November’s Tip of the Month - Never Stop Learning! An Annual Meditation on Gratitude

BY RYAN WILLIAMS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL

It seems to me that knowing it all would be perhaps the greatest curse a human being could endure. There would be nothing to look forward to, no room for growth, every day would play out exactly as one would expect. Gone would be the magic of the unknown or the reenergizing feeling that learning new things provides. Thankfully, that has yet to be the case in my now 11-and-a-half years of coaching golf. Every year has brought me new knowledge and experiences that have helped me both as a coach and player. I thought for this month’s article that I would highlight some of the events and lessons for which I am the most grateful in 2024.

Let’s begin the events that have involved our community here at Woodbridge:

• Coaching many of you in a private capacity has given me the privilege of helping the student better understand the best version of their golf swings and help them move in that direction. Watching a student play a shot he or she did not know they were capable of hitting never gets old!

• Operation 36 provides an arena for juniors and adults to gain confidence in their games. The joy a student experiences when graduating to next set of tees is incredible. One example that stands out was Logan Harper hitting his tee shot on the 9th hole of the Lake Course to 2 feet when he needed a birdie to break 36. It ranks among the best moments I’ve had in coaching!

• PGA Junior League team again finished the season undefeated and in first place over Haggin Oaks, Bing Maloney, and Emerald Lakes. They played incredible golf but also always represented the club extremely well; I’m always blown away by how well the junior golfers conduct themselves! Next year we will have a 13 and Under team beginning in May and 17 and Under season starting in September.

• Our NCGA Scratch League Team, led by Club Champion and Captain Ross Vilinskas, won their league and is poised to make a run at the State Championship! The league, consisting of Catta Verdera, Rancho Murrieta, and Northridge, was dominated by the Woodbridge Team, winning each of the four matches handily. They play next month at Poppy Hills in the Northern California Final!

• The Junior Club Championship was won by siblings Jack and Giana Main who shot incredible scores of 69 and 73, respectively. Both Jack and Giana are very talented players who compete regionally and nationally who will go on to play college golf and in so doing, continue a storied tradition of Woodbridge producing elite tournament players.

Now, let’s discuss some of the lessons I learned from my travels playing tournament golf that have led to breakthroughs in coaching:

• Because of my standing in the NCPGA Player of the Year points list, I was given the opportunity to play in two Monday qualifiers for PGA Tour events. Between the two of them, I played with three PGA Tour Winners and players I’ve admired since I was a junior golfer. What’s more, each of them taught me something slightly different. Bo Van Pelt and Sang Moon Bae wowed me by the sheer excellence of their fundamentals and ball striking while Charlie Beljan impressed me with how secure he was in playing the game his own way, even hitting every putt with just one hand!

• My friend and fellow PGA Professional Coach, Brad Marek, always blows me away with his professionalism while he competes. Incredibly patient, it is impossible to tell how he is playing by his demeanor or countenance. Even after the rare loose shot, one could make a lot of money wagering on Brad getting out of a hole with a par. The fact that he won at a course playing as difficult as The Olympic Club was surprising to no one because the challenges of the course favored the player who not only played the best physically but, stayed the strongest mentally.

• Just this past week, I played with the 2024 NCGA Player of the Year, AJ Fitzgerald during the Hannah/Wehrman Cup Matches (NCPGA vs NCGA). AJ is recent college graduate and caddy at Cypress Point who this fall is playing in Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School. I was extremely impressed with his ability to play shots, showing an innate feel for making the ball do whatever the shot in front of him required. This was particularly true in the short game where he did not play a single shot in the 36 holes with which I played with him that I would not have given him an A+ grade on. Difficult Poppy Hills lag putts, short-sided pitches with the green running away, long bunker shots, good lies and bad, it did not matter. He was able to play the shot to within “gimme” range. Seeing him play those shots has inspired me to get my butt down to our wonderful short game facility!

Please allow me to finish by thanking all of you personally for having me as your Player Development Professional. I firmly believe that our Golf Staff, led by Head Golf Professional, John Hughes, is among the best in the Northern California Section of the PGA. Mr. Hughes is very humbly of the best PGA Professionals I’ve ever been around. Teresa Ishiguro is an incredible First Assistant and teacher. Zach Kramer, who wears as many hats as any club employee, deserves massive praise for how he handles outside tournaments and many other club operations. Carson Kosaka is another do-it-all Hall of Fame member of our staff who helps in innumerable ways. I’m so grateful to get to work alongside them every day.

Lastly, our membership is amazing. I’m so lucky to have many of you as clients, students, and friends. I look forward to heading down here each day for another chance to share my passion for this crazy game! Thank you so much and please let me know anything I can do to help make your playing experience better! I can’t wait for the lessons I learn in 2025! Have a great Thanksgiving!