Maryville College Golf Team is on par
The Maryville College golf team has had an excellent season this fall. One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that golf teams very rarely play matches against other schools. When matches between schools do occur, it’s usually just a friendly exhibition match. Tournament play is the only real competition during the golf season where scores matter, and it is far more important than any single exhibition.
As far as the technical season goes, there are actually two. One season is in the fall, and one season is in the spring. Each season lasts about four months including practice and tournament play, and the most important part of the season is the practice and self-improvement of the golfers on any given team.
As for Maryville College, our school fields a men’s golf team and, more recently, a women’s team.
“The women’s team is a ‘young team’ that’s getting better all the time,” said Elaina Davis, a junior on the women’s team. “The program [for women] itself has only really been around for two years, so it’s still growing. Last year was the first time in a long time–possibly ever–that the women could field a golf team.”
The women’s team is in a growth phase and will be stronger going forward, but even in its infancy, Davis described them as a “family.”
“The men’s team is really good,” Davis said. “We have really good guys this year, and only one graduating this year, so the team will be strong going forward. The men’s team won their tournament at the end of October and has only been around for nine years.”
In regards to the tournament, it was held on Oct. 30-31. Tournaments in golf are played over multiple days, usually with a standard 18-hole game played once per day. In the recent tournament, a noteworthy accomplishment goes to Tyler Bray of the men’s team, who had the second lowest score in Maryville College golf history, scoring a 66, just shy of the current record of 64.
“It’s not so much one specific time, but we jam out in the car and it brings us together,” Davis said of her favorite golf team-related memory. “We laugh until we cry. Our van trips can get pretty lively. Just being with each other–because golf isn’t usually a team sport, like softball for example–so it’s just the being together that’s nice.”
Clearly both the men and women’s team have already accomplished much already this season, and are on par for even more victories.