New Foot-Joy 'layering' clothing system

Hey guys - The new Foot-Joy 'layering' clothing system is great! In the winter it gets chilly in the bays at the GlenArbor Teaching Center but the 'layering' system keeps me really warm with out bilking me up! Really cool! Check it out at footjoy.com. If you need help with your winter golf game give me a call. Happy Holidays!

Rob Labritz

Q-School Second Stage Rd Final

It was a good battle but I missed going to the final stage by 2 shots. I shot a round of 70 with 3 birdies and one bogey. It was a solid round but I needed 2 more shots this week. I am totally lucky however as I have a job that I love and health on my side.

I look forward to the challenge next time and hopefully will prevail. Keep posted for the updates. Until then.....keep in in the fairway and on the green!!

Rob

Q-School Second Stage Rd 3

So here is the scenario......Wind, really firm fast greens, really wet fairways and approaches and now mud on the ball since we are playing it down. Just tough conditions. I shot 73 and am in a tie for 39th still four or five shots out of advancing. I jumped a bunch of spots today with one over par. You can imagine how difficult the conditions are. Two bogeys and one birdie on the card today.

I need a 67 or 66 tomorrow which can be done. My tee time is 8:40 am tomorrow and the wind conditions are supposed to be minimal. Wish me luck. Until tomorrow.....

Rob

Q-School Second Stage Rd 2

Boy does the wind blow in Texas! I made 3 birdies and 3 bogeys for a round of even par 72. I am in a tie for 46 but most importantly am only 4 shots out of advancing. I have a good pairing tomorrow with Olin Brown and Josh McCumber at 9 am off tee #10. It is supposed to be a bit cooler tomorrow and the wind is supposed to blow from yet another direction. Patience is my middle name right now. Good swings and good speed on the greens is the name of the game.

The greens are perfect. They are rolling at speeds of 13 to 14 on the stimpmeter. On the agenda for tonight is a work out, dinner and good night sleep. Talk to all of you tomorrow.

Rob

Q-School Second Stage Rd 1

Its funny how you can love the game so much and yet it just keeps punching you in the gut. Thats what it felt like today. I came out of the box and bogeyed 5 of my first 6 holes in the wind on greens that were faster than the final round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. I then hit every green in regulation from #7 thru #18 and could not convert a birdie putt. I hit some good putts too. The score was 77. Good enough for middle of the pack.

In my years as a professional golfer I have learned one thing........patience. There are still 54 holes left to make plenty of birdies. I tee off at 8:50 am c.m.t. on Wednesday. The wind will still be blowing except this time it will be from the opposite direction. Lots of golf left. I need more birdie power from all of you. I'll keep you posted. Until tomorrow........

Rob

Q-School Second Stage part 3

Well my t-time is 9:50 am central time off hole #1. The weather is supposed to be better and the wind is supposed to blow 10 to 20 mph. I worked on my trajectory today and also spent most of the day around the greens chipping and putting. I am as ready as I will ever be.....time to go out and have some fun!! Talk to all of you tomorrow. Remember.........birdies!!

Rob

Q-School Second Stage part 2

The second practice round went great. The weather here is still cold and rainy. Huge thunder showers last night. The course did not need any more water but it sure got plenty. The next few days are supposed to be beautiful with highs in the 70's and sunny. I am looking forward to that. The tee times will be posted today and I will keep all of you posted.

Today will be a light day. I will hit the gym this am and then go to practice. I will only play 9 holes and rest up for the next 4 tournament rounds. Remember......keep thinking birdies! Be well and look for the next blog. Talk soon.

Rob

Q-School Second Stage

Hey Everyone - I know it has been a long time and thank you for all of your emails asking about updates. Here we go..... I just played my first practice round at Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas (about 30 minutes outside of Houston) and what a golf course! This baby is LONG! I am not a short hitter by any means and between the cold weather and sea level topography, this golf course is longer than Bethpage Black. They have had a fair amount of rain here as well so that adds to the overall distance. Redstone measures 7500 yards.

It is a very fair golf course and the greens roll beautifully. I have two more practice rounds scheduled for Sunday and Monday. The tournament starts on Tuesday and is a 72 hole event with the top 18-20 guys making their way to the finals at Orange County National Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. The top 25 guys in the finals will earn their PGA Tour playing privileges for the 2011 season.

