How old are you and what's your occupation?
31 years old. I work in the retail world to keep our employees safe and prevent loss of our assets. I’m a computer geek and in this day and age, the analysis of information helps to detect fraud and determine which programs to put in place to mitigate future exposure.

When did you start playing golf and what's your handicap?
I started playing about 4 years ago. And by start playing, I mean I picked up a set of beginner clubs and would hack away a few times a year. Only this year have I really started getting out more consistently. I don’t have an official handicap but would expect it to be right around 22.

How often do you play?
About once a week.

Tell me about a great shot you've made.
I have plenty of shots to choose from only because I take so many during a round. But I wouldn’t say that most of them are shots I would classify as great (or even good). I must say though, it would have to be on our local municipal course on a really short par 4 playing 214 yards and a huge tree right in the middle of the fairway. I play the course often and that tree has a way of sucking up my ball every time and spitting it out (that’s of course when I don’t accidentally hook it to give me even more problems).

I played my 5 wood and lined up the tree since I figure I always aim away from it and hit it so I might as well take dead aim. Sure enough I hit it dead straight at the tree but it felt so clean off the tee that it started getting the exact loft a good shot should. It found a nice break in the branches at the very top and just cleared it and continued on pin high on the fringe. If my putting had been on I would have loved to say I sank the 20 footer for eagle but maybe next time. I hope to have more shots like it and even better ones in the future but for now, I will take what I can get.

What is your best golf memory?
My son just turned 4 years old and wanted to be just like dad so we bought him a junior set of clubs. After seeing him hit well off the mat into our net at home I took him over to the local driving range. He seems to have a natural gift because he was hitting pretty consistent. He started playing his driver and I heard him say, “Dad look! I hit the 1-0-0 sign.” I looked over and sure enough he hit that 100 yard sign 4 times in a row and then started putting them 25 yards past it. Not bad for a little guy.

What is your "home" course?
I’m a bit of a nomad. The closest I have to a home course is the 9-hole municipal course in town – The Orchards. I play that once a week and then try to get to a new public course anytime I can find a playing partner willing to hack away. CT has so many good ones and I’ve been trying to find courses that I can really use my SGX on.

What ball do you play?
Whatever is on sale. No need spending a lot on balls when I’m just starting out since I “donate” a lot to the woods and water.

Clubs?
Cobra FP II irons, Cobra Speed LD 08 woods, Cobra Baffler Hybrid, Callaway X-Tour SW, Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball SRT putter.

Favorite pro?
Sergio Garcia. He has such a clean swing and his build is similar to mine so I figured I would try to follow his lead rather than trying to get a swing that an older or bigger guy might have. I doubt I will ever get it that clean but will keep trying for it. That and I like cheering for the guy who is just shy of the leader and tends to be the underdog but still has a fighting chance.

Favorite course you've played?
Hudson National Golf Club. I got pulled into a tournament with a lot of executives because everyone else pulled out. I had just a year under my belt so I was really nervous and played horribly, but it was by far the most beautiful course I have ever hacked away at. I just hope I can get invited back to that tournament as I get more experience and the nerves can go away a bit.

Dream course you've yet to play?
TPC at Sawgrass. Even if all I got to do was give one shot at hole 17, I would be a happy camper.

Best round ever- and what course?
I’ll let you know when I find it.

Give me an example of a time your SkyCaddie saved you a stroke?
I was playing the Lyman Orchards Player Course and mis-hit my tee shot short on a dogleg left over water. It was the first time I had played the course. I was having a really hard time judging distance, and the water was still going to come into play. The SGX was showing me to hit left further than I expected to and gave me the widest landing area about 200 yards away leaving me a short pitch up. I put it back on my hip, trusted it, trusted my swing with my 5 iron, and swung away. It was exactly where I was aiming but I figured I had to have pushed it right because the dogleg couldn’t have turned there and I would have gone long. I searched everywhere for it until I realized I hit it 210 yards to the end of the fairway right in the middle. I would have never guessed the club, distance, or angle of approach without it.

What is one aspect of your golf game you would like to improve on in the next year?
Keeping the ball in bounds. Out of bounds penalties have been killing my score and I need to be more consistent off the tee. The municipal course I play helps me with my short game which is improving (although putting could be better) but I need to play smarter and not break out the big stick until I can hit it better.

Tell me a story.
My escape had always been training for marathons. I was injured last fall but kept running through despite the injury. The bad news came that it was a stress fracture in my hip and that I would have to stop running for a while. As it turns out, it was a great opportunity for me to start playing more golf and work on that passion as well. It really helps me to get away from real life for a while and decompress since running is on hold for a few months. Not a bad silver lining to otherwise cloudy news.

Thanks!

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