BC Golf Performance Camps Help Identify & Prepare Top Athletes
Recently British Columbia Golf Held A TEAM BC Selection Camp At Richmond's Mayfair Lakes Golf Course For Some Of The Best Aspiring Young Golfers In The Province - BC Golf Photo
As part of the ongoing BC Golf Performance Program mandate, which states; 'British Columbia Golf is committed to developing a well-rounded performance program as supported by the Long Term Player Development framework for golf in Canada' - performance camps are held regularly and run by some of the top coaches, instructors and facilitators in the province.
As stated in the 2022-2025 strategic plan of the Association, the goal of the Player Performance program is to Increase the number of competitive golfers and enhance their performance in BC, in order to develop Canada’s best players.
Most recently a selection camp was held from October 13-15 at Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club in Richmond.
BC players and teams are systematically achieving national and international results at the highest levels of competitions through the core values of British Columbia Golf: ethical practices, inclusiveness, respectful and responsive programs and services.
These services provide the guidance and benchmarks required to support the elite golfer effectively on the technical development pathway to enhanced excellence.
There are a number of elements that go into a complete performance program, extending beyond the obviously critical component of skill development in each of the unique aspects of a total golf-game repertoire.
BC Golf Photo
BC Golf Guest Coach Nick Mueller Works With The Young Men At The Mayfair Lakes Camp
Utilizing the outstanding talents of some of BC's elite coaches, trainers and educators, a keen group of talented young golfers attended a two-and-a-half-day camp at Richmond's Mayfair Lakes Golf Course.
The camp offered instruction ranging from nutrition & fitness to game-planning strategy, skill assessment in all areas of golf and access to some of the best analytic equipment available today.
Each day's schedule was laid out so that all players attending had equal opportunities to learn in small groups from the coaches and instructors, thereby allowing for key one-on-one consultation.
The activities included fitness assessment from Nick Mueller (MC Sport Kinesiology), a golf performance coach who specializes in strength and conditioning for golfers, skills assessment in putting, wedge proximity, long game and driving provided by accredited golf coaches Colin Lavers (Class A PGA Professional/Elevate Golf Performance at Seymour G&CC), Patrick Lago (BC Golf Coach/Lago Golf Academy), Michelle McCann (Class A PGA Professional at Uplands GC) and UBC T'Birds Women's Golf Team assistant coach & Mayfair Lakes Director of Instruction, Keri Moffat.
The players also took to the course each day for a round of golf to put some of what they had learned into practice.
BC Golf Photo
BC Golf Coach Patrick Lago Works With The Players To Analyze Their Full Swing Using State-Of-The-Art Computer Technology
The education sessions addressed topics such as how to fuel your body during a tournament (Nick Mueller), the importance of using a yardage book (BC Golf Okanagan Coach, Conner Kozak), mental performance (Kim Senecal, DACATA Performance Group) and sessions on playing collegiate golf from UBC's Keri Moffat.
In addition, Golf Canada coaches Tristan Mullally and Jennifer Greggain made presentations to the players with Greggain's being entitled, 'What Separates Good From Great'.
BC Golf Photo
Developing A Consistent Wedge Game By Knowing Distance Control Is Key To Any Top Level Player's Performance
A few of the coaches/instructors were asked for their feedback on what a camp like this can provide for both players and coaches. Following are some of those responses.
Michelle McCann
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered?
A: I hope that they take away an understanding of their games, the support that is available to them and what they need to work on. All the young players come from different backgrounds, areas and circumstances and the biggest win for me is if they all feel equally supported and all walk away with confidence that they know what they can accomplish and are ready to push it to the next level!
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: 100%, and not just the cool new lingo and making me feel old. I learn so much from their passion and drive for the game. My favourite quote from the camp was one of the 12-year-olds said to me, ‘I go to the course every day and golf is my favourite part of the day.’ Sometimes as we grow up in the game, we forget that love and the ruined desire to just do it every day.