I will be shooting updates throughout the week and you can follow the action on www.pgatour.com. Go to q-school at the top of the page. You can figure the rest out from there. Think birdie for me starting on Tuesday and keep the mojo flowing through Friday. I am playing well and am totally looking forward to the competition. Keep your eyes posted and thanks for the support. Talk to all of you soon.

Rob

Metropolitan PGA Championship Final

It was a fun 3 days at the Piping Rock Club. I shot rounds of 68, 71, 74 to finish in a tie for 4th place. The golf course was great and Mark Brown played awesome the final round. He battled very windy conditions to shoot 67 in the final round to win by 2. Congrats to Mark.

The next is the Treiber Memorial in October. The focus however is in November for the 2nd stage of PGA Tour qualifying in Humble, Texas. More to come on that......

Off to California soon for the GlenArbor/Mayacama Ryder Cup matches which will be a great tune up for Q-School.  Til then........fairways and greens!!

Rob

Metropolitan Open Final

It was a gorgeous day in Farmingdale, New York at the famed Bethpage Black Golf Course. My score was unfortunately as high as the temperature. I shot 76 and finished in a tie for 20th. It was good enough to earn an exemption into the tournament for next year but not how I wanted to end the 2010 Metropolitan Open.

Bob Rittberger of the Garden City Golf Club ended up as the champion just edging out Danny Balin of the  Burning Tree Country Club at even par for the tournament. Danny kept up his solid play this year. He was the other club professional in Metropolitan Section (me being the other) to earn a trip to this years PGA Championship. Congrats to Bob on a great tourney!!

I have our Metropolitan PGA Section Championship coming up at the Piping Rock Club next month. This will be another great tournament to get me ready for the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying starting in the third week of November.

Things are still really crazy from my finish at the PGA Championship and I am loving every minute of it. Remember........fairways and greens and I will be chatting again soon.

Rob

Metropolitan Open

There have been 2 days on Bethpage Black so far playing the Met Open and there is one round left. I shot scores of 74-70 and am in a tie for 10th place heading into todays final round. The weather on the first day was rainy and windy. It was calm yesterday but still on the misty side. The weather this summer has taken a toll on the condition of the golf course. The rough is not as high and the greens are not as fast as in past years but it is still one of the best tests in golf.


An amateur is leading the field at 71-66. His name is Evan Beirnie and Bethpage is his home course. He is the reigning Metropolitan Amateur Champion.


I play at 10:51 today with a friend of mine named Keith Dicciani. He is the reigning New York State Open Champion which is played every year at Bethpage Black. It will be a good round today as I truly love playing Bethpage. Until tomorrow....think Bridies!


Rob

PGA Championship Final

It was a long and grueling week! Martin Kaymer came out as the PGA Champion and I made my first cut in a major championship. The support that I received through out the week has been tremendous and beyond my wildest expectations. A heart felt 'THANK YOU' goes out to all of my friends and family. Truly cool!

I scored poorly on Sunday. I was trying to make up ground by firing at flags and unfortunately found out that is very difficult to do in a major championship. Final total was 77 shots on Sunday and a tie for 68th place.

It was really cool playing golf with Retif Goosen. He is a cool guy and a class act! I plan on working on my game harder than ever now and want to hoist up that Wannamaker Trophy one day. I must now return my Mercedes courtesy car and get back to New York. What a week! Be on the look out for more!!! Until then......fairways and greens!

Rob

Whistling Straits Rd 3

It was a long day out at the Straits. In my return back I made one birdie and 8 pars to make the cut at even par. Tons of things going on after that. Reporters and interviews to name a few. I was the only club professional to make the cut. A true accomplishment but I wanted more. I had my sights set on a top 15 finish!

I was paired in the afternoon with Rickie Fowler and Martin Laird. Both of whom I have respect for. I made 3 birdies on the front nine holes to get it to 3 under and that much closer to obtaining my goal. I was standing on the 18 hole (the 9th hole on the course) at 2 under and took an unfortunate 8 to shoot 74. Ouch!

I am paired today with Retif Goosen (a 2 time US Open champion) at 8:26am central time. Look for a low one today.  As the low club professional I will be standing on the podium with the eventual winner of the PGA Championship (unless I go out there and shoot 62 myself).

What a week so far! I am looking forward to todays round and getting back into red numbers!! Thanks for all of the texts, facebook notes and emails through out the week! I am trying to keep up with them! It means the world to me! Look for lots of birdies today!!!

