MIND CONTROL: Karns City Junior Chloe Fritch Went to Work on the Mental Game of Golf; It’s Already Paid Off With Eagle Amateur Title

KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — There was a time not long ago when one bad shot would turn into two or three or four for Chloe Fritch.

A sliced drive. A duffed chip. A botched putt. They’d all escalate and snowball for the Karns City golfer.

It was a problem.

And it was one that the junior on the Karns City golf team was determined to fix.

(Pictured above, Chloe Fritch)

“I mean, golf is such a hard sport. You could go out one day and shoot really, really well and hit everything perfectly and then you could go out on another day and you’re like, ‘Where did that come from? It’s like I’ve never played golf before,” Fritch said, chuckling softly. “I’ve been trying to come to terms with that and accept that I am not going to be perfect. It drove me nuts because I’m a perfectionist.”

Playing golf and a being a perfectionist was a troublesome combination for Fritch, who has already found success on the links despite that constant tug of war inside her head.

As a freshman, she finished second at the District 9 Girls Class 2A Individual Golf Championships. She did well in that round despite wearing a special brace on her foot to cushion her healing broken big toe, which she fractured while playing soccer.

Fritch was second again last year behind Clarion’s McKayla Kerle.

But those mental roadblocks came up again at the PIAA Girls Golf Individual Championships. Fritch had a forgettable tournament.

That’s when she realized she needed to make a change.

“It takes a lot of practice,” Fritch said, chuckling again. “It starts with working on your swing. My dad (Karns City golf coach Eric Fritch) and I actually fixed my swing this year and that’s helped tremendously. I’m hitting the ball farther, making better contact and I’m more consistent. That helps, having confidence in my swing. I can talk myself through it now. If something bad happens, ‘How do I make it better? How do I reduce the damage?’ is what I like to say.”

Fritch has already put that new philosophy to the test with encouraging results.

On Sunday she won the Eagle Amateur Open women’s title, shooting an 81 at Lake Arthur Golf Club.

It was a great way for Fritch to kick off her junior golf campaign.

She had only set foot on that course twice. She played a round on Thursday and and shot an 82.

Fritch made detailed notes about the course on that day to help her on Sunday.

One problem.

She forgot those notes at home.

“I remembered certain things,” Fritch said. “I think it was actually a good thing I forgot it because it let me relax even more. I didn’t have to worry about getting that sheet out and looking at what club I needed to use on this hole, things like that. It was a low key, not stressful type of day.”

Fritch was consistent again throughout her round, shooting a 43 on the front nine and a 38 on the back.

Fritch, though, was more proud of the way she played the mental game on Sunday.

“I really had no expectations going into it at all,” Fritch said. “I didn’t play a lot of tournaments this summer because I was really focused on working on the mental part of the game. This was my first real tournament before the high school golf season for me. I was just hoping to keep my positive mindset the whole time. That was the only reason why I really wanted to do it was to see if I could challenge myself to overcome things and stay positive. And I did very well. I was pretty happy about that. I was more happy about that than anything.”

Fritch is also a standout basketball player and track and field star at Karns City.

Fritch averaged 12 points and 3.1 steals per game as a sophomore for the Gremlins. She also hit 40 3-pointers. In the spring, she qualified for the state track meet in the 300-meter hurdles.

She thinks her new mental training in golf will spill over into her other sports.

“I feel like if I can capitalize on the mental game in golf, which is the hardest sport to do, I think for basketball and track, it will come a lot easier to me,” she said.

Fritch is determined to make this golf season a special one.

It’s all about her mental approach, though, this season. That’s her prime focus.

“I’m excited for the season,” Fritch said. “I’m going to be looking for some good scores, but I’m really just focusing on how I will handle it if I have a bad day.

“I think it’s a good thing that I’m a perfectionist,” she added. “I have a lot of expectations on myself, which you have to have as an athlete. But at the same time, you don’t want to put too much on yourself. That’s the balance I’m looking for.”