Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lakers Junior Golf Camp

July 20-24th the Lady Lakers hosted the Lakers Junior Golf Camp. This week-long camp hosted 28 campers with ages ranging from 5-15 years old. Camp started at 8:30 every morning and concluded at 4:00 pm.

Sarah Hoffman & Caitlin Bennett (two of our very own GVSU Lady Laker Golfers) started each morning with a fun activity to get the kids ready for the day. Some of these activities included the Name Game and Freeze Tag. After the activity the campers broke up into four groups based on age. The four groups included the "Tigers", the "Whitecaps, the "Red Wings" and the "Lions" all after our Michigan sports teams! Each group rotated stations every morning that included full swing, chipping, putting, and bunker play. Once the morning sessions concluded the campers broke for lunch at The Meadows Golf Club. Lunch throughout the week included Papa Johns (a HUGE HIT!), Jimmy John's, and lunch provided by The Meadows. After we filled the kids bellies, we had them participate in a short activity after lunch. The first day, the four groups all designed a golf hole out of construction paper. There were some very clever holes designed by the campers! The hole that won was designed by the "Whitecaps" and consisted of an elevated tee-box in the shape of "Louie the Laker" and a waterfall!

One of the afternoon activity highlights was the water balloon toss that turned into a water fight! The kids also participated in a golf ball coloring contest after lunch with the most creative ball winning a prize at the end of the week!

On Tuesday's and Thursday's after a morning full of golf the campers got to go to the Rec Center pool for the afternoon to cool off! Many of the campers displayed they skills on the diving board with flips and spins, while others enjoyed playing basketball in the shallow end!

On Wednesday and Thursday the campers experienced a full day of golf with their stations in the mornings and in the afternoon getting to play the practice holes and having various games and challenges for prizes and candy!

On Friday, the last day of camp, the campers got to enjoy a morning playing The Meadows. Most groups competed in a scramble within their teams. Each golfer improved during the week and learned very important safety on the golf course as well as some Rules of Golf.

As camp concluded with a lunch for both the campers and parents to enjoy, Coach Rebecca handed out awards that were given throughout the week. Among those awards handed out were: Most Improved, Sportsmanship Awards, Camp Counselor Award, and the awards for the Golf Hole Design Contest, and the Golf Ball Coloring Contest. Every camper walked away with a prize throughout the week, but most importantly each camper walked away with a better understanding of the game of golf!

A special thanks goes out to the campers for attending the camp and the parents/grandparents who made it possible for their kids to attend! Also, a big THANK YOU goes out to the Lady Lakers who helped throughout the week (Sarah, Caitlin, Allie, and Caroline)!

This was a great week of golf and fun for all! We can't wait to see everyone next year! See all of our pictures below!

Click here to view these pictures larger



Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Are you practicing your short game with a pupose?


Often in golf, the short game gets neglected! Everyone wants to hit "the long ball." What is good about the long ball if you can't score around the greens? 43% of your score is made up of putting and 23% of your score is made up of pitching, chipping and bunker play. The short game makes up 66% of YOUR SCORE!!

What can you do to practice your short game with a purpose? Here are a few key goals you should work on every time you practice your short game:

Make 3 of 5 putts from 3, 4, 5, & 6 feet.
Get 3 of 5 putts within 3 feet of hole from 20, 30, 40 & 50 feet.
Get 3 of 5 chips within 3 feet of the hole
Get 3 of 5 pitches within 3 feet of the hole
Get 3 of 5 bunker shots within 5 feet of the hole
3 of 5 within 3 steps of target from 30, 50, 70, & 90 yards


Putting:
Left to right breaking putts from 3,6,9,12,15 feet (2 putts from each spot)
Right to left breaking putts from 3,6,9,12,15 feet (2 putts from each spot)
Lag putts from 20,30,40,50,50 feet (2 putts from each spot)


YOUR GOAL on the breaking putts is to make 7 of 10 from each breaking putt.
YOUR GOAL on the lag putts is to get the ball 3 feet or less from the hole on each putt.

Make your practice competitive, compete against a partner or yourself.

Every practice session you should have a goal you want to accomplish. Once you have achieved your goal, set a new one!

PRACTICE YOUR SHORT GAME WITH A PURPOSE and you will see your scores improve!!

And always remember.....GO LAKERS!!!