At q-school, routine is everything

At first glance, the focus of the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament appears to be on what happens during those six marathon days between the first tee and the 18th green. But that consumes only about half the day and on a week where sleep comes in fits, what you do away from the course can be just as important as what you do while you're playing.

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A lot of players will spend the week going to movies. Movies are a great diversion but it is rare that there are six movies in the theaters that I want to see in a single week. These days it is a rarity if Hollywood releases six that I want to see in a year. So movies were never my thing at q-school. The weekend before q-school, I always tried to have a little fun. Have a few good dinners, maybe find a little night life -- although in the desert this time of year that can be a little tough unless you remember the golden age of the Rat Pack.

When I arrived for my last q-school in Palm Springs, I had a plan. I rented a convertible and stayed a good half hour from the course. I have never actually owned a rag top but there is something about having the wind in your hair with the sun coming up over the mountains that makes you breathe a little easier. Each morning my caddy and I would strip the top of the rented Chrysler and head toward PGA West. We had to take the top off to get the big staff bag into the back seat of the rental because the trunk was too small for a standard duffel bag, much less a pro's equipment.

Some mornings it was a little chilly but with the heat on our feet, we were fine. After each round we would practice a bit and then head back to the convertible. The Jack Johnson song that I listened to on the way to the course had been waiting idle in the CD player so it picked up right where it was left. I would always listen to a song on my way to the course. Growing up in the 1980s with the abundance of horrifying music I realized that if you are going to have a song stuck in your head it may as well be one of your choosing. So I would listen to half the song as I pulled into the drive so that the remainder would be there the rest of the day. I would sing it as I played -- in my head of course, anything louder would be undignified.

The ride back to the hotel in early evening was a musical postmortem with my caddy and me. Actually, we spent more of the time talking about girls than we did about the round. Since you alternate courses each day there wasn't much discussion of strategy. That said, the course set-ups remain the same for consecutive days. As a result, it was possible for my caddy to have gleaned some insight from the other loppers who already played the course we had upcoming so we would talk about any potential surprises.

Once back at the hotel, a clean-and-in-jeans dinner was a consideration. Sticking to routine, though, I ate at the same restaurant every night during q-school. Never anything fancy, usually one with a bar and a game on the television. I would eat the same thing, too. I would allow myself two glasses of wine, for medicinal purposes only, and something reasonably consistent like chicken or a large salad. Once you have traveled the TOUR for a few years you realize that food poisoning is inevitability for any traveler. Q-school is nauseating enough without adding salmonella to the equation. After dinner, a few phone calls would get returned, but not too many. Family came first; the well-wishers could wait until the end of the week. Get up the next morning, hopefully shoot something in the 60s and repeat the whole process.

This formula worked OK at q-school. I tried it a few times at regular tournaments throughout the year but it never quite took. As you can probably tell, I am a creature of habit. Some of my habits tend to be less productive than others, but they are all fun. Fun gets shelved at q-school, though. Q-school requires a slightly different approach no matter how many times you play. Like anything else in life you have to figure out what works and what you can live with, then lean into it as hard as you can.

I consider my q-school experiences to be among my most satisfying in the game because of the nature of the beast. As a wise person once said of q-school -- and playing the game for a living in general -- "If it was easy everyone would do it." It isn't and only the select few make it. I enjoyed my opportunity.

John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the PGA TOUR.