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High School Golf Thread

Jman said:
First day out was a lot of fun, we pretty much had the course to ourselves and I ended up with 8 showing up (including 2 coming out right after they finished basketball practice which impressed me). The day was simple, we played in together so I could see them all out there and how they think/play and I told them to just hit the ball, chase it, and hit it again.

First on the agenda, SLOW FREAKING PLAY. This will end, silly sophomores and freshmen there, they don't know what ready golf means at all and it kills me. I even had my #1 tell me how bad it was last year and how they would rag on him for being in too big of a rush. Of course, the previous coach also let them go fishing after about 20 minutes of "practice".

The #1 is a stick, and will be even better this year with some actual guidance, I'll have him for 2 years too which is a bonus. Looks like the #2 will be a freshman who's been taking lessons, its tall, lanky, and is already generating a lot of good speed on whats a pretty swing right now as is, he's going to keep taking lessons which is exciting to see that much care in a freshman, add to that he's a thinker and I love it, he thinks through EVERY shot and looks for the smart play, really think we can get him low 80's or high 70's by the end of the season, sounds lofty, but he wants to and has the skills. From there, its going to be getting a lot of the kids to just understand how to play the most effective type of shots and not hero shots all the time, some are going to respond, some won't, it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out.
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Good start Coach! Keep it up!
 
It sounds like you're off to a great start! Does your tournament season take place mostly in the summer/fall or do you have spring events as well?
 
Bucketsofjoy said:
It sounds like you're off to a great start! Does your tournament season take place mostly in the summer/fall or do you have spring events as well?
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Our season here in OK is March, April, and the first two weeks of May.
 
Jman said:
Our season here in OK is March, April, and the first two weeks of May.
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Good deal, that keeps it away from football season. Ours is August-October.
 
Bucketsofjoy said:
Good deal, that keeps it away from football season. Ours is August-October.
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Yep, though I think next fall I will have a couple who play in some AJGA events, IF somehow I can manage to get the school to let me have an athletic period for golf next year.
 
Jman said:
Yep, though I think next fall I will have a couple who play in some AJGA events, IF somehow I can manage to get the school to let me have an athletic period for golf next year.
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Best of luck on getting the period, I hope you can get it done. That would be huge for those kids!
 
Jman,

Do kids have to tryout for this team? If so do they have to a certain skill level to make the team?
 
Congrats Jman. I know that when I was in high school that we did not have practice on Monday's because most of the courses were closed, but instead we did rules or golf related studies. I think that if you contact the USGA they have a rules course that they will send you for free. As you know the rules is very helpful in scoring as well as pace of play (always a problem in high school golf).

I know that these kids are in great hands!!
 
Congrats Jman! I am a volunteer coach at the school I teach at and I love coaching. It's a passion of mine and I feel so lucky to be able to do it.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Good luck James! I will always cherish my high school golf moments! Only downside at my school, was that the golf team was a second thought to football (naturally) and we had 3 coaches in 4 years. After my first tournament as a freshman (shot 105), our coach was driving us back in the shuttle van. He looked in the rear view mirror at the team and said, "I'm just going to say this once. We do not shoot over 100." That always stuck with me, for some reason. Needless to say, no other rounds were over 100 for me, luckily.
 
Good luck with everything Jman. As someone that both played for 4 years and then went back to help my high school while playing in college I would say the biggest thing is work on the mental aspect. Even when you are practicing, make it a competition. The biggest thing to overcome at that age other than the body/swing changing is learning how to play golf. Short Game contest for a candy bar or closest to the pin are something all skill levels can compete on. It helps when that moment comes and you need the 4 or 5 guy to step up. If he/she has been there in some form before the odds are much more in their favor.

Also, I know it seems redundant but spend a majority of time working on consistency in the short game. This might not reap the benefits now but if you can get the younger ones on a good plan, by the time they Juniors and Seniors they can lead by example to set up success down the road.
 
You are going to be a hell of a coach and a great role model for the kids. My freshman and sophomore year, the football coach was our coach and he was terrible. Didn't care about anything other than the paycheck and the time he wasn't in the classroom. Junior and senior year, the head pro of the course I played took over and he actually cared about the players and helping us get better. I hope the kids appreciate what they have in you.
 
