year.  It was also great fun to do the weekly "Pro's Picks" with my friend Drew.  We actually did pretty good!  As I'm sure I've said many times, if you're looking for a fun fantasy golf league, you really need to check it out.
 
December is usually a "down month" for golf (unless you're lucky enough to live somewhere warm or are able to go on vacation), but don't forget that now is the time to start shopping around for those great holiday golf gifts.  Since I love a sale, I'll be checking out the online sites over the next few weeks and I'll post what I find in the forum pages.  Monday is "Cyber Monday" so it might be worth stopping at your favorite site for some deals.  Free shipping is a nice perk, and if you can find a 50% sale or better, go for it!  I know my UPS man will be banking on me getting a box or two this month.
 
As I look forward to the coming months, I will not be doing something that has filled my winters for over 20 years...curling.  It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one...I need this winter to recharge after a challenging summer and I'm looking forward to getting some projects done.  But my biggest goal is based on a conversation I had with a friend this fall...I had a day when I said, "I just don't feel like golfing" and it shocked me when I heard it.-I knew right then that something was missing and something definitely needed to change.  So this winter will be one of refueling my spirit and getting the joy back.  I can't wait!
 
Happy Holiday Shopping and Good Luck Clayton Rask at Q-school!  See you soon!

Filed under: passion, goals, Matt Kuchar, Curling, Golf, Cathy Erickson, spirit, Kerplookee