Mikes Diary - 2006 Year in Review

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:32:10

Now that the dust has settled on the 2006 season, I am able to look back and say I had a good year. I feel that compared to 2005, I moved in the right direction with my game and generally played better. It's clear however, that if I'd been sharper on Sundays, it could have been a great year. A more consistent scoring average in final rounds this season would have made that possible.

I'd like to tell you that there was some easy explanation for this final-round blip, but there wasn't. It seems that many of my worst rounds of the week just fell on Sunday. It's not unlike an amateur who goes out there and shoots 75 one day, 80 the next and then an 84. You have good rounds and poor ones and unfortunately I just had a lot of poor ones on Sunday.

Sometimes there was bad luck involved. At Pebble Beach I hit a great drive down the fairway on the second hole only to end up with a big clump of mud on the ball. As a result my next one went out of bounds. On other occasions I just lost out to a someone who was playing better. During the PGA Championships I shot 65 on Saturday and didn't pick up any ground to Tiger. I went for it a bit on Sunday but when you're playing catch up on the PGA Tour, it can be very, very tough.

I did have a successful year in terms of the Majors. I played well in three of the four tournaments - the Masters, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championships. I also had a good start during the British Open Championships although it didn't finish that well. I felt it was good to compete in the Majors again. I was pleased to get into the hunt against the best players on the toughest courses.

For most of the year I was tweaking my game, trying to find a feel that was right. I don't know if I was ever really settled with my swing. I was also dealing with a sore back for much of the year. This had me popping Advil and resting on bags of ice after a lot of rounds. It wasn't a debilitating type of injury like in 2005, but there was definite discomfort. At the end of the year at the HSBC Match Play, I really aggravated it. I had an MRI last week and it showed a slight bulge in one disk. I'm receiving treatment for that now and it shouldn't be a problem for 2007.

The overall soreness in my back, however, was due in many ways to how I was swinging. Over the course of the year, I got into some bad positions that put a lot of stress on certain areas of my back. All this uncertainty with my swing was one reason I decided to switch instructors. I know that Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett will give me a fresh approach. They've already made some interesting observations on my swing, even though we haven't gotten into things in great detail yet. They use a lot of video in their work and it has been interesting for me to see how they're breaking things down. I hadn't watched my own swing for a while and just a few suggestions from these sessions has already lessened the strain on my back.

If I can get my technique to a point where it feels right, then I'll be able to trust my swing. This was a problem last year, especially when I got in the hunt. Overall, I'm really pleased with the direction that Andy and Mike have pointed me in and I'm excited about where my swing is going. That, in itself, is part of the reason I made the change - just to get some freshness into my work.

I think that the 2007 season will be an interesting one in terms of the new schedule. I'm personally not sure how positive the changes are. I think a lot of guys will be playing less in the summer because of the busy finish. I will be making some adjustments to where I play because the end of the year will be especially hectic for me. The way things are laid out I'll be playing eight tournaments in nine weeks, starting with the British Open and finishing up with the Tour Championship. I'll have the week of Greensboro off and will take a second week away before the Presidents Cup. The President's Cup tournament will be a big week at the Royal Montreal GC and a team that I definitely want to be on. I've been a part of the last three President's Cup tournaments and I don't want to miss out on this one.

Like a lot of Canadians, I am also concerned about the Canadian Open. With no sponsor and a poor date on the calendar, it's worrisome. I really think the best strategy for the RCGA is to keep taking this event to good golf courses like Hamilton, Shaughnessy and the Royal Montreal. These courses will attract many players, although the date will be an issue if it continues to be scheduled the week after the British.

I still have a couple of events left for 2006 including the Grand Slam and the World Cup. In preparation, I'm working very hard with Mike and Andy on the changes I'm bringing to my swing. The off-season will be busy for me, but I feel a lot of positives for 2007 and can't wait to get back out there and get going.

As the season wraps up, I'd like to thank you for all the support you've given me in 2006. It's great to know that there are so many people behind me. On behalf of the entire Weir family I'd like to wish everyone all the best for the rest of 2006.

Have a safe and happy holiday season.
Mike