This is really great of you Jman. High School golfers need a great leader and you seem to be just that. Our coach was pretty bad and was really not much help in developing the team. He just enjoyed the social aspect of hanging out with the other coaches at the tournaments. Every team needs a guy like you motivated to guide them!
 
Jman said:
First day out was a lot of fun, we pretty much had the course to ourselves and I ended up with 8 showing up (including 2 coming out right after they finished basketball practice which impressed me). The day was simple, we played in together so I could see them all out there and how they think/play and I told them to just hit the ball, chase it, and hit it again.

First on the agenda, SLOW FREAKING PLAY. This will end, silly sophomores and freshmen there, they don't know what ready golf means at all and it kills me. I even had my #1 tell me how bad it was last year and how they would rag on him for being in too big of a rush. Of course, the previous coach also let them go fishing after about 20 minutes of "practice".

The #1 is a stick, and will be even better this year with some actual guidance, I'll have him for 2 years too which is a bonus. Looks like the #2 will be a freshman who's been taking lessons, its tall, lanky, and is already generating a lot of good speed on whats a pretty swing right now as is, he's going to keep taking lessons which is exciting to see that much care in a freshman, add to that he's a thinker and I love it, he thinks through EVERY shot and looks for the smart play, really think we can get him low 80's or high 70's by the end of the season, sounds lofty, but he wants to and has the skills. From there, its going to be getting a lot of the kids to just understand how to play the most effective type of shots and not hero shots all the time, some are going to respond, some won't, it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out.
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As much as ready golf is good and all how does that work for tournaments
 
ntanygd760 said:
As much as ready golf is good and all how does that work for tournaments
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You clearly play to the pace of play at the tournament, but playing slow as hell and not understanding the concept of prepping and playing to keep the pace up while at practice is inexcusable. Frankly, this IS the age where much of our slow play woes int he game could, and should, be corrected.
 
What is the typical pace for high school tournaments these days? 4.5 hours for 18 or so?
 
ntanygd760 said:
What is the typical pace for high school tournaments these days? 4.5 hours for 18 or so?
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Depends on the amount of teams and formats. Maxwell format is becoming increasingly popular here (team plays together, coach follows and scores) which has helped based on what I have been told in several tournaments locally.
 
Check your PM's :)

Jman said:
Depends on the amount of teams and formats. Maxwell format is becoming increasingly popular here (team plays together, coach follows and scores) which has helped based on what I have been told in several tournaments locally.
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Good stuff James. You're going to be exactly what those kids need.

As others have said, I think you can have a huge impact on those kids' games by teaching them how to approach each shot and the mental side of the game. I know as a high school golfer my mind was filled with swing thoughts, tips and constant anger about how bad I was. Get them to understand how to make the smart play, accept their bad shots and focusing on the target rather than positions, and they'll make some huge gains.

If your kids are into watching YouTube (and what kid isn't?), you might suggest rather than watching random tips/people, they watch Karl Vilips' channel. Karl is an outstanding junior golfer who is also a great kid. He's exactly who you'd like them to emulate. He plays a smart game too. Although he can bomb it, he's not all about the hero shot.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8vjEEP0H4061GFT5OcyGKw
 
Congratulations on finally getting the spot, I know it's been something you've wanted for awhile. I know you will "right the ship" whether your admin wants to or not. Looking forward to being along for the ride.
 
ntanygd760 said:
What is the typical pace for high school tournaments these days? 4.5 hours for 18 or so?
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At least 5 generally. I know a friend of my daughter's had a 3.5 hour front 9 at State last year.
 
ntanygd760 said:
What is the typical pace for high school tournaments these days? 4.5 hours for 18 or so?
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I monitor the state tournaments here and they can seriously take all day. I've had some groups go over 6.
 
Holy hell. Thought Jman was trying to get them to play in like 3.5 hours or something, not just under 5 hours. Carry on and make them speed up.
 
That being said though, I've been put with the top group before and been done in 4 or so.
 
Slow play won't stand. Tournaments will always dictate the overall pace, but my kids will NOT be the slow ones.
 
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