By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
AMERICAN CANYON – There aren't any matches or tournaments for the Napa Valley College women's golf team this week. But there are no days off, either.
Players have been hard at work since Monday – hitting shots on the driving range, spending time on the practice green, and playing at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, the Storm's home course.
As they continue to prepare for the 2023 California Community College Athletic Association's Northern California Regional Championships, Nov. 6-7 at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, they are also learning more and more about the importance of the mental game in golf.
"It's part of our Storm system, system philosophy. We're really just emphasizing that this week," Napa Valley coach Bob Freschi said on Wednesday.
"We have got to be mindful of what's the present shot and how to make it the best shot you can and commit to it. It's easy to have a little anxiety. And so, stick with our program. No moment is bigger than the other. No one shot is going to be bigger than the next."
Only the top four teams, and six individuals outside of those teams, will advance from the two-day, 36-hole NorCals to the CCCAA State Championships, Nov. 13-14 at Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles.
Napa Valley would like to be one of those teams that moves on and continues its season one last week.
"We're in this to win it and get a trophy and bring home a trophy to the college," said Freschi. "So, they know what's at stake. I think they do have a good grasp of it. They understand. And they're very capable of putting together 36 holes."
It's the second time this season that Napa Valley is playing in a 36-hole event. The Storm had the third-lowest score among Northern California teams and finished eighth overall at the State Preview/North-South Tournament, Oct. 8-9, at Hunter Ranch Golf Course, in Paso Robles. After opening with a 367 in the first round of the midseason event, the Storm came back, closing with a 352-team score in the second round. The Storm completed the event with a 719-team score.
The tournament had a 14-team field.
"It's not a one-day. It's a two-day event. So, from my experience, and what I've seen from other programs and our program, it's the teams that are able to put 36 holes together to get to the next level, which is to do well, be mindful of being in the present moment. And that first hole is one of 36. And so, then after 36, accept your score," said Freschi.
The eight-team field for NorCals consists of Napa Valley, Modesto Junior College, Reedley College, Sierra College-Rocklin, Sacramento City College, San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton, Fresno City College and Taft College.
The first round, on Monday, Nov. 6, is a shotgun start at 11 a.m.
The second and final round, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, is a 12 p.m. modified shotgun start.
The top three teams will receive awards.
Napa Valley has familiarity with Yolo Fliers, a par-72, 5,300-yard course. Jill Obelleiro fired an 82 and the Storm took fourth place in the Big 8 Conference's seventh tournament of the fall season on Oct. 12, at Yolo Fliers Club. Napa Valley posted a 358-team score.
"The course is pretty narrow. So, just staying in the fairway is a big thing. Just knowing your shots is really important," said Obelleiro.
"It's definitely hitting good off the tee, setting yourself up, staying out of trouble," said Desiree Berdiago. "Knowing your game, knowing your misses. I think around the greens is also really important, knowing how the green is rolling. Overall, knowing the course, knowing where to set yourself up, knowing what club to pull."
Yolo Fliers Club, founded in 1919, is a private golf club, with the course recognized by the U.S. Golf Association and Northern California Golf Association as a championship venue, according to its website, yolofliers.com.
"It is a classic course, laid out with tree-lined fairways including many large, beautiful specimen Valley Oaks," the club's website, yolofliers.com, points out.
"In 2006, all greens were rebuilt in to USGA specifications by noted golf course architect Brad Bell and have been recognized by many as some of the best putting surfaces in the Sacramento Valley. Similarly, nearly all the bunkers have been rebuilt recently to enhance the esthetics and challenges of the course.
"From any tee the golf course provides a chance for challenges of the game with a mixture of wide fairways, large, subtly sloped greens, well-placed bunkers and of course, the rough and a variety of mature trees."
Freschi talks to the team about scoring, eliminating double and triple bogeys on the scorecard, playing to the middle of the green, and giving yourself the opportunity of a two-putt hole.
"We talk about being able to have a respectable score," he said. "Each hole presents itself a new challenge. The last time we were there, the greens were rolling really fast. It's the ability to not get too cute. Put yourself in a good spot, where you're able to two-putt and avoid those three putts."
Obelleiro and Berdiago are joined on the NVC team Ping Yang, Ela Ashley and Mya Brooks.
Ashley has played a lot at Yolo Fliers, having been on the Woodland High girls golf team. Being mentally tough is key, she said.
"It's having a good mental state, being able to stay focused on each shot at a time. And if you hit a bad shot, don't worry about that. Don't worry about that last one," said Ashley. "It's keeping the ball straight, out of the trees. It's not always easy to keep it straight."
Napa Valley concluded the Big 8 Conference season on Thursday, Oct. 26, placing fifth in the final tournament of the league season at Turlock Golf & Country Club. The Storm posted a 368-team score. It was the conference's 10th and final tournament of the fall season.
Obelleiro was named to the All-Big 8 Conference team. She called it a big accomplishment.
"I feel that I have been able to put in a lot of work, getting to this point," said Obelleiro. "I've definitely learned a lot. I feel like I've matured a lot in the game. And I really know what I truly need to work on. It's just a different switch from high school to college. I think I've really grown since high school."
In addition to playing for the Storm, Obelleiro also works with her swing coach, taking lessons from Dennis Urabe of Cypress Lakes Golf Course in Vacaville.
"There's definitely a lot of practice that was put into it. There were times where it felt like a lot, but I knew that if I just kept pushing through, it would get better," said Obelleiro.
The NVC team is working on the mental game at practice, doing everything to be sharp.
"I definitely do think if we really put in that mental focus and really just work at it for the last couple of days before, I really think we could be in that top four," said Obelleiro. "It's all about just knowing your game and just playing it and not trying to second guess yourself out there. It will definitely make a big help. It's being able to just let it go and just think about my present shot and not anything else. It really helps."
Brooks and Berdiago have postseason experience for NVC. Last year, as freshmen, they played in NorCal and state tournaments.
Last year's team took third place in the Big 8 Conference, finishing third at the Northern California Regional Championships at Dragonfly Golf Club in Madera, and concluding the
2022 season by placing fifth in the California Community College Athletic Association state tournament, a two-day, 36-hole event, at Morro Bay Golf Course.
"I think we stack up well against these other teams. We're able to compete with them, we're able to keep up with them. It's just a matter of us, keeping ourselves together and making sure we have a strong mental game," said Brooks.
"I definitely think we have that potential. We've all been putting in 110 percent. I think if we continue that through NorCals, and just remembering to take it one hole lot at a time for a 36-hole tournament, we definitely have a chance out there. We know we have it in us. We've placed top-4 before in our tournaments. But just being able to keep yourself composed and taking things one step at a time, essentially, is very important for us right now.
"I think we all mesh very well together. We are able to hold each other up when things don't go well on the golf course that day."
Berdiago said:
"When we all have everything dialed in, I think we all score really well. And definitely, this week, we're working on everything that's important for our game to play at Yolo. I think our team definitely has what it takes. I think we're really well prepared. We've all put in a lot of time and a lot of effort. We're excited."
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.