My wife and I found out last week we're having a little boy!  Really cool.  She couldn't wait for the one ultrasound her insurance pays for, so we went to a fetal photo studio.  It was pretty cool.  Here he is:

He should make his appearance sometime in August.  Can't wait.

Luke

It's been really busy at the Junior Academy, so there hasn't been a lot of time to take advantage of the (relatively) great weather.  Now I have to start.

Up at 6 tomorrow.  Little practice early, baby doctor appointment, then teach some kids.  Hopefully God will give me the discipline to put in the work.

I've played 5 holes since November.  No bogies, one birdie.  Not bad...

Back at it.

Luke Swilor

As for me, my shotmaking has been relegated to the exibition variety.  The only shots I've hit the last 4 months have been in the process of showing the youth of Utah what to do.  I'll hit a couple of chips a day, then a couple of putts.  Teaching a lot, playing little.  It's a weird place, wanting it more than ever, not being able to play much.  The weather in Utah has been exceptional for golf this year, but I haven't been able to take advantage of that.

So, I'm hoping to get in some work in the next 2 months.  There is still a quite healthy summer tour around the West where I could make some progress.  I'm hoping I get the chance to take advantage of that.  Honestly, I want the golf career to happen more than ever.  It is the thing I would love to do for the rest of my life.  I'm blessed no matter what though.  With my family and faith, I will be happy no matter what.  A little extra time to practice would be nice...

So back to Tour golf.  Guys I like...  To be honest I like a lot of the foreigners.   Rory Mcilroy, Graeme Mcdowell, Ernie Ells, Ryo Ishikawa.  Kind of weird, because I am a true blue American.  These guys are likeable, though.  There are more, but I find myself rooting for a lot of guys not from here.

Hope your are all well.  Hopefully we will return with some more stories of life on the tour.

Stay tuned.

Luke Swilor

So we're looking forward to a new addition around mid August. Hopefully I'll get some golf in before then.

Luke

So for the first time in almost 10 years I'm not starting the new year at the Coral Canyon Open.  I was looking forward to it, but this year it has switched over to the Coral Canyon Amateur.  No pro purse.  Serious downer, and I could've used the cash.  I've always played well at that tournament, and it was a good way to get into the swing of the year.

Coral Canyon cancellation aside, things are going well.  Teaching the juniors has been good, the place is really starting to get busy.  I'll have the opportunity to officiate in some tournaments this year, something I've always wanted to do.  I still want to play a little bit too.  Not out of golf yet...

I'll leave you with a nice picture when there wasn't any snow on the ground.  10th tee River Oaks:

Luke Swilor

I haven't given up playing. Far from it. I think tweaking a few things this off season could make some huge declines in my stroke average. Being away from competitive golf for a couple months has changed my perspective drastically. I'm more willing than ever to put in the extra time to make a career in professional golf. At the same time, I don't see it as the end of things if that doesn't happen. My family is amazing, and hopefully it will begin to grow. I've gained a lot of new friends this year as I've bounced around from place to place. This is all good.

Since I'm still in the golf biz, I'm looking forward to posting here again. I'm sure I'll have some fun stories this winter (teaching juniors can be quite interesting), and hopefully this coming spring as well.

Everyone from the Salt Lake area--Check out juniorgolfutah.com

Merry Christmas season all! Don't forget who it is all about!

Luke Swilor

I'm still playing golf as much as possible. The weather has been unbelievably good around these parts, so the game is still in pretty good shape. I haven't played in a tournament since the Boise Nationwide qualifier, so that's a bit odd.

I've been looking around for some work for the winter, not much success. Weird, tough, all that. I'm not really sure what the future holds golf wise. I still want it. I'm still working at it. But if something outside of golf came up right now, I'm not sure what I would do. All options feel open.

My golf game is solid right now though. I've really been working on my fitness the last couple months, and my swing feels more solid. No extra length really, just feel like I'm more in control of where my club is. Around the greens I've been working on my putting setup. I've come to realize how important the setup is with the putter. A good setup lets the putter get into the proper positions without much extra work. It's been paying off.

Hopefully I will come back here more often. There's a chance I'll be playing in the Mesquite Fall Pro-am this weekend. If I get my team together I'll be down there.

Hope all is well.

Luke Swilor

Golden Eagle. Pretty cool bird.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot about the first stage qualifying course. I like Dayton Valley. I have good feelings there for some reason. I get really motivated thinking about it. I think it's because the memories get seared into the brain, being such a big week. There's not a lot of messing around that week, but it gets dark early. I remember last year I was THE customer at the redbox next to the hotel.

Nostalgia. Gets you.

Luke

I really struggled feeling comfortable on the course in the Salt Lake qualifier. I got off to a bad start, mainly due to some bad driving. I was pretty much out of it after 5 holes. The thing about Monday qualifiers is you better go low. When you are 3 over early, you pretty much have to birdie every hole. Anyhow, I ended up with 75 and 67 played off for one spot.

I felt much more comfortable on the course in the Boise qualifier, probably because I was in a better routine being out on the road. I'm much more used to getting into the golf frame of mind when I'm out of town. I got off to a good start (not as good as my playing competitor, who birdied the first 6 holes), but my chipping wasn't good, costing me too many shots. I ended up with a 72, and again 67 played off.

So there's not a whole lot of golf left 'round these parts this year. I've got some decisions to make, whether I'm going to hang around golf or not. One thing is for sure: If I'm going to continue trying to make it to the bigs, I can't go at it in such a segmented fashion. It was too hard to find any sort of rythm this year, only playing a couple times a week. I was rusty all year, never getting sharp. It is a frustrating way to go about things. SO, if I decide to play, I have to play. All the time.

Enjoy the fall weather! Leaves will be changing.

Luke Swilor