Rob

Check out the 12th hole shot that was on TV

http://davedonelsonteetogreen.blogspot.com/2010/08/sweet-swing-at-whistling-straits.html

Rob

PGA Championship Round 1

It was a solid round at the Straits on Thursday. I opened up with a nice birdie on #1. It was a 40 foot putt down the hill that rolled smack in the middle of the cup! Let me tell you, there is no better feeling in the world when a huge crowd roars as a birdie falls in the cup.....no better!!! I got chills up and down my body and as I saw my name pop up on the leader board I had to keep my emotions in check as I felt my eyes fill up with tears! Years and years of practice for that moment!! It is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. The best part about it was that my entire family was there to experience it with me. My son Matthias, who is 7 cheered as loud as a volcano erupting!

Another solid birdie on 3 and I was off and running. I made a bad swing on 4 after a perfect drive which cost me a double bogey but I bounced back with birdies on #5 and #6 to get back on top of the leader board.

I made a ton of solid pars until #18 when I made another bad swing which cost me my second double of the day. The score was 73 (+1) and in a tie for 78th. I am currently 5 shots off the lead but am brimming with confidence!  Look for a low one today! There is another fog delay and my tee time was already pushed back to 2pm central time. Thanks for sending me all the texts and emails of support! It really keeps me pumped up!  Talk soon and remember.....fairways and greens!

Rob

Wednesday at the Straits

It was a weird day at the Straits! Rain in the morning and then beautiful in the afternoon. Steve Marino and I were playing against Danny Balin and Ben Curtis in a little match. Steve and I just went birdie-birdie to go one up on the match when the skies opened up and the down pour started!!  It rained so hard that I felt like I was in the African rain forest!

After a few hours of eating I went to practice and got a great session in. I was hitting balls next to Tiger and Geoff Olgivy. I am ready to tackle the Straits! 7:20 am central time. Thanks for all of your well wishes throughout the week. All of your support is so huge! Thanks so much.

Think birdies! Until tomorrow..........fairways and greens!!

Rob

Tuesday at Whistling Straits

Hey All - What a great golf course! Whistling Straits is a great test of golf and the scores will be low if the wind is not 'whistling'!

I have played the golf course a few times now with Danny Balin and it is a truly special place! The greens are starting to firm up a bit and the wind is still down. The rough is long and gnarly and it grows in all sorts of different directions! Bottom line is do not hit it in there!

Be sure to read my column in the New York Post and watch my site for updates. More to come from Whistling! Talk to all of you soon.

Rob

Whistling Straits Practice Round

So Danny Balin (another friend who qualified for the PGA Championship) and I went to Whistling Straits on Monday to get a feel for the golf course before the crowds get to massive. What an unbelieveable place! The feeling that I got when I walked on the course was just fantastic. My 3rd major championship.......holy crap!

It was quite intimidating off the tee box as you cannot see many of the fairways but when you get out into the fairway, the space is very ample. The cool thing was that the course suited my eye very well and I felt extermely comfortable out there.

We shared the course that day with Paul Casey, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Hunter Mahan. Paul Casey and I played together at Hazeltine National Golf Club in 2002 at the PGA Championship. It was the first major championship for both of us.

I will head out to Whistling Straits on Sunday to start my week and I am looking forward to playing well and enjoying every second. I will be doing a special column for the New York Post starting on Wednesday so be sure to check it out. I will be talking about the entire experience from the Mercedes courtesy car to the golf course and fellow competitors.

Talk soon and stay tuned for some cool stuff the next couple of weeks. Until then...fairways and greens!!

Rob

Metropolitan Professional Championship

The last 2 weeks have been a good warm up for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. I have been playing some good golf and have been feeling really comfortable with my game but have not been scoring very well. This is a funny game. You can play well and not score well and you can play poorly and have great scores. Figure that one out.

With nothing to lose I went on a birdie hunt and shot a course record 63 at Rockland Country Club in Sparkill, NY climbing the leader board to a tie for 10th. Based on my finish of 15th place at the National Club Professional Championship in June of this year I was already exempt but the score has given me a confirmation of my hard work the last couple of months!

Congratulations to Scott Ford of North Hills Country Club on his victory at this years Met Professional Championship. His scores of 68-65 were low enough to take top honors.