Sidenote:
My favourite part of attending a BC Golf selection camp such as this is the ability to meet and get to know some of the best athletes in the province. Sometimes teenagers can come off as a bit full of themselves or aloof but when you get to talk to them and learn more about them, they’re all great kids and love the sport they are engrossed in. I have high hopes for our next generation of players and where they are taking the game of golf.
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Conner Kozak
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered?
A: I'm hoping that the kids start to get a clearer picture as to the areas of their games they can continue to grow and develop. A lot of the presentations and discussions were centred around areas that we feel don't get as much attention, such as nutrition, mental game, and course management. We hope that through these discussions the players start to realize the importance of these as being just as crucial as their technical games and they begin to implement the information.
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: As a coach I'm always interested to see how the players handle certain learning situations. Do they show that they are eager and willing to apply new information to their games? Are they asking the right questions? Do they show signs of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset? I'm constantly interested in how my students react to different learning environments.
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Keri Moffat
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered them?
A: The most important thing from my talk on College Golf is understanding that it’s not just them anymore. When these kids transition from junior golf to team golf they have to understand that there are many stakeholders to consider... coaches, teammates, sponsors and more. How they act, react, express their emotions, and deal with conflict will all have an impact on the team. And it’s up to them to decide if that impact is positive or negative. And that these important lessons they will learn in team golf will serve them well when they join the workforce.
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: Always. I learn so much from each student every day and it’s these lessons that I’ve been able to evolve my own coaching. No two students are alike and it’s our job as coaches to figure out what they need to help them perform at the highest level. And it’s only through being open to these lessons that we as coaches can thrive.
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Colin Lavers
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered them?
A: The selection camp was designed to allow the coaches to see every part of the player's game. My focus was wedges. I hope that the players see the importance of controlling distance with their wedge game and how vital it is to score well.
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: 100%. Every situation is an opportunity to learn. There are typically similarities between the athletes who perform a skill well, as well as those who struggle. But, throughout that, there is always someone who says or does something differently and is successful doing it.
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Patrick Lago
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered them?
A: That they each have the potential for greatness. If they are able to focus on developing the four pillars of high-performance athletes, technical skills, tactical skills, physical ability and mental performance, they will have the highest chance of being one of the top golfers, not only in our province but globally.
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: Yes. As a coach, I am, and should be, always learning from the athletes. As each individual is different and as golf technology advances, I have to continuously learn the best ways to interact and instruct each player so they can perform to the best of their ability. I am constantly impressed by the extreme level of talent that is on display during these camps.
Extra comments:
At the camp, the players were able to get their swings analyzed with Swing Catalyst Dual Motion Plates (ground reaction force analysis) along with high frame rate video and GC Quad launch monitor data. This gives them an extreme advantage as we are the only province that has provided the players with this information.
In addition, it was an honour to have Tristan Mullally from Golf Canada attend and observe the camp, as well as participate in a Q&A session on what it takes to make the national team. Tristan has coached some of the top PGA and LPGA tour players so to have him impart wisdom and share advice to these players was invaluable and very well received.
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Nick Mueller
Q1: What is the most important thing that you are hoping young players attending this type of camp will take away from the presentation/instruction you offered them?
A: Golf is rapidly evolving into a game played by athletes. The bigger, stronger, faster culture traditionally found in sports like football, baseball and basketball is now very much a part of golf culture with clubhead speed and distance becoming quantitative measures for college and national team recruitment purposes. Appropriate training programs that focus on speed, strength, nutrition and recovery are necessary for golf performance, injury prevention and longevity. It is difficult to find the correct information as well as the information specific to you as an individual through social media let alone make sense of it. The best thing you can do is find a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified golf fitness professional to help guide you with your goals to increase your performance.
Q2: As the teacher or educator in these situations, do you find you can and do still learn something yourself from the students/players you interact with?
A: All of the time! When you stop learning, you stop growing. I am learning from all of my students and athletes daily which makes me a better coach. With new tools, technology and applications popping up every day, it's impossible for me to be able to stay on top of everything. I encourage them to share what they have found as it allows me to broaden my knowledge and discuss with them as a team to understand the applicable concepts. Also, the likelihood of another student having a similar question or experience is also fairly high, so it's very purposeful!