Consistency prioritized as girls golf hits home stretch

Making her way into the top 10 of the leaderboard is becoming a regular occurrence for Tyler Parratt. But if the Manitou Springs junior wants to make some noise in the Class 3A girls golf field, she needs to focus on urgency and consistency over the next month.

At the Pueblo East Invitational at Walking Stick on April 20, Parratt shot a 33-over-par 105 to finish in a tie for seventh place. The placement on the leaderboard is always nice to see, but she would like to see her score creep at least into the 90s.

“Now that I know I can hit below 100, I think that consistency is going to be more important,” she said. “Especially going into regionals and going into state with these players that are consistently shooting under 100.

“I know I can get there, it’s just the mental aspect of the game that’s keeping me where I am.”

Golf is very much a mental sport, so that side of it is truly important. Parratt’s biggest issue at Walking Stick came on the front 9, where she made three consecutive triple-bogeys before getting her first and only par of the day on No. 9.

She started the back 9 with three bogeys but then the round got out of hand a little as she finished with four doubles and two triples.

“She needs a little more consistency off the tee,” coach Ken Vecchio said. “For all of them, it’s the stuff around the greens where they need to be better, the chipping and putting. We just have to tune in on that a little bit.”

Sometimes, in golf, the worst days are the days spent on the driving range and the practice greens. But in terms of bringing scores down, those are the most important days. 

A little more than a month remains in the season and the girls know how important it is to take advantage of the practice days to produce better rounds. That’s the most effective way to punch a ticket to the state tournament.

“Being on the range and out here on the chipping green, as much as it seems like it’s not important, it helps you understand where you need to work,” Parratt said. “I know that the days on the course help as well, but out here it’s such a big thing to know what you need to work on and know what you need to do.”

The Mustangs will head to the La Junta Golf Course on Tuesday, May 3, for the next Tri-Peaks League tournament.