Many of you know that I have been dedicated to clean air, clean water and clean energy for many years. What many of you do not know is that I have been equally dedicated to the game of golf.  And now, true to my initial commitment to competitive golf, I have decided to work on playing on tour next year.

My route has been unconventional so my wall is not decorated by trophies from when I was a kid, high school or college but with the council of everyone I have taken lessons from over the last 12 years, my game is solid, it travels and can only get better with a higher commitment. 

To reach this goal we have put a team together to help with points of reference on how to play consistently finish strong and playing better on subsequent days, as well as the mental and physical sides of the game. I know I am going to need all the help I can get.

It would cost upwards of $40,000 ($25,000 would be for qualifying school registration) to do this in the US, but in 2011 I did a trail run of the European qualifying school which costs a fraction of what it would costs in the US. The target amount will cover:

- Daily 8 hour practice for the next 2.5 months (June, July, August)       with an instructor.
- Mental toughness training with a mental coach.
- Full medical examination.
- Physical training with a trainer.
- 4.5 months travel and accommodation to Spain and Portugal with instructor coming out once a month while there.
- Access to practice facilities in Spain and Portugal.
- Qualifying school registration.
- Travel and accommodation to tournaments at the beginning of next year.

       "We are all men of destiny, but two things rob us of that destiny –  envy and a sense of entitlement" – My father. 

This statement has influenced my life more than my father could ever have imagined when he said it. It wasn’t even while he had my full attention either but while he casually spoke to someone else.  Fortunately I am gifted with a good eye and ear; my ears always catch a higher truth within ear shot. I was six years old then.

My father’s words have been the frame of reference against which everything that is meant to be a part of my life has been measured. It has made me understand that whatever I choose to be my platform for discovering my highest self would be something that does not reward envy or a sense of entitlement.

I wish there was a logical explanation why I chose golf as my platform; it could be because, for me, it is the sport that most closely resembles real life in that every hole is like a different day, you never know how it will turn out until you get there. The most valuable lesson I have learnt so far is that I am teachable.

It all formally began in 2006, my wife gave me a set of three golf lessons for my birthday, at my first lesson Doug Randell, the instructor asked me to take a swing with the medicus dual hinged club, then he gave me a regular club and put a ball down and asked me to hit it, then he put another, then another. Then he asked me what other sports I played growing up. After I explained he said none of those sports relate to the golf swing, you see, you already have a repeating swing which takes many years to develop because of the unique muscles required to play golf.

Then Doug asked me what I wanted to do with my game, he said the key to joy with the game is to commit to a specific purpose otherwise one is like a ship without a radar. So I said well, I have always been competitive so I would like to play tournaments. He said great, here is what we’ll do, today is Friday, every Tuesday I have a group of single digit handicappers who play here. After I introduce you I want you to buy in and play with them every Tuesday because playing tournaments is about being comfortable being uncomfortable. He then gave me a reading list saying to read as many golf books as I possibly can because the more frames of reference I can develop, the better I will be since competitive golf is 80% between the ears.

Within a year I was a single digit handicapper which taught me that in golf, as in life, one is only as good as the average best score of your regular play group. It has now been almost 12 years and thanks to Doug’s guidance right from the beginning, I have maintained a low handicap playing in situation where I have no comfort zone.  I have had three other teachers since Doug; Lori Brook helped tighten up my swing and give me points of reference to fall back on in case my swing broke down in the middle of a tournament; Don Byrd, who caddied for Arnold Palmer in the early days, taught me how to manage the course hole by hole; Bob Swinnerton helped my swing so that there would be very little stress on my body regardless of how much golf I played.

             “Money is not your destiny, it is the oil that lubricates your destiny” – My father

I am reaching out to my friends, family and community to raise funds so I can prepare to play at the highest level of competition; I have found someone who holds two course records and has basically been playing golf all his life, to work with. Les Teuteberg will be helping me at the range on the course. I will also be working with Aura Walker on the mental side of the game. Aura has already helped me with how to manage my energy. After a full medical I will find a physical trainer and nutritionist to get on regiment compatible with the long term goals of longevity of play. Because winning evolves us to a higher self.