Golf team looks to swing back into league

With a slight wind and the fresh smell of clean cut grass around them, the Golf team begins to prepare for its league matches at Eaton Canyon. The Rams have suffered three losses in their first four games; however, they continue to practice and make adjustments in order to qualify for C.I.F.

The team is fairly inexperienced as half of the squad consists of new members. Therefore, the Rams go to Par 3 in Arcadia a few times a week, as Coach Lyle Takeshita mentors them on the fundamentals of golf. Additionally, some members of the golf team run and work out on their own time to build upper body strength.

“When we go practice we work on many things like driving and putting the ball to help us score better during our games,” Junior Kevin Shum said. “We also always have to remember to take into consideration slopes and the wind when hitting the ball.”

The Rams lost to South Pasadena and La Cañada in their first two league games. However, they managed to bounce back and defeat the Monrovia Wildcats with a score of 223 to 232. These numbers are the accumulative amount of hits from the five best players of each team, with the team with the lower amount of total shots winning the match.

“We finally came together and started to hit the golf ball with better form,” Senior William Zhan said. “We followed through on our swings, and were able to make our putts, giving us a great overall score as a team.”

The boys have not started the way they would have liked to, but are still continuing to practice and gain experience in order to place at least third in the Rio Hondo League. If the team takes third place or better in league, they will reach their ultimate goal of qualifying for C.I.F.

“We are getting better as we practice more, because we are becoming accustomed to which clubs work the best for each of us,” Shum said. “Golf is not a sport of pure strength, it requires choosing the right club for different situations, which just comes through experience.”

The Rams are going through a rebuilding process this year, losing two seniors the previous year, during which the team had an overall record of three wins and five losses in league. However, even though the team lost its most recent game against San Marino, the players still have their expectations set high as they face the La Cañada Spartans on Apr. 16.