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Later on in the tournament, Paige Price ’27 receives a chicken sandwich from Head Coach Blake Boyett. As the tournament’s host, Coach Boyett was responsible for getting everyone checked in and distributing resources throughout. “If there were any extra rulings or any extra questions, I was there to help them out and just be available for everybody at all times,” Coach Boyett said.
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Carefully, Austin Skierski ’25 places his ball on the green. Skierski ended the tournament with a score of 78, the lowest score on his team and one of the best scores in the tournament.
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In the middle of the hilly course, Lauren Phelan ’25 sets her ball on the green. Great Hills Country Club is Phelan’s home course, which gave her an advantage during the tournament. “It has a lot of different and curvy holes, as well as a lot of water features and hills,” Phelan said. “It’s quite a beautiful course to play.”
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Focusing, Payton Kienitz ’25 looks through a rangefinder. The golfers were encouraged to use these tools to measure distances and spot hazardous features.
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After locating her ball, Paige Price ’27 takes a swing. Price achieved the lowest score among all the girls who competed, hitting multiple pars and birdies. “I played this course the day before to get an idea of what it was like,” Price said.
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Near a bridge, Eve Swanson ’25 hits her ball. In preparation for the tournament, Swanson worked on her technique, including her swing. “I always have the same sort of setup and consistency,” Swanson said. “I take two practice swings, I line it up, and I hit the ball, just to get in the zone while I’m playing.”
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Teeing off, Ryan Lee ’25 takes a swing. Lee, who was a golf captain last year, ended the game with a score of 84.
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At the beginning of the tournament, Eric Arnett ’26 prepares to tee off. Arnett prepared to compete by getting lots of sleep and eating a complete breakfast, ending the tournament with an 82 – the second lowest score on his team. “I think I only missed one or two fairways the whole round, so my driver was pretty good today,” Arnett said.
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On the green, John Gallen ’26 watches a ball roll. The greens at Great Hills Country Club were considered fast, which the players had to take into consideration when putting.
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Between holes, Dylan McCarville ’26 takes the forest path to the next stretch of his journey. The golf course was 6,637 yards and the golf players were required to walk the distance to navigate to the 18 holes.
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After completing a hole, Dylan McCarville ’26 puts the flag back in place. The golf players had the option of removing the flag to improve their chances of making it in the hole. “[I was] making sure I keep my speed down, because these greens [were] really fast,” McCarville said.
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In a ditch, Eric Arnett ’26 watches as a competitor retrieves his ball. The abundance of ditches and ponds made it easy to land a ball outside of the intended area.
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Beside her competitor from St. Michael’s, Ruby Jones ’26 emerges from a tunnel while consulting her scorecard. The golfers recorded both their scores and their competitor’s scores in order to prevent cheating.
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Taking a break, Eve Swanson ’25 sits on her golf trolley. Swanson prepared for the tournament by getting sufficient rest and buying items from a checklist. “I packed two oranges, a bunch of strawberries, and celery today, which was so nice in the front nine,” Swanson said. “For the back nine, I usually pack more carbs and carbohydrate-dense foods.”
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Hosting 17 other high schools at the Westwood Invitational, the varsity golf team organized their individual stroke play golf tournament at the Great Hills Country Club on Monday, Feb. 3. The tournament ran on for six-and-a-half hours until results were announced: the girls team won first place in their category, while the boys team came in third.
“There were tough conditions,” Head Coach Blake Boyett said. “The greens were fast. It was tough for everybody out there, which showed with the scores being a little higher, even though there [were] a bunch of good varsity teams.”
At the Great Hills Country Club, the golfers encountered towering cliffs, dense forests, and abundant streams, providing obstacles for the golfers as they navigated the steep terrain. In addition to the environment, hot and windy weather conditions affected the players’ performance through the day.
“[Great Hills Country Club] is my home course,” Lauren Phelan ‘25 said. “[That] honestly probably helps me a lot, especially with the fact that I don’t usually play this far up. It has a lot of different and curvy holes, as well as a lot of water features and hills. It’s quite a beautiful course to play. Right now we have wind, so it definitely makes me want to club up or down, depending on where the wind’s blowing.”
In preparation for the tournament, the players made sure to get sufficient rest and pack their supplies in the morning. This preparation proved useful throughout the 6,637 yards the golfers were required to traverse to play at all 18 holes. Throughout the tournament, coaches and parent volunteers also drove around on golf carts to shuttle the students to holes that were located farther away. As the host of the tournament, Coach Boyett drove around to provide the competing golfers with lunch, although most of the students brought their own food as well.
“I go out and buy a bunch of snacks that I know I’m going to want,” Eve Swanson ‘25 said. “I eat a lot of fruit on the golf course – I packed two oranges, a bunch of strawberries, and celery today, which was so nice in the front nine [holes].”
The girls team finished with a score of 324, owing in part to Paige Price ‘27, who achieved a score of 78 and was the only girl in the entire tournament to score below 80. Price, who joined the varsity team during her freshman year, played the course over the weekend to familiarize herself with its challenges. She started at hole 1b and consistently dinked in low scores as she progressed through the tournament, eventually ending her round with a birdie.
“I [got] a lot of pars and birdies,” Price said. “I try not to get mad if I get a bad shot. [I just] take my medicine and keep going.”
Other than working on their golf swing, most of their golfers set up their shots similarly to maintain consistency and develop a reliable strategy to hit successful shots.
“I take two practice swings, I line it up, and I hit the ball, just to get in the zone while I’m playing,” Swanson said. “I try really hard not to think about golf and how I’m playing because as soon as I start thinking about it, it really messes me up. [I] just [try] to remember, ‘Swing smooth and loosen up; there’s nothing you need to worry about for today.’”
The boys team achieved an overall score of 325, with Austin Skierski ‘25 scoring another 78 for the Warriors. Overall, Skierski netted the lowest score on his team and one of the lowest scores in the entire tournament, which consisted of over 100 competitors.
“I felt pretty good,” Skierski said. “I think I just stayed confident [and] kept pushing myself to try to help out the team. This is a pretty hard golf course [due to] tee shots and putting [so] you have to hit well [and] continue to be in a good spot to score.”
During the tournament, the golfers avoided the temptation to overthink. Instead, they focused on their motivations and surroundings
“I just try to work, focus on the next shot, and not really worry about my score,” Dylan McCarville ‘26 said. “[I] just kind of stay in the moment. I had some really good pars on the front line, I had some good par saves, some good puts. [I was] just focusing on my line and staying confident in my mind and making sure [to] keep my speed down, because these greens are really fast.”
Meanwhile, Coach Boyett routinely checked in on all of the players and offered advice to the Westwood golfers.
“[I was] just making sure [that] everything went smooth, everyone got checked in, [and] everyone was taken care of,” Coach Boyett said. “If there were any extra rulings or any extra questions, I was there to help them out and just be available for everybody at all times.”
With a large portion of the varsity golf team graduating this year, the golfers reflected on their plans for the future. Most of the varsity players began golfing from a young age from family connections or motivations that arose during the pandemic when contact sports were relatively dangerous. After their young starts, some of the graduating seniors have plans to continue golfing after their time with the Warriors.
“I’m going to college to play golf up in Boston,” Phelan said. “[I joined because] I wanted to beat my brother at golf. I think the community, as well as getting to spend a day outside, is quite nice. Getting personal records is definitely something I love to do, and it’s extremely hard to do sometimes. [I am] practicing and spending a lot of time on my short game. I just want to play golf.”
The JV girls will compete next on Monday, Feb. 10 at Sammons Golf Course in Temple.
