By Cameron Hill

WOOSH! That’s the sound you’ll hear as Tempe Prep high school golf begins this season with new strategies to improve and restore focus.

With some solid senior guidance and a great group of underclassmen, the team is preparing to reach new heights this season. The golfers practice twice a week, but have also continued to work hard in the off-season and on days with no practice. The athletes take the time they practice as a team seriously to prepare for competitions and to make it further in the State competition than last year. Currently, they are pushing to be ready for their first competition on Mar. 2. 

Senior Luke Epperson, who has played golf for seven years at Tempe Prep, said the team is “taking practice much more seriously this year.” The team is working to find a good balance between what senior Isabella Carillo, who has done golf for four years, described as having “fun in the sun,” and seriously taking on the technical aspects of the game. But despite the increased seriousness, the team atmosphere has remained positive.

One of the major challenges mentioned by the coaches last season was the number of golfers; two instructors trying to teach upwards of 15 people golf is very difficult. Luke said to address this challenge, the coaches “have brought on new instructors to help improve every little aspect of our game.” Having more instruction on all levels of the game will help each golfer improve.

Both Luke and Isabella cited improvement as the team’s major goal, while Isabella also said a personal goal is “to forget the bad shots,” and “not dwell on them so much.” The mental side of golf is very important. Developing confidence, focus, and patience is key and these skills easily translate to real life. 

Luke said the team is hoping “to make State and place higher than [they] did last year.” After doing worse than they anticipated previously, the team is working hard to come back with a better showing against even stronger competition. As the team starts competing in tournaments, the Tempe Prep golfers would greatly appreciate any support they could get. Luke said it best: “Tournaments are long but watching the first few holes means a lot to the whole team.”