High School Season starts again.

[CoachB25]

Hey all, been a while since I have made a post.  Tomorrow, we start our new high school season.  We've always fielded a strong team but last year was troubling.  We started with 8 players and ended the season with 4.  Still with 4 playing 6, we won 18 matches.  We can only keep 8 and can only take 6 to matches due to some course rules and the fact I can't monitor players when I am at a match and the rest are at the course practicing.  Our ADs in the conference set up the rule of only 6 in a match.  We should return all but 2 players but, those that were injured last year are not coming out.  They participate in other sports and will go to college in those sports.  For the first time, no freshmen parents have contacted me.  It is 13 miles to our course from our high school and our school does not provide transportation.  So, traditionally freshmen have ridden with older players.  I only have 2 that can drive this year.  Only 3 players have signed up to come out.  I'm kind of in a panic.  Two of my returning golfers will do well.  One was in the top 30 in state last year.  We play a very tough schedule with over half of our competition against schools twice our size.  In my 10 years as the head coach, I have never been this panicked about a team.  I just can't believe we might not be able to field a team.  Heck, every year, I get one or two of my one or two graduate golfers into college to play and so, we really do have success.  Both my graduate golfers from last year's team had offers to play in college.  Ok, so I am rambling.  Wish us luck tomorrow. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by CoachB25

[MasonAsher2014]

Good luck this year! Hope everything works out.

[iacas]

Do you recruit?

[CoachB25]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

Do you recruit?

We can not recruit from other schools.  It is frowned upon by the administration if an athlete is playing another sport.  I also coach softball and so, if I don't have enough tryout tomorrow, I will ask some softball players to play.  However, I have always avoided doing that.  I have always had 8 every year that wanted to play golf.  To me that is the fun of coaching them.  We get basically no money from school.  They buy their shirt and shorts with school logo.  I buy range balls etc.  This year, my AD did buy us logo balls but they are not good ones like we have had in the past.  I will start selling water in my classroom now to pay for better balls.  We just are not close to a course and so, I never get kids tryout who have played.  Still, in 10 years, I have sent some 14 players on to play in college.  Not one played a hole of golf before I got them.  That is why this year is so troubling.  I typically get calls asking if players need clubs, balls, ...

As I have been typing this, two softball players contacted me and told me that they heard I am panicked a little.  Both will come out if I ask.  One is playing another fall sport and so, that might be tricky.  We will see.

[Natural Patrick]

Does your team play Rend Lake?

[CoachB25]

No, we are an hour and a half at least from Rend Lake.  I have played it a couple of times and have had fun doing so.  It is a little different watching the workers work there.  LOL 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, CoachB25 said:

We can not recruit from other schools.

I meant… recruit 8th graders, or 7th graders, to make sure they try out for the team when they're freshmen.

[awmgolfer]

Good luck with your season, we started our practices about 2 weeks ago with our first match coming up in about 2 weeks. I wasn't going to continue coaching this year to take a breather but I have a fun crew this year so looking forward to our season kicking off too!

[CoachB25]

Just now, iacas said:

I meant… recruit 8th graders, or 7th graders, to make sure they try out for the team when they're freshmen.

Yes, we are allowed but have to do it with a "flyer."  We send that to the middle school and hope that it gets handed out.  I asked if I could send two players over to the Middle School at then end of last school year but the response was that they would have to allow every sport to send athletes to the middle school and that wouldn't work.  We used to do a "camp" but there was not enough interest since our course is so far away. There is a day when incoming freshmen tour the high school but that is later after tryouts.  I do try to get a "display" up for that.  Believe me, I've tried to think about everything.  Still, 8 is just about all I can have.  We have 3 schools that use our 9 hole (19-27) portion of the course.  Those schools have Varsity, JV and freshman teams for boys and girls. 

2 minutes ago, awmgolfer said:

Good luck with your season, we started our practices about 2 weeks ago with our first match coming up in about 2 weeks. I wasn't going to continue coaching this year to take a breather but I have a fun crew this year so looking forward to our season kicking off too!

