andrew scott jensen

I hope this blog finds you well,

I’m 12 days into my November routine and things are going great!  The dive into nothing but yoga has been both very fun and very challenging.  Last week, after 4 straight days of yoga, my body and mind gave up on me and yoga was the last thing I wanted to do.  I wouldn’t have expected that to happen so quickly but surprisingly enough it did.

Looking back, I’m glad the burnout hit me so quickly because it’s forced me to dig deep already and stick this out no matter what.

I find that doing nothing but yoga is great but I still need to work on upping my core strength in order to get through some of the more intense classes and postures.  So the plan is been re-vamped slightly so that I’m still working on my core at the gym on the days I’m working through my running program.  This is all for the better because it’s forcing me to really increase my attention to a total fitness makeover.  After this month I’ll have laid a great foundation to work on building more strength throughout my swing in Dec-Jan.

Back to the present… I’ve done 2 classes so far this week, and hope to do 2 more.  I’m looking to keep up the 4 classes a week routine, just spreading them out a bit more.  So far, I’ve noticed a huge increase in my flexibility, I can get deeper into certain postures that have really challenged me in the past.  It’s great overcoming minor milestones with each class because it shows me that things are moving forward.

Ultimately the goal of this is to aid my journey toward greatness on the the golf course, and every step forward is very encouraging even if it’s in a yoga studio.  Mental and physical breakthroughs are just parlayed into motivation for the golf game work coming in Dec-Jan…very exciting stuff!

It’s November, my off-season is officially underway.  Part of paying my dues and grinding through the process of making it to the PGA Tour is working “real” jobs in the off-season.  This winter I’ll be working two jobs; one retail job at Lululemon and a serving job at Boston Pizza.

The job at Lulu has given me greater access to the yoga culture that I was introduced to this past January.  This leads me to my latest endeavor towards improvement as a golfer.

This November I will devote all of my fitness work towards yoga and focused run training.  I want to switch it up to see how my mind and body can benefit from a total change of pace.  Yoga has been amazing for my flexibility, core strength, and most importantly my mental strength.  I’m hoping that a concentrated effort with yoga over this month will  add to my growth as a player.

The running kick is an effort to increase my stamina and endurance.  I’ll be training with the help of the Podrunner Interval podcast with specific goals in mind.  If I commit mentally to reaching these endurance goals, it can only help my mind and body when it comes to staying strong over the course of 72 long holes in a tournament.

I’ll still lift once a week to maintain my muscle mass, but I’m not at all focused on increasing my strength through weight training but solely through yoga.

To keep myself engaged and keep my blog active, I’ll blog my way through this experience.  I’ll be open and honest about what I can notice happening throughout this process, stay tuned…

It’s been some time since my last blog…and I do apologize.  Having said that, there hasn’t been a whole lot to write about of late.  My last 3-4 weeks have been a very focused and at times very repetitive run.

I haven’t played any competition in a month so I’ve been using the time off to work very hard on my entire game.  I’ve used the time to improve my swing, and stay on top of my short game.  I’ve also shaken up my fitness routine in an effort to aid the work I’ve been doing on my swing.

What has this all looked like? Well, it’s been early mornings followed by long days of work that lead to early nights in bed.  My social life has certainly taken a hit, but it’s a necessary sacrifice in the quest to get back out and get competitive in 2010.

Canadian Tour Q School begins on Wednesday, and that’s been the motivation for the intense training regime of late.  I’ve had to look back over the last two years and draw on all that I’ve been through to help me prepare for this Q School, my 5th in two years!  I feel very sharp mentally and physically.  One major improvement is how much calmer I am approaching the event.  I’ve down-played the significance and by doing so, I feel much less pressure going into it.  My Achilles heel has been to put far too much pressure on myself before a Q School, so  through much work on my mental approach I feel great!

I’m heading down to Burlington on Tuesday to play and practice at Hidden Lake, putting the final touches on my 100% preparedness for Wednesdays first round.  My key for Q School is TRUST.  My goal is to trust myself, my game, and all the work I’ve put in since last year when I crashed and burned at Q School.

