In reference to the upcoming HS golf season – Northland Pines Eagles Golf Team
Coaching staff:
Jeffrey Libby is a teacher for Northland Pines and is the new Varsity Head Coach. He was the JV coach for the previous two years. He has a lifelong connection to golf which included playing competitively, teaching and working in the manufacturer industry for Titleist and Cobra Puma golf. This year Todd Wilfer, also a teacher for Northland Pines, will be coaching the JV team. Todd has previously participated in this role and is glad to be back with the team this season. Todd is an accomplished player and advocate for the game.
Key returners:
Returning this year at the core of the team will be four juniors representing the most senior players on the team. Three of these juniors, Ryder Will, Anderson Kielty and Anthony Gaetano played on the Varsity team as sophomores last year, gaining invaluable experience as their games developed. The fourth junior is Owen Libby who spent most of last season near the top of the JV group. All four of these golfers have dedicated themselves to the game in the off season and are intent on proving their hard work has paid off. They are going to be key players in this season to come and their following senior years. Several of these young men are also looking to develop their games toward playing collegiate golf.
Key newcomers:
Two standout young men have joined the team as incoming freshmen. Collin Reynolds and Sam Shrock have both been working at their golf games for several years now. Each has commented that they are serious about the development of their games and their commitment to the team. Sam has been participating in youth tournaments to challenge himself and Collin got a Hole in One at the end of last season while playing by himself at Eagle River Golf Course. Many of the team’s players, including Coach Libby, were on the hole behind Collin practicing when it occurred. We are glad to have them joining the team and look forward to seeing how they develop.
Conference outlook:
Our Eagles golf team has the opportunity to compete at a high level this year and certainly has set high goals for themselves. The players are committed to and believe that they can vie for the top few spots in our conference this year and certainly the next. As our core players’ games have developed, so have their expectations. They are looking to be successful this year and are expecting to be successful next year at the top tier of our conference.
Keys to your success this season:
The key to our success this season will be talent management. In all of golf, especially high school golf, the ability to manage emotions and expectations shot by shot will be key. The first step is always skill acquisition. Ball striking and distance control with consistency is a tall order for any developing golfer. Our core players are well on their way to having strong skill sets around the different aspects of the course but managing those skills and making good decisions moment to moment will be the key to our success. A beautiful round of golf with towering iron shots and sweeping long drives rarely equates to a good score. We are hoping to see our players begin to understand what good scoring looks and feels like. What it means to be conservatively aggressive. How to manage their emotions and talents while always being appreciative and optimistic about their task at hand.
Coach’s comments: anything else you’d like to share?
This is an exciting time for our team. Since we have a core group of players in their junior year we have this season and next to look forward to without losing players to graduation. We also have the support of our new AD, Anthony Zayia, in adding experiences for our players. We will be playing early season rounds in the Dells to prepare ourselves better than normal. Weather has historically been a challenge to our preparation due to our northern location. We have also been accepted into the MACC Fund Invitational this year at Erin Hills. We are proud to be a part of raising money for battling childhood cancer while playing golf with students from around the state. We look forward to the opportunity to participate and support the cause for years to come. Bring the spring!
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