We always have fun as well.  I coach the girl's team and they have certain places that they have to stop when we travel.  We play games like 100 yard game and it is a blast.  I play the team and it can get intense.  100 yard game is where we all throw balls down somewhere around the   100 yard marker and play in from there.  We have to do that when there are matches on our 9 and we have to move out before the other teams tee off.  Good luck with your season as well.  We have tryouts tomorrow and then play tournaments Monday and Tuesday of next week.  The tournament on Tuesday is our county tournament and we have won that a couple of times. 

[CoachB25]

I wanted to give an update.  Today started rough with a couple of coaches, who are good guys, texting and calling me about my numbers and matches.  One didn't want to play if we didn't have enough.  One very thoughtful coach from a larger school asked me to let him know about numbers and he would loan me two players for a scramble that we kick the season off with each year.  This match  really isn't a match but more of a social function where our girls network with players from other schools, see who is going where for college and really have a great time.  They also get fed at this event with hamburgers and hotdogs and a lot of laughter at the coaching staffs. 

So, we had tryouts.  My main 3 were there and also panicked.  No one has said a word to anyone about any others trying out.  The "fourth" person backed out.  I AM SO EXCITED!  We had 4 more show up with 3 being freshmen.  The other is a young lady who played her freshman year and then didn't play last year but she is pretty good.  A little later yet another showed up but did not have a physical so I could not let her try out for the team.  I hope she will be back after she gets her physical.  If so, we have 8.  Of the freshmen, I asked of them who had played 9 holes of golf.  NOT ONE!  One said she tried one time but fell asleep in the cart.  LOL 

All players have to start on the driving range per the course rules.  It is a safety issue.  Guess what?  Two of the freshmen have real good swings and can get the ball in the air.  The third has a great attitude and worked really hard.  One of these young ladies that can get the ball in the air said to me, "My Mom made me try out for the team.  I didn't want to play.  Now, I'm glad my Mom made me try out."  It is going to be a fun year!  Oh, my #1 shot even par for 9 holes.  We are limited due to heat today so they could not play 18.  #2 was 5 over with a water ball.  Not bad!

[CoachB25]

Update again.  We had a volleyball/softball athlete call tonight and say that she is coming out.  So, we will have 8 golfers.  Today, it was very hot and so, we had to operate under a heat warning.  That means we have to monitor the players, carry cold water around and cut rounds short.  My players didn't want their rounds cut short until we got down into the bottoms of our course.  It was like a sauna.  Sweat just poured off of me and I was only coaching.  Heat index, or so I was told was 112 were we were.  With two 18 hole tournaments coming up next week, it hurt some that we can only get in 9 holes each day.  Still, all of the other schools are in the same situation so it all balances out.

If you all don't mind, I wouldn't mind keeping this thread going so you can all get a sense of what HS girl's golf is like in my area. 

Edited to add:

Erik, I used that drill I private messaged you about today.  My one girl who has never done anything golf related started crying when she hit the 100 yard sign.  It was so neat.  To you, that drill might look silly and I'm sure you have much better ways to get stuff done. For me, a coach who has to be a swing coach even though I am not, it is really rewarding to see these players listen, try, fail and then have success.

Take care,

Darrell

Edited August 12, 2016 by CoachB25

[CoachB25]

Update.  Our course has been under water as we received over 7 inches of rain and the creek that runs through the East 9 was way over its bank.  Of the 9 holes, 6 were 4 feet or more under water.  We have been rained out of every tournament and match so far.  It is almost impossible to practice.  Yesterday, we went to a Tee Box on Hole 25 and worked on Teeing off with 7 irons up to 3 woods.  If we tried to use a driver, at least two of my girls would be in the water and both were with their 3 woods with a couple of balls. 

