Preview - Boys' Golf
A conference title is a
possibility for Centaurs
High hopes. That’s what Woodstock Academy boys’ golf coach Rich Garceau has.
Entering his 21st year at the helm of the Centaurs, optimism abounds even before his team was able to step on the course at the Quinnatisset Country Club.
“We have the talent; I have a lot of good athletes. Some of those athletes are new to the game but they are working hard and embracing the game.
"If we get on the golf course consistently, I think we could win a lot of matches and possibly a title,” Garceau said.
It won’t come easy. “I fully expect East Lyme to be a good challenge. Norwich Free Academy, generally speaking, has been having some good teams recently and Waterford looks really good. But I think a divisional title is a reasonable, realistic expectation and it wouldn’t shock me if we won the (ECC) tournament title too,” Garceau said.
The tournament title is something that has not happened since 2013.
“I’m ready for another one,” Garceau said.
The Centaurs do return senior Logan Rawson who was only the ECC Player of the Year in the sport a year ago.
“I was really proud of Logan last year, not only for getting that recognition, but I was really pleased to see how hard he worked to achieve it. He was open to constructive criticism. He has matured as a golfer. As a freshman and a sophomore, he wanted to do it his way.
"That’s how young kids play. Now, he’s willing to embrace the potential for change. He’s realizing that he still has room to grow and has been taking lessons,” Garceau said.
Some of those lessons have taken place at the Lake of Isles Golf Club.
Those lessons have helped him start to develop a nice right to left ball flight as opposed to his more traditional cut.
The entire team got to experience some of that last week when they also went to the Lake of Isles for a clinic,
Fellow seniors Brady O’Brien, Jonathan Eddy, Austin Sebastian and Jayden Fuller are also out for the team.
Fuller, Eddy and Clark are out for a first time.
“But having those new seniors arrive is creating some internal competition and it’s good. It’s been really friendly but everybody is pushing everybody.
"Some are starting to see that getting into that top five is not going to be as easy as they thought,” Garceau said.
Garceau has also been impressed by sophomore Max Kopp who participated in some junior PGA events last summer.
Junior Blake Hudock has also been impressive.
“He has been in the shadows the past couple of years but he is really developing into a golfer. He played a lot over the summer, has clearly worked on his game and he hits the ball further than I can possibly imagine for myself,” Garceau said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
.
caption:
The Woodstock Academy boys’ golf team spent some time last week taking part in a golf clinic. Photo by Rich Garceau/Woodstock Academy.