Starter’s Shack—Lessons Learned
When Keir Smith stands on the first tee at Lookout Point Country Club for next week’s Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf, he’s going to be more prepared and battle tested than he’s ever been before.
That’s a pretty bold statement, I know. But after chatting with him earlier this week, I stand behind my words—and you’re about to find out why.
After rounds of 77-78 at last week’s Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England, some might be quick to suggest Keir was out of his league and had no business teeing it up alongside some of the greatest golfers this world has ever known.
But here’s the thing: his 36 hole score of 15 over wasn’t nearly as bad it looks—he confesses that a difference of a few bounces here and there would have changed the story—and the experiences of the week will undoubtedly pay dividends in his game.
“I’m still buzzing from last week,” Keir told me over the phone from his office at The National Golf Club of Canada in Woodbridge, Ont. “The experiences were unreal and to be welcomed by all of the hall of famers in the locker room, on the range and golf course was something. They were all really engaging and made me feel as comfortable as you can possibly be.”
Keir described himself as a “Range Rat” at Birkdale, only leaving the golf course at night to sleep for a couple hours before returning the next morning. He says he wanted to be around the greats and paid close attention to their daily routines.
“The work ethic these guys have is unreal. They are in the fitness trailer stretching, working out and just basically trying to get better because the competition out there is so fierce,” he says. “On the golf course they also handle things differently—they just get on with their round regardless of bad breaks, good breaks or no breaks at all.”
Guys like Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, David Frost and Tom Kite were all players Keir came to admire for the way they handled themselves at Birkdale. He also said a fellow Canadian in the Senior Open field was especially awesome.
“I spent a lot of time with Rod Spittle at the Open,” Keir admits. “He was so gracious about me picking his brain about a bunch of things. I got an education that you just can’t get by reading books.”
Spittle was the lone Canadian to make the cut at Birkdale, finishing T26. Phil Jonas, Jim Rutledge and Ken Tarling were also in the field, but all three failed to make the cut.
With the exception of Jonas, the Canadian contingent at Birkdale will also be at Lookout Point Country Club next week for the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.
And as I stated earlier—Keir Smith will be ready to compete.
“I can’t wait to put some of the things I learned from spending a week at Birkdale into practice at Lookout Point,” he says. “I gained a lot of experience and confidence over there and now I want to contend here in our major championship—the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.”
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The Starter’s Shack is a (semi) regular blog written by the PGA of Canada’s Manager of Communications, Chris Fry. You can reach Chris by email at chris@pgaofcanada.com or Tweet him at @TheRealCFry
That’s a pretty bold statement, I know. But after chatting with him earlier this week, I stand behind my words—and you’re about to find out why.
After rounds of 77-78 at last week’s Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England, some might be quick to suggest Keir was out of his league and had no business teeing it up alongside some of the greatest golfers this world has ever known.
But here’s the thing: his 36 hole score of 15 over wasn’t nearly as bad it looks—he confesses that a difference of a few bounces here and there would have changed the story—and the experiences of the week will undoubtedly pay dividends in his game.
“I’m still buzzing from last week,” Keir told me over the phone from his office at The National Golf Club of Canada in Woodbridge, Ont. “The experiences were unreal and to be welcomed by all of the hall of famers in the locker room, on the range and golf course was something. They were all really engaging and made me feel as comfortable as you can possibly be.”
Keir described himself as a “Range Rat” at Birkdale, only leaving the golf course at night to sleep for a couple hours before returning the next morning. He says he wanted to be around the greats and paid close attention to their daily routines.
“The work ethic these guys have is unreal. They are in the fitness trailer stretching, working out and just basically trying to get better because the competition out there is so fierce,” he says. “On the golf course they also handle things differently—they just get on with their round regardless of bad breaks, good breaks or no breaks at all.”
Guys like Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, David Frost and Tom Kite were all players Keir came to admire for the way they handled themselves at Birkdale. He also said a fellow Canadian in the Senior Open field was especially awesome.
“I spent a lot of time with Rod Spittle at the Open,” Keir admits. “He was so gracious about me picking his brain about a bunch of things. I got an education that you just can’t get by reading books.”
Spittle was the lone Canadian to make the cut at Birkdale, finishing T26. Phil Jonas, Jim Rutledge and Ken Tarling were also in the field, but all three failed to make the cut.
With the exception of Jonas, the Canadian contingent at Birkdale will also be at Lookout Point Country Club next week for the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.
And as I stated earlier—Keir Smith will be ready to compete.
“I can’t wait to put some of the things I learned from spending a week at Birkdale into practice at Lookout Point,” he says. “I gained a lot of experience and confidence over there and now I want to contend here in our major championship—the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.”
***
The Starter’s Shack is a (semi) regular blog written by the PGA of Canada’s Manager of Communications, Chris Fry. You can reach Chris by email at chris@pgaofcanada.com or Tweet him at @TheRealCFry