Blog: Slocum writes about new beginnings Editor's note: Heath Slocum, who currently leads the PGA TOUR in scoring average, enters this week's Nissan Open with momentum after two straight top-10 finishes. Before he teed it up in pursuit of his third TOUR win, though, Slocum took time to write his first blog for PGATOUR.com. It seems like after a few years on TOUR everything runs together, but 2007 has been a year of new beginnings for me. From a quick start to a new city -- 2007 has started with a bang. I am really looking forward to the rest of the year if it can be half as good as the first five weeks. ![]() Heath Slocum is looking forward to a successful 2007. (Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage) I normally don't get off to such good starts, but after two top-10s and a top-20 in my first three tournaments, I can officially say it has been a great year so far. I never really have been able to put my finger on why I haven't gotten off to a better start in years past because I usually put in more work than I did this year. This year I just had three sessions of two to three days of work with my instructor, Mark Blackburn, at his teaching facility in Guntersville, Ala., working mostly on my pivot and set-up position. I was also able to get out to my new home course in Atlanta, The Golf Club of Georgia, once or twice, but not on a steady schedule. My girlfriend, Vicky, and I moved to Atlanta, where she grew up, at the beginning of this year. It was a great move for us as Atlanta affords me everything that I could need as a professional golfer. It is easy to fly direct to anywhere we play from the Atlanta airport and I was able to find a great home north of the city in Alpharetta which is just down the road from The Golf Club of Georgia. With the weather the way it is in Atlanta I can basically play and practice year-round without any disruptions other than the occasional snow flurry. In the offseason I also chose a new management company based in Atlanta called Blue Giraffe Sports. I am really excited about having my management company in my new hometown as it allows me some comfort to know I can drop by the office at anytime. With the new management company came a new clothing line that I am wearing this year and I am really excited about that, as well. I have started a relationship with Cutter & Buck and the people and product could not be better. I went down to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando and was able to meet almost everyone in the company. I am very excited about being a member of the family for many years to come.
I guess that brings me to a few thoughts about my play thus far. I think a very special moment this year was at the FBR Open where I had an ace and the crowd at the rowdy 16th hole sang "Happy Birthday" to me on Saturday. It was great to see how passionate the golf fans are there and appreciate all the preparation they do to make that hole unlike any other. I am now out at the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club. The course here is beautiful and the tournament is run very well. All the volunteers and tournament staff have done a great job. This course should fit my game to a "T," but I haven't really played great here in the past. I look forward to changing that this week, though. My caddy D.J. and I have gotten in some good work on the range since the traffic in L.A. is a good excuse to practice long hours. In all, I guess the new changes in my life have given me a fresh start and I look forward to chasing my third PGA TOUR win this season and really concentrating the new base I am building on and off the course. I hope the weather holds up this week and we can keep the "MO" rolling. Next week I will be in Atlanta preparing to return to my old home for the Florida swing where I always love to play. Maybe I'll get a little fishing in while I am there -- I might even try a new lure. New things seem to be working for me right now, so who knows? |