Playing for Your School Team
by Chris Haarlow
With the high school and middle school boys seasons kicking off late February and early March, now is the time to get your swing into the groove for the season. Members of the Precision Junior Developmental Academy have been working on their games either inside the studio at Bur-Mil Park or braving the weather outside at Bryan Park.
Depending on your junior’s age and skill level there are three types of preparation for your junior golfer to make the team; the first timer, the one with some experience and the older high school player.
For the junior new to the game and going out for the team for the first time, I would recommend getting them on the course they are going to qualify or play the most. This will give them an opportunity to get used to the greens, the holes and the other surroundings they will encounter. Most middle school teams hold some form of tryouts on the range so the coach can get a feel for who is coming out for the team and want talent level it looks like they have. With this first time junior, keep a consistent presence in class through the month and consider doing some extra classes to reinforce the instruction. Also a playing lesson with one of our instructors may be a great way to develop some confidence for qualifying.
The junior who has has some experience on previous middle school or high school teams will be able to use their experience to draw on for this year. This junior should try to get out and play and practice as much as possible. With the weather this time of year being unpredictable, it’s best to take advantage of a every day of good weather. They need to play on the course on the weekends, practice after school and continue to attend their Academy Classes.
The junior who has a year or more of high school experience needs to continue their program of improvement they have been doing. They should also begin to focus their time on the course to work on their short games and scoring shots as that will be the part of the game that will usually be the most rusty after the winter season.
Your staff on the Precision Development Team has numerous years of junior golf experience both playing and teaching. Please don’t hesitate to ask us for anything you need!
