The PV boys golf team has an outstanding record of success that many people don’t know about. But how have they had such success in the past? The team has lots of practice to nail down what they struggle with individually. Lucas Wendell, a veteran of the team said, “I think we have a group of guys that really push each other in the offseason and in practice during the season.” They start practice by doing some stretches, talking over what the plan will be for that day, upcoming meets, or important news.
Coach Nedelcoff then helps the boys with everything from posture to their swing. Some of the drills the team does are putting drills, where they start a ways off from the hole and try to make the long distance putt. Every stroke they pick up the ball and move a little closer to the hole and take another shot, even if they make the first one. Another drill is a long distance drill where they will pick a flag and help each other with alignment and see who can get the closest to the hole. Everything just takes a lot of practice.
Pre meet is a lot of the same drills, just reduced long range hitting, aimed to reduce the risk of being worn out for the meets. Pre meet basically consists of anything the boys feel they need to get down before the meet tomorrow. When asked about pre meet routine Ryan Lamarque, a senior golfer says, “Sometimes it means spending more time hitting on the range and less time putting or the other way around.” Unlike other sports, the boys golf team does not have a mandatory team dinner before meets. Every now and then one of the boys will step up and host a dinner, but not as often as they’d like.
Meet days consist of more of the same; golfing. Only this time it counts. All the work they put in, perfecting their putt, to learning how to send the golf ball hundreds of feet down range. But not all of the game is physical. There’s lots of mental factors that go into golfing also. Keeping the right mindset while trekking to the ball can be tough. Trying to focus on your next shot based on where the ball landed. This can be taxing, especially while a couple hundred people are staring at your, dead silent. As long as the boys have put in the practice, they will continue to do well in the meets.
