Bobby Jones, a well known accomplished amateur golfer in his day, would always remark, one of his main goals when he competed was to beat "old man par". In other words, the competition rested solely against the course and not the field of competitors. As an elite player chasing par and birdies are always on your mind. I often say to my players, "red numbers win" and when you find yourself there, don't protect it, go for more!"
This is something I want to prepare my players to experience, which can and will happen when their belief rises above their fear of playing their best. This team has the skill to beat "old man par"! We had some players in our opening tournament of the season, do just that!
I could not be happier for them to have had it happen during one of the finest collegiate tournaments of the year, hosted by the College of Charleston at Yeamans Hall club, a top fifty golf course designed by legendary architect Seth Raynor. The field consisted of 18 top ranked teams which competed for 36 holes on Monday and a final 18 on Tuesday. Coaching players during competition can be an emotional roller coaster as you rise and fall with them, celebrating their great shots and feeling their disappointment on the not so great.
We had three players experience the "red zone", Sarah Willis getting us started with a super round of 69, followed up with Mathilde Delavallade's 70. In our final round Drew Nienhaus contributed an under par round of 70 to be added with a blitzing 7-under round from Mathilde of 64!
I had just mentioned to Mathilde, who happens to be from France, prior to her round on Tuesday, perhaps one of these tournaments her parents could make a trip over to watch. She said "no I don't think so, my father would be frustrated." He is a golf professional and her teacher, he would not be able to coach her during the tournament under NCAA rules. Although I don't think he would have wanted to coach her during this round. When a player finds this "magical zone", the best thing a coach can do is step aside and enjoy the show!!! I can honestly say, it was special to watch it unfold in real time.
The first tournament of the year always comes with some excitement as well as the unknowns. Although we had a fairly experienced line-up, we still had our newcomers; Michelle Cox, a sophomore out of Philadelphia, and my new assistant coach Carrie Sexton. If you are a football fan you know that many of the power five programs will start their season off with a "soft" opponent to give them a chance to see how the team is gelling. We do not always have that luxury since it is important to play in the best tournaments when the opportunities present themselves. Playing in the Cougar Classic is the equivalent of the football team starting off with Ohio State on the docket. Finishing 12th of 18 teams does not sound very impressive, however beating six top ranked teams does, and that happened!
I have coached teams over 30 years and I know there is something very special about teams that can put it all together. It happened once in the early 90's, once in the early 2000's and 2012-2014. The "it" factor of these special teams is elusive. However, for the teams that have experienced it, it cannot be explained, it is just felt. I have noticed there are special threads that these teams sometimes have in common; the freedom and honesty to be yourself, belief in all possibilities, open to learning and genuine kindness and respect for one another. There was a song we use to sing when I was in the folk group at church, "it only takes a spark, to get a fire going". Perhaps we have found our "spark", perhaps we are discovering the magic, that can make an ordinary team, extraordinary! For now, I will not make predictions into this year, I will stay committed to the process of preparing the team for the next course to beat!
