Golf. I stink at golf. The swing, the chip, the putt I can’t master any of them. Every time I’m out on the course I make friends with every tree on the course. People laugh at me, others make fun of me, and, well, I just feel out of place.

I guess I just lack "talent." However, while it may not be too fun to watch me, unless you are one of those people who enjoys watching others suffer, it is always nice to watch teens who actually have talent. I give you, the Paly golf team.

Golf, the most ignored sport at Paly, is really the sport that should have gotten the most attention. As few people know, the golf team, coached by Gerry Benton, was on another CCS run, and finished its season advancing all the way to Nor-Cals, a new high for the team, and placed fifth overall.

While finishing just short of Nor-Cals last year, this year’s team was determined to better and to take their game to the next level. However, while it was impressive that the team made it to Nor-Cals, it was even more impressive how they did it.
While the team was out beating other teams it was also breaking records.

The team broke two records that were thought to be unbreakable. In their first league match they beat the combined team scoring record. In other words, the six golfers that played in that match for Paly combined for the lowest score in team history.

Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but to do it every player had to shoot at least par, and for all you golf fans out there, you know this isn’t the easiest thing to do. In fact, most adults can’t even do it. It means shooting 36 on 9 holes, an average of four shots – no not putts – shots on each hole, a truly remarkable feat. Considering that the requirement to be on the team is shooting 55 on 9 holes, I’d say Coach Benton has to be pretty satisfied.

The other record was an individual one, broken by sophomore Will Hayden. Hayden broke the scoring record by an individual at Paly by shooting an unbelievable four under par on nine holes. That means a 32 on 9 holes, par 36. That is outstanding. If he went on to play 18 holes, mathematically he would have shot —8, or eight under, which is unheard of for high school golfers.

The record used to be three under par held by junior teammate Andy Livingston, a score he recorded last year as a sophomore. Congratulations to Will for the awesome score, and Andy, well, ball’s in your court!

So for all you band-wagoners out there who are struggling to find a sport to be a fan of, jump on a golf cart, and root for Paly golf. It’s the hottest team at Paly, and finished the regular season undefeated. And guess what, many of the players are returning.

Seniors Aaron Telch and Steve Kim are off to college, but the other four travelling players, along with the others who just play at home are already looking forward to a new season next year.

So fans, show interest and root for the team next year, but be careful not to stand too close to a golfer ready to hit the ball, those clubs are dangerous, and you wouldn’t want to poke your eye out.