On Tuesday, April 14, Irvington’s Boys Golf kickstarted the end-season with a game against the Moreau Catholic Mariners and Washington High School at the San Ramon Golf Club. Currently, the team has a record of 9-3, but the final placing has not been determined. To win first place, Irvington will have to win the league finals to finish in first place.
Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport where players use multiple clubs to hit balls into a series of holes in the fewest strokes (shots) possible. The goal for players is to get the lowest score relative to “par,” which is the expected number of shots for a skilled player at each hole. Once all holes are completed, the total strokes are added and compared to the total par of the course. If a player gets 90 but the par of the course is 72, that player’s score is 18 over. It’s a low-intensity sport focused on accuracy and strategy and requires a lot of patience.
Individually, players focused on what areas from last season they needed to improve on to perform better this season. “I think personally, my ball striking and consistency over contact has improved from last year,” said Sihyun Wee (11). Ball-striking is the ability to make centered contact with a ball, controlling its distance and direction. It leads to more predictable shots.
Regardless, there’s always room to improve, and for next year, Wee aims to improve on his score because improving ball-striking doesn’t always guarantee a good score. Ball-striking mainly focuses on the consistency of the swing, but shot-making is what artistically maneuvers the ball to fit the conditions of different courses, as no course is built the same. A well-rounded player has the ability to do both.
Both Coach Harrington and Captain Justin Lee (12) help players with their swings. During his breaks, Lee will observe his teammates’ swings and footing. He records them in slow motion, analyzes their technique, and then points out things for them to improve on. During practices, Coach Harrington will walk down the line of teammates and give them feedback. Lee said that during matches, Coach Harrington makes sure that rulings are fair and helps clarify any uncertainties that players have, especially since golf rules can be confusing.
Although golf has a reputation for being low-intensity and slower in pace, the process to play good games isn’t easy. During the season, Wee said that handling the pressure was very challenging. “If one thing is off about your swing or mindset, it’s easy to make mistakes,” he said. Similarly, Preston Shi (10) said that the pressure makes keeping calm and focused the most difficult for him.
“Throughout our nine-holes matches, these small mistakes can accumulate, and by the 9th hole, you may feel anxious and fatigued, especially if you haven’t been scoring well,” Lee said. The buildup of stress creates a positive feedback loop of mistakes being made.
Even with the performance anxiety, the teamwork and extensive practices are what led the Irvington Boys Golf team to have a fruitful season.
