Three years ago Conrad Shindler was driving to the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper with a friend of his, who would be his caddie that week. He was going through a rare lull that year but he realized he just wanted to go out and enjoy the week.

“Even though I had my TOUR card locked up, I was just not enjoying golf and it had become more work than pleasure. Obviously it’s a job, I understand that, but we want to enjoy what we do as work,” he says. “We went out and had some fun.”

He opened with a 63, and headed in the fall portion of the 2017-18 TOUR season with some momentum. A year ago, in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a pro, he came back to Springfield, Missouri, and finished T4 – after opening with another 63 – his best result of 2019.

The 32-year-old admits in 2019 he was struggling. But a trip to Highland Springs Country Club was the tonic he needed.

Shindler comes to the Ozarks having found the weekend twice in the Return to Golf and with T59-T35 results when he did made the cut. The member of Texas A&M’s 2009 National Championship winning team is hoping for those good vibes from last year and 2017 to kick in ASAP.

“You have these good thoughts and good memories. You just draw on past experience and past successes and hope it transitions into more,” says Shindler.

“You could miss six cuts in a row but go into this week and think about your success and all it could take is one 15-foot putt on the first few holes and we’re off to the races.”

Shindler took a unique approach to the time away from the Korn Ferry Tour as the PGA TOUR navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and prepared for its restart: He was on social media offering video lessons for $20 a piece.

“I’m a big believer that this sport, as compared to any other, is the sport of giving back,” says Shindler about why he decided to help out those struggling with their game.

He says his experience helping golfers online was what makes golf so unique.

“If there’s an 11-year-old at my local club … I could play nine holes with him and change his life,” he says. “It’s tough for an 11-year-old kid who wants to be a quarterback and get him in the huddle with Tom Brady and have him say, ‘OK, it’s a three-step drop and the receiver will cut across seven yards and you’ll hit him right there.’ You can’t do that. But in golf you can. You can have someone at the highest level and someone who barely knows anything play together.

“To be able to give back to people who are just true fans of the game and want to do whatever they can to get better – and having them help someone like me who didn’t have income for 3-4 months – it was a really unique experience and I definitely enjoyed it.”

Shindler says what blew him away the most was seeing how many people of a unique action, but they manage to keep it in play and hit it down the fairway every time.

“They’re like, ‘I’m a six handicap’ and I’m like, ‘There’s no way. It’s impossible,’ he says with a laugh. “But you slow it down and see the ball flight and everything matches up. If you’ve got a big weird crazy loop but you hit the same consistent shot […] it’s really amazing how many people have bizarre actions but are very efficient.”

Speaking of lessons, this week features a special Sponsor Exemption – former NFL quarterback Tony Romo. The QB-turned-analyst for CBS Sports has teed it up four times on the PGA TOUR and made it through pre-qualifying in the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Shindler has played with Romo in Texas many times – although not in about six months. That said, Shindler says Romo works as hard as anyone in golf and wouldn’t be shocked to see a big improvement from Romo this week.

“He’s a tremendous competitor and it’s in his DNA,” says Shindler of his fellow Texas resident. “He doesn’t care if it’s commentating with (Jim) Nantz or playing golf, he’s always looking at how he can be better. It wouldn’t shock me in the least if he plays better golf and is in a better place than the last time he played a tournament.”

For Shindler, he too is hoping to get into a better place as the season chugs along. This week in Missouri will be a catalyst of good things to come.

It’s a weird sensation, he admits, getting started again at this time of year – usually these feelings come in January and February – seeing it all happen in June was bizarre.

“Nothing is the norm right now,” he says. “But I’m just eager to keep going and keep believing in my abilities and move up the ladder.”