The 2015/2016 PACWEST golf season has begun, and the Camosun Chargers golf team has claimed its third consecutive win on home turf.
The Chargers golf team, who took home silver in the provincial and national championships last year, hosted the Camosun Invitational at Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa on September 26 and 27. They finished with a team score of 554, 21 strokes better than the University of Fraser Valley Cascades, who came in second with a score of 575.
Chargers golf veterans Brady Stead and Jeff Riches led the team, tied with individual scores of 67, three strokes under par.
John Randle has been head coach of the golf team since 2008. He admits that the teams are different over the years, even if his coaching style isn’t.
“Maybe I’m a little more relaxed, at times,” he says. “The team is arguably the best team I’ve had since I’ve been here, which is saying something. We’ve had a lot of good teams, a lot of good players. I think from one to seven we’ve got the best team I’ve ever had, which makes my job a whole lot easier.”
The last golf season had the Chargers consistently coming in second place, but last year’s frustration is this year’s motivation.
“We measure ourselves against ourselves, what we’re capable of,” says Randle. “Whether we’re leading or trailing, it’s all about how we can get closer to our potential, so with that sort of mindset it makes it easier to keep looking forward, rather than looking back at the near misses.”
Fifth-year veteran Brady Stead makes it clear that pressure will only fuel the team as they face the upcoming season.
“Pressure is a good thing, and it can really fuel you to play the best golf you’ve ever played,” says Stead. “For a lot of us, it’s our last crack at a national championship.”
Randle says the team dynamic is an important part of even a sport like golf, which in some ways is more of an individual sport.
“We make decisions as a teamŃhow we’re going to play each hole, what our strategy is. We have team meetings every night when we’re on the road, and we compete against each other in practice,” says Randle. “There’s plenty of team dynamics. But when the gun goes off its pretty much five guys fighting their own battles.”
Stead has a slightly different view, saying it’s an individual sport but no one is really alone.
“It’s an individual game, but we all know that we have each other’s backs,” he says. “If one guy is struggling, another guy will pick him up. I think we would all do that for each other, and I think that it’s a great thing to have in a team.”
The season is looking good so far for the Chargers golfers, and Randle attributes it all to his players.
“The players play, the players get all the credit, and this group of guys is working hard, taking it seriously, and conducting themselves well,” he says.
Stead is just as optimistic as his coach, and he’s got his eye on the prize this season.
“If each of us go out and win the battle against ourselves and the battle against the golf course, that’s really when we have our best chance to win,” he says. “If we can do that then we have a really good chance of winning gold this year.”