The Fitness Caddie Blog: “The Lip”

I can’t believe my fifth year as a high school golf coach has just wrapped up!  Seems like this season went by really fast, and it was definitely another eventful one.  I had a great group of golfers this year and am so proud of all the hard work they put in!  But with the close of every season, there are always lessons to be learned.  One theme that reared it’s ugly head one too many times the past 3 months was the amount of cheating and rule violations I witnessed during matches and in the post season!  In 20 years of competitive golf, it’s not the first time this has happened, I think any golfer can attest that you will run across it at some point.  I remember a few times in high school when cheating happened (oh my gosh I just realized my 10 year reunion is this year, uggh!)  Now that I have had the chance to be a coach though, I find it pretty amazing how quickly I can pick out the players that are trying to sneak one by.  Here’s a little recap of my favorites!

• A coach informing me before the match that the number one player was a cheater and I needed to have my best scorer with her (call me crazy, but should she really be playing then?)
• This same girl trying to convince my player to take more penalty strokes then was necessary
• Players forgetting that it’s a penalty stroke when your ball goes in a hazard
• These same players trying to make their point of entry 50 yards closer to the pin then it was
• And my favorite, winter rules, aka the 6 inch rule, or as I now call it after watching so many golfers this season fluff the grass up before placing the ball back: the lift, clean and cheat rule!

So with this subject on my mind today, I wanted to pass along this great video I found on one of my former junior golf opponents blog, Wei Under Par.  It’s Michelle Wie trying to argue a clear rules violation…….I guess the nonsense isn’t just happening at the high school level!

Michelle Wie Babbles for 12 Minutes to Appeal Penalty from Stephanie Wei on Vimeo.

This week marks the close of my favorite time of year, the spring high school golf season!  It was definitely an interesting three months marked with bad weather, some bad attitudes (not from my team though!), and courtesy of the state tournament last week, some bad coaches.  Each year I coach, there seems to be a lesson that I learn and this year was no exception.  So here is a little recap from the 2009 season…..

Bad weather (see earlier blog): Although the season started on March 1st, we actually did not get any weather worth playing in until mid May.  We had everything from rain, snow, hail, thunder, wind and even two lightning storms that caused matches to be cancelled.  Basically, if we were on the golf course, mother nature had a different plan.

Bad attitudes: Why do golfers have to cheat?  After four years of coaching, I can spot a cheater from a mile away and they always sport the same swagger.  They will be the nicest person to your face, and they will go above and beyond to make sure your score is correct.  But when it comes to their own, good luck on them counting correctly.  I had to witness one player this season argue over whether or not there was a penalty stroke for hitting the ball out of bounds and then try to convince a member of my team to change her score after the round because “she would really prefer to have a nine, rather than a ten on a par 4″.  Even when we got to the state tournament this season, I had parents warning me of players in groups that were known for cheating.  When will it end?  Golf teaches respect on so many levels and why it is that players feel the need to disrespect it, themselves and their opponents is beyond me.  One other trend was players that had bad tempers.  To play golf well, you have to be able to control your emotions.  With this in mind, does throwing clubs, swearing and being so angry that you just forget your entire routine (in turn losing the match as a result) and play like you do not care accomplish anything?  One thing is for sure, I am so thankful to have coached such an amazing group of girls this year that were so incredibly honest, respectful and just pleasant to be around.  They were truly a wonderful representation of themselves and the school whether on the golf course or off.

Bad Coaches:  Answer this question for me.  Should playing with golfers who are worse than you, be your excuse for a bad round?  I found out at state last week that apparently it is ok to blame poor play on being placed in groupings where a few high numbers are shot.  During our coaches meeting, I had to listen to a table of coaches complain about players with high seeding being put in later groups.  You could actually hear the anger in their voices about this.  Let me just say this for the record: THE ONLY PERSON YOU ARE PLAYING AGAINST ON THE GOLF COURSE IS YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!  If you plan on playing golf at a high level, the ability levels of your playing partners should not matter.  You have to adapt to any situation and still shoot low, that’s the mark of a true competitor, not one that just blames a bad round on others. 

In closing, I must add a huge congratulations to my team!  Despite a rough start to the season, they finished strong and were always smiling.  I am so excited for next year and to have everyone returning, they are a special group of girls and the best team a coach could ask for!!!