I’ll keep constant updates on my play with my twitter and will sit down to reflect on the rounds with blogs has the tournaments progresses.

It’s Tuesday, and I find myself in Winnipeg this week.  Needless to say the last week has been quite the whirlwind of excitement and last minute travel.  As I wrote last week, I got into the field in Saskatoon for the Can Tour event held out there.  Unfortunately, I missed the cut out there.

Missing this cut was different than all my missed cuts last year.  This time around, I accepted it, kept my chin up and moved on to what was next, never did I dwell on the fact that I didn’t play four rounds.  This is a huge step in the right direction!  Last year, a missed cut was devastating for me.  My confidence was shattered every time I played myself into a weekend off.  It was a fight every Monday to re-gain confidence and proper focus for the next tournament.  It’s no wonder that the 3 cuts I made all year all came at the end of a stretch of events.  I had nothing else to focus on, so I was free to just play golf and not stress about next week.

Last week, I did much of the same.  I was focused on Saskatoon and Saskatoon alone.  Never did anything creep into my mind about what I would do next week.  Unfortunately, I didn’t transfer that head space into made putts and low scores.

After the missed cut, I arranged to come to Winnipeg and Monday qualify for the event here at Pine Ridge.  Pine Ridge is my favorite course the Can Tour plays so I was excited to have a chance to play this week.  I played well in the qualifier, but just like in Victoria, started poorly and followed it with awful putting all round!  I missed by 4 strokes and was severely frustrated with the outcome.

I’m now hanging around the peg and waiting to see if I get into the field.  I’m the 4th alternate this week, so there is an outside chance I might play, but I won’t be finding out until tomorrow evening.

So, my focus is on hold for what’s next.  This is a far cry from my focus last year.  Last year I would be focusing on any and everything past and present, and consequently never be fully present during a round of golf.

I’m here now and that’s it!  I love this feeling!  This great focus will translate into great golf, there’s no doubt in my mind!  I’m just remaining patient for that time to come!

Well, I played in another GLT one day event yesterday and it was yet another learning experience.  I started off my day so steady; fairways, greens, and patience!  I shot 33 on the front and headed to the back nine tied for the lead and much more comfortable than last weeks event.

Unfortunately, the back nine was another struggle.  I shot 40 and finished in a tie for 20 with a 73(+1).  This time around, I felt much better than last week.  I stayed patient and calm and tried all I could to keep the round alive.  I had a couple poor breaks and a few lip outs that really tested my patience.  On the positive note, I handled the pressure of leading the tournament much better this week.  Sure, I didn’t come through and win, but I certainly banked a great lesson and priceless experience.

Like I said last week, being in the lead is where I want to be.  It’s just a matter of time until I’m comfortable in the lead and comfortable maintaining it!

One major positive to take away is the fact that in my last 4 events I’ve been in the lead after the first nine holes in every one.  Wether it’s an 18, 36, or 72 hole event; I’ve been coming out strong.  This is a far cry form last year.  Last year, I would start off struggling and then grinding back to something around par.

I’m very encouraged by all of this.  I’m making all the right moves and putting in the right work.  Again, it’s just a matter of time and repetition until I’m comfortable enough to take a 9 hole lead and turn it into a victory at the end of the day or end of the week.

I’m planning on digging deeper into all of this with my coach and sports psych in an effort to come out strong next week in the 36 hole event taking place monday-tuesday in Welland, ON.

Today was the first round of my first Great Lakes Tour, 36 hole Platinum event.  I’m playing in scenic Niagara Falls.  The day started very well in cold windy conditions.  I played pretty flawless golf on the front and turned in 3 under.  Things were looking very promising….

Upon giving my scores to the scorer at the turn, I was greeted with many well wishes from the volunteers thanks to my 9.  I was also informed that no one has come through better than 3 over!  Fact or fiction, this was information I could have done without!  I proceeded to get very tight and tense, knowing I was apparently leading by 6 strokes.  I played the next 6 holes 6 over.  It was very frustrating to say the least!

