Golf: Bentonville's Billington Successful Through Changes

 FILE PHOTO BEN GOFF Taytum Billington, Bentonville senior, tees off on hole No. 3 during practice July 29 at Bella Vista Country Club in Bella Vista.
FILE PHOTO BEN GOFF Taytum Billington, Bentonville senior, tees off on hole No. 3 during practice July 29 at Bella Vista Country Club in Bella Vista.

BENTONVILLE -- The news Taytum Billington needed to tell Bentonville girls golf coach Lindsey Davis wasn't exactly what the coach wanted to hear just days before the Lady Tigers were about to start their season.

The senior was about to undergo some serious changes with her game, particularly her swing.

At A Glance

Taytum Billington

SCHOOL: Bentonville

CLASS: Senior

HEIGHT: 6-0

NOTABLE: A four-year member of Bentonville’s girls golf team. … Shot a season-low 41 over nine holes during a recent match against Rogers Heritage at Scottsdale Golf Club, a course she said she hasn’t played much. … Also a member of Bentonville’s girls track team in the spring.

"My previous swing coach was really great and helped me out a lot, but he had to move away," Billington said. "So I got a new coach about a month and a half ago, and he tore apart my whole swing. He's really helping me move forward in my game, and I'm excited for what he's doing."

Billington said these major changes cause her to bring her clubs inside and not go over the top as much with her swing. The switch allowed her to hit the ball straighter and farther than she had in the past.

She played the Springdale Invitational in early August like she normally did, then her swing was completely broken down and reconstructed during the two weeks before Bentonville's next match. This new swing also allowed Billington to draw more power out of her legs as she swung instead of mainly relying on her arms.

"There was definitely some concern starting out, especially with the timing of it," Davis said. "We were right at the beginning of our season, and that is difficult.

"But Taytum's a winner, and winners don't always have perfect swings. What they do have is confidence, combined with a repetitive method, and that's what she brings to the table. She believes in herself, even when she has a difficult shot."

At first, Billington said she noticed every shot she hit snapped and hooked to the left, which brought frustration, but things began to work out in time. She said she started seeing positive changes in her game with the improvements she has made the last couple of weeks.

"It's just a lot of hard work that I have to put in to get to where I want," Billington said. "It's still not perfect. I still have a lot of changes that I need to make. So far, it's been pretty good.

"These past couple of weeks has been when it's getting harder to correct things right away because everything is changing. I just have to work really hard and find the time to balance between my school work and my golf in order to do both things the best I can."

Even as Billington dealt with the changes she has made in her game, she has constantly remained in the thick of competition as the Lady Tigers' No. 3 golfer behind all-state players Hanna Brauburger and Kate Robertson. When Bentonville's girls recently played Rogers Heritage at the Scottsdale Golf Course in Bella Vista -- a course Billington said she hadn't played very much -- she fired a season-best 41 over nine holes.

"She has worked really hard to improve her putting and the direction of her drives," Davis said. "She's the type of player that attacks the golf course, and she makes good decisions on her club selection and the type of shot she needs to hit.

"I've seen plenty of growth out of Taytum throughout the last two or three years, and I think she really believes in herself. She has the confidence in herself that she can get the job done, and she loves the game."

Sports on 09/11/2014

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