The final home match of the year for St Ed’s girls golf team was rained out at The Moorings last week, but that didn’t put a damper on the customary honors ceremony for the team’s departing seniors.
The event was a bit unusual in that three of the four seniors feted comprised the entire roster for 2014. First-year Head Coach Tom Thornton provided a fitting tribute to a small cast of golfers bidding farewell to a recreational high school sport where concern about winning didn’t seem to matter at all.
Kate Ederle, Allison Brown, Lacey Karabin and Peijia Zeng won’t play golf for any college team. However, they all expressed complete satisfaction with the high school experience. (Zeng was ineligible for matches and not officially on the roster). At the same time, they were grateful for the first-class instruction they received for an activity that can be pursued for years to come.
“On the range we practice and on the course we play,” Thornton said. “I don’t try to do too much. In practice I’m watching their swings. We might work on a set-up item or an in-swing item. I might give them a drill that they can take home and work on to improve a particular skill.
“On the course I try to build their confidence and focus on little things like hydration and pace of play. I’ve noticed some of the kids take way too long to hit the ball. So I’m looking at how much time it takes to play, their emotions, things we can talk about afterwards.”
That’s just a thumbnail sketch of what Thornton has to offer as far as instruction. He has accumulated much more knowledge over 28 years at the The Moorings, where he currently holds the title of golf professional.
“I’ve been around golf my entire life and it’s going to be nothing but helpful for them,” Thornton added. “And most importantly I want them to have fun. They’re kids and they need to have a good time. I want to put them in a fun environment where they can learn.
“We have wonderful facilities here at The Moorings, and we’re right next door. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”
Everything seems to be in place for a golf program at St. Ed’s except future participants. No new high school girls are waiting in the wings. There is no current junior varsity squad. Six girls played for the coed middle school golf team last year, but for right now, these four seniors are it. That begs the question: Will the varsity program continue next year or fall victim to a lack of interest?
After four years on the team, Brown and Ederle reflected on the state of affairs for girls golf at St. Ed’s.
“I think golf is seen as more of a men’s sport,” Brown said. “This year we tried to show people what we were doing and a few seemed interested, but most people have trouble really getting into it.
“Freshman year I really wasn’t very good at all. My shots usually went into the water or a bush. Progressively I started learning more under (previous St. Ed’s) Coach (Susan) Temple and actually began to like the game. Over the years I’ve learned little tricks to improve my game.”
Brown overcame frustration and stuck with it. It took time for Ederle to feel at ease within a team, discovering that bigger isn’t always better.
“At first it was kind of fast-paced and I was the youngest one on the team,” Ederle explained. “It was fun and I enjoyed playing golf, but I didn’t know many people on the team. That made me a little less comfortable going to practices and games. I didn’t have anybody to talk to.
“This year we have only three on the team and a new coach. Despite all of that, this is the most fun golf season I’ve ever had. With so few people on the team we were able to create some strong bonds with each other. We are able to talk about anything at any time, and that helps you look forward to practices and matches.”
The effort to recruit new teammates was not entirely unsuccessful.
“Allison (Brown) asked me to play this year and I said why not,” Karabin said. “I was really nervous when I first came out. I had no idea how to hold a club or what any of them were called. I just saw numbers on a stick.
“Everyone was supportive. They all knew I was just a beginner. We really connected as a team and it turned out to be a great experience.”
Although Zeng was not allowed to compete in matches, the international exchange student from China was a full-fledged member of the team for range instruction and practice rounds.
“Since I was not allowed to participate in meets, I became the team manager,” Zeng said. “With such a small group our coach was able to concentrate on each individual. He doesn’t teach in a strict way. We all enjoy it and we also learn a lot.”
The regular season ends this week. Thornton plans to take his team to the district tournament on Monday, not to make headlines, but simply to get in another round of golf.