I birdied my last hole and shot 2 over.  I sit in a tie for 12th; 5 back, with one round left.  I’m excited about tomorrow because I know that I can make birdies on this course and hopefully plot away at the leaders and climb the board.

Today was a valuable lesson.  I’ve never been in a situation where I’m leading the tournament in the early stages.  As expected, I got spooked and was ripped from my comfort zone.  Leading is what I want; it’s what I work for, but it was still foreign to me.  I’m very happy this happened today and that it’s out of my system.

I seem to be learning something very valuable with every round this year, and it’s great!  Here’s hoping that tomorrow will bring some great play and more valuable lessons about myself and my game when forced to come from behind.

I’m sitting here on my flight from Ottawa to Vancouver, allowing what happened on Wednesday to sink in a little bit more.  It’s amazing what some time to reflect and journal about a round of golf can do for the confidence!

Wednesday was a special day.  Winning a golf tournament is always exciting, regardless of the field, event or tour… we want to win.  That being said, going into the round and throughout the round, the thought of winning was never the intention.  The intention of the day was to play well.  I went into the round wanting to see if I could trust my recent work and play well in competition looking for a boost of confidence heading into Q School.

The day started a little suspect with a double from 100 yards on my second hole.  I didn’t lose focus though, I still knew I could play well.  I birdied the next hole and knew that more could come.  The day just kept moving in the right direction.  I was playing the course for the first time so I was conservatively hitting 3 wood off all the tees.  Luckily, all my short game work paid huge dividends.  I got up and down from inside 120 yards all day.  6 Birdies and a bogey later, I stood on the 18th tee at 3 under thinking I was near the top of the leader board.

I laid up to 130 yards on the par 5 and was faced with a difficult and exciting shot to a tucked pin.  The leader board behind the green was too hard to look away from.  I saw that 3 under had been posted and was leading, with only myself and 2 other guys left on the course who could match it.

What took place for my approach shot is something that will be great for future situations like this in my career.  I began to think ahead about what could happen with a birdie, par, and bogey.  I shook it off and did my routine, but still had some bad thoughts over the ball.  I had to back away and start the routine over again.  I threw myself back into the moment and the shot at hand and ignored the consequences.  I proceeded to hit the best shot to date of my short career.  I stuffed it to 3 and a half feet from the stick!  The putt was easy and my trust in the routine really helped me beat the nerves and roll it in.

The 2 other players couldn’t match my round and I won!  It was great to hold up the trophy at the end of the day.

My confidence got the exact boost it needed heading into Q School this coming Tuesday.  I’m going into the event focused on maintaining the same thoughts and intentions to play well, and to accept where that leaves me on the leader board.  I’m left to trust that my playing well will be enough for me to be smiling after the final round next Friday.

It’s a rainy day here in Ottawa, and I’m enjoying having a day to rest and reflect on what’s taken place over the past few weeks, and also look ahead to what’s coming up in less than two weeks.

The past month’s been amazing.  My progress forward has been very encouraging.  I’ve been working very hard with my coach on a few different things.  The first thing has been my setup and plane of the club.  It’s been very difficult to make these changes after years of bad habits that have hurt my consistency under pressure.  That being said, we are only working on that on the practice tee.  When we’re on the course, the focus is playing golf, not golf swing.  This has been a challenge as well.  My knee jerk reaction to poor shots was to immediately analyze the swing and this took my focus off getting the ball in the hole.  All and all the work’s been very good and encouraging, and my consistency is drastically improving.

I’ve also been putting in lots of work with the flat stick.  I went on a Tomi Putting Machine and it was great for my stroke.  I’ve become aware of some flaws in the stroke and I’m working very hard on improving.  That being said, all the work on the stroke is without a hole.  When I work on the stroke that’s the only focus, not getting the ball in the hole.  When I practice with a hole, the only focus is the target and the stroke doesn’t matter.  This has been great work, that’s really paid off on the course.

I’m also playing more golf now than I would usually like too.  I’m focusing on my routine and thought management on the course, and that’s it.  I’m working on thinking in the think box, committing, and then playing in the play box. It’s been very productive.  After every round I evaluate my mental game and how I managed my thoughts and it has been a steady learning curve.

