Golf is one of the few sports in which players compete against themselves. Being alone on the course, there is no pitcher sizing them up for a strikeout or a lineman breathing down their neck. Instead, it is solely the golfer’s responsibility to perform to the highest level. In a fall season that UNC Wilmington coach Matthew Clark deemed a roller coaster, he is certain that his squad has gained self-confidence and experience from the fall season, and will train hard over the winter break to prepare for the regular season.

“As a coach, you always want to win every time you tee it up,” Clark said. “Unfortunately, we did not do that this semester. We have a young team, went through some growing pains, but their performances also provided me with ideas of what they need to work on for next semester.”

The Seahawks competed in four separate tournaments this semester, exhibiting their strengths and weaknesses throughout. UNCW’s highest placed finish was 4th out of 15 teams in the GolfWeek Challenge. Their lowest was 13th out of 15.

 “We started out pretty good and then we played probably our worst during the second tournament—the VCU Shootout,” Clark said. “We did have a couple solid events, though. The last event—the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate—was close to being great, but we had one bad round in the middle of it. I thought that was a great example of the season, up and down.”

 A couple specific players that have provided bright spots for the program are junior Thomas Bass and sophomore Payne McLeod. Bass garnered the CAA Golfer-of-the-Week title twice during the season, finishing in the top 10 of two events. McLeod showed experience beyond his years, finishing tied with Bass for 20th at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate and a top 10 finish at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.

 As the fall season comes to a close, the Seahawks have a long break until their next event, the Seahawk Intercollegiate beginning Feb. 26. While the winter break may appear as an opportunity for the team to regress, Clark plans to keep the team’s mindset focused through a strict workout and practice regime.

“We have started working out four days a week in the weight room,” he said. “We’re really just going to focus on the next three months to get stronger. That’s a key component to my blueprint, my plan. Additionally, we want to pay specific attention to our wedges. We’ll be dedicating one day a week to practicing only wedging as that was one of our weaknesses compared to other top teams.”

Clark began this season with a young, inexperienced team that had great potential. While they may not have performed as well as they had wanted to during the fall season, they played well enough that he has not set his standards any lower.

“The goals have not changed. We still want to win the CAA championship and play in the NCAA championship,” he said. “Now, we just have to address it. I think we’ll work harder in the offseason now than we would have if we had an above-average fall. It’s a wake-up call and we’ll train hard this offseason to help move us towards our goals for the spring.”

With much promise and skill, the UNCW men’s golf team begins a critical three months of training and preparation. As Clark’s expectations for the Seahawks have not changed, they will continue to push themselves in hopes of getting better and becoming elite competitors.