I will be doing a blog for the New York Daily News from Whistling Straits the week of the PGA Championship so be on the look out for my perspective of the years last major Championship. Til then....fairways and greens!

Rob

National Club Professional Championship Final

With a birdie-birdie finish, I punched my ticket to the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits from August 9th thru the 15th.  I am totally excited! The course again played very difficult and the pressure was immense but I was able to overcome 21 spots and finish tied for 15th. The top 20 professionals qualify for the PGA Championship.

It has been 7 years since I have played in this tournament and I am really excited. Danny Balin was the other professional that qualified for the Metropolitan section with his top 5 finish. He played great and is playing in his first Major Championship.

I look forward to updating RobLabritz.com with live blogs from the 2010 PGA Championship from Whistling Straits.

Talk soon.

Rob

National Club Professional Championship Moving Day

After 2 days I sit at +5 with rounds of 75-72 on the Dye Course and the Ross Course. The weather here is extremely hot and windy. The temps were up in the middle 90's but today it is reported that it will be a bit cooler. (Who knows if the weatherman will be right) What a brutal test of golf! The next two rounds will be played at the Dye Course which is extremely difficult by the way.

The cut was to the low 70 players and ties of the 315 person field. I am currently 8 shots out of the lead and 4 shots out of the top 20. The top 20 also qualify for the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

My tee time today is 9:10 off the first tee. When my putter wakes up things will be good! TV coverage starts today at 3:30 so be on the look out. Talk soon.

Rob

National Club Professional Championship

The two golf courses here in French Lick, Indiana couldn't be any more different. The Donald Ross Course is a classic design built in 1917 with severely undulating greens! Three putts must not be part of the repertoire but are imminent. The Dye Course could be stretched out to 8000 yards, thats right 8000. Mr Dye did this so they would not have to lengthen it in the future. It is pristine! Not a blade of grass out of place. It seems tremendously wide because of the lack of trees and the vastness of the land, however some of the fairways are only 20 to 25 yards wide, well bunkered and very undulating!

My tee times are 12:50 p.m. (Dye Course) off #10 on Sunday and 7:50 a.m. (Ross Course) off #1 on Monday. Golf Channel coverage starts on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Tune in to watch the top club professionals in the country tackle two very contrasting and very difficult layouts.

Talk soon.

Rob

US Open Final

Well it was great watching the US Open puke fest! So many missed putts! Congrats to Graeme Mcdowell on his first US Open victory. Also congrats to Gregory Havret for his second place finish! He was a qualifier that made a 50 foot putt to get into a playoff for one of the final spots to get into the final US Open field. Tiger and Phil also had a good tournament. Both of them are just not on the top of their games.

I leave for the National Club Professional Championship on Wednesday. Remember to think birdie starting on the 27th. Talk to you all from French Lick (I still love the name) Indiana.

US Open

Pebble Beach is one of the best golf courses to hold a major championship. It takes thought and planning off the tee box to position yourself in the fairway to attack the greens. A person with patience and the smarts to lay back on certain holes will do very well. With the new groove rule a person MUST play from the fairway to be able to hold the greens and attack the flags. Look for a veteran to play well this week.

Learning from mistakes

Even the most talented players in the world get ahead of themselves. Look at Robert Garrigus yeaterday. He had a 3 shot lead with one to play and an unfortunate triple bogey on the last hole cost him the tournament. True champions will learn from their mistakes and apply what they have learned to the next time they are in that situation. Do not give up! You must fail to win!

I am leaving for the National Club Professional Championship in a couple of weeks which is being played at the French Lick Resort (yes thats the name) in French Lick, Indiana. The tournament dates are June 27th through June 30th. Live coverage will be available on the golf channel and you can follow live scoring on PGA.com.

I will be blogging so be on the lookout! Fairways and greens! Talk soon.

Rob

Hey All - Check it out!

Hey - Welcome! Thanks for checking this out! This FuelMedia website was designed to keep you informed and help you improve at the wonderful game of golf. If you need to contact me just shoot me a mail at my site. You will be able to check out my tournament results and keep up on your golf game by contacting me or scheduling your personalized coaching sessions. I hope that you have a good time staying connected to golf.

Talk to you soon.

Rob Labritz, PGA

Rob's Website Launch

Today is an exciting day for Rob, his highly anticipated website is now web-ready. To view Rob's site, visit roblabritz.com. Let us know what you think of the FUELmedia designed site!