LYNN — It wasn’t too long ago that the Lynn English golf team was out at Gannon Municipal Golf Course playing a shortened season with a first-year head coach and a host of first-year players. Now, as the Bulldogs get ready to embark on the fall season, there’s a sense of excitement that a lot of hard work is about to pay off.
“Last spring was a great first year for me as a coach and also for all of the guys who joined the team for the first time,” said English coach Brett Molea. “A lot of the guys really got enthusiastic about the game during last season and then worked on their games all summer. I think we’re all going to be a lot more comfortable coming into this season.”
Some of that comfort comes with familiarity, as all but one player from last year’s squad is returning for 2021. That group will be led by the likes of Tim Donohue, Billy Deveau, Justin Barrows and Alex McMillan.
“The guys have really been working on their games this summer and that’s been a huge key,” said Molea. “There’s a lot of growth that comes in that first year playing golf, and these guys are just now starting to unlock some of that potential.”
Unfortunately, the one player that’s gone from the team is last year’s No. 1 player, Jacob Johansson.
“We’re definitely going to miss Jacob because he was a really consistent player who did a great job leading our lineup,” said Molea. “But while we will miss him, him being gone allows some of our younger players to have the opportunity to step up and take over that role.”
The Bulldogs were allowed to begin practicing last Friday, and the team has been hitting both the range and the course hard right away.
“We’ve just been trying to get dialed in on the range as much as we can for right now,” said Molea. “We still have another week of work before our first match, so we’re going to try to get in as much practice time as we can.”
All of that practice is leading up to the season opener on Sept. 9 (4), when the Bulldogs will face cross-town rival Lynn Classical at Gannon.
“It’s always exciting to go up against a rival, especially in the first match of the season,” said Molea. “These guys have probably all been playing together all summer, so to be able to get the competitive juices flowing again will be really exciting.”
