Three years ago, Victoria's Paul Nault was a recreational golfer and it was not uncommon to see 10s, 11s and 12s on his card.
That was when he decided to invest some time and money into the game. In 2010, he started taking golf lessons at Highland Pacific with Mark Callan. He has also had instruction from Cordova Bay's Brian Hann and now he is at Gorge Vale with Edd Boudreau.
The 49-year-old Nault's hard work was rewarded recently with a national title in Florida by winning the Snead Flight at the Golf Channel Am Tour in unbelievable fashion.
Playing his final round on the storied TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course at Ponte Vedra Beach, Nault was seven shots off the pace of leader Scott Fjeldstad from California with five holes to play. Fjeldstad was the leader for three rounds and 16 holes before falling apart, while Nault finished strong, going 1-over-par over the last four holes.
"My goals were to learn how to play golf properly, test my game at my level and to win a national event,'' said Nault. "There were 63 in our flight [20-plus handicap] and a total of 680 players. It was a great event.''
Nault pulled to within striking range of Fjeldstad on the 15th hole. Nault was able to make a par, while Fjeldstad scored a nine.
Still behind by two strokes on the signature 17th hole, the 132-yard "Island Green," Nault knocked his tee shot to within three feet of the pin and Fjeldstad hit four balls into the water and tallied another nine. Nault would make a birdie and win the championship by five strokes. He finished with a round of 93.
"On that 17th hole, I was just thinking about playing with my friends at Gorge or Cordova Bay and making sure that I made good contact with the ball.
"I felt bad for Scott [Fjeldstad] as he was the leader until the final two holes of the championship.''
Nault won a $750 gift card from Golf Galaxy, a PGA touring bag, $500 in golf balls from Bridgestone, a trophy and $200 from the skins game.
To make his way to the championship, Nault first had to join the Seattle division of the Golf Channel Am Tour. He then had to qualify by winning a major (a two-day event), or a Seattle tournament or accumulating enough points. The players also had a play at least five rounds of golf.
Nault won a couple of Seattle events and a major to qualify.
Nault said his instructors showed him how to swing the golf club and to consistently make manageable shots.
"I really didn't know how to swing the golf club or use my body properly. I was showed how to make clean contact with the ball and how to manage the course. Probably the biggest change for me was in my swing. Before I took lessons, I would try to kill the ball and go find it. I learned to slow down my swing and that was a big difference in being more consistent.
"I'm now addicted to golf and I can't get enough of it. My goal now is to lower my handicap and get back to the championship in another flight."
Canada has a version of the Golf Channel Am Tour called the Golf Town National Amateur Series. The Golf Town championship is scheduled for Oct. 24-27 at Doral in Miami.
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