I KNOW GOLF

Linda and I made it to Toledo in one piece.  We are on a very tight budget and careful with every dollar. 

Don’t have a internet connection so have not been able to post like I wanted to.

The first day of the US Senior Open was a poor one for me.  I got off the a good start with pars on the first five holes and one or two of those could have been birdies. 

On the par three 15th I pulled my three iron left of the green.  I had no clue where the pull came from.  From then on I struggled with pulls for most of the day.  The result was a 8 over par 79. 

On the range after the round I think I sorted things out.  Grip pressure was probably the problem.  I was griping the club too tight or regriping the club too tight.  With the high humidity my hands and grip always felt wet and I was fearful of the club slipping in my hands.

To be honest regriping was a problem but more so than that I did put too much pressure on myself.

Hopefully, I can regroup and play better Friday.  With a good round in the 60′s I can get myself back into this thing.

On June 27^th I shot an even par 72 at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe, CA to qualify for the US Senior Open at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio July 25-31.  The field for the event was about 80 senior pros and amateurs, my 72 got the second qualifying spot.  Another player shot 69 and third place, 1^st alternate, shot 74.

For the qualifying Fairbanks Ranch was set up at almost 7,000 yards.  Long for seniors, five of the par 4’s measured over 400 yards.  The course set up was near to what I can expect at Inverness in a few weeks time.

My preparation for the US Senior Open was like nothing I have ever done before.  I have next to no money for golf.  This month car insurance and registration took priority over green fees.  I played only two rounds of golf in June and one of the rounds was on an executive course.  My last competitive golf was in March.

What I am lucky enough to have is a range pass at the COD (College of the Desert Golf Center).  About a mile from my house I often ride my bike there to save gas.  Most mornings will find me there.  Putting, chipping, and then full shots are my habit.  I would like to tell you that I do this because of the great dedication I have to pro golf but in truth I often go to the range to break the boredom of having so little else to do.

About two weeks before the qualifier I started to form my plan to give the Senior Open my best shot.  With the help of Google Earth I was able to “play” the course a few times.  In my mind I always hit the fairway, shaped my irons into the greens, and never missed a putt.   Hitting imaginary golf shots while looking at a aerial photograph of a golf hole gets boring after a while.  I never “played” more than nine holes in one sitting.

The Google Earth exercise lead to me making some notes on what to practice at COD.  Ten of the fourteen tee shots at Fairbanks Ranch were fades.  Every day my practiced ended with twenty drivers, each one a fade.  The four par threes are mid to long irons.  I practiced draws and fades to the well known hole placements.

Saturday, two days before the Q there was no golf whatsoever for me, my girlfriend and I had a garage sale.  The first thing sold was my table saw.  I didn’t get a lot of money for the saw but it was enough to pay for the 200 mile round trip gas.  Had I sold the basketball hoop and backboard I would have considered springing for a hotel.

Sunday I hit one buck of balls.  Pretended I was playing a practice round at Fairbanks Ranch.  I hit every shot on the course until I got it right.  The putting green at COD was closed, the only putting practice I got was on the carpet at my home.  I’ve gotten very good at a perfectly straight ten foot putt on indoor/outdoor carpet.

Golf can be a strange game.  There truly is no “method to the madness”.  It is commonly said that playing golf is a mental game.  For me, preparing to qualify for the US Senior Open was 100% mental preparation.  In the end what I did better than anything else was to say to myself, “This can work, this can work”.

For the US Senior Open at Inverness Club I hope to be more traditional in my preparations.  The players I aim to beat will not be compromising their preparation, I don’t plan to either.  If I can successfully apply the mental preparation that I formulated the past three week to the big stage in Ohio I am confident that you will be seeing a lot of me on TV the final weekend of July.

The British PGA Seniors Championship is two weeks away.  Want hope to fly to Newcastle on June 1.  After the PGA Seniors I hope to play the Arizona Open and then the US Senior Open Q.

To make this trip I am hoping to find someone who can make a collateral loan of $5,000 in the next few days.

I own two paintings that are for sale on E-bay.  One is by Rafael Coronel and is listed for $12,000 and the other is by Shari Hatchett and is listed for $9,000.  If the paintings don’t sell by Sunday I will try listing them at http://www.artbrokerage.com.

Even if a painting does sell Sunday I will need a loan in order to get to Newcastle in time.

I can also offer 10% of my June tournament winnings as part of the deal.

If you or someone you know can help on short notice please contact me at fanclub@ronstelten.com.

At the heart of Senior Tour Golf are two weeks in July.  The British Senior Open is July 21-24 at Walton Heath Golf Club.  The following week, July 28-31 is the US Senior Open at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio.  For senior golfers such as my self, these to weeks offer the best chance to breakthrough and join the Champions Tour full time.  Both opens have one day qualifiers open to any skilled golfer.  Success in the qualifier and I have a real shot at winning one of the biggest prizes in senior golf.

My plan for success in the two opens starts in June with the De Vere PGA Seniors Championship in Newcastle, England.  The British PGA is a $400,000 tournament with a $60,000 first prize.  Tenth place is a solid $10,500.

For the last week in May I want to raise the money needed to make the trip to the De Vere PGA Seniors.  Success in Newcastle will bankroll the two Opens in July and catapult me to full time play on the Champions Tour.

I have about one week to raise about $3,500.  Details can be found at www.ronstelten.com.  Interested sponsors can contact me directly at fanclub@ronstelten.com.

Please help me with a sponsorship investment and by spreading the word to your golfing buddies.  I expect the next two months to be very exciting and will keep the sponsors well informed on how I am playing.

Since August 10^th of 2011 I have asked golfing friends a trick question, “Who is the Champions Tour All Time Money Leader”?  In nine months no one has gotten the answer correct.  Couples, Irwin, Haas, and Watson are all good guesses but all are wrong. Trick to the question is that golfers guess someone who plays the Champions Tour.

The answer of course is Kenny Perry who turned 50 on August 10, 2011 and with over 30 million dollars in career winning instantly went to number 1 on the Champions Tour All Time Money List.  Perry stayed at the top of the list for the past nine months despite never playing in a Champions Tour Event.  Even if Kenny Perry proves to be a Champions Tour superstar his time at the top will be short.

On February 22, 2013 Vijay Singh will celebrate his 50^th b-day.  As of today Vijay has over $64,500,000 in career winning.  No one in senior golf will be able to catch Vijay Singh.  He will be the All Time Money Leader for a long time.  In fact the only time his reign will be tested will be in 2020 when Phil Mickelson turns 50.

The point of all this is that the Champions Tour is starting the experience the impact that the big jump in PGA Tour prize money enjoyed during the 1990’s.

One final note, at 147^th on the All Time Money List is Arnold Palmer and at 64^th is Jack Nicklaus.