Timber Creek Golf has had great success in past years, placing third place in the district tournament and sending one player to the 6A Region 1 Girls Golf Tournament in the 2017-2018 season. This year, the team plans to conquer the standards set by last year’s team and take it one step further, advancing to the state tournament.
Leading into the season, the team has recruited many fresh eyes onto the green, with the girl’s team made up of only freshmen and sophomores and the boy’s team with only three seniors. Head Coach Russell Fuqua elaborates on the youth of the team, as well as the great potential in them that lies to be uncovered over the next few tournaments.
“This year we’re rebuilding again,” said Fuqua. “We’ve got some younger players so our expectations are to go out and do the best [we] can and see what happens”
Fuqua holds high hopes for each player despite the overall youth of the team, seeing both great potential and opportunity in them based on their progress from this summer transitioning into skills shown during after school practice.
“Some [players] performed very well this summer and I’m excited to see how they do [when] they start playing in tournaments” said Fuqua
Both the girl’s and boy’s teams are not starting entirely fresh however, with five returning players from the third place district team: three girls and two guys. As some of the players who were successful in the past are seniors, they will not only set the standard for this season but lay foundation for the prosperity of teams to come.
“Each golfer should be shooting for personal best each time they go out and play” said Fuqua, illustrating the expectations put in place already.
Furthermore, the team has reached the height of their triumph in the past due to the family environment set in place between teammates. Coach Fuqua elaborates on the family values of the team which have pushed each of the players to work their hardest.
“We care about each other [the team] plays not only for themselves but their teammates and I think that goes a long way.” sad Fuqua “When they get out there and things start getting tough, they think about ‘I need to keep pushing because I’m playing for someone else as well’ and I think that’s helped us over the years.”
The family atmosphere serves as a place of encouragement and hope for each of the players going forward into the season as each tournament’s difficulty advances. The difficulty is especially showcased in the limited number of players taken from the district to the regional tournament, with as many as 70 golfer playing for 12 spots.
“At the regional level they take three teams and three medalists to the state tournament from a region” said Fuqua
However, the team keeps a positive attitude by sticking together and keeping in mind their end goal for each tournament. They push themselves to higher levels each time they play at any of the eight tournaments during the year moving past any frustration or mistake.
“As long as they keep pushing and don’t get frustrated moving forward, we’ll be alright” said Fuqua, “It’s a difficult thing to win a state tournament, but that’s our goal. We have to strive to be the best that we can and shoot for the stars.”
2018 – Fall – Timber Creek Girls Golf Schedule
2018 – Fall – Timber Creek Boys Golf Schedule
View Golf photos from years past in the gallery below:
