A hole-in-one season.

The boy’s golf team is halfway through their season and already feeling good about their performance. “The season is going very well right now. It is beyond our expectations from when we started,” coach Kyle Downs said. At the beginning of the season 9 out of the 12 players on the team had never played competitive golf and some of them had never played golf before at all. “Many kids that struggled to hit the ball are shooting in the 90s now,” Downs said. Although the team faces challenges because they are young, the experience they are getting will help them in seasons to come. 

The players major improvement in skill can be attributed to the hard work they have been putting in at every practice. “This team is probably one of the most fun groups I have had to coach. They continue to get better, they continue to work hard, they continue to come to practice, and they listen. They have probably gotten better than any group I have coached up to this point,” Downs said. One of the things that has made the team improve so quickly is how well they listen to teaching and fix what they are told. “We’re all just trying to improve because we’re all really young, mostly freshmen. So we’re just trying to listen to coach and improve.” freshman Isaac Lewis said. 

One of the biggest skills that the players have worked on to help them improve so quickly is the mechanics of their golf swing. “We have made lots of swing changes, and they have kind of taken to the swing changes faster than most people,” Downs said. A lot of players on the team have shaved 30 strokes off of their score in five weeks. Advancing their skills is a goal for many players on the team. “My goal is to break 90 more often, like almost every match, for a tournament.” Lewis said.

Placing well in region is the main thing the team is focusing on going forward. “Right now Spencer County is the best team in the region and there are a lot of teams that could finish second,” Downs said. The boys team has a lot of younger players that need experience and Downs thinks that even if they don’t do as well in region this year, they will next year. A success for the team would be described as showing their improvement. “How much we’ve improved, some players had trouble striking the ball, and now they’re hitting it better and better every time.” Lewis said.

Though the anxieties of a regional tournament may create turmoil, they are prepared to use their skills to power through. Improvement and dedication is sure to leave the team with success. The golf team has been working extremely hard to ensure a good season.