Getting Ready for Golf Season

Move on to hitting range balls

SSpring is finally here! The flowers are starting to bloom. The grass is getting greener. Temperatures have risen (hopefully). But, is your golf game ready for the season? Hopefully you’ve been practicing during the long winter months. If not, here are a few tips to ensure that you have a safe, productive and enjoyable golf season.

Check your grips

Have they lost their tackiness? A slick grip on your golf club can have a major impact on your golf swing and performance. Increased grip pressure to ensure the club is secure will decrease the speed of your swing and cause a loss of distance.

Practice short swings then full swings

Find a good open spot and grab your putter but leave your golf ball in the bag. Use this time to do a few putts to establish your rhythm and tempo. Afterwards, you can start doing the same with a short iron. Start with 50% swings, then 75% swings and work your way up to full swings. This will get the muscles in your back and torso to loosen up. Aim to complete 100 golf swings a day to build up your muscles and range of motion again. While doing so, make sure that your grip and posture are correct.

Again, start with shorter clubs and work your way up to the driver. Practice all aspects of your game – especially the short game. Putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots require a great deal of feel, which is something that you need to gain back after a long break. It’s a good idea to devote 75% of your time practicing those shots.

Set

Goals For The Golf Season

What is it that you want to achieve? Are you looking to set new low scores? Are you looking for more distance off the tee? Do you want to fix swing faults? Take some time to write down goals for the entire season. It’s always a good idea to set deadlines, as well. This leads us to our next tip – Remember to have fun!

Remember to have fun

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Set realistic expectations. You’re going to be a little rusty. Your scores probably aren’t going to be close to where you want them to be, especially for the first few rounds. With that being said, take it easy on yourself. Try not to get frustrated. Take each stroke as a learning opportunity. Take notes on what you need to work on at the range. Always set aside practice time between rounds. You can have just as much fun on the practice range as on the course. Use this time to enjoy the outdoors. Use it to improve your attitude and your perspective on life.

About Boughton Ridge Golf Course

Located at 335 E. Boughton road and situated on 45 beautiful acres, this nine-hole, 2205-yard, par 32 course features contoured fairways and water on seven holes. The Lily Cache Creek meanders through five holes and feeds a large lake, which borders three holes. Twenty-one sand traps lay in wait and provide plenty of challenge to even the strongest players. Watered tees, fairways and greens provide lush turf and reward wellplayed shots.

Our course is a pleasure for golfers of any skill level to play. Test your accuracy with our fairways, water hazards and sand traps; we have everything you need to challenge you and improve your game!

CChris Finn, our Buildings, Grounds & Natural Resources Director is pleased to share information on additional grants from ComEd for LED light replacement in various locations within the Bolingbrook Park District.

LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than fluorescent lights. They convert 95% of their energy into light and only 5% is wasted as heat. They also use far less power to provide a strong and consistent output at a lower wattage. On average, at least five fluorescent light bulbs would be discarded in the lifespan of one LED lamp. They reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by 80%.

Sports Field Projects

Late last year, the lights were replaced at the Central Park tennis courts, football field, and the softball/baseball fields at 201 Recreation Drive. Features include fully programmable timers, ambient dimming and more effective light focusing, all adding up to an estimated annual energy cost savings of about $17,666.

The Lily Cache Soccer Field lights at 1397 Hassert Road are scheduled to be replaced this spring. They’re actually going to be the same lights that were used at the 2023 Super Bowl! The estimated annual energy cost saving is $19,750.

The total cost between both projects was $609,136 and the District paid only $113,250 due to the grant.

Building Projects

This year all the lights have been converted to LED at our Buildings & Grounds headquarters at 301 Recreation Drive. They are equipped with motion sensors which will turn off any light after there is no movement after 10 minutes. The project cost was $48,004 with the District paying $18,732.

Also this year, a total of 32 gymnasium lights at the Bolingbrook Recreation & Aquatic Complex at 200 Lindsey Lane were replaced with LED lights with motion sensors. The project cost was $22,838 with the District paying $12,122.

We’d like to thank ComEd for these grants. Come on out and reap the benefits of our new lights.

Visit bolingbrookparks.org for more information on the District.