麻豆视频

Golfer Paul Grimes of Kenosee has once again garnered a spot on the Saskatchewan senior men's roster, representing the province at the 2014 Canadian Men's Senior Amateur Championship at the Capilano Golf and Country Club, in West Vancouver, B.C., August 26-29. After once again earning a silver medal at the Saskatchewan Senior Men's Championship in Waskesiu, Grimes is one of only three players in the province to be selected to compete in the Nationals.

Grimes says that he is looking forward to competing on the historic course, designed by iconic golf course architect, Stanley Thompson.

"This particular course is extremely private," says Grimes. "Stanley Thompson designed many of the best courses in Canada, including the course at The Banff Springs Hotel. Of about 50 of the best Canadian courses, you'll find that he designed over half of them. Anything Stanley Thompson designs, you know you're in for a treat."

" This course is very old, very renowned and lush," says Grimes, adding that players will often Google courses in order to ready themselves for competition.

"Ideally, conditions should be the same for everybody who's competing," says Grimes. "You try and prepare yourself for any conditions. Of course, Saskatchewan players are used to playing in the wind, for example."

"Everything in golf is muscle memory and mental preparation," Grimes says. "A pre-shot routine, eliminating the variables and getting yourself in a position where you feel comfortable. You try to do it the same anytime, anywhere."

Grimes says that mental preparation is of added importance to him when competing at the national level. Along with playing to win, he had an additional personal golfing goal this year, leading up to the 2014 Canadian competition.

"This championship, my goal all year [since the 2013 Nationals in Ontario] was to get my emotions under control."

"It got more serious in the last little while. And as I played more golf, it was obvious. The top players handle their nerves. So I knew in order to get better, I had to get tournament-ready."

Before Nationals, Grimes says competitors have the opportunity to walk the course and practice for a day before competition. "Usually I golf for two days and take a day off" he says. "But that doesn't work for tournaments," adding, "There's a big difference between a three-day tournament and a four-day tournament."

"Last year [at the four-day Nationals] was a real eye-opener for me," says Grimes. "I really learned a lot and I found four days was much more emotionally draining than I thought it would be. Typically, on the third day of a three-day tournament like the provincials, lots of golfers were fading on the stretch on the third day."

Of the Nationals, Grimes says, "The first goal is to make the cut. Winning the {Canadian] Nationals can lead to a spot in the USGA [United States Golf Association] Senior Amateur Championship, so there are not only golfers from across Canada, there are golfers from Brazil, Florida, Texas, Hawaii...There are a lot of good sticks there."

Local support for him has been "unbelievable," says Grimes. "I got back in the office and on non-golf-related calls, people were congratulating me, the tweets, the emails, the texts, it was great."

Although Grimes competes under the Golf Kenosee banner, he says, "We have two courses here [Kenosee and White Bear] that are as good as anything I've seen. I've played a lot of courses. In Saskatchewan, I've played in Nipawin, Waskesiu, Swift Current, [Prince Albert], all of them. They're good, too. But we're very fortunate here to have two quality courses right in our backyard."

"Golf can be enjoyed at any level. I've been golfing for a lotta, lotta (sic) years. I've met so many neat people through it and established friendships. Now I go to these tournaments and I know most people."

Grimes says that in golf, "You set your own bar. Everybody's goals and ideals are different, and that's the neat thing about golf. My goal in tournament golf is to go in with a relaxed state of mind and feel the same way I do when I'm golfing with a group of friends."

"It just gets easier when you're in that position more often," he says.

Brian Lee of the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame says, "Paul played very steady over the course of the three days [in Waskesiu]. Over the past few years Paul has become quite comfortable playing in Provincial events. If he keeps up his pace it will not be long before he is either pressing for the championship or raising the trophy himself."