DUSTIN PIMM, UNIVERSITY of UTAH, Junior

DUSTIN PIMM, UNIVERSITY of UTAH, Senior 2007-2008

2007 Blog:

"Hi, my name is Dustin Pimm. I am now a Senior at the University of Utah, a member of the Utes golf team and an alumni of the UJGA. I have been asked to share with you a few thoughts from my weekly journal as I travel and participate in my final two seasons of collegiate golf, my summer along the amateur circuit and my experiences as I prepare to turn professional…"

February 5^th:

“Well...It's been a long winter and our first spring college tournament is coming up next week in St. George. I have been working very hard on my swing this winter, but I know by not playing very much this winter my short game will be very rusty. I'm just very excited to play on grass and start playing competitively again. School has begun and it's very tough with golf starting to keep up on my work, but it's nice that we have study hall hours each week so I can keep up with it. I'm really looking forward to our schedule this spring, because I have played every course in past years and Hawaii is only two weeks away...”

February 20^th:

Hello all from Hawaii... The last week our team played well in St. George taking 4^th. I played like I thought I would. Good at times, and rusty at times. I really only had 3 bad swings in 36 holes. So, I was happy shooting 74-70. We got to Hawaii on Sunday and played Turtle Bay yesterday. Today we had a 5½ hour practice round. One thing that I have learned over my college career is that you must be patient at all times, even in the practice rounds. My swing is definitely getting better and my short game has some minor bumps, but I think I have enough confidence to get through a round. Tournament starts tomorrow, and it is a great field, which includes BYU, UNLV and New Mexico. I will let you know how the tournament goes.

April 15^th

The spring has been extremely busy with school and golf. In April I will miss over 10 days of school, and finals are coming so I need to really focus and prepare for school and golf. I have been hitting the ball so much better the past few weeks. And, now I hope the scores start coming down. My last tournament I placed 5th (69-70-70) and our team placed 2nd. Today I won the Tri City Open (66-68) and I had 14 birdies and an eagle. This week we play in the PING Cougar Classic at Riverside Country Club. Then we play in Tucson for the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The season has flown by and I can't believe my Junior season will be over. I really enjoy the college golf experience. My team is getting better which makes me get better too. I will let you know how the season finishes up...

May 1^st:

Well, the season is about over. Our team ended up 7th at the conference tournament. I am awaiting word from the NCAA committee on whether or not I will be invited to the Western Regionals as an individual. I hope my senior year our team gets to go to the NCAA tournament. I am looking forward to a busy summer again. No summer school though. Finshing my finals this week, so I will be out until August. I am planning on playing in the Utah State Amateur, the Sahalee Players Championship, the Pacific Coast Amateur, and possibly the US Open, the US Amateur and US Public Links. Good luck to all of you junior golfers as your season gets underway in St. George.

May 23^rd :

Good news is, I was invited to the NCAA Western regional’s. The bad news, my junior season is complete. Just like that, season over. Sometimes it can be one hole that makes the difference, sometimes it can be one round. For me, it was one round. I hit the ball really well, but I couldn’t put the ball in the hole. Too many putts. But, school is out and now I can work on my short game and get ready for summer. I am playing in the Utah State Amateur, the Pacific Coast Amateur, the Southwest Amateur, the Sahalee Players Championship, and then trying to qualify for the US Amateur and the US Public Links. I just missed out on the US Open qualifier this week, as I doubled number 16 at Alpine for a 72. 70 would have made it! But, there is plenty of golf in the future, so I have to keep plugging along. Good luck to all of you this summer!.

July 2^nd:

June was a good month for me. It started with a win in the Salt Lake City Amateur at Bonneville. I played pretty good both days and hung on for the win. I played in the Southwest Amateur in Scottsdale and made both cuts to finish 13^th. I hit the ball great, but didn’t putt too well. I placed 3^rd at the US Public Links qualifier at Soldier Hollow. This is the 3^rd time I have finished in 3^rd place. They only take 2 to the National tournament. I am in Seattle now getting ready to play in the Sahalee Players Championship this week and next week is the Utah State Amateur. I hope July is a good month for me. Good luck to all of you as you start the 2^nd half of the UJGA season.

August 17^th:

Where did the summer go? School starts next week already. It was a good summer. Not a great summer, but a good one. One to build on and prepare me for my Senior year at the University. I won two local tournaments, the Fox Hollow Open and the Salt Lake City Amateur. I placed 11th at the Sahalee Players Championship, 13th at the Southwest Amateur and 14th at the Pacific Coast Amateur. I hit the ball extremely well all spring and summer, but my putting kept me from scoring in some rounds. I am determined to become a better putter, so I am going to spend more time working on it this fall. I hope that all of you had a great summer and your golf game improved. Good luck in the season ending tournaments and in your high school golf events.

September 26^th:

Golf can be the most awesome game on this planet, and then the next day, it can make you want to change your hobby altogether. Especially since HALO 3 came out this week, I was having second thoughts about my golf game. I wish I could spend 10 hours a day working on my game, but with school, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

We have played in 3 college tournaments this fall. I have played 8 rounds and the reality of it all is that I have hit the ball pretty well all 8 rounds. I have had a few snakebite holes, but for the most part, it has come down to putting. The rounds I have 30 or less putts, I shoot great scores. The rounds where I have 34 putts, I am not happy with my play.

We just completed the annual Purple & Red tournament at Valley View. Monday I started our birdie-birdie-birdie and ended up shooting 73. Then yesterday I shot 67 with no bogeys and I lipped out 5 putts. Go figure. Everyone thought that the 5^th place finish was great, and our team took 2^nd. But, when you play golf, you want to win. Our team lost by one stroke. If I had played better the first day, or some of my teammates had played better, we could have won the tournament. Hopefully we learn from it and get better.

Next up is a tournament in Reno and then in San Diego. Then we have a winter break and the bulk of our season starts back up in February. It has been fun blogging for the UJGA. I do hope your fall seasons are going well and those of you playing high school golf, good luck at the state tournament next week.