Men’s Golf team optimistic about spring season despite trials in the fall

 

Under head coach Jim Kubinski, the Irish Men’s Golf team has high hopes heading into the spring portion of their season. After fall tournaments that, admittedly, lacked a bit of luster all around—despite some outstanding individual performances and rounds—this optimistic squad hopes to put together some impressive tournaments in the more important spring campaign.

This group is quite young, with as many as three freshmen in its starting lineup at times this fall. Looking ahead, this youthfulness is advantageous, as these more novice players culled valuable experience during the fall season.

Junior standout Tyler Wingo was glad to speak with the Rover about his prospects for the coming spring:

Irish Rover: What do you all do to train over the winter break?

Wingo: Most of our team members are from warmer states like California, Georgia, Arizona and Louisiana. This lets us practice over winter break freely as we would in the beginning of the fall season. Also, most people play in some type of amateur tournament that allows them to further refine their skills. In terms of the off-season, we have a great indoor facility with a chipping and putting area, heating hitting bays, and a simulator. This allows us to maintain our form with the cold weather. Additionally, we have some traveling practice opportunities, which were in West Palm Beach, FL, and Austin, TX, this semester before the start of our season. This combination helps to get our game in proper shape before our first tournament.

What sorts of goals do you have, both personally and as a team, for this spring?

Personally, I want to win an event this spring and not have a finish outside the top 20 in every tournament. Team-wise, we have a goal of winning the ACC championship then making it through NCAA regionals into NCAA Finals where we will make a run at the national championship. Obviously, going in to every regular season tournament this spring we have the goal of winning and that is another objective our team has.

You seem to have a very young team right now, on the whole—do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?

I think having a young team is great. For one, it shows that we have a great deal of talent and these younger players will develop into something very special with four years of college golf experience. Like I said earlier, the most important thing is experience. With that comes comfort, which will allow our team to be successful this spring and over the next couple of years. Also, just because someone is young does not mean that they do not have the skill set to compete at the highest level. I have seen some very impressive showings from the underclassmen this year in qualifying and tournaments, which makes me very excited for the future of ND golf.

Does the shift from the Big East to the ACC make conference more or less competitive for you all?

The ACC is a stronger golf conference than the Big East. It does not really affect our regular season play, but does have an impact on the postseason. I think this increased competition is great for our team and has only enhanced our focus and practice in order to compete in this conference.

What would you say makes the Notre Dame golf program what it is? What makes it unique or special?

The ND golf program is very special in my opinion. For one, there is an emphasis on winning and perfection in technique that I think resonates throughout our athletic program. Additionally, our team has great practice and workout facilities that allow for players to push themselves to the limit. The most unique aspect I think is our team dynamic. We have a very cohesive team from the coaches down to the players, which lets our team play freely and to the best of our capabilities. I think this is because of the student-athlete that ND attracts and the players we recruit.

The Men’s Team finished 7th overall at the San Diego Classic and fifth at the Talis Park Challenge on March 16. They next compete at the Lone Star Invitational on March 24.

 

Jake Kildoo is a junior philosophy and Arabic major. He is also a member of the Fighting Irish Cross Country team. Contact him at jkildoo@nd.edu.