Monday, Mar. 31, 2008

Clemente takes mental swings forward

Student joins USC players for a session with psychologist Bob Rotella

She’s only four months into her yearlong project to become a single-digit handicap golfer, but Odette Clemente already has done something many players with years of experience have not.

She has had a session on the mental side of golf with one of the biggest names in that field: sports psychologist Bob Rotella.

No, it wasn’t a one-on-one; Clemente’s game was hardly the focus of the mental guru’s recent visit to Columbia. But, courtesy of an invitation from Gamecocks men’s golf coach Bill McDonald, the 21-year-old USC student sat in when Rotella spent a Sunday afternoon with McDonald’s players.

“It was interesting, hearing him talk about your mind-set when you play,” Clemente said during an afternoon session with her instructor, Brad Frick, at the James Clyburn City Golf Center off Harden Street.

“(Rotella) said if you hit a bad shot, think about the next one being good. Keep a positive attitude.”

Easier said than done, especially when she works on her short game, an area of instruction that continues to frustrate her.

Though her putting has benefited from sessions at Frick’s Palmetto Falls Mini-Golf on Charleston Highway, chipping and pitching remain weak points.

For one instructional segment, Frick has her hit chips from just off a putting green. Though her form appears correct — hands forward, clubface trailing — Clemente keeps stubbing shots short of the putting surface. When she gets shots to the green, they finish long or short of the flag.

This, Frick tells her, is where that mental advice can help.

“Rotella says ‘see the target, hit it,’” he said. “He’s not so technique-oriented. Odette’s technique is great; it’s a matter of her having confidence and doing it.”

After a few successful chips, Frick switches gears.

“Let’s putt a little bit,” he said.

From about 6 feet, Clemente works on her putting form using a plastic “putting arc” laid on the ground to guide her takeaway and follow-through, and a “Bickler” — a device that fits onto the putter grip and her forearm to prevent her getting too “wristy” on the stroke.

“Last time, she made four of 10 putts (with the arc and Bickler), then went back without it and made nine of 10,” Frick said. “With the Bickler, she feels pressure on her right forearm” in her cross-handed or “left-low” grip.

Frick also places a penny in front of the cup. “We say it’s a bad putt if she doesn’t hit the penny, even if the ball goes in,” he said.

In her full swing, Clemente still fights a tendency to move her head back and leave her weight on the right side in the downswing.

“Her basic technique is good, but when she’s tired, she goes back to old tendencies,” Frick said.

Rotella’s positive-thinking advice also came in handy during an outing at Hidden Valley Country Club near Gaston.

“She almost made a birdie,” Frick said, before mentioning scores of 12 (counting penalty strokes) on three holes.

At Hidden Valley’s par-3 17th hole, Clemente hit a tee shot from 90 yards to 10 feet. Her first putt came up 18 inches short, and “I told her, ‘Don’t miss it,’ but she did,” Frick said.

At the par-4 12th, Clemente reached in regulation, with a driver and 6-iron — then four-putted from 12 feet.

“That’s the competitive stuff,” Frick said. “I’ve got her thinking about shots, not just swings.”

She’ll need that thought process next month.

“She’s put in her range time,” he said. “Now comes more time on the course.”

Reach senior writer Bob Gillespie at (803) 771-8304.

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