I was at Linrick with a group of new families in golf and will share a simple lesson after recognizing a few locals for their golf accomplishments.

Carter Hendricks had a Hole-in-1 on number 15 at Persimmon Hills Golf Club. He hit a 5-iron into the cup from 170 yards. Carter is a sophomore at Mid-Carolina High School and plays on the golf team.

This Hole-in-1 was during a competition which makes it extra special. It was witnessed by James Bellon and Duce Nimmo, who were paired with him.

Carter then birdied the 16th hole. This “heater run” at the end of his round allowed him to place 2nd in the Tri-County Chapter 1-day event. Tied with Hendricks for 2nd place was Deuce Nimmo of Chapin.

Hendricks “heater run” co-inspired the lesson today and it’s simple - focus on what’s fun and learning is much easier.

Do you know how long it takes to play 15 and 16 at Persimmon Hills walking in a 3some or 4some? It takes 20 to 25 minutes and I should have mentioned that 15 is a beautiful slightly uphill par-three over a pond and 16 is a dogleg right downhill par 4.

Such stretches in golf can be the traction points to fasttracking progress and it’s the best information I can pass along. Enjoy your best shots and replay them over and over. Do it continuously and flood your mind with all associated details.

In Carter’s situation, he had almost 30 minutes of great golf to commit to his “personal golf highlight reel.”

It’s my experience that those who learn how to construct their “personal golf highlight reels” are the ones who not only grow fast, but sustain improvement. They also play consistently well.

To close, there were 2 4-year olds in the Lexington Recreation and Aging Commission Family Junior golf classes that visited Linrick this weekend. By the time mid-afternoon rolled, around these children were worn out.

Know what a tired 4-year old looks like and acts like when it’s 95 degrees and not thrilled about being at the golf course? Ha.

By the time we got 25 yards down the first fairway, these 2 were running. They both found energy reserves because they were having fun.

What’s so interesting to me is these 2 were not hitting any shots that would be categorized as a properly struck golf ball. They were just having fun with the attempt. And it was sustained fun.

This fall LRAC along with Richland County Recreation Commision (RCRC) will be conducting their family junior golf fall program. There is both skill building and course time while families learn to study and play the game together.

Registration is open and to find out more, call 803- 603-1718 or visit the following websites;

http://richlandcountyrecreation.com/fall-golf-programs-at-linrick-golf-course.