So, I decided to jump into the Austin City Championship golf tournament this year. Why? Honestly, just felt like testing myself, seeing what happens when you actually put a score down under pressure, you know? Wasn’t expecting to win or anything, just wanted to be part of it.
Getting Signed Up and Ready
The sign-up part was easy enough, just filled out a form online. Paid the fee. Then it hit me – okay, now I actually have to play. So, the weeks leading up were mostly spent trying to get my game into some kind of shape. Lots of time at the range. Hitting buckets of balls, trying to find some consistency. My short game needed serious work, so I spent hours chipping and putting. You know how it is, feeling good one day, terrible the next.
- Went out to the tournament course a couple of times beforehand. Just to see the layout again, figure out where not to hit it.
- Checked my gear. Cleaned the clubs, made sure I had enough balls (definitely needed those), got the push cart tires filled.
- Tried not to think too much about the actual competition part. Just focused on hitting the ball.
Felt kind of nervous but also excited leading up to it. It’s different than just playing with your buddies.
Tournament Day Arrives – Round 1
Woke up early on Saturday. Got to the course, Lions Municipal – Muni, everyone calls it. The atmosphere was different. More serious, people warming up with purpose. Checked in, got my scorecard, found out my tee time and who I was playing with. Nice enough guys, we were all a bit tense I think.
First tee shot… well, I got it airborne and in play. That felt like a win already. The round itself was a grind. Seriously, a total grind. Made a few good pars, felt great. Then I’d hit a terrible shot, make a double bogey, and feel like an idiot. The course wasn’t super long, but if you missed the greens, getting up and down was tough. The greens were rolling pretty quick too.
Finished the round feeling pretty drained. Shot wasn’t great, wasn’t terrible either. Somewhere in the middle, which is about right for me. Just happy to have survived day one without completely embarrassing myself. Grabbed some food, went home, basically collapsed.
Pushing Through – Round 2
Felt a bit stiff waking up Sunday. Headed back to Muni. Same routine: check in, warm up, try to feel positive. Knew I wasn’t really in contention for anything, so the goal was just to play a bit better than yesterday. Less pressure maybe?
Started off okay again. Tried to just play one shot at a time, cliché I know, but it’s all you can do. Had a couple of birdies actually, which was nice. But Muni always gets you somewhere. Found some trouble on the back nine, gave a few shots back. Fatigue definitely started setting in on the last few holes. Just wanted to finish strong.
Walking off the 18th green felt good. Tired, but good. Signed the scorecard, turned it in. Officially done.
Looking Back On It
So, the Austin City Championship experience. Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It’s humbling, that’s for sure. You see how good some players really are. But it was fun to compete, to feel those tournament nerves again. It showed me exactly what parts of my game need the most work – basically everything!
Didn’t finish anywhere special on the leaderboard, but that wasn’t the point. The point was just doing it. Pushing myself, going through the process. It’s a good reminder that golf is hard, and playing under pressure is a different beast altogether. Glad I did it. Might even do it again next year, who knows. Gotta work on that short game first, though. Seriously.
