OWGA WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE WINNERS!
Bella Collina is translated as “beautiful hills” ( or if you like the Greek translation is “beautiful people of victory” ). And it certainly lived up to its name! On Tuesday, the course was in great shape, but that didn’t make the elevation, blind shots, and overall course management any easier….in fact, add the midday heat, and for many it was a real challenge! Almost forty players came, saw, played and left exhausted!
While our winners all gave deep respect to the course, they offer good insight into how they played their best and rose to the top of their flights.
Susie Keane, one of our most experienced competitive golfers said after a double bogey on #1, she didn’t let it derail the rest of her game! Even at her level of play, she realizes bogeys are going to happen, but the real challenge is minimizing the double and triple bogeys. Knowing the course is key, but in the absence of that, minimizing risks and paying attention to good old course management will give you a round to feel good about (and a first place finish!).
Tisha Gentry has been working on her game and feels encouraged that her game seems to be moving consistently forward. Recent focus on putting helped her keep that part of her game helping and not hurting. ( kind of like when we realize our next shot is our favorite shot and our confidence soars!) Not focusing on the score, rather, she focused on her individual shot ….the stance, club selection, what the course was doing and matching all that to how she was feeling! Given the heat, she was very tuned in to keeping herself hydrated and recognizing if she needed to modify her usual decisions about club, stance, where she aimed, etc. based on her physical ability at the time. Smart! And it paid off in how she scored!
Jean Bauman, as usual, focused mostly on the fun of the game! Having a foursome that is friendly and interesting seems to improve her game! Staying healthy in the heat and thinking, but not over thinking about the mechanics of each shot. Used to flatter courses, she focused on the different lies, stance, club selection and learned a lot about playing with elevation. Her position is “ enjoy the competition, but enjoy the company more!”
Martha Noble, relatively new to OWGA and recently retired, also put focus on how the rest of her foursome created an environment to play well. She’s loving the game and can’t get enough of it! And Bella tested her course management skills. The blind shots, elevation, and the test of course management kept her attention. GPS definitely helped! She’s been working on her game and really trying to pick it up, and it paid off in how she played.
Sherry Brown loved the course and its challenges, but like all of us, found the heat was horrible! She also credits her foursome with a good deal of her positive attitude throughout the match. She focused on keeping it out of the rough and was very happy her putting game was working. Realize this is a decision you made to be here, not a requirement, so enjoy, is an attitude key in getting her to relax and play her best. And it all came together for a win!
Interesting conversations with our winners! You can see it is a combination of work and the skill that comes with that, state of mind and recognition of the course challenges, and just having a good time that play into their success. Good lessons for us all!