My Big Break Experience - The Lob Wall

I was really excited about this challenge.  First, it’s the Lob Wall!  And I think they changed things up a bit this year.  One thing was the location.  We were in the Magic Kingdom in front of the castle.  Second, not only did we need to clear the wall, but we had to land the ball in a net on the other side. 

The wall itself was about 12-feet high and we we hitting from about 15-feet from the front of the wall.  The net on the other side was about 8-feet in diameter and was only 10-feet from the back of the wall.  There was so little room for error. It seemed the best approach was to clear the wall with as little room to spare as possible otherwise there was little chance to hit the net.  What’s even more difficult is that I only carry a 58-degree wedge.  Some of the other guys had 60-degree and 64-degree wedges so that should’ve given them some advantage getting the ball up and down.

The task in this immunity challenge was to hit three lob shots.  If you got it in the net on the first or second shot, you’d earn 1-point.  The last shot was worth 2-points.  Whomever made the most points wins immunity and automatically advances to the next show, while the remaining guys would go onto another immunity challenge.  Andrew set the bar by getting his last shot in the net and earning two points. 

It’s such a bizarre shot.  When I got there, and remember we really had no practice or warm-ups, I chose to try something that no one else did.  I chose to stand on the ground, not on the mat.  That meant that the ball was a little above my feet, but I felt that would give me a better opportunity to get under the ball and get it up quickly.  Apparently I was right since I nailed my first shot and got a point.  I just missed hitting the net on the second shot…but then I hit my third shot just right and into the net for 2 more points and eliminating Andrew.  Taking three out of the four available points.

I was one of the early players, so I had to wait and see how the rest of the guys did.  It felt like it took forwever. But in the end, I won the challenge and $5,000.  Now I have to wait to actually get the prize.  They don’t pay out any of the actual prizes until the full series ends so it’ll be a great Christmas present!

You hear a lot from the guys on the show how intense the pressure is on the show.  It really is.  I never felt so much pressure in my life, and it was great training for handling the stresses of competing daily for a paycheck. I felt like I dodged a bullet since the next immunity challenge was a long iton shot to a very small green.  As one of the longer hitters, I might have had an advantage on that one since I would probably be hitting a shorter iron, but I really felt the lob wall shot played even more to my strengths.

As I mentioned last week, I was playing in the first stage of the PGA Tour Q-school.  I really thought I could shoot a good number, and I go off to a good start, but my second and third rounds left a little to be desired and I shot my way out of the opportunity to advance to the next stage. I struggled on the back nine, which was interesting since I liked the back nine better than the front.   

I had plenty of unforced errors and I just wasn’t ready to play.  I think my lack of experience cost me as I may have been a little too aggressive at times.  I also looked ahead a little too quick and was already practicing and playing in the second stage.  Now my plans have to change.

Now I am planning to play the Gateway Tour again and I might check out a  new tour called the Pacific Coast Golf Tour. The one thing for sure is that as I travel around Southern California lately, its bizarre how many people have come to recognize me.  In all, maybe it’ll help me find the best path for the next year and try to get into as many Nationwide Tour events as I can. 

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Share Your Comment

Name:
Email:
Location:
URL:

Comment:

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below: