Sweating your socks off in the middle of a blazing hot grass field amid the summer season while hitting tiny balls with a metal club is not everyone’s idea of fun. Yet for the high school golf team, this is exactly what they enjoy. Golf is not just a sport to these fine players; it is a lifestyle. They strike hard and get closer to victory with each swing. While their past is riddled with loss, this year has brought forth huge change that has blossomed success and a hopeful future.

Last year, the team took on new leadership with the retirement of former golf coach, Mr. Tom Hickey. Middle school geography teacher, Mr. James Culler, stepped up to the plate and took on the task of coaching the team for the first time. The year was a rocky road, especially with then-junior Logan Bickerstaff being the only returning player and the rest of the team consisting of mostly freshmen. Their season ended with a record of 1-12 and while seen by some as embarrassing, the team was more dedicated than ever to improve for the following year.

This season was an instant show of progress when the Bulldogs won against Rochester at Rolling Acres Golf Course on Aug. 22. With this year being Culler’s second coaching, he has now learned how to communicate with his team well and picked up tips from across their previous matches to push his team forward. Joining him is the new assistant coach of the team, Mr. Dante DeNome. The two, throughout their games, helped their players identify elements of their swing and positioning that may be negatively affecting their performance and aided them in correcting these mistakes. 

“I learned what needed to be focused on when practicing and working with the kids as well as to make efforts short game to improve scores,” Culler said.

Despite tremendous improvements, the team was not invincible. They suffered losses but held high heads. By the end of the season, the team had finished with a record of 5-7. While not groundbreaking, the record was concrete in showing the team has grown.

The team has taken on four new members alongside these new changes, two sophomores and two freshmen. One of each played on the varsity team. Overall, the team thinks that these new changes and their enhanced skills have made them stronger than ever. 

This newfound hope, however, brings along a disappointing end for the team’s current top player, Bickerstaff. He has been on the team since his freshman year and has seen players come and go up until this point. Regardless of this, Bickerstaff firmly believes the team will be “in a good position” with him graduating this school year.

Sept. 13, marked the end of the year’s golf season and it goes without saying that the season has been one to remember. With newly refined coaching and promising newcomers, the team has built a strong foundation and is more prepared than ever for the years to come.