Keep Calm and Golf On

Many athletes prepare for their competitions differently. The boy golfers at HHS are a key example of this.

“I prepare for a meet by getting a good night of rest, and on the way to the course, we each read a pamphlet over each hole on the course we are playing that day,” junior Nikos Theoharis said.

Others are not too worried about getting enough sleep, just having a clear head and having game-like situations so they are ready for anything that might be thrown at him.

“I usually like to let my mind wander before the meet. The less I think about golf, the better I play,” sophomore Carter Wenburg said.

“For meets, it is imperative to know what you will do in any situation, so you have to create situations in practice that you may happen to find yourself in such as bunker play, punch shots and other special miscellaneous golf shots,” junior Evan Davis said.

Nerves always go along with sports as one of the biggest things an athlete has to conquer is their nerves.

“I’m always a little nervous before every meet, but sometimes listening to music will calm me down and help me play better,” Wenburg said.

Theoharis gets calmed down by the wisdom of Coach Brian Vetter.

“I calm myself down by talking to Coach Vetter and he will tell me to just have fun and focus on your shots and don’t worry about the mistakes you made, they are already in the past,” Theoharis said.

The golf team has on-average one meet a week, which gives them a lot more time to practice.

“Practices usually consist of playing nine holes, putting and chipping work, or short game (wedge shot work),” Davis said.

Everyone says practice makes perfect. With almost every athlete believes they perform their best when they don’t think too much about it.

“I play my best when I am calm and not thinking about my score,” Wenburg said. “I’m never worried about how my competitors are playing compared to myself. In fact, every meet I am usually the last person in my group to know my own score because I feel how I performed on the course isn’t always how I scored.”

It’s not always about where you place but the fact that you are playing the game that you love and can have memories for the rest of your life.