Will Mitchell was a standout junior golfer during his teenage years as a member of the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA).  As a former CJGA National Champion and captain of a victorious CJGA Team Canada at the Mizuno North America Cup, Will graduated from the junior ranks with an accomplished competitive golf resume.

In 2008, Will embarks on a professional career as a full time member of the Canadian Tour.  His blog will provide an inside look at what juniors can expect if they pursue a professional career as well as some helpful tips and insights from an individual who is very familiar with the competitive junior golf scene.

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May 22, 2008

The Ups-and-Downs of Professional Golf

Hey everyone,

I have to start by apologizing for the late release of this week’s blog. After the conclusion of my two-week break I boarded a plane for Cancun expecting a great week of golf, but arrived in Cancun without my luggage!  Luckily for me, my clubs arrived with me though. After an exhausting series of phone calls to the airline, it became obvious that the luggage had been lost, and wouldn’t be returned to me that week. I was forced to purchase some casual clothes for my off hours as well as golf clothes for the tournament.

The average temperature in Cancun that week was 38° with 100% humidity.  This was a big factor in determining the amount of time that we would practice on the course. I needed to find a balance of proper preparation for the course, while making sure that I didn't wear myself out before the tournament rounds. I limited myself to 30 minutes of hitting balls and nine holes of practice each day, while drinking an average of four to six litres of water a day.

The course was designed by Pete Dye, with a setup very similar to the course that we played in Mazatlan.  Mr. Dye is well known for sloping greens, severe bunkering and mounding around the greens, this style of course design means that it is very difficult to save your par when you miss a green. It is also a very tight course with OB or hazards on fourteen of the eighteen holes, which puts a big emphasis on hitting the fairways. I relied heavily on my Callaway 2 iron this week.

At the first tee on Thursday I was very confident in my game and the way I had been playing.  With a well struck Callaway 2 iron falling into the middle of the fairway, followed by a high flying Callaway X tour gap wedge the ball came to rest four and a half feet from the hole. As I watched my putt caress the left edge of the cup and dribble past the hole, I realized I was off on another tournament adventure.

The rest of the day was best described as up and down. I made my share of birdies but it would seem that I would immediately turn around and give the stroke back with a bogey. With a 77 on the opening round I knew that I had work ahead of me for the second round. I started the second round on the tenth tee which is a 377 yard par four straight-away. With a mighty thrash of my Callaway X Tour 460 driver I knew I was off to a great start. Immediately after contact I picked up my tee and began walking towards the hole as my ball fell from the sky onto the front edge of the green.

With a 34 on the front nine I was only one stroke off of the cut line. Everything was on track for me to make the cut until the 15th hole. After a great tee shot it all turned into a bad dream. After a mixture of bad shots and bad luck I tapped in my putt for a very humbling 10 on the 15th hole.  That ended my chances to make the cut. With a knowledge that I wasn't going to make the cut it would have been easy for me to hang my head and give up on the last few holes. But with a par on the next two holes and an eagle chance on the 18th hole I finished my round one under par on the last three holes.

With the remaining time in Cancun I divided my time between calling the airlines to try and find my bag, practicing on the driving range and taking in the great weather with a book on the beach.  If there was a lesson to be learned this week it was that in golf, as well as in life, you can't force things to happen. When I teed it up the second day I had a number in mind that I wanted to shoot. Instead I should have focused on each shot and taken it one step at a time. In golf you have to forget about the players in the field and simply play the golf course. Play the best you can each day and leave the rest up to fate.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend, I will write again soon.

Will Mitchell
Canadian Tour Professional

Have a question for Will? Email will.mitchell@cjga.com and he’ll do his best to have it answered here in a future blog.

Note: Follow Will's progress on the Canadian Tour