Hooked On Golf Blog

I am back in Los Angeles and loving the time that I have back at home. My caddie Andy and I had a great time in Gettysburg. I shot 74 the first day missing a couple short putts, came back the second day and shot one under par to move up the leader board quite a bit. I was very happy with my round on Saturday and was ready to move up even more on Sunday.

I was satisfied with shooting 73 on Sunday because I thought that the course was set up difficult to play all weekend. The greens were by far the largest and most undulated that we have played all year so you really had to be precise with your yardages or you would leave yourself a challenging 2 putt. I was actually very impressed with how low the scores were for the tournament.

I am proud of myself for coming back at the end of the season and playing well in my last 3 events. It gives me a lot of confidence going into qualifying school. So the time that I have at home for the next couple of weeks I will be practicing, working with my swing coach Bryan, playing practice rounds and, of course just enjoying my time at home with friends and family.

Cheers,
Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com

megangolf European Tour, Golf Instruction, LPGA Tour, Life

I had a lot of fun in Queenstown Maryland last week. Of course you always enjoy the game of golf a little more when you play well.

Birdies galore

The first day I took advantage of the par 5’s and birdied every single one of them but had a couple bogies to finish with a 2 under par 70. I was very satisfied with that score for that day because I had only hit 3 fairways. I hung in there though and put in a real grind because I knew that I had left a lot of birdies out there that I could get the next day.

31 on the back nine, 1-off my 9-hole record

I worked with my driver on the range after the round and got a lot more confident with it. I hit 13 fairways the next day to shoot 69 for a 5 under par 2 day total for 4th place. I shot 69 with a triple bogey. An errant tee shot into the hazard for a 7 on a par four to shoot 38 on the front nine gave me a little more determination to go low on the back nine. And I did just that, with 5 birdies for a 31 on the back nine. My lowest score for nine holes was a 30 which was during a high school match. That finish gave me a lot of confidence going into Sunday. It’s funny how difficult this game is but when you play that well it just seems so easy. You just know exactly where every shot is going to go.

Comfortable at the top

On Sunday, I unfortunately made another big number by hitting the ball in the water twice on number nine to finish the tournament at even par. Of course that was a disappointment but I wound up finishing 13th, my best finish this year. Unlike Lima, Ohio on Sunday when I was very nervous, Last week I was more determined and comfortable at the top of the leaderboard. That is an accomplishment.

Ready for Q-school

This week is my last tournament of the season in Gettysburg Pennsylvania before Q-school in. My friend Andy is caddying for me this week so we are going to go out there this weekend and play hard but most importantly have fun!

Cheers,

Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com

megangolf European Tour, Golf Instruction, LPGA Tour

It was an unfortunate start to the last stretch of the season. I missed the first two cuts and put up two of my highest rounds of the year. I was disappointed yes but just more shocked than anything. I think that the goals that I had set for the last 5 events put too much pressure on me. That’s when I start trying to make things happen instead of just letting go. I am still learning everyday. To be honest my patience is wearing a little thin but this is the time of the year when I really need to hang in there, grind even more and stay as patient as possible.

Niagara Falls

After my visit to Rochester, I took the time to drive the extra hour east to check out Niagara Falls. It was spectacular! I took a boat ride to the bottom of the falls and got soaked. I also took the “cave of the winds” walk and got drenched from standing directly under the Bridal Veil Falls. It was so much fun. There was so much force at the bottom of the falls from the water that you had to hold onto the railing or you would get knocked over! Everybody was laughing, screaming and having a great time. It would actually be a great place to vacation for a few days because there are so many great things to do there.

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The drive to Hammond, Indiana from Lima, Ohio was short and sweet. I took Monday off and relaxed. I did my usual check-in to the hotel, went to find out where the golf course was, and checked out the town. I actually went and saw Click, the movie starring Adam Sandler. I loved it! I found myself laughing out loud and yes I’ll admit trying to fight back a couple tears too. But overall it’s a great movie and I recommend it to everyone.

Winds for windsurfers, not golfers

For the first day of the tournament I shot 78. I have no excuses, I just played poorly. My driver was giving me trouble all day. I only hit 2 fairways that day which makes it difficult to stay focused and keep grinding for pars. On Friday the wind started blowing first thing in the morning. I had the second tee time of the day which come to find out later that afternoon was an advantage. The wind really picked up about the 5th hole and then made the golf course almost impossible to play on the last nine holes, with winds up to 30 miles per hour. With the wind blowing across the hole, it forced you to start shots so far right or left of your target that it was extremely uncomfortable. The golf course was challenging enough with narrow fairways, a lot of water and extremely undulated greens that the wind just tested your sanity, and especially your patience.

Happy to be out there on Sunday

I thought that walking away with another 78 would keep me from playing on Sunday but because of the wind and the impossible playing conditions, the scores were through the roof in the afternoon and I actually made the cut! I couldn’t believe it! So all day on Sunday I was just happy to be out there playing and came in with a 74. I played great all day. I hit a lot more fairways and made some putts. Unfortunately on the last hole of the day my first two shots got caught up in the rough and I wound up with a double bogey. It was disappointing of course but I can’t forget about how great I played during the other 17 holes.

