The Fitness Caddie Blog: “The Lip”

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!!!

March not only marks the start of what will hopefully be better golf weather, but also the start of the spring high school golf season. This will be my fourth year coaching the Girls Varsity Team at the Overlake School, and it is always my favorite time of year. There is nothing I enjoy more than working with new golfers and passing along all the lessons I have learned over the years playing in high school, college and in the off season. And one of those lessons is the importance of teamwork even when you play a sport that has so much emphasis on the individual. A few weeks ago, I ran across this amazing article in the New York Times Magazine. It is all about professional basketball player Shane Battier and his enormous impact on every team he plays on. The kicker is, statistics cannot measure his abilities at all. Instead, you have to look at the statistics of the team as a whole when he is in the game. He is truly an example of what team-player means, and why every athlete, no matter the sport, should strive to play this same role!