On this episode, we're catching you up from two different rounds, our Thursday league night at Brookhaven Golf Course in Greenfield, New York, and our trip out to Frear Park in Troy for a Capital District Golf Tour stop. I talk about coming one bad stretch away from finally breaking 80, and Brett explains how a positive mindset carried him to a birdie on 18 and a pocket full of skins money to go with it.

We also get into the bigger story from the PGA and LPGA this week, Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda both missing the cut on the same weekend, and why that says more about how hard golf actually is than it does about either of their games. Along the way we talk about Bryson DeChambeau's analytical approach to the game, why your best shots usually come on the range, and why nobody, amateur or pro, gets to skip the mental side of golf.

From there we head to Fox Run Golf Course in Johnstown for a great round that included a two hole playoff, and wrap up with a preview of the US Amateur Albany Region event at Turning Stone, where we'll be interviewing winners and losers straight off the course.

Courses mentioned in this episode:
Brookhaven Golf Course, Greenfield, NY - https://www.brookhavengolfcourse.com
Frear Park Golf Course, Troy, NY - https://www.troyny.gov/1411/Frear-Park-Golf-Course
Fox Run Golf Course, Johnstown, NY - https://www.foxrungolf.club
Turning Stone Resort, Kaluhyat, Verona, NY - https://www.turningstone.com/golf/kaluhyat

Thanks to our sponsor, Blueprint Leadership Development (https://www.blueprintleadershipdevelopment.com). If you're looking for a business coach, Rob's info is in the show notes. And thanks to The Luxury Box (https://www.theluxury.net) for letting us record in their simulator room, if you're looking for a place to swing when the weather turns, that's the spot.

If you enjoy the show, follow us wherever you listen and leave a review, it helps more golfers find us and it means we can get to more tournaments.

Think you need to be a scratch golfer to play competitive tournament golf? Don Frame, director of the US Am Tour Albany Region, joins us to explain why that could not be further from the truth.

Don breaks down how the US Am Tour creates competitive opportunities for golfers of nearly every skill level through six handicap-based flights. He explains what tournament entry fees include, how live scoring works, how handicaps are monitored and how golfers earn trophies, prize payouts and Order of Merit points throughout the season.

We also discuss senior and women’s competition, qualifying for the national championship, traveling to play events outside your home region and turning tournament weekends into destination golf trips. Don shares how winning his first event changed his entire approach to the game and why tournament golf motivated him to practice, improve and explore courses he might never have played otherwise.

Later in the episode, we talk about standout municipal courses including Frear Park and Schenectady Municipal, preview upcoming Albany Region stops and share an unusual Rule of the Day involving the one situation where a golfer may legally hit a moving ball.

Whether you regularly shoot in the 70s, 80s, 90s or around 100, the US Am Tour may offer the competitive golf experience you have been looking for.

In Episode 7 of Divots & Skins, Jake and Brett break down a busy golf weekend that included league play at Brookhaven, a US AM Tour stop at West Point Golf Course and a trip to the Travelers Championship.

The episode gets honest as Jake talks through the frustration of feeling like his golf game is broken, from first-tee nerves to struggling through tournament rounds and trying to figure out what needs to change. Brett shares his perspective on pushing through golf slumps, focusing on fundamentals and remembering that even the best players in the world go through rough stretches.

The guys also recap Brett’s win at West Point, the importance of short game, what it was like seeing PGA Tour players up close at the Travelers, and why watching a pro hit a massive shank made every amateur golfer feel a little better.

Plus, the Rule of the Day covers free relief from manmade obstructions, including cart paths, rakes and temporary structures.

Honest amateur golf talk, tournament stories, PGA Tour reactions and plenty of reminders that this game can humble anyone.

Links:
West Point Golf - https://westpoint.armymwr.com/programs/west-point-golf-course
Travelers Championship - https://travelerschampionship.com

Sponsors:
Blueprint Leadership Development - https://www.robshauger.com
US AM Tour Albany Region - https://www.bluegolf.com/amateur/programs/usamtour_nyalbany/index.html
The Luxury Box - https://theluxurybox.net