It’s a bonus to play 2 practice rounds before a big tournament. The first M took P around the 18 hole Fazio course and made notes on the Yardage book. The 2nd P and I followed the notes to the tee.
Suddenly P is looking like a golfer ! 85 both practice rounds and good, confident swings. It takes a lot of stress out of the game, from a caddy’s perspective, if you have a little faith in your player’s abilities. I finally begin to feel the faith …..
We played with a father and son who dressed in identical clothes. I’m always a bit suspect of this approach and find it slightly pretentious. From a psychological aspect a lot of what I have seen with this sort of same dressing father / son team is an example of the child being regarded as an extension of the dad and his often inflated ego with the result that a poor shot or round results in tears, anger and disillusion. Of course a good many junior tournament rounds end like this regardless of what the player and parent are wearing too ! In this practice round, however, that was not the case. Dad and son were pleasant and polite and came across as a solid and unified team in their bright yellow polos and khaki pants.
It was a happy and humbling practice round. He played wonderfully. Bonus !!