Hillsdale College has taken golf to a new level this year, advancing from the statue variety to varsity.
Thanks to an endowment by Dawn Tibbetts Potter, the college recruited six freshmen, two juniors and two seniors to re-establish the team on campus.
The Division II team will compete in the GLIAC among 15 others in the conference, playing both the fall and spring seasons.
Potential seems to be the overall name of Hillsdale’s golf game.
“No plan survives first contact with the enemy,” head coach Mike Harner said when asked about expectations for the season.
However, with the expertise of assistant coach Nate Gilchrist and an early season plan to adjust to tournament play, the team hopes to qualify for the conference championship in October.
To prepare for the upcoming season, players were instructed by the coaching staff to play as many amateur tournaments as possible during the summer.
The 10 players arrived on campus a week and a half before classes began for preseason camp, which included a five-day retreat at the college’s Rockwell Lodge in Luther, Michigan.
The retreat doubled as a kick-off for the season and a competition for the first five travel spots. The team played five rounds of golf, and Coach Harner led the team in yoga and strength training.
In addition to establishing team and individual goals at the Rockwell Lodge, the 10 members participated in team-bonding exercises, such as an attempt to eat 200 boneless chicken wings together at Buffalo Wild Wings.
As with other NCAA sports, there are rules that limit the number of official hours players can receive coach instruction. However, senior co-captains Matt Chalberg and Brad Mitzner have stepped in to lead team practices.
Though their home course is Bella Vista Golf Course in Coldwater, Michigan, the team will use the two new practice facilities on campus that are expected to open by Oct. 1.
Chalberg specified that some specific goals for the new team include finishing in the top half of the GLIAC, as well as earning a team and individual win at one of their 10 tournaments.
Collegiate golf is a unique team situation, as players compete individually as well.
Freshman Steven Sartore emphasized the benefits of such an arrangement, noting that “when you’re rooting for yourself and you’re rooting for your teammates, it just seems you play better. You get good karma going your way, as I call it good juju. You definitely play better golf when everyone is rooting for each other, and that’s something that’s hard to replace.”
The team’s first tournament is Sept. 6 in Tiffin, Ohio at the Kyle Ryman Shootout.