At the end of 2012, a few days after Christmas, I held a casual happy hour fundraiser in my home town of River Falls, WI. I was 2 weeks away from heading to Thailand and I hoped to raise some money that would support my golf career and allow me to start focusing solely on golf. No longer would I be balancing a part time job at a golf course - I wanted to dive head first into playing and eliminate my excuse of having to work 2 days a week.
The turnout was fantastic, with family, friends, teachers, classmates, former bosses, and former co-workers. Some people weren't able to make it due to the busy holiday season, but they still contacted me and wanted to express their support and help out in whatever way they could. I opened a PayPay account with hopes that people who no longer lived near River Falls would have a way to donate and reach me. I've received donations from former neighbors, godparents, college roommates, and friends from the golf course.
I can only try to say how thankful I am for those that have donated and those who have clearly wanted to help me succeed. Even if I say thank you in every sentence, it still is short of what is necessary. Below is a list of those who showed up and donated. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you.
The Wiersmas
Peg Steinmetz
Grandma Conroy
The Ornelas Family
The Conroy Family (Pat, Lora, Brendan, Keely, & Matthew)
The Kjosas
The Rasmussens
Diane Brady
Matt Piper
Jonah Evenson
Phil Kluss
Sue Moen
The Ericksons
The Loomis Family
The Heiman Family
The Loney Family
Jack Cullen
Mike Miller
The Babler Family
The Wells Family
The Deal Family
The Nelson Family
Tom Carroll
Todd Schultz
Matt Danielson
Kevin Pechacek & The West Wind Supper Club
The Mielke Family
The Dawsons
The Schultz Family
The Betzel Family
...and of course my Mom and Dad!
Since the fundraiser, I have seen results that are directly related to the extra time and energy that are devoted to golf instead of work. My trip to Thailand was a success. I advanced to final stage of Q-school and even though I did not earn my card, I realized that traveling around the world to play golf is an option and I have begun planning a trip to Europe this fall for European Tour Q-School.
Once back in Arizona, I started playing All-American Gateway Tour events. I played a handful of these in the fall of 2012, but without great success. The first 6 events of 2013 on the All-American Gateway Tour, I have recorded 4 top-10s. Prior to this year, I have only 3 top-10s, while playing over 40 Gateway Tour events. That is a pretty obvious improvement and exactly what I knew I was capable of.
My new schedule involves a lot more time to practice, but also a lot more time to relax. The day after a tournament used to be a work day - from 6:30 am until about 7:30 pm, but now I have turned it into a mental/physical health day. I'm able to work out with my trainer, and regardless of how I finished in the tournament that week I tell him to "punish" me because I have the weekend to recover. Those of you on Facebook have probably seen some of the pictures of me working hard.
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| Taken Feb. 7th, the day after finishing t-4th. At the very end of a workout when the body is in fatigue. |
My hard work has not gone unnoticed and my trainer recruited me to be a model in a couple of his golf fitness videos. Here's another one.
Besides working out, I have the time and guts to start going to yoga classes. Just one more way to improve my flexibility, but more importantly, even out the imbalances in my body and discover how difficult it is to truly control your breathing.
The rest of the year will be a new and exciting one with tournaments in new states and new countries. I have posted my schedule in the sidebar and you can follow results there as well.
Many more thank you's for everybody who has donated. I still have the PayPal account open and will continue to accept donations throughout the year. Any amount will help with entry fees and caddie fees while I play PGA Tour Canada events. Your continued support and help will allow me to play the tournament schedule I want to.
Thank you, and keep following my results, reading the blog, and cheering for my success.
Neil Johnson
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