that's a wrap

OK, some final thoughts and pictures from the week. As I mentioned in the last posting, it was a great week in many ways. Being a part of this elite event is a nice reward for lots of hard work. With this being Jordan's first time at the tournament, I saw the recognition in her that she truly is one of the best players in DIII golf, just as Karla realized that last year's tourney. That realization can be transforming and I saw that with Jordan this week, in her demeanor and confidence. It is now my job to help both Jordan and Karla take their games to the next level; that of competing to be national champions as individuals. Watching them pit their games against the best that DIII golf has to offer emphasized to me once again that there is room for improvement, especially in the short game arena. What I can't do for them is give them the discipline and dedication needed to tackle that part of their games. I hope the experiences they had this week fuel that fire for them.


Another part of the week that was rewarding for me as their coach was to observe them as competitors and young women. Through plenty of trying times in the rounds, both Jordan and Karla held their heads up high and competed to the end. I was proud of how they represented Macalester, with grace and dignity. More than one volunteer, coach or fellow competitor mentioned to me what nice people they are and how pleasant they were to play with. Whether on or off the course, with birdies or the dreaded triple bogies, Macalester can be proud of how we were represented. I was proud to be their coach!
Until next year!!!

Martha

final day

We did it...made it through the final day of the '08 Nationals. Once again for me it was an extremely long day with Karla playing in the morning and Jordan teeing it up in the afternoon, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. With that set-up, though it was a little hectic on the turn-around from one round to the other, I was able to spend uninterrupted time with each player. It was a great experience for me as a coach to observe both of them through an entire competitive round with all the ups and downs that happen. It was also fascinating for me to make the adjustments from one competitive personality to the other and believe me, they are both very competitive yet have very different personalities. For me, it was a blast!

Concerning each of their rounds from day 4, I'm sure from their standpoint there are maybe more disappointments than feelings of accomplishment. Karla got off to a slow start, I believe from "trying too hard". She finally settled in to having some fun and pulled off some shots that surprised her. Once again, though, the putter was not a friendly club and when that is the case, the score always suffers. It's a very tough thing to battle your way for 18 holes to get the ball on the green, only to see the ball slip past the hole, on the edge of the cup all day long. I've seen many a professional player react with frustration to that situation. To Karla's credit, though very disappointed and frustrated, she remained pleasant and the model of good sportsmanship.

Jordan also had a round of mixed results. Once again, starting on the back nine she came out with guns ablazin', posting another -1 35 for her first nine. Then we got to the dreaded front nine and despite both of our efforts to keep it going, bogies started accumulating. After stemming the tide with a solid par on her 14th hole and following that with a birdie at 15, I thought she was back on solid ground for a good finish...oops, just when you think you've got this game figured out and relax for a moment, it jumps up and bites you. I'm not sure if it was a little loss of concentration from getting too relaxed, a little fatigue from the long week, trying too hard, or just the tough conditions of 20 mph winds and very firm greens, but unfortunately the last 3 holes were tough ones for Jordan. Despite it all, she still managed to bring it in with her third round in the 70's and an overall finish for the tournament tied for 13th out of 111 players.

As the coach, there are many things about the week that made me very proud. First of all, to have 2 players qualify to the National tournament as individuals was great. I truly enjoyed working with both Jordan and Karla as intensely as we worked. They put in long hours and though their results left them both wanting for better, that's OK. It was a great experience in many ways. To play in this elite field was one thing; to know you belong there and that there is room for improvement hopefully will inspire them the next year(s) to get at their games, get back to the tournament next year with something to prove. Individual championships are entirely possible for both of them, but not without some dedicated and motivated work between now and then.

For some final thoughts and pictures from the week, check out my next and final entry.

Martha

more day 3

Hi all,

Just a few more pictures from the round today...I like to call the drives bombs away as Jordan has truly launched a few this week!

you gotta love it

Day 3 is in the books...it was a good day. As usual, with golf there are the fantastic shots and the not so fantastic...so it was today. Karla started it off with a completely different game than yesterday. Ball-striking yesterday was wonderful, putting not so much. Today Karla was a player...not necessarily hitting it exactly how or where she wanted to but finding a way to get it in the hole...result 6 shots better than yesterday, posting a 78. One of my favorite shots was the water shot, shown below...played like a real pro!

Jordan then headed out and as has been her modus operandi (is that right?) she birdied the first hole and scorched her way through the first nine with a -1 35. One of the highlights of the nine, her 310 yard drive on the 312 yard hole...made my job of giving her the yardage a real breeze on that one! The second nine was a little more of an adventure, but she still managed to bring it around with a respectable 77. In her words, "that was the worst 77 I've ever shot!" What I'm enjoying, apart from the pure fun of being around and observing all types of golfers all day is seeing how Jordan and Karla are representing Macalester at the national level...they are making me proud to be their coach! One day to go...

Finally!

Hello guys!
Sorry I couldn't write something yesterday. I finished really late, practiced a bit and then we had to run to the banquet...
As you read, yesterday was not so great for me. The gods of the putting were not on my side at all, which became really frustrating. I had a couple of interesting drivers that almost did not cross the tees. If I was playing in Ecuador I would be owing some drinks... Oh well. I was very happy for Jordan! She had a very nice round of golf yesterday as I am sure you all know!
At the banquet, we were both named All-Region team, so that was very refreshing!
Today I woke up early in the morning for my third round of golf. I made a promise to myself yesterday at night, to go out today and have fun! And that is what I did. Ironically, I did't hit the ball as great as yesterday, but managed to make some nice pars and two birdies. I had a professional shot out of the water, and you'll see pics of that later. Martha and I had lots of fun out there, jumping for some "High 5's". Good times! Finally I managed to break that ugly number, 80, and shot a 78.
Jordan is playing right now, Marthita had to eat her lunch in a rush. I will go practice a little bit and then try to follow the ladies. We will go to the Fainting Goat after Jordan's round. We've been waiting for it all week, so we are all three of us very excited!!!
BESOS, BESOS!
PS: The Fainting Goat is the place to be when you visit the exotic land of Waverly Iowa, a very corny town :)

long days, good days

OK, this is gonna be short...the gals have me out on the course for about 9-10 hours the last 2 days, and again tomorrow. Leaves no time to do much except eat and sleep before we do it all over again. It's been a good couple of days...doesn't mean both Karla and Jordan wouldn't like to have some shots to do over, but hey, that's golf. Under pretty tough weather conditions yesterday they both hung in there and got the first rounds under their belts. Fortunately for me I was prepared for the variety of weather, from cold and extremely windy to foot-soaking rain...as you can see from my well-equipped cart, I believe I could survive a week in the wilderness...my players are lacking nothing out there! Today's weather was much more cooperative and I think for the first time this season I was down to only 2 layers of shirts, with comfort. Jordan had a nice round today and if the coach could figure out how to help her avoid triple bogies, it would be even better. It was nice to see her making lots of birdies as well as watching the booming drives...better yet, I loved the great course management which led to the improved scores. This afternoon Karla started out striking the ball fantastically, but her putter wasn't her friend. A round of tough putting is understandably frustrating, and always makes it seem like the whole game is bad. The truth was, there were many good things about Karla's game today and the best thing is she finally made some putts to end the round and no doubt, tomorrow will be a better day. On a better note, at the Awards Banquet tonight both Jordan and Karla were named to the Midwest All-Region team so this long day ended with some much deserved recognition for a good year for both of them.
until tomorrow...
Martha