FROM THE TEE

Look out boys... the girls are coming

At the end of May this year, I received an email from the Alabama Golf Association. The message requested volunteers for the Alabama State Girls Championship, which was to be held at Canebrake Country Club in Athens. I checked the calendar on my phone and didn’t see a conflict, so I phoned them to let them know I could help.

If you’ve been a reader of my article for any length of time, you may recall me writing that my mother was a pretty good golfer. She loved the game and enjoyed competing. The lowest handicap I remember her having was around 15. For a 98-pound woman, mother of three boys and wife of a Marine Corps colonel who was often away on duty, I think her 15 handicap was quite impressive. I played a lot of golf with mom growing up and knew and adored many of her golfing friends.

Over the years as a golf professional, I have taught a number of women and younger girls in golf. One girl, who I really enjoyed teaching, when I lived in Fayetteville was Diana Ramage. Diana loved the game of golf, and she was aggressive. I would ask her to do something in her swing, and dang it, she would do it. Boys do not buy into new ideas so easily. When I taught Diana, my life was a little hectic, and I really wasn’t available as much as I had wished I could have been. Diana acquired another instructor and continued to work hard on her game. She earned a golf scholarship to Auburn University and played very well for the Tigers.

In my late teens and early 20s, I played golf with a couple of young ladies from Montgomery who played exceptionally well; Judy Jehle and Vickie Coker. They both shot par or better when they played and worked hard on their games. Judy had a fine college golf career at Auburn University and still loves the game. I often see Dr. Judy Jehle at Willow Point on the weekends, continuing to practice more than most people I know.

For the Alabama State Girls Championship, my job was to start the players and then monitor their play to assist when needed. I started on the No. 1 tee all three days. I had a blast and was so impressed at the talent I saw in the young ladies.

Honestly, I did not see a bad swing in the bunch. Every player had skills. I attribute this to the fact that Alabama has a great deal of fine golf instructors these days. These girls were athletic. They hit their tee balls with authority. I was really blown away by the number of girls who hit the ball a long way. For many, the ball made that sound at impact, where you knew it was hit solid.

I had expected the girls to be a bit shy and reserved, but that wasn’t the case. The girls were very engaging. They listened intently to me as I informed them of the rules for play. Each one of them was courteous and thankful. On the first day of play, there was a four hour weather delay, and that didn’t shake the girls one bit. The golf course played much longer after the long downpour, but they didn’t complain. Because the round started with playing the ball where it lies, the field had to complete that round under the same rules. Even with golf balls picked up mud from the softer conditions, I didn’t hear a single girl whine about it. They understood and played on. Of the few poorly struck shots I saw, I never saw a temper tantrum (that was so refreshing).

Twenty years ago, this same tournament may have had a few dozen players in the field, but it had 68 good players this year.

A couple of weeks later, I visited Farmlinks Golf Club to watch a young man play in a Birmingham Golf Association event. The field consisted of about 60 juniors, and over 20 girls were participating in this one-day tournament. I was thrilled to see this participation level from young ladies in the game of golf. Women’s golf is where the most significant growth in the game is coming from, by all indicators.

Today, there are more opportunities for girls to acquire golf scholarships than ever before. In Alabama, eight junior colleges now offer women’s golf. Unfortunately, they are not filling their rosters, and many of the available scholarships go to waste. I am a big supporter of the junior college system and athletics within this system. The opportunities for girls in college golf are abundant. I would love to see some of the local girls take advantage of these college golf programs.

Today, with the technology available to properly fit people in golf equipment, women should be jumping all over this opportunity. A custom fitter can determine the best head design, shaft flex, length and weight, grip texture and size that best suits that individual person. I suggest that you either trust your PGA Professional, who uses a Trackman or similar launch monitor, or a golf equipment manufacturer representative to assist in this process.

I openly admit, a few weeks ago, I worked with a custom fitter for PING. I learned that I should make a few changes, and I wasted no time in doing so.

As for any other golfer, have your daughter work with a golf professional for her game. You, as a good-meaning parent, may be able to share with her some of the fundamentals, but are you teaching her correctly or in the correct sequence?

The modern swing and equipment have changed the game considerably. I remember the days when golf just wasn’t made for anyone more than 6 feet tall. The ideal height for men was 5 feet 8 inches. That is not the case today. Most of the Tour players are 6 feet or taller. Sure, there are some under that height, but the taller players that can create width in their swings and virtually rotate without shifting weight as drastically for distance are usually found at the top of the leaderboard. The same goes for the women.

Most women are more flexible than men, and they can rotate more easily. With proper instruction, girls can learn to play this game well. As for all golfers, hitting the ball solidly and at great distances is fun, but wedge play, chipping and putting still rule in scoring well. When seeking golf professionals for junior golfers to learn from, make sure that the instructor will be

From the Tee there to help children develop in the game all the way around, not just in bombing the ball but also in managing their play, learning the rules, short game, recovery shots, short and long putting, etc. With the business relationships that are made on the golf course, it makes good sense for young ladies to become well-versed in the game of golf for their professional futures. These young ladies do not have to play college golf or play on the LPGA, but bringing them into the game at an early age could set them up for a more prosperous future. Every year, Mandy Durr does a great job coaching the lady golfers for Benjamin Dave Jennings Russell High School. I have seen some fine golf swings on that team. Sadly, not many of these girls work on their game after the season is over until next year’s high school season starts back up. It would be tremendous to see some of these girls take the game a bit more seriously and compete in junior summer tournaments. In the game of golf, ladies, your time is now. Get after it. ~Dave Jennings is the men's golf coach at Central Alabama Community College.