By Dalton Balthaser
FOSTER – Lance Gillett hadn’t stepped foot on property at Foster Country Club prior to Monday’s Rhode Island Amateur Pre-Qualifying.
When he arrived, he walked into the pro shop looking for any advice. He was given a yardage book and one sentence of advice.
“Play the course the way it should be played.”
Gillett did just that. He hit plenty of irons off the tee to avoid the trouble that awaits around every turn and hit driver when necessary. The result? Medalist honors with a round of 72 at Foster (par 71, 6,093 yards).
The 116th Rhode Island Amateur Championship will take place July 12-17 at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln.
A total of 26 players secured their spot at Kirkbrae with the cut line falling at 80 (9 over).
Twice a week, Gillett spends time meditating to get himself in the right frame of mind. It sure helped Monday with scorching temperatures reaching 90 degrees and a golf course that isn’t like many.
Foster has a few quirky holes that require local knowledge. No local knowledge didn’t matter for Gillett.
“Patience is a huge key for my success in this game,” said Gillett, 35 of Westerly. “There could have been plenty of times out there where I could have let my emotions get the best of me. This golf course is one that requires a lot of patience especially if you haven’t played it before.”
Gillett is a reinstated amateur. He was tired of grinding the game and not getting much out of it.
“Last summer, I got my amateur status back,” said Gillett. “I have been sitting around for the last two years playing with my buddies while I waited to see if I could be reinstated. I was feeling good about my game, I just had to wait.
“I decided a couple of years ago that I was done throwing my money into trying to make it professionally. I wanted to get back to enjoying the game and having fun. It has been good since then. Playing as an amateur is much less stressful.”
Gillett’s connection to Rhode Island is his loops at Shelter Harbor Golf Club. This will be his sixth-year caddying at the Charlestown gem. He spends his winters in Jupiter, Fla.
After making the turn in 1 over, Gillett made a routine birdie on No. 11 (par 4, 310 yards). He smashed a drive flag-high in the greenside rough. A delicate touch left him a 4-footer, which he rolled in the center of the hole.
He then made a tap-in birdie on No. 14 (par 5, 415 yards) after stuffing a lob wedge from 86 yards.
A couple of bogeys took away an under-par round, but that isn’t the nature of the game. Shoot a good enough score to advance to the Championship Proper. Then from there, it’s anyone’s ballgame.
In his first attempt to qualify for the #RIAmateur, Gillett succeeded.
Now he heads to another new venue at Kirkbrae. It didn’t faze him Monday and it won’t worry him come the first round of stroke-play qualifying on July 12.
“I haven’t seen Kirkbrae before,” said Gillett, of Button Hole Golf Club. “I hope to be able to get in a practice round. I’ll do exactly what I did at Foster. Play the course as it should be played.”
That’s advice Gillett won’t soon forget.