Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward.
That was a lesson learned by Conlee Lindsey over the summer prior to starting her senior golf season at University Heights Academy.
Conlee is coming off a season where she won the All A Region title and finished third at the All A State Tournament. She has also qualified for the KHSAA state tourney and is continuing to build a strong resume.
But over the summer, events happened that caused her to re-examine her game.
The first was college visits as she looks to continue her golfing career at the next level.
“I’ve visited like six or seven colleges, and it’s been exciting but that comes with pressure,” she said. “I think all of that got to me mentally.”
After visits to Centre, Northern Kentucky, Bellarmine, Wofford, Eastern Kentucky, and Ball State, Conlee was set to play in some summer tournaments but didn’t like where her game was at.
“I just wasn’t scoring well and decided to get out of those and focus on practicing. I just kind of laid low until the high school season started because I wasn’t where I needed to be,” she said.
The second was a swing change as she began getting coaching from Mitchell Moore, who was closer than her previous coach in Paducah.
The time off and the swing change have produced a strong start to Conlee’s season. She finished third twice in the first week and won the Marshall County Invitational on a Calvert City Country Club course she described as one of her favorites.
She also gets to play one final season with her younger sister Campbell, who will be a freshman this year.
Conlee and Campbell are part of the Lindsey sister trifecta that included older sister Rheagan, who played with Conlee before graduating two years ago.
“With Rheagan, it was kind of like me like having her as a role model and her pushing me. But with Campbell now on the team, I feel like the role model and I feel like I have like big shoes to fill and be a leader for my team,” Conlee said. “There is a little more pressure being a mentor and leader.”
With all five golfers back from last year’s All A region-winning team that finished a school-best third place at All A State, Conlee and the Lady Blazers are looking for more hardware again this year.
“We want to do good at All A State as a team but individually I really want to put myself in a good position for a big state,” Conlee said. “I’ve definitely went out there multiple times and qualified for those big tournaments and so it puts me in a good mindset knowing that I can compete with those girls and get out there and do good.”
With her mental approach and swing adjustments seeming to be in place, Conlee said she wants to finish her senior season strong and then make a college choice afterward.
“I’d like to make my college choice in the fall and not wait until the spring but if it has to happen like that it will happen whenever the timing is right.”
Conlee talks about her goals for the season in this YSE interview.
