A last "hat's off"

I would be remiss to not extend my profuse thanks to my assistant coach Angie Ause for her incredible work all week.  With the two groups on different courses she did a great job managing the "Oleander group" while I had the guys team on our course.  I have to extend a huge thanks to Angie for all she brings to the Macalester golf program, from her expertise in teaching golf, her enthusiasm to help, and her great sense of humor.  We are lucky to have Angie be a part of what we're doing at Mac!

 

Thanks Angie!

Last day of competition

So the week ends with a day of rain and bugs.  I had intended on taking more pictures today to add to the blog but with the crumby weather that didn't happen so today's only picture is the last group photo below.  It was a tough day to be on the golf course today.  With the tournament field so big the round ended up taking close to 6 hours with the guys having to wait 40 minutes at the turn...it's very hard to maintain much momentum, or gain any for that matter, when you're standing around for so long instead of playing golf.  I really feel for the team that they have to play in those kinds of conditions.  They hung in there well in the rain amid the ferocious and persistent bugs.  Scores for the week were a mixed bag...some decent ones, some disappointing ones but lots of good stuff happened throughout the week.  For the group of players who spent the week on the Oleander course (the women's team and Tyler aka "Chase" and Matt C, they played the entire week on mostly mud "fairways" so their scores are in large part a reflection of poor conditions of the course.  For all the First Year golfers, they all worked their way through some major swing mechanic changes fromthe fall season, which is not an easy thing to do in competition so I am very happy that they were able to mostly hold their swing changes this week.  

 

The best part of what was accomplished this week was a great "mental game" from everyone.  Golf is an incredibly frustrating and tough game and we've been working very hard to learn those tools to stay in the game, regardless of the situation.  The team did a great job on that aspect of the competition.  I am very proud of how they held their heads up no matter what was going on with their game and proud to have each and every one of them be a part of Mac golf! 

 

First and second round pictures

Caitlin Opperman in first collegiate competition

 

Lora Hlavsa chips in Jekyll Island first round

Dan Allen sizes up a birdie putt in round 2

Matt Butler, Nick Santrach, and Mark Thomson compare 2nd round exploits

Jekyll Island wildlife

Jekyll Island golf course has more than good golf.  These Roseate Spoonbills were particularly pretty in pink!As for my obsession with alligators...notice the big guy lurking in the water behind the 17th green!  Yesterday Ben hit a shot perilously close to this water hazard and I was forced to kneel down with my head at this water's edge to help him identify his ball...imagine my trepidation, knowing these guys may be lurking nearby!  And you think the job of a golf coach is cushy!

Day 3- Jekyll Island

Last day of practice for the teams...tomorrow it's for real!  We had another good day and besides more good practice, the weather finally improved enough to be glad we're not in Minnesota...for those of you who are envious of us playing in the south, yesterday it was warmer in Minn. than down here!  Nevertheless, there's something to be said for the teams traveling together that cannot be simulated by practices at home so despite the cool weather, it's great to be here.

For the first-timers, today was another new experience with all the teams having arrived and practicing in team gear...completely different energy than the previous few days.  It was a good next step for the "youngsters" and it was also evident that last year's experience here made the upperclassmen unfazed by the increased activity of the other teams.

After a full day at the course (about 10 hours of practice for Nick and Tyler and me) it was off for a dinner of seafood at Mullet Bay (no, not mullet the hairdo, mullet the fish).  Good food and lots of it ending with a birthday cake and  brownies (made by Angie and me last night) back at the house, for Dan's birthday and the day was done. 

Time for action to begin...can't wait to see how it goes!

Coach Nause

PIctures from first day

Second day of practice...on and off rain kept the camera in the car...enjoy the shots from our first day on the course!

The first order of business today for the team was to get a little clinic on how to hit chips from the very difficult lies of bermuda grass.  There are some real tricks to playing good shots from this stuff so it was good to get the whole team together and be able to help them learn shots to handle these conditions.  I was gratified to see everyone implementing these new shots on the course!

On the course, the men's team had a hotly contested 2 day playoff for the 5th spot in the men's tourney, with Tyler, Matt Caminiti, and Mark Thomson doing their best to provide the drama.  After 27 holes, Mark had a seemingly sizable lead but as we all know with golf...you never know what's going to happen, AND nerves can wreak havoc with good golf.  With a water hazard the length of #18 and Matt breathing down his neck, Mark provided some drama to who would play the 5th spot.  Without going into the shot by shot details as all golfers love to do, let me just say Mark survived Matt's steady back nine charge to claim the spot for the weekend.

On the women's side of the road (the courses are located across the road from each other) it was a good day of practice as well.  The indoor swing mechanics changes we've been working on back at Mac are evident right down the line with every golfer.  Angie has been in charge of the women's team and has gotten them all getting things going in the right direction.  Caitlin made a big break-through today, Lora is getting used to her new clubs, and Grace continues to make improvements on her swing for the long term.

So one more day of practice and then the real fun begins!  Another good day in the books and time to sign off for the day...the weather forecast looks better and better each day...good news on the photo front...stay tuned~

Martha

First day of practice at Jekyll

Day one of 2010 Spring Break...a success!  After a long first day, I'm excited about the progress of everyone since the end of the fall season.  To a person, everyone is better and though today's scores don't reflect it because of winter rust, I'm super excited about both teams and what they're accomplishing.  Both men's and women's teams spent some time this morning practicing (kudos to Nick who joined Angie and myself for a bonus practice session at 8:30!), then headed out to their respective courses to see how their swings would hold up away from the driving range.  I spent the day smiling as I observed lots of great shots, lots of good work around the greens, and lots of good questions about how to make things better.  I couldn't be more proud of this group! 

Nice sunny weather also provided us with some fun wildlife watching with the resident gators, huge snapping turtles, and the 3 legged deer.  A great dinner of fajitas (courtesy of Chef Butler, sou-chefs Hlavsa and the Bear) at the Beachview house and we're ready to retire for the night. 

Here's hoping the 80% chance of rain stays away!!!

Martha