Golf team members have started to grab their golf clubs out of their garages and find their shoes in their closets. This first good rain year in a while has been good for drought, but not for the golf team. Boulder Creek’s golf course, SLV home course, has probably got the worst of it; however, the team is going to play there anyway. This could actually be used to the team’s advantage, since other schools practice without our punishing redwoods. This mud has added a whole new challenge to golfers everywhere, making it harder to hit a ball properly.
The first few practices have been a warm up for the top 6, who are the tournament players. Many players are coming back after many years under their belts, as well as others who haven’t been playing very long. One of the newcomers who played last year, Bailey Mcdermott, comments on golf, “The game is very hard, you have to stick with it or you might lose everything you’ve gained.”
By Joshua Forst
The coaches are all very excited to grow with the team during high school, and they are already getting sophomores ready for tournament play. There are multiple coaches who trade off, Jerry who has been a PGA professional;“Papa;” and Mark Mercer who still manages to make appearances – even though he has moved away to work at a different middle school. All the coaches teach the players and support their swings the best they can.
David George is one of the veterans on the team; he lives on the course and tries to practice whenever he can. He wants to master golf, so he has been working on his putting – the most important part in the game. Most strokes are wasted on the green putting back and forth over the hole. David plays in the tournaments and strives to be the best, “If you’re not first you’re last”. He is close to the dreams he has been striving for, but wants to explore more courses.
Golf is probably one of the hardest sports to play that the school has to offer. There are so many mechanics in the swing, which makes it very hard to hit a ball properly. Different lies (where your ball has landed), hazards such as sand or water,and the amount of holes you have to play makes it harder: because one blow-up hole can ruin your whole game. A bad score is something you have to live with until the day is over.
The most important thing to be able to do in golf is keep your composure and be able to recover from a bad shot. Too many times people get down when they fail a shot, when they should focus on recovery. All this may sound sad, but the beauty of golf is the moments when you hit that perfect shot (or just get really lucky). That feeling can perk up a player and give them a new jolt of energy.
Overall, the whole team is pumped to play in the mud at Boulder Creek. The top 6 will serve us well for the tournaments, and will continue to bring school pride. Although the game will be tough for all players, it will be rewarding to them all too. Morale gets better with every game, which is what school golf is all about.
By Joshua Forst
The Claw 