By Emma Moriarty
“Golf is a lot like taxes; you drive hard to get to the green and end up in the hole,” freshman Solange Steadman observes while being overjoyed at the prospect of a new golf season. Though she may not be on the team, her enthusiasm perfectly depicts all Tempe Prep students’ feelings about the successful golf season.
Sophomore Jacob Massie shares why he chose to play golf this year: “I mainly joined the team because I think golf is a very fun sport, yet is still very relaxing. Golf is a game played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears. This is because golf is an 80 percent mental sport.”
According to Aidan P. Moran’s book, The Psychology of Concentration in Sport Performers: a Cognitive Analysis, this is exactly the case. These concentration techniques Jacob mentions have a strong causation effect on the physical skills the athletes try to develop. This method of improving concentration can also aid in reducing attention lapses and anxiety. Therefore, playing golf leaves the athlete relaxed, more able to concentrate, and much less stress, all things that are vital to a Tempe Prep student.
The teams’ scores have been very low recently, which is a good thing in golf! After winning the most recent games against Veritas, Gilbert Christian, North Pointe, and Scottsdale Christian, the golf team is likely to qualify for the championship meet in May, but will not know until near the end of April.
When looking back on how he has strengthened his skills throughout the season thus far, Jacob Massie notes, “I myself have improved in driving straight and chipping. The team as a whole has a better depth of skill than they were at last year when only two players were putting up low scores whereas now all of us are.” This advancement shows how dedicated the TPA golf team is and how effective their focus on mental ability, as well as physical, had led to their success.
In conclusion, quoting the renowned golfer Tiger Woods, “Winning is not always the barometer of getting better.” Though the golf team has been widely successful throughout this spring season, they still remember the importance of focusing on all aspects of the sport, such as putting in as much effort at practice as they do at meets, and realizing that knowing you did the best you were able is a much more satisfying thing than winning. Winning is pretty cool too, though.