A well deserved rest

I am really enjoying my time off, back at home in L.A. I had a great time celebrating the 4th with a barbecue and fireworks with my friends. I love being home but also love being out on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. I am really looking forward to my next stretch of events on the East Coast. I have already scheduled to meet with friends and see some concerts during my week off at the end of the month. Then I am back at home getting ready for the LPGA qualifying school.

Next week, Connecticut.

Cheers,

Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com

megangolf European Tour, LPGA Tour, Life, Site News

Well…See what patience brings? A couple of 68’s! Finally everything came together for me this week. Ball striking, fairways and greens in regulation, and most importantly my putting. 6 birdies the first day and a bogey free round with 4 birdies the second. Then the third and final day rolls around…74

State of mind is key

I have had enough time to cool off and really think about the round and say that I choked and maybe giggle a little about it too. I have not had the experience of being at the top of the leaderboard so I was very protective on Sunday. But it’s all experience and preparation for the future. Now that I have that experience of being in the second to last group on Sunday, I can learn from it and improve my state of mind. Because that’s all that it is.

A life saving choice

When I first arrived in Lima, I went to the Holiday Inn to see if they had any vacancies. They were all booked up for the weekend so the receptionist helped me out by calling nearby hotels. Because there was a motorcycle event at the fairgrounds, everyone seemed to be full. I was going to go the hotel next door but then the receptionist realized that there was one more room left that he had missed on the computer; so I took it.

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I flew into Chicago, picked up my rental car and drove a couple hours south to Decatur. On the drive down, I realized that the fire flies were out thick that night. I could see them glowing all over the corn fields and on the side of the road. I actually pulled off the side of the road to get a better look, and realized that I was in the middle of acres and acres of corn fields. The fire flies were everywhere. There were literally thousands of them hovering just over the tops of the fields, sparkling as far as I could see. It was beautiful. Since I have never even seen one single fire fly, this was one of the most amazing things I have ever observed. It was a nice introduction to Illinois.

Cubs & Blues

I played a practice round the next morning and got some putting practice in afterward. Then I was off to Chicago airport again to pick up Andy who was caddying for me this week. From there, we took the L train downtown to Wrigley field and went to a Cubs game. They were playing the Astros. Unfortunatley the cubs lost 5 to 4 but Andy and I had a great time. Experiencing Wrigley field is something to always remember. Afterwards, we enjoyed the free Blues Festival in the park. It was a lot of fun. The Band was great! We just sat there and enjoyed some blues and beer for a couple hours.

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This week I am back on the road to Illinois, Ohio and Indiana for three tournaments on the Futures Tour. This past Monday, June 12th, I did not qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. Although I was exempt from the local qualifyer because I played in the final last year, I just did not play well in the one-day 36-hole loop here at the Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra heights, California.

Andy my caddie and Doc Parent my mental coach are both telling me that I am placing too many high expectations on myself rather than just go out there and play one shot at a time. Now that I had the night to sleep on it, I realize that I did put too much pressure on myself. I guess because I played in the U.S. Open last year, I felt that I had to make it this year.

My friends, my family, all were excited to make the trip out there. So I felt failure was not an option, and with each bad shot I raised the bar even further for the next one. Eight birdies, a phenomenal 45-ft sinker, and decent ball striking were not enough to make up for stupid bogeys.

In any case, I’ve put this behind me now, and I am going to focus on the Championship Tournament of the Futures Tour this week in Springfield, Illinois – The Michelob Ultra Futures.

Follow my scores at megangolf.com

Cheers,
Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com

megangolf LPGA Tour

I flew into El Paso and stayed at the hotel for only one night. My travel partner, Kelly and I were introduced to a very gracious host family who welcomed us into a beautiful home for the entire week of the tournament. So I just want to send out another thanks to Bob and his family for their generous hospitality. It sure beats hotel life week after week.

Numbness in my left side

Thursday during my practice round, at about the 11th hole, I set up to a shot and felt a burning tingling pain shoot straight down into all five of my fingers and I couldn’t even grip the club. That really freaked me out. I had been having some issues with my left side for about 5 days and ignored it for too long. Amanda, the local massage therapist was excellent. She stretched, iced and massaged my upper back. Most of my pain was gone the next day and actually stayed away throughout the weekend. That was a huge relief. I will keep up with my stretching from now on and hopefully stay pain free!

Three-footer hell

The weather was gorgeous all weekend, with a few wind gusts up to 20 mph. That was nothing compared to McAllen last week. I started off the weekend with a 75. I struck the ball very well all day but had issues with my putting – 3 footers to be specific. I missed 4 of them. It was difficult to give up 4 shots that way just because it makes such a big difference on the leader board. But because of how well I was striking the ball I felt that I could make up for it on Saturday.

No peeking! Thx Doc!

After having a conversation with “Doc” Parent, my mental coach, and doing the drills that he suggested, I was a lot more confident about those 3-footers. I found out that part of the problem was mechanics but the main problem was that I was moving my head. So if I keep real still and feel my arms travel more down the target line, my percentage of making those short putts gets much higher. So no peeking!!!

