At the collegiate level, golf is more than just a game — it’s an “individual team sport.” In order to better prepare for upcoming events, such as the NCAA Regionals, coach Summer Batiste has a specific approach to improving upon her players’ weaknesses. It involves technicality and statistics to improve the overall team performance.
“We use a stat platform. They will play a round of golf and enter in all their stats, and we will use that to determine what areas of their games they need to work on the most,” Batiste said. “Those stats are really reflective over 20 rounds of golf, so we can talk about things that are current pressing issues, but we are going to look at stuff that routinely needs adjustment and improvement.”
Stats can provide a dive into a player’s profile, assisting both players and coaches.
“The trick to winning in golf is knowing your players individually — some are feel, some are technical and some are visionary — and getting all of that to fit their learning,” Batiste said.
The Roadrunners compete in nine tournaments each season, along with the AAC Championship and NCAA regionals, some of which take place at the same location. This gives the team a home-field-like advantage because they understand the course better than those who have not played it before.
“We have played the course,” Batiste said of the Golf Club of Houston. Essentially, the team that is traveling to Houston has played it for the past three years. I think our biggest advantage is the grass is very similar to what we have been putting on at TPC.”
Though the difference in course grass can alter an athlete’s performance, golf remains a mental game. It requires a lot of concentration with minimal distraction and players face pressure all around the course, from the beginning tee shot to the last putt. Every golfer must adjust their game according to the course.
“I think every player is different in their strategies, and all the strategies really push towards groundedness, presence and their ability to accept things,” Batiste said about the team’s mental approach to a new course. “Anything that really keeps them present or if it is talking through a shot kind of helps them visualize what they want to happen.”
In order to improve in the game of golf it must be worked at strategically to pinpoint the specific issues a player is facing.
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