Didn’t know we had a golf team? 

We didn’t either. 

After five years on hiatus, the Golf team is back at it. The team is run by two familiar faces, Men’s Soccer Head Coach Rick Larson and Assistant Coach Johnny Garcia. 

Due to this half decade hiatus, the development of the team was somewhat unusual. In sophomore Owen Fisher’s case, Coach Garcia recruited him after a clarifying conversation at Fisher’s work as the coach was wearing the college’s golf hat. 

Ever since he was little, Fisher learned to play golf at a young age from his grandparents’ old country club. He then joined the Salem High School Golf Team, and after graduating played recreational until now. 

“I get a lot of self confidence and conflict resolution when I play. Since the sport is a game against yourself, it is all a mental [test]. If I can keep a good mindset when golfing, I tend to do better,” said Fisher. “This also translates to things in life and being able to have confidence in yourself while also being able to analyze yourself.” 

Fisher not only internalizes his confidence, but also externally for the future of the team’s season. “The team has been meshing well together. We are always talking and having a good time whether that be on the course, at workouts or at team dinners that our coach wrongly scheduled.”

Another member of the team and a close friend of 10 years with Fisher, Paul Cassatta, found out about the revival of the college’s Golf team and immediately jumped in. 

“I started [playing golf] around August of 2020 and I had a job at a golf course so it [didn’t] hurt to learn the game,” said Cassatta. “[By playing the sport,] it keeps me active so I can get outside, get a nice tan and it helps me improve at golf. From what I’ve seen of my teammates I think that we could do well.” 

However, the resurfacing of this team is no coincidence. 

The Athletics Department has been looking to expand its offerings and include sports like golf to campus, which Coach Larson took on. After coaching Schoolcraft for the past 19 years, he has been able to develop a strong rapport with the community schools and clubs; making him the right coach to start the initial recruiting for this returning sport. 

“We’re really looking forward to hosting our first meet on Sept. 11. I think all the conditions were correct for us to start golf and in this land of college recruiting, the players are always the best recruiters. We have a bunch of guys on the team that are a bunch of buddies and they all knew each other. I’m excited to deploy the players on, and we’ll see how [the season] plays out for these guys.”

There may be a learning curve for this team as there was no previous team to develop off of, but that may also benefit the team to truly make a solid foundation for the future seasons. 

The intention the golf team has is to have fun, and enjoy playing with friends. The coaches also get to play free golf, which isn’t arguably half bad. 

For more information on the team’s season and other athletic teams, visit www.schoolcraftocelots.com.