By JIGISHA MAVANI, sophomore

With the spring season settling in, the JP golf team has already had a successful start and is in action at the Metuchen Country Club, looking to capture awards. Reputed for its consistent swings and precise shots, the team is working toward another successful season, hoping to place high in the state sectionals.

Coach Savulich and the girls golf team, led by senior captain Riya Juneja, have started off strong with a season record of 11-3. On May 5, the girls garnered a second place award in the GMC tournament. Although the girls were unfamiliar with the subtleties of the Concordia Golf Course, South Brunswick’s home course, they rose over rival East Brunswick and earned a victory.

Coach Savulich trains the girls golf team for a competitive season throughout the year with extra pratices. To illustrate the rigor, Coach Savulich notes, “The team plays all summer and plays in fall leagues,” so she predicts that the girls will finish with a victory in the state sectionals. In addition to year long practice, the girls practice at the driving range to perfect consistent swings using the most popular brand, Taylormade. Moreover, in response to where she sees the girls this season, Coach Savulich confidently comments that, “It looks like we are co-division champions.”

Golf presents several challenges both on the field and off the field. For example, Esha Khandelwal admits, “Some challenges we face include facing other extremely competitive teams and keeping up with the busy schedule.” However, the Hawks are flexible. As soon as the team arrives at the golf course, they practice putting to determine the pace of the ball as it varies on different courses.

Coach Canova, who coahces the bos team, and comments on his team’s prospects in the 2016 spring season explaining, “This year’s boys team consists of 11 players, so we are young and inexperienced in varsity competition.” To condition, the boys, like the girls, practice both indoor and outdoor swinging throughout the winter and lifts weights to gain strength. Lower body strength and core control are essential to transfer force to the ball.

The boys team, led by senior captain Rohit Iyer, have constantly been putting and improving their accuracy, hoping to secure a victory at their GMC tournament. Besides the competitive aspect of golf, there is scope for personal improvement. Indeed, Rohit shares, “I learn something new about the game and myself every day.” Clearly, golf provides an ongoing learning process for players.

The Hawks surely debunk many myths regarding golf. Grace Wu debunks the myth that, “we get to drive golf carts.” Although golf carts prove to be exciting prospects, the team carries its bags. In addition, Victoria Tan (11) states, “while people think golf is the easiest sport that takes no skill, it requires a lot of focus and accuracy.” Overall, golf requires a calm, collected state of mind in order to improve precision to make aces.

Now in midseason, the boys and girls golf teams, led by determined captains and experienced coaches, expect a season filled with record breaking victories. They hope to boast high scores in competitive games by remaining calm and focused all through the matches. In terms of athletics and personal skills, this spring season will serve to edge golfers to a higher level.

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