Karzmer: Swing wasn’t Greatest, event was

Today is the final round of The Greatest Golfer of the Valley 5.0.

For those of you who read my column regularly, you may remember that during this same week last year I gave a first person telling of my first round as a Greatest competitor.

I’ll do the same this week after one round of the fifth annual Vindicator Greatest Golfer of the Valley Tournament, sponsored by Farmers National Bank.

This year, due to weather, my flight (the open division) was moved from Mill Creek Golf Course to Tippecanoe Country Club for round one. I had a 9:12 a.m. tee time and got to the course around 8:20 to go through a warmup routine. After a lot of time on Tippecanoe’s beautiful chipping green, driving range, and putting green, my caddie — buddy Andrew Mangano — and I were ready to go.

Unfortunately, my game was not.

Starting with the very first tee shot, I knew something was just a bit “off” with my swing. In fact, the last couple times I played leading up to the event had gotten progressively worse, so I wasn’t feeling all that great about the swing to begin with. Which for me, more a “feel” player, can allow the negative thoughts to start creeping into myhead.

And I’m guessing I’m not alone. Whether it’s bad swing thoughts or the nervousness of playing in a competitive event like Greatest, I’m pretty sure most of the competitors this week will have to overcome some mental challenges. And here is the important point to make here — deal with it in a positive way.

For me, it was sticking to a pre-shot routine that focused on remembering good shots from the past in similar situations and trying to visualize the upcoming shot being hit well. It didn’t always work, but sticking to that routine was better for me than focusing solely on how bad my swings were that day.

With today being the final round, the leaders will be challenged mentally as well. Knowing you’re in the lead with 18, 9, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... holes left can be nerve racking and each competitor will have to find their own routine to help them “seal the deal.”

Back to my round from Tippecanoe.

I can normally pinpoint 3-5 key shots after a round. For my first round, I identified four. A mental decision coupled with a bad swing on No. 6 led to my first bogey of the round. A missed putt on No. 7 kept the bad momentum going. A birdie putt on No. 14 gave me a boost for the last four holes. And then unfortuanely, a very bad club choice on No. 15 led to a momentum-killing bogey. When I three-putted the last hole from just short of the green, I had completed a first round of +3, 75.

The only “positive” I took from that round was that there are still two more rounds to play. And that’s the other important point to make.

As long as there’s still more golf to play, try to be positive and focus on the opportunity at hand.

By the time you’re reading this, the cut will be done and the leaders will be ready for The Lake Club today. Yes, someone has to be winning each flight. But for all the competitors who “Make it to The Lake,” remember that you’re there for a reason and play hard.

I have to say great first rounds to my good friend Tim Morrow, who is leading our flight with a 70. And I also want to say great round to my brother and business partner, Justin Karzmer, who posted a 75 in his first Greatest round. Hopefully we’re all playing at The Lake Club today.

Finally, I want to conclude with a final thank you to Todd Franko for making the Greatest his “baby” and continuing to give 110 percent on it all year long. As a person who assists in whatever ways possible behind the scenes, it’s awesome to see the success he’s made this over the last five years. And as a competitor, I can honestly say this is our Valley’s “Major.”

So good luck to all of today’s competitors playing at The Lake Club and thank you again to all of the golfers who compete and make Greatest what it is.

Jonah Karzmer is a former golf professional who writes a golf column for The Vindicator. In his spare time he sells commercial insurance for The Karzmer Insurance Agency and loves getting feedback on his weekly columns via email at jonahkarzmer@gmail.com.