KINGWOOD — If you play golf, and this applies invariably to every person who plays and enjoys the game, from complete novices all the way to Master’s champions, there is an insatiable desire to improve, to get better.
For Preston golf coach Ryan Cool, finding ways for his players and his program to improve is always his main goal, and this year, it looks like everything’s trending just as he’d like it.
“We’re young again, but with lots of varsity experience,” he said, “which is great, because I get them for another year or two. And we also had a big jump in participation, up to 12 golfers, so there will be some internal competition within the team for spots that’s always a healthy prospect for driving players to improve. It can be tough to measure yourself against yourself all the time. Plus, we can schedule more JV matches, which is great.”
Now, while pushing hard in head-to-head matches always reveals weakness and strengths, it’s also important to be able to self-evaluate your performance during practices and matches. According to junior Chayce Andrew, coach Cool has his players doing homework after every round.
“We usually play 9 holes before practice, then 9 after,” he said, “and we have to list the things we messed up during the round. It seems like a simple thing, but it’s amazing how effective it is in finding patterns in all parts to our game. Sometimes, it’s something about our swing or our putting stroke, but I’ve found that it helps me most with the mental parts. Course management mistakes, or dealing with emotions after good hole or bad ones — you’d be amazed at how often you continue to make the same bad decisions over and over again without even knowing it. It really gives things to work on after practice, and then see if we remember the next day. It really helps.”
While keeping track of a dozen young golfers has proven to be a welcome challenge, Cool likes the mix of his team.
“The younger golfers might be a little less intimidated by the sophomores and juniors,” he said, “but every kid out there is supportive of their teammates. They’re building each other up, trying to make the program as strong as it can be, because they’re proud of their school, and proud to be representing Preston. We’ve been improving each year, sometimes steadily, and sometime in leaps and bounds. The trick is to try to keep things moving forward through each season as well as year to year.
“I like where we’re at this year and I believe we have a legitimate shot, even with the strong competition we have to contend with in our region, to qualify as a team for the State tournament. The mark of a solid program is when your team makes it through the regional nearly every year, and that’s always our goal.”
In previous seasons, the state tournament was something for the future, but this year, the Knights think their future can be right now.
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