GOLF

Most would not see football as having a direct relationship to golf, but I’m going to take a swing at connecting them after some local recognition.

First, Zach Adams got his 2019 golf season off to a great start with a perfect shot on the eighth hole at Cobblestone Park. With a slight breeze in his face Jan. 1, Adams struck a solid 6 iron on the uphill 8th on the Black course that found the cup.

“It was an up hill shot and I hit it good,” described the excited 28-year old who resides in Lexington.

Next, the “Winter Tour” had its opening play day with families enjoying golf together. Parents caddy for their youth at 6 area courses including Ponderosa Club, Mid Carolina Club, Fort Jackson, Newberry, LinRick and Charwood.

LinRick hosted the Exit Palmetto division for the 27-year old Recreational Golf Program.

John and Jenn Brock, volunteers and agents with Palmetto Exit, had this comment about Sunday afternoon.

“We enjoyed spending the afternoon outdoors as a family, meeting other junior golfers and their parents, and watching our girls enjoy being on a golf course for the first time,” Brock said. “They are already excited about playing again next week.”

This recreational family tour got its footing when Denard Harris, President of the Chapin Optimist Club, suggested the last event be a celebration and awards presentation. He then recruited members of the Optimist Club which included the entire Agnew family.

Kay, his wife, and many more Club members got together and hosted a cook out for the Winter Tour golf families.

This Irmo-Chapin Recreation Commission Winter Tour is truly a community run recreational program. If not for the parent volunteers leading each division, it could not function.

“We have 80 Participants at 6 different courses each week all over the Midlands from Newberry to Camden, Pontiac to Gaston and I can only be at one course to start each Sunday,” commented the Tour Director Chase Butler.

Jeff Wilson, Brad and Cheri Sanderson, Amy Miller, Andy and Meredith Mc-Neice are all Exit Palmetto Real Estate Division 1 parent volunteers.

Here is the football to golf connection.

Golf is, and always has been, referred to as primarily a mental game. Check out this quote from Nick Saban, head football coach from Alabama during a press conference just prior to the 2019 national championship game.

“I’m always looking ahead,” Saban said. “I’m always sort of focused on the next challenge.”

It’s my opinion that the single most important mental variable in playing great golf is the ability to move forward to the next shot. This is an invisible skill.

It’s impossible to know exactly what someone is thinking. What I know for a fact is this invisible thinking skill does not require special intellect or even experience. In fact, what is so unbelievable is that brand new players, especially young children in this game, possess this valuable golf commodity.

Although it is invisible, it is emitted and demonstrated with the players words actions and reactions. So when I watch the greatest players in the world play and watch brand new players play I see very similar actions and reactions to golf shots while playing.

What I believe to be my son Wesley’s, who is on the PGA Tour, biggest asset is his ability to move on to the next shot. The only player I know personally who is as good, if not better, than Wesley is Dustin Johnson.

Both are from here and graduated from the same high school, Dutch Fork.