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I arrived home from the Toronto Golf Show late Sunday night in the middle of a snow storm and was awoken that morning to a sick little boy.  My son Luke caught a flu bug and was feeling awful.  The beautiful thing about being a golfer in the off season, I can blow apart my day when more important things come up.

I quickly cancelled my meetings I had scheduled an snuggled with my little man on the couch.  When he napped I was able to get some work done on the computer.  I needed to book a flight to Hilton Head for the EWGA conference I am keynote speaking at in May.  It is shockingly hard to get there from Western Canada.  To fly into Hilton Head directly I was looking at 2 stops at a minimum so I booked into nearby Savannah, GA.  I leave Calgary at 7 am and don’t arrive until 6 pm and go through O’Hare.  I wish some of these golf Meccas were easier to access!

The next day was also spent home with my little guy as he worked back to get on the mend.  I had one day to get my stuff done before hopping on another plane.  I was able to hit balls for two hours and work on a few swing adjustments I wanted to fix.  I have found using alignment rods more consistently has helped me tremendously with my accuracy.

My coach came to see me mid-session and gave me several pointers.  One swing thought that really resonated with me was “low and slow”.  Though I had heard it before sometimes as golfers we need to have good swing thoughts repeatedly reinforced before they click.  It was tremendous in helping ensure I load up and not make my transition too quick from the top of my back swing.  Great swing thought if you are struggling with your tempo!

On Thursday it was off to Ottawa, Ontario our nation’s capital for the 2013 Golf Show.  Upon arrival I met the show director and was briefed on important details and highlights to feature in my media interviews the next day.

For those of you who travel a lot I am sure you have had more than one occasion when the alarm clock didn’t go off.  I normally set my cell phone and call for a wakeup call and if I am competing the next morning I will also set the hotel alarm clock.  I am a stickler for it.

At 4:45 am I received a less than pleasant wake up call.  The system accidently called me early!  I could not get back to sleep and finally when my real alarm went off I was bagged.  Thank goodness for good make up to hide the dark circles.

I had several interviews  that morning.  One with the Team 1200, a sports radio show, another with the local news radio 580 CFRA and with a breakfast television show for CTV.  I have decided in my next life I want to be a sports broadcaster!  I loved doing the interviews and chatting and talking golf.  The boys were teasing me and said because of my high energy level and passion for the game they needed a nap after my segment.  I also always get asked how many coffees or Red Bulls I have had.  Ha ha!

CTV Breakfast TV in Ottawa

CTV Breakfast TV in Ottawa

Saturday it was off to the Show.   The crowds were very impressive and Ottawa has keen golfers to be sure.  I was thrilled to have packed stage shows with audience members ranging from juniors , single digit players,  women and seniors.

I covered basics that include grip, stance, alignment, posture and how to add distance to your whole game!  The hour shows went by in a flash!

Saturday night was a great night for show vendors.  It is a chance from people in the industry to get together and talk shop but also develop relationships.  It is why I love going to the PGA Show in Orlando every year!  Wonderful way for our industry to connect.

Sunday was also a busy day even with daylight savings!  Golfers were keen to get travel deals, show specials on local courses and try the new equipment.  I was thrilled to see the Kids Zone at the show giving away a free golf club to the first 200 juniors.  A great way to grow the game.

Lisa with Nike equipment demo guys at the Ottawa show

Lisa with Nike equipment demo guys at the Ottawa show

I had another fun interview this day with the Ottawa Sun and they did a fantastic web cast from the show.  Social media truly has become a big part of golf.  Everything from Facebook  pages, Twitter, webcasts, Linkedin and traditional print, audio and television.  It was all there!

All we need now is for the snow to melt!

Until next week, go long!

Lisa Longball Golf - Motivational Speaker and Golf Entertainer