Can’t I birdie them all??

Saturday was the complete opposite of Friday. I actually started off with a birdie, and I thought back to what my friend Andy always says to me when he witnesses me with an immediate birdie. “You can’t birdie them all if don’t birdie the first one!” So I was excited after the first hole and was ready for more. Unfortunately, that was my only birdie of the day and had to put up with my awful ball striking for the rest of the round. But contrary to Friday, I putted great!!! So the conversation and drills from Doc definitely helped. This game is all about staying consistent. Physically and mentally. I bogeyed the last hole by going for a par 5 in 2 and hit it in the water. I missed the cut by 1 shot and definitely learned a little something about course management from that.

Post-tourney unwinding

I tried to get a flight home Sunday but nothing was available, so I kept myself busy by going to my favorite group exercise class, spinning early Sunday morning at a local gym. I went shopping at the mall and finished the day at a Barnes and Noble bookstore doing some research on Switzerland, France and The Netherlands since I will be traveling there for a Month to play 3 Ladies European Tour events.

Yeah I missed the cut, but this is only the beginning. I have a lot more opportunities. I am flying out to Switzerland on Thursday and have already set this weekend aside to visit and play tourist around Lugano before the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open next Thursday.

Bye,
Megan Heckeroth, On Tour
http://www.megangolf.com/clubMegan.asp

megangolf European Tour, LPGA Tour, Site News

If you keep the 100 degree weather and add about 90% humidity, that’s what it was like walking out of the McAllen airport on Monday afternoon. So I decided to stay indoors for the rest of the afternoon and just relax. The next day I slept in and watched ER television which is one of my morning routines. Checked out the area a little bit and then headed for the golf course.

That’s Texas golf for you!

Once I discovered that the Palm View Municipal golf course was one that you could take advantage of to score low, I was excited to start playing on Friday. I was 3 over through 6 holes and then the wind picked up and I actually started to play better. To give you a sense of playing in the wind, I shot a 7-iron with 110 yards in and still was 10 yards short. That’s Texas golf for you! I finished the day with a 75 which I was very satisfied with because it seemed like most of the girls in the afternoon were struggling with the wind. I was very fortunate to have had one of the morning tee times to start the tournament with.

Stand back and take a deep breath

The next day I came in with another 75. I didn’t make one single birdie on Saturday which was very frustrating because it seemed like the ball was lipping out of the hole or burning the edge every single time. I will have to admit that my round on Saturday was one of the most annoying rounds I think I have ever played as a professional. But you just have to stand back, take a deep breath and accept the fact the some days they go in and some days they don’t.

I am hungry for birdies

I made the cut and finally a couple of birdies as well on Sunday to finish tied for 54th. Not my best finish but I am still learning and improving with every tournament. I am getting more consistent and I am hungry for birdies. So I am headed to El Paso for one more tournament in Texas. The only thing that I am going to do is to stay patient and wait for those birdie putts to fall.

Cheers,
Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com/clubMegan.asp

megangolf LPGA Tour, Pro Tips, Site News

So I landed in Dallas on Monday, got my luggage, took the escalator downstairs to catch the shuttle to pick up my rental car and was hit by a wall of 102 degree weather as soon as I walked outside. This made me instantly appreciate the weather back home in Southern California. I got on the shuttle and was welcomed to Texas by Shania Twain which was the ring tone of the woman sitting next to me.

After discovering that the Dallas airport is a city of its own, I got lost on the way to the hotel. The next morning, I got lost on the way to the golf course for a practice round and got lost on my way to the gym after that. Sure enough, that evening I got a little turned around again on my way back to the hotel. I’ll admit that I am not the best at directions but the road system here completely baffled me.

So Friday rolls around and the weather had actually cooled down to the low 80’s. I shot 75 that day which put me in a tie for 87th place. I feel that I played well but just had one hole that gave me some trouble.

It takes a lot of self motivation when you are out here on your own.

After being confident in my pre-swing routine, I hit my 4 iron on the par 3 hole #6. I look up and it was headed left. It hit the top of the mound left of the green and I watched it kick dead left out of bounds. I hit another 4 iron and landed short and couldn’t get up and down and made triple bogey. Of course I was a little upset but I pulled myself together and played great for the rest of the way in.

Can you do the math?

The next two days I played well. I shot 70 on Saturday which moved me up to 42nd place and had a rollercoaster of a round on Sunday but still came in with a 71 which put me in a tie for 28th place. If you didn’t get a chance to see my scorecard for Sunday, by rollercoaster, I mean I had 6 birdies for the day and only 2 pars on the back nine. You do the math.

Can we transfer birdies?

I am very satisfied with my tournament in Frisco. It’s my best finish as a professional so far and I believe I am getting more comfortable being under par which is a big step for me. Let’s see if I can keep all those birdies for McAllen this weekend and leave the bogeys in Frisco.

Until next time,
Keep it inbounds.

Megan Heckeroth
www.megangolf.com

megangolf European Tour, LPGA Tour, Pro Tips