Standing in the tee box, the golf team’s No. 2 player, sophomore Michael Zhao, lined up for his 18th shot of his par 34 9-hole round against Los Gatos High at Saratoga Country Club. The match, played on March 30, saw the team fall 201-191 to the Wildcats, but Zhao’s individual effort stood out in a season of team losses.
Although the team has a record of 1-9, they have put up many close matches, including against Lynbrook on March 19, where the final score was 204-203, and against Palo Alto on April 1, where they lost 203-200 in a nailbiter.
“I think we are much better than last year. Although we only won once, I think we are improving much faster than other teams,” Zhao said.
Besides their record, the team has had another challenge on hand this spring: adapting to a new coach. Last fall, former head coach David Gragnola stepped down from coaching both the girls and boys teams due to personal conflicts. The team’s new head coach, Micah Hall, has a day job as the director of golf instruction at Saratoga Country Club and operates very differently from Gragnola.
Hall focuses more on improving the basics than doing sophisticated, situational drills. He emphasizes where to improve on body motion and where to contact the ball.
“I think his strategy is very niche. Even though I’ve taken private lessons for golf outside of school, I’ve never seen someone so focused on simply the motions of the swing,” Zhao said.
Although No. 1 freshman James D’Anna never worked with Gragnola, he said he enjoys working with Hall, whom he has known since he was young.
“[With Hall], our team has seen good improvements and is much more competitive,” D’Anna said.
The team plays its next match against Los Altos on Thursday.
“Right now we’re rebuilding our team, so things are a bit rough. I think after more practice, we can easily have a winning record in coming seasons,” D’Anna said.
