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By Chip Beck
Special to PGATOUR.com

For the second time this year I lost my clubs in transit. This past time it happened during my trip to Europe for the British Open. I actually played pretty well with clubs that were ill-suited to me but it sets you back. The first time I lost them -- right after the Florida Swing -- I felt like it cost me four really good tournaments. This time it wasn't as bad because it was just a couple of weeks which really isn't that dramatic. But boy, it's like putting on an old shoe you feel comfortable with when you get them back -- it really makes a nice difference.

Chip Beck has five top-25s in 2007. (WireImage)

We still had such a good time in Europe. Muirfield is one of the finest golf courses I've ever seen and for Tom Watson to win there was classic Tom Watson. He is just a tremendous player whom I've always admired for the way he plays under those conditions. I was really hoping that I could do something there but maybe next year.

My clubs made it back Wednesday night before the 3M Championship but I still played at TPC Twin Cities with a putter I wasn't really familiar with and I didn't putt well until the last nine holes but those ended up being a pretty good nine holes -- had five birdies and an eagle to shoot a 29, which gave me a 66 for the round and a tie for 8th in the tournament. This week I'm back to my PING putter and I feel comfortable with the weight of the toe and the way that it feels.

The last few tournaments I feel like I'm playing better and have mentally been better. It's a game of confidence and takes really trusting in your swing. I was playing a funny set of clubs at the Senior British Open, had some errant shots and just didn't have that confidence.

This week at the JELD-WEN Tradition I'm really encouraged -- this tournament is held on a real quality golf course that takes a lot of strategy. You've got the altitude making a big difference on club selection plus you really have to get the ball up and down here, which requires a nice touch on the long putts. I think it's a fun course to play. It gives you a lot of room to play off the tee and yet you still have to play smart since the ball goes too far sometimes.

I played with Mark O'Meara and Tim Simpson on Thursday and they both swing so nicely. Mark has tremendous tempo and I think he is really coming on right now to where I think he is going to be a force out here. The weather is perfect at this event so you are going to see good scores this week. My friend Mike Reid had a good first round and he's a good short game player so you'd better watch out for Mike Reid. He's tough in these big tournaments too.

A few weeks ago, for the first time ever I had to withdraw from a tournament because I just couldn't swing at the Bank of America Championship. I was actually doing too much working out with the wrong technique and wrong weights. My doctor told me I was really fortunate that I didn't have rotator cuff disease and that this was a good warning to me because it will make me be a lot smarter in relation to my workouts. I can't exercise as much as I used to. With the rotator cuff, I thought it would be a good thing to start exercising because most people my age have trouble with their rotators, their core muscles or their back. Those are probably the three most important things in golf so I've been trying to learn how to work out properly. We are really fortunate to have good people around us who know their business.

For me, this year I've been getting used to playing full-time again. I tend to go hog heaven at everything with too much enthusiasm and too much workouts so getting rest wasn't a bad thing. But I'm encouraged by my year, I'm excited about it and maybe next time I write I'll have a win to talk about.