WHHS is a school of over 3,000 students with a lot of different extracurriculars to offer like sports and clubs. The COVID-19 pandemic has made an impact on all of these activities and groups, including the golf team. Golf is a sport that requires a lot of patience and time which, in this time, can be hard to find, even for the coaches. 

“The Cincinnati Public School board postponed fall sports, and therefore we had to cancel all of our matches with other schools that we had previously scheduled. We decided to keep the tee times with the local courses, divide into two teams and play after school in an intersquad format,” Golf Coach Zach Heeney said. 

Coaches have also had to adapt to this new way of life and train a different way.

“We have tried to keep a regular schedule to keep a routine for my players. Practicing drills and simulation of normal match play,” Heeney said. 

With students having sports and also school on their plate, they are doing all they can to keep up their performance in both areas.

 Student athlete Reid Pease, ‘23, has been playing golf since he was five years old. With him putting in all this time and work into the sports he would want it to be noticed. 

“The team is much smaller than many other sports teams,  it needs more attention in order to become a better program,” Pease said. 

Even with golf being a small sport and not getting as much attention as some other sports, it can still be stressful for the players. But in some cases playing golf could be a stress reliever. “It makes me feel more productive,” Pease said.

The mental health of students is always a top priority to students, teachers and coaches.  Not being in a good mental space can affect the performance in the classroom and in sports.

In some cases, coaches and teachers could have worries.

“I have full confidence in my team to rise up and deal with the cards that have been dealt. I want my boys to be playing at their full potential competitively, and yes that has been a challenge with the fall sports postponement. However, in this trying time I feel that we have made strides and built a solid base to have a better golf program for years to come,” Heeney said.

The golf team’s first tournament was Sept. 22, and Coach Heeney and Pease had different perspectives on the results.

“We did great, and didn’t finish last,” Heeney said.

“I didn’t play very well, but I shot the lowest score among the two other guys I was playing against,” Pease said.

Even though golf is a small sport, people like Pease and Heeney enjoy it as is.

“I hope to play golf in college but that’s a maybe, if I get good enough,” Pease said.