Today was a great practice.  We alternate players through the driving range and the practice green.  There are 3 schools that use this course as a home course so, there are HS Golfers everywhere and so getting on the practice green and/or driving range is almost impossible since we also have public golfing the opne 18 holes that aren't under water.  The owner of the course came over and watched my 3 freshman and 1 soph that have never played and was so impressed in the progress that they have made given the conditions.  He is in his mid 70s.  He asked if I would mind if he worked with 2 of my new golfers.  Heck no.  He is a teaching pro but is so busy with the course that his son, who is also a teaching pro, does most of the teaching.  He called two girls over that he was impressed with, took them over to the side of the range, moved other HS kids out of the way and gave both of them a lesson.  I sat back and was so impressed at how they listened and how much fun he was having.  Everyone knows my kids can't afford lessons and come to me without knowing anything.  These two young ladies ate this up and he was laughing a lot with them as they worked.  Long story short, when he was done, he mentioned how much he missed doing that and that he'd like to work with them again.  This family that allows so many HS kids to use their course are some of the nicest people I know and here he is going out of his way again for the benefit of kids he didn't even know.  What a great day of practice!

We can't practice tomorrow due to course limitations and have a tournament Saturday.  The forecast is for Thunderstorms. 

[mcanadiens]

I'm glad your got enough players to round out your team. 

Hope the weather gets better for you guys. Obviously we usually get your stuff here 6 to 12 hours later.

[CoachB25]

Hey all, we are off and running.  My #1 shot a 79 at a collegiate course where we played the "white tee positions" for the majority of the tournament.  She was working on an exceptional round when she triple bogeyed hole 18.  She is real long off of the tee.  She is rock solid on the green.  Word is finally out there about her and I've worked hard at getting her name in front of college coaches.  After this showing (2nd) she has received 5 emails from 5 colleges this week.  Tonight, she shot par on our home course.  That is a great feat since our course was under water a week ago.  The fairways are not good and there is now a lot of standing water and GUR.  The next golfer was 5 shots behind and she is the #1 for a traditionally state ranked team.  Unfortunately, the rest of my team didn't do so well.  We play tomorrow again. It will be a major chore.  These mosquitoes are gigantic.  I have welts all over me and I sprayed a couple of times.  My #2 shot a 51 and looks like she has hives.  Her mosquito repellent can was  empty and I didn't know it until she was on hole #5.  She said that she was playing in a cloud of mosquitoes. 

Tonight, I had my wife go buy new Deep Woods Off for every player.  We will put a can in each player's bag.  I've never seen anything like this but the corn fields around the course are all still under water. 

Some Notes:

My golfers have a hard time learning how to line up their shots.  We work on various things but it doesn't sink in for some time.

My players have swings that are too long.  Most look like John Daley and so, I have to help them control that back swing better. 

We spend a lot of time working on putting and we putted really well tonight.  The problem is, we didn't get off the tee box in good fashion due to alignment.  We have trouble everywhere and our course is very tight. 

My softball player turned golfer as a favor to me will play as #4 tomorrow.  She has played golf for exactly 2 weeks now. 

We have trees everywhere.  I have to teach all of my players how to hit stingers low and long.  I have three players that can do so and draw the ball doing it. 

We shot a 205 as a team tonight.  That isn't very good.  Tomorrow, we have to do a lot better.  (We still beat a couple of teams since the conditions were so bad.  It was also 100+ heat index)

Edited August 25, 2016 by CoachB25

[stealthduffer]

Good luck to you on your season Coach. Wondering what your home course is. Used to live in Collinsville and still have a lot of in-laws in Lebanon. Always looking for new places to play up that way. 

[CoachB25]

16 hours ago, stealthduffer said:

Good luck to you on your season Coach. Wondering what your home course is. Used to live in Collinsville and still have a lot of in-laws in Lebanon. Always looking for new places to play up that way. 

Our home course is Oak Brook Golf Club north east of Edwardsville.  Edwardsville, Metro Lutheran, and Triad play there as their home course.  The tournament that I mentioned previously in this thread is in Lebanon.  It is the course for McKendree University. 

I had to log on as soon as I got home for this update.  My #1 had her second Hole In One as a Knight tonight.  She used a pitching wedge on the 128 yard Par 3 Hole 26.  I have been able to see both.  She was given her plaque tonight since the Owner/Club Pro was there as well.  It was really exciting. 

[CoachB25]

Correction.  She used a 9 iron.  She sent me a text correcting this for the newspaper. 

[WUTiger]

Coach,

I live in Illinois, but I'm not familiar with high school sports seasons. Is Fall or Spring the main season for HS golf?