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Have you ever wondered what it's like to be inside the ropes watching PGA Tour players? To be able to ask them questions, observe their behavior, analyze their swings and just plain have fun? I had that opportunity in October 2004 while caddying for amateur partners at the PGA Tour FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort.

For someone like me who wants to play golf at the highest level, it was an electric experience. Maybe it was the money, the pride, the prestige, or perhaps it was simply walking alongside tour players that made the event so memorable. The game of golf has its highs and lows, and this definitely was a high that made my fire burn hotter.

I caddied for an amateur named Gary Pearce, and the first day, our pairing included tour players Skip Kendall and Joe Durant. The second-day pairing was with Craig Parry and Stuart Appleby. Rather than being starstruck, I found myself absorbed in figuring out what they were doing that allowed them to shoot such great numbers. I particularly noticed they hit shots in ways that many instructors either aren’t aware of or don’t teach the average player.

For example, Craig Parry and Stuart Appleby tee their balls low with their drivers, and their swings have more of a tendency to swing down and through the golf ball rather than up and through the ball – an action taught by many instructors. And even the guys who were teeing the ball up high were hitting down and through the golf ball.

The most important lesson I learned from my experience at the FUNAI, however, was that I didn’t see anything on the driving range or course that I considered absolutely amazing. Their strategy is simple: They hit the ball in the fairway, they hit the ball on the green. Some putts fell, some didn’t. Some players lost their composure while others held it together.

That said, I recall standing on the driving range with touring professionals Charles Howell III, David Duval and Vijay Singh and the only thing on my mind was that I could beat these guys. I guess that’s my competitive nature. I still haven’t seen anything that with time and opportunity I can’t do myself.