Bill Loeffler's Senior PNC Diary: Thursday's first round

The PGA of America has enlisted 2007 Senior PGA Professional National Champion Bill Loeffler, the PGA general manager and co-owner of Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Highlands Ranch, Colo., to give us his thoughts and impressions throughout this week of competition. Loeffler, 54, has competed in five consecutive national championships since turning 50. He tied for 23rd in 2008, the last time the Senior PGA Professional National Championship visited Southern California. Last May, Loeffler was one of eight PGA Professionals to make the 36-hole cut in the Senior PGA Championship at Colorado Golf Club. He also made the cut in the PGA Professional National Championship in June in French Lick, Ind. INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- This has been an up and down year, having had to nurse a bad back. But I am very happy to be in California playing in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship. It is my favorite event of the season. I get to play against guys whom I have played with for 30 years. They are my contemporaries, my friends. The PGA of America and the host sites at Toscana Country Club and Rancho La Quinta Country Club treat us great. It is laid back compared to the PGA Professional National Championship, but don’t be fooled. It is still a very competitive championship and the guys all desperately want to play well. Our goal is to get back to the Senior PGA Championship next year. I was really happy to have played two good rounds at Colorado Golf Club in May in the Senior PGA Championship and making the cut. I had a good third round (69), before Sunday’s disappointing finish (79). I played at the PGA Professional National Championship in [French Lick] Indiana, and played well enough for two rounds to make the cut. But then, it really was a long course [at the Pete Dye Course], being an old guy. [Loeffler finished 83rd] I then injured my back in July, and have had to nurse it the past few months. I’m starting to feel better. Today, things didn’t go well. I had a 75, and playing with guys like Mike San Filippo (of Hobe Sound, Fla.) and Jim White (of Lincoln, Neb.), it was embarrassing. I don’t know what it was, because it wasn’t my putting. I putted great today. I do have allergy problems, and they came back since I arrived. I will try to see if I can correct things before tomorrow. You got to be able to adjust to the different conditions on two courses to fare well here. Rancho La Quinta Country Club [Robert Trent Jones Jr. Course] has a lot of movement to it, with hills and hollows. It’s a fun course, but it really tests you to drive it in the fairway. Toscana Country Club [South Course] has a bit more smaller greens and the fairways run a bit quicker. We finished in 4 hours, 15 minutes today, and we were waiting a few times out there. Our time seemed pretty good to me. I have said it before and it’s true – the guys over 50 play a lot faster than the younger guys. It doesn’t do anyone or our sport any good to play slow. You don’t play better when you’re slow, and you get to be too analytical. It is probably our No. 1 problem. We just have to educate the golfers to get around.