Caroline Curtis '19: More Than Just Talent

    Too good to be true?
    Hey, believe it because that’s an apt description of Caroline Curtis, a rising seventh grader at Collegiate who the week of June 10 made her first foray into the adult world of competitive golf in Central Virginia and left an immediate and indelible impression on those who followed her story.
    “Caroline is such a bright spot,” said Lindsey Wortham, Collegiate class of 1969 and a veteran of the golf circuit.
    “If she makes a mistake, which is rare, she pulls herself together and makes something wonderful happen.
    “She obviously loves golf.  She enjoys each moment.  She has such presence.”
    Caroline began playing golf at 7 under the guidance of her father Tony, who now serves as her caddy.  She ventured into age-group events at 9 and showed such promise that she traveled about the country to find competition.
    This past spring, her dad floated the idea of entering the Richmond Women’s Golf Association tournament to get a taste of match-play, and, though a virtual unknown when the qualifying round began, came within a stroke of taking home the first-place trophy.
    The first day at the Meadowbrook Country Club, she tied for fourth with a 75 to earn a ticket to the quarterfinals.
    In subsequent match play, she defeated Carmen Warfield 6 and 5 and Lisa Cox 1-up on the 19th hole.
    Then, before a large championship-round gallery, she challenged University of Virginia recruit Lyberty Anderson throughout but placed second when the Manchester High senior, playing her home course, dropped in a 6-foot birdie putt on 18 to claim her fourth RWGA title in five years.
On that final day, Lyberty shot 69, Caroline 70.
    “I’ve watched a lot of golf,” continued Wortham, a semifinalist.  “At the completion of the (championship) match, they got a standing ovation.
    “They made fabulous shot after fabulous shot.  It took your breath away.
    “People appreciated what they’d seen.  (Before the RWGA) people didn’t even know who Caroline was.  They know her now.”
    So how did Caroline, who turns 12 on July 30, handle the unaccustomed media attention and pressure?
    “Knowing that I had nothing to lose,” she said with a smile three days after the finals. “Knowing that it was Lyberty’s home course and she’d won it (the tournament) before.
    “The pressure was on her shoulders.  It was, hey, I can be loose with this.  Just play my game.  I’ll be fine.”

    Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?   
    There’s nothing simple, though, about the mental side of golf.
    “I just tried to ride the wave of the crowd,” Caroline continued.  “If they cheered for me, I try to feed off of that.
“Then, I blocked it out when I hit.  It’s like nobody’s there.  Just me. After I’m done, it’s like, oh, my gosh, there’re all these people, that’s really cool. “

    Blocking out the crowd, of course, is easier said than done.
    “I just stare at the hole,” Caroline added.  “Part of my game is willing the ball into the hole.  
“I put in the work, but I will the ball into the hole. I just think, ‘It’s going in.  It’s not going to lip out. I’m not going to shank it.  It’s going into the hole’”

    Adroitly handling the media attention is also easier said than done.
    “When I’d finish my round and was being interviewed by Mr. (Vic) Dorr (Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch), I thought, ‘Ooh, this is cool.  I’ve never done this before,’” she said.
    “Then, I’d see the story in the newspaper the next morning.  Then I’d get in the car, and it would all disappear.  
    “Of course I remembered it, but I knew it wouldn’t happen that often.”

    Golf has always come naturally to Caroline.
    That said, she well understands that her success, past and future, depends as much on her work ethic as her sweet swing, aptitude, and enjoyment of the game.
    She works daily year-round to refine her skills.  It’s not unusual for her to practice for 90-plus minutes, then play a round.  During school or when weather limits her time outside, she works on her putting on a small green set up in her bedroom.
    She receives instruction on her long game from Adam Smith at Salisbury and on her putting, chipping, and wedge and bunker play from Stephen “Slot” Slotterbach at Kinloch.
   “She’s meticulous in her practice,” Slot said.  “She treats every shot as a tournament situation.
   “A cool thing about Caroline is that she wants to be great, she’s not afraid to be great, and she’s willing to work to be great.
   “That’s what separates her.
   “She’s a sweetheart, but you put her between the lines, and she’s a bulldog.”

    So we know that Caroline has uncommon talent. We know she thrives on pressure, even welcomes it. We know she’s grounded and unfailingly polite, a product of her upbringing. We know she competes with maturity beyond her years and has an eye-of-the-tiger commitment to excellence.
    But, really, how can she maintain an even keel, find that extra gear when the competition becomes the toughest, and deliver day after day amidst all the demands on her time in an unforgiving game that can drive even the most experienced professional to distraction?
    “Caroline’s ‘together,’” Wortham said. “She’s just light years ahead.
    “She’s an impressive young lady, the real deal inside and out. 
    "She’s very special.”
                            -- Weldon Bradshaw