After winning six of their nine games this season, the Boys’ Varsity Golf team will move on to the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) tournament on May 24. 

The team has worked hard to prepare for their season, Head Coach Tim Sullivan said. For many players, training began before the season even started. “[Players] do a lot of hard work in the offseason preparing,” Sullivan said. Because golf is an individualized sport, players can spend time practicing solo, which in turn benefits the team. 

The golf team also traveled to Florida during spring break, where they played 36 holes a day. “For some players, it’s hard to play off the winter. So it was a good opportunity to shake the rust off a little bit and to prepare for the full swing of the season,” Jack Beard (9) said. During the trip, team members identified both their strengths and weaknesses which they continued to work on throughout the season. 

The team believes their performance this season has been strong, and takes particular pride in their first game against Collegiate, despite their loss. “Both teams played incredibly well, and showed great sportsmanship,” Sullivan said.

Beard also enjoyed the Collegiate game. “I saw that every player individually could hold their own. It instilled a trust in my teammates that I didn’t have earlier because I’ve never played with them before,” Beard said. 

Sullivan is confident that the team will succeed during the NYSAIS tournament, he said. “For NYSAIS, everyone really has to have a great day, which is hard to do, but I believe we do have a chance to win.” 

Beard also has high hopes for the tournament, since team members have done a lot of preparation. “We played and practiced the course twice, so we know the holes,” he said. “We’ve done this amount of preparation, and that’ll help us succeed in that tournament.”

Overall, the Boys’ Varsity Golf team’s season has had much success. They rank fourth out of the seven teams in the Ivy League. “All the guys really care about the team’s success, and they all care about each other,” Sullivan said. 

While Sullivan is disappointed that the senior team members are graduating, he anticipates a great season next year. “I know all of our returning players are going to work really hard and they’re going to make us a great team next year,” he said. 

Beard also expects great things for the team next year. “I think our team as a whole has a lot of depth; every player individually is very strong in their own position,” he said. “Everyone is improving, so hopefully, we can have an even better season next year.”