The Coosa Junior Golf Academy has had an eventful month of September!
Our first trip of the year took us to Gadsden, Ala., for the Silver Lakes Junior Classic. This 36-hole tournament tested our golfers in a number of ways. First, the course was particularly challenging. It reminded me a lot of a “links” course. It was fairly open, had large bunkers and thick, overgrown grass on most holes, and because of the topography, you could feel the wind swirl all weekend long.
Silver Lakes used to be a bit different, though. It used to be a more traditional, Southern-style course. The tornados that ripped up large parts of Central Alabama a few years back, however, really did a number on the course, and to repair it meant really changing the course altogether.
Nevertheless, our golfers still played well. Senior Kiira Riihijarvi, with a two-day score of 77-78-155, won the girls' division, with sophomore Sophia Kalusche taking second. Eighth-grader Lindsey Cordell, playing in the 13/14-year-old division finished second as well.
This past weekend we traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the Myrtle Beach Junior Open. While the layout of this course made it a touch easier (in theory), the weather was not on our side. Torrential rains on Thursday and Friday left the course with standing water on most fairways and bunkers. The rains returned Sunday and soaked the afternoon tee times.
Again, however, our golfers pushed through. Sophia won the girls' division with a 36-hole score of 70-73-143. Kiira finished second. Also, eighth-grader Hank Crawford finished third in the boys' 13/14-year-old division.
We’ve been busy at practice, too. Over the past two weeks all of our golfers have been put on our digital swing analysis equipment and Flightscope. These training aides give us the ability to look at swing plane, club speed, and “smash factor,” among many other things. Some of our golfers have also undergone some significant swing changes.
Finally, we had our first meeting with Jean Bonnyman, our sports psychologist. She stressed the importance of a positive attitude and negative impact of anxiety. This aspect of our training will be extremely beneficial for our golfers and I can’t tell you how excited I am that we can offer them this experience.
September was a big month for us, and October will be the same! Trips to Orlando and a tournament at our home course, Coosa Country Club, are certainly among the highlights.
