Over 50 girls try out each year for touch rugby. If only the girls’ golf team were so lucky. In the 2014 season, only five girls tried out for the SAS golf team, resulting in the team having to recruit a sixth member to have the required number for IASAS. This has been an issue for the team for the past four years.
Reasons for these issues are understandable. Captain Monica Matsubara, a senior, said the problem is “simply the lack of female golfers at SAS… It’s hard to get a lot of people to try out when there aren’t that many interested in the sport in the first place.”
But what if it’s not a lack of enjoyment? What if it is simply a lack of experience? Because of the fundamental importance of the golf swing and the amount of time it takes to perfect it, golf requires more persistence than any other sport. There is a certain hump each individual must get over to go from “enjoying the sport” to being “absolutely hooked.” How early that transition is made is dependent on the player.
For many, golf is an addicting sport. Frequent visits to public golf courses in Singapore show the same people there every single day. Most lack skill, but they continue to come. Why? Because they are hooked. They don’t care how bad they are, they just want to hit balls. And when they are hitting it poorly and start to get angry, they just hit more balls, harder.
A relatively new sport at SAS, golf has yet to make a name for itself in the Eagle community. This year, 12 girls tried out compared to the five last year. This is clearly an improvement, but still not enough.
The 16 guys and girls that make the team are given lessons from PGA professionals at the Orchid Country Club twice a week – for free. With the high cost of golf in Singapore, this opportunity is definitely one to take advantage of.
Despite the fact that this is now the fifth year that varsity golf has been an option at SAS, many students still don’t know it exists. “Many of my friends last year, and this year to a certain extent, still weren’t aware that there’s a golf team at SAS,” said Matsubara.
The head coach of the varsity golf team, Mr. Hynes, said that he “encourages more people to take up golf at an earlier age.” In addition, he believes “that golf is one of the best athletic programs at SAS that can help enhance your college application or lead to a possible scholarship.”
Mr. Hynes brings up a great point. Taking up golf at an early age is key. Some of the best players on the male team are the youngest ones. On the boys’ team, there is one freshman, one sophomore, three juniors, and only one senior. As for the girls’ team, freshman Naomi Wang has joined the team and is a very valuable asset. This youthful trend sparks a bit of optimism for the future of the golf program at SAS.
Male golfer Ankur Dev Malik said, “Starting at a young age allowed me to develop a natural swing. So instead of thinking of the fundamentals of the golf swing, I could rely on instinct.” Malik was the low scorer at IASAS last year as a freshman, a remarkable feat.
This goes to show the importance of Mr. Hynes’ call for more young girl golfers. In order for the golf program to grow at SAS, kids should start at a younger age to get over the hump as early as possible and eventually try out for the golf team.
For the last two years, the athletics office has been very generous to the golf team by covering expenses. Perhaps this financial support could be used in the middle school to encourage more girls to join the high school golf team.
THE EYE 