All four years of high school golfers have been told that golf is not a sport, it is just a hobby. Whether they were teachers or students they would all tell you the same thing. The golf records started to improve, which made the school “hobby” harder to ignore.

Many golfers in past years have done extremely well, whether that means going to state or getting to sectionals. Both of these accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the other members of the team. Golf may not seem like a team sport at first, but it truly is because of how often you practice with a team and compete with a team.

In fact the golf team this year is 9-0 at this point in our season, which is a huge accomplishment for everyone on the team. “ 9-0 shows that the whole team has put in a lot of effort this year,” said senior Kane Hyde. Most members think this not only shows their hard work and dedication, but it also makes haters in Galena take notice.

Practice is something that the golf team takes very seriously and I don’t think many people understand that. Hyde gave this advice, “Practice over the summer a lot and be ready for the season.” Everyone is a big believer in this because one major key to golf is to keep practicing and always stay focussed.

One thing that people try to argue is that golf beyond high school is mostly casual and no other high school sports are like that. Most golfers would say, “No way”. All sports beyond high school if not competitive are casual, including football, baseball, volleyball and basketball.

Golf is actually pretty difficult. “Golf is a mental sport. It’s not just trying to hit the ball as hard as we can,” said Landon Kent. Golf is all about thinking about your next shot and not getting down on yourself when you hit a bad shot.

Starting young is also a major key in golf, although hard work and dedication can have the same effect. Both Kent and Hyde both said they started when they were three- years-old and have been playing ever since. All coaches think this is the best way to introduce golf because then as you get older you feel better about how far you are hitting the ball.

There are also some difficult parts that come with playing golf. Most starting golfers struggle with staying level headed and keeping their swing consistent. Hyde has the same problem, but with Landon it is more about the putting aspect of the game.

So we can conclude that golf is a sport. Most people in Galena may think it isn’t, but then they can look at our record this year and think again.