I’ll be playing another one round Great Lakes event on the 20th and I’m excited to go out there and play golf and manage my thoughts properly in and effort to prepare for the pressure of Q School on the 26th.  I’ll be flying out to BC on the 23rd and I couldn’t be more fired up!  My confidence is rising more every day and I can’t wait to go out there and do what I know I can do.

Expect a blog after my round on the 20th

Yesterday was my first event on the Great Lakes Tour.  Unfortunately, it was a less than stellar debut.  The weather was cold, wet, and windy…which are conditions that I’m actually very happy to compete in.  Pairing my comfort with the weather with the good vibes I had entering this event(after a long month of hard work back home in Ottawa) I went into the round expecting to play well.  Most importantly, I went into the round with the hope to find my feet again in competition after a month and a half away from it.

The first tee was awful!!!  I have no explanation for what happened, but I laid the sod over two consecutive 3 woods and dumped them both into the hazard in front of the tee.  I walked off the first hole with a quintuple bogey 9.  Frustrating, to say the least.

I chose to make the best of the blunder.  I told myself that if I made a 2 or a 9, my mental approach would have to be the same; I’d have to attack the next 17 holes with the same mindset or patience and focus and ultimately the ability to stay present.

This was a big victory for me mentally.  I didn’t let myself get concerned with what others would say or think about me playing yet another poor round, but focused on me and trying to hit great golf shots.  I played the next 17 holes well, not great but well.  I drove it well, hit a descent amount of greens, but struggled with my reads on the greens.  I played the next 17 at 2 over par, not stunning play, but play that re-assured me of the work thats been put in will pay off with patience.

So, I fired a 78 and finished well outside of the money.  But, that’s not what I’m concerning myself with.  I’m concerning myself with the process.  This round is just part of it.  I have to assess the day and take the positives and move forward, with my focus set on my next event, a one day great lakes event on the 12th of May.

If I keep moving in the right direction, this year WILL be the great year that I’m hoping for.

Well, Q School is finished, and I’m disappointed to have not gotten status back out on tour.  I played well today and shot another 2 under, 70.  This was only good for confidence since my second and third rounds really took me out of the race for a card.

This is not what I had worked toward nor expected.  It’s very humbling to work very hard for months in preparing for these four days and coming up short.  It’s a very different feeling than that of missing out last fall at Q School.  I’m not as defeated, discouraged, or depressed as I was in September, so that is progress in the right direction.

I learned a few important things this week about both my game and myself personally.  I learned that my game is SOOOOO good.  I’m making great strides of improvement with my abilities to play elite golf.  My stats were great this week, all and all my stats were better than all of last year, which is forward progress.  My mental game and my putting was solid, not great but solid enough to compete.

More importantly, I learned what is really holding me back.  When things got rough during the second round I was attacked with thoughts of “you did it again, you always do this, you always screw it up”.  Which looking back, was the thoughts to killed me all of 2008.  I tried to ignore them going into the third round but once the struggles came the same negative talk came.  Bottom line, I have to work hard on my self-belief, self-confidence, and self-talk on the golf course.  Failures happen, they don’t mean I’m a failure, I have to truly believe this if I’m to succeed as a pro golfer.

Today I went out with positive self talk and self belief as the sole objective, and it was a great experience.  I didn’t play perfect golf, I made mistakes, I left a lot out there, but not once did I let the negative talk get into my head and bring me down.  I’m very happy with todays round.

The fact that I succeeded today at a positive self-belief encourages me into knowing that I can get back out on tour.  I don’t really know what the path will look like next…and that’s okay.  Believe me, I’m still going to be working hard on getting better. This tournament just brought another thing to my attention that needs to be improved, so it’s not all lost.

Sometimes we have to take some steps backwards before we can go forward again…and I’m okay with that because at the end of the day, I’ll still be moving in the right direction

I have a long trip back home to Ottawa to think about what’s next.  I’ll write about what my future will hold when I have a better idea.  I do know one thing though, I need to get a regular job as soon as I get home.  Not the dream scenario but all part of the process!