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123 F or the University of Iowa women's golf team, spring break was everything but a break. e Hawkeyes spent the week preparing for the back half of the season at the notoriously challeng- ing Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. "Concession was very different than any course we have played so far this season," said sophomore Jessica Ip. "ere are a lot of risks, but also a lot of chances to be rewarded. I think aer playing a course like that, you are stronger mentally. You have a better idea of how to tackle different courses that come your way." While the course lived up to its reputation, Con- cession's high slope rating helped prepare the Hawkeyes for the upcoming Texas Tech Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock, Texas. "In Texas, there are a lot of courses that require high loed shots," said senior Amy Ihm. "ere are a lot of elevated greens. at is exactly how Concession was, so it helped to prepare us." e Hawkeyes' experiences on the course also revealed where improvement is needed in order to be successful throughout the remainder of the season. "Concession is such a challenging golf course, not only off the tee, but around the greens as well," said UI head coach Megan Menzel. "I think that it was an eye-opening experience for us and we realized where our weaknesses were." Now the Hawkeyes are focused on correcting their biggest weakness — short game. "We spent a couple hours every day working on short game," said Ip. "We realized how important short game is and how it is our weakness. I spent a lot more time on the putting green and working on wedge shots because I realized that is what is going to save my game when my long game isn't going well." With strengths and weaknesses identified, the Hawkeyes have now narrowed their focus to three distinct goals. "We have three pretty important goals that we have talked about," said Menzel. "One is eliminating three putts on the green. We have been working on trusting our putters and working a lot on find- ing different ways of getting the ball in the hole. Another area we have been spending a lot of time on is getting up and down. Finally, we have been working on committing to our start lines." e Hawkeyes look to bring their goals to fruition as they compete at the Texas Tech Red Raider Invi- tational (April 8-9) before concluding the regular season in Columbus, Ohio, at the Lady Buckeye Invitational (April 16-17). e Hawkeyes conclude the month at the Big Ten Championships from April 22-24, at the Fort in Indianapolis. "is team has grown a lot," said Menzel. "ey are also better at course management. ey have made great strides in their decision-making pro- cess. I am looking forward to their continued growth throughout the season." APRIL SCHEDULE April 8-9 at Texas Tech Red Raider Invitational Lubbock, Texas April 16-17 at Lady Buckeye Invitational Columbus, Ohio April 22-24 at Big Ten Championships Indianapolis