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State golf New swing lifts UHS junior Heinbaugh
By BRANDAN BLOM
Ursuline High School junior Sydney Heinbaugh advanced to the district tournament both her freshman and sophomore seasons; but she knew she needed to take action in order to make it to states.
This summer Heinbaugh worked with a golf coach and changed her swing. The change has made all of the difference as the junior will be heading to Columbus this weekend to play in her first individual state tournament.
“That most definitely made her the player she is,” Ursuline coach Brett Pomeroy said of the change. “It certainty made her more consistent, and consistency is everything.”
It took Heinbaugh a little while to adjust to the new swing, but once she got it down you could see how much it effected her game.
“All year I was trying to get my swing down. It just clicked at the right time,” Heinbaugh said. “Every match that I struggle in helps me recognize what I did wrong so I can improve my game.”
Since qualifying for the tournament Heinbaugh, along with coach Pomeroy and her father, has been hitting the golf course daily to practice both her long and short game.
“We’ve have worked on ball control, keeping it under control rather than just hitting it and hoping it goes where you want it to,” Pomeroy said.
Pomeroy added that the biggest thing that Heinbaugh must do to be competitive in the tournament is staying out of her own head.
“As with any golfer, the biggest thing is keeping her head together,” Pomeroy said. “If she can quiet the voices in her head and not over think it, she doesn’t have a whole lot of weaknesses.”
Heinbaugh has shown the ability to get out of her head and play good golf. During the district tournament she three-putted a hole and had another ball roll off the green. But the junior didn’t panic, stayed composed and was able to qualify for the state tournament.
“She hates to lose a stroke anywhere near the green,” Pomeroy said. “That drives her absolutely crazy, and I know why, but we’ve known all along that she has the potential to do this.”
Heinbaugh isn’t going into the tournament with any expectations of winning, but rather to gain experience and get a feel for the tournament.
“This year I’m definitely trying to have fun,” Heinbaugh said. “I always expect high of myself so I hope I do well and impress my family … I’m just trying to go out and have fun and get ready for my senior year.”
Pomeroy on the other hand thinks she has a real shot at competing.
“I’ll tell you what, this is not coach speak this is absolutely the truth, there are girls who did better than her in qualifying but if she can hold day one together she can have a shot at contending. I know she’s capable of shooting numbers that would be competitive.”