MAKE A GAME OF IT
One of our favorite on-the-course games
is the “3-Hole Loop.” The goal is to shoot
even par for three holes. If she shoots
under par, I promise her a gift card to the
ice cream shop. If she shoots over par, I
tell her it doesn’t matter.
Another fun game we play is her own
personal “Captain’s Choice.” In this
on-course lesson, she hits four golf balls
off the tee and selects the best one.
Then, we pick up the other three balls,
drop them at the place where the best one
lies and she plays those four balls into
the green.
Again, she then selects the best shot on
the green and she putts those four balls
to the cup. And would you believe it, that
each and every time, on the first hole,
Tatum makes a birdie! On the next hole,
we repeat the Captain’s Choice format,
only this time with three golf balls. On the
third hole, we use two golf balls with the
same format. And on the fourth and final
hole, Tatum plays one ball. The goal is to
make birdies on every hole, using four
balls, three balls, two balls and then one
ball. If she can birdie all four holes, then
she gets a gift card to the ice cream shop.
FOSTER COMPETITIVE SPIRIT
Tatum loves competition. She has been
watching the University of Richmond
football team and basketball teams for
years. She loves college sports. She grew
up playing competitive basketball for
her school team and for her rec league
To really improve, treat every round, hole and swing like it’s a competition.
team in the same season. Now, as a high
school freshman, she has narrowed it
down to just playing golf and working
out in the gym.
This talented young golfer loves com-
petitive tournament play. When she is
not playing in a tournament, I train her
to think like she is. There is incentive,
motivation and encouragement during
this process. She and I are committed
to creating a fun, playful, competitive
atmosphere. I remind her, constantly,
that she has dedicated so much time in
her life to playing golf for one reason.
That one reason is for fun! After all, that
is why we all started this game.
TAKE SOME POINTERS
Older players who started golf later in life
should be reminded that we play golf for
fun, right? Yes, it can be serious, but fun
is the priority. If you’re having fun, then
you can play well. And that’s no joke. Have
fun and you will see some seriously good
consequences. Take a page out of Tatum
Walsh’s playbook. Play golf for fun, take
golf lessons from your local PGA profes-
sional, enter tournaments because you
love the spirit of competition, hit the gym
regularly, work hard on your game, and
reap the rewards!
Taking a lesson is never a bad idea, no matter your age or skill level.
vsga.org
For more golf instruction advice, or to find
the best PGA professional for your game,
contact Adam by email or by phone:
[email protected],
(804) 479-0741 mobile/text.
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