GOLF

Lexington High junior golfer Karlee Vardas won the S.C. High School League Class 5A individual championship in a 2-hole playoff on Oct. 28 at Mid-Carolina Club in Prosperity.

“It was crazy coming down the stretch,” she said. “I was in good position, but the girl I was competing with birdied 3 out of the last 4 to tie. Then in the playoff, I hit the par 5 and had to make a tough putt to win the individual title. It was incredibly emotional because our team finished 2nd.”

Vardas, the 2nd ranked junior in the state, recently committed to Georgia Southern. She has been playing golf just a few years, but she has worked hard to accelerate progress.

“Most golfers don’t understand the benefits of strength training,” said Ken Taylor, Director of Strength Instruction for the Tsunami Bar Training Center and Vardas’ fitness coach. “Karlee does and understands this is important. She works hard in the gym.

Before Vardas started playing golf she was a gymnast.

“Karlee was a Level 5 competitive gymnast, then tried cheerleading but started playing golf because it was a sport the family could all play,” said proud father Steve Vardas. “Her brothers were playing so she started in 6th grade and just before 7th grade, played her first 18 holes. She has been all in ever since.

Timberlake Country Club and their Ladies Golf Association held a very special Pro-Lady this past Monday that will be discussed next week. Be sure to stay tuned.

The club is also the site of the Irmo-Chapin Winter Youth Golf Tour that started in 1992. The ‘Winter Tour’ was started to promote families playing together.

Chris Miller, who now works at Country Club of Lexington, and John E. Rutherford, General Manager of LinRick, were both on the Timberlake golf staffs during the origin of this program.

The main feature of this program is the entire family can be involved. Parents participate as caddies, course guides, forecaddies or fans for their players. Players travel to different golf courses around the Midlands each week to play 9 holes on Sunday afternoon starting at 3 pm.

Brand new players to college prep and everything in between ages 7 to 18 are invited to participate. It’s a recreational developmental program with all learning taking place on the golf course.

It’s fun learning through play and sports psychologist Morris Pickens began working with the program in 1996. His educational foundational information is the cornerstone content that continues to be utilized.

For more information, visit www.growgolfnow.comor call (803) 781-2063 for further information.

I’ll close with a tip former University of South Carolina and professional basketball player Ryan Stack said about basketball growth.

“Winter for summer and-summer for winter,” he said.

The golf application & interpretation is short and sweet. The work you do in the winter can pay off in the summer, so be thinking of what your winter plan can be.