The golf team is halfway through its season, but after nearly a five-month layoff since its last competitive match back in October, there is no doubt that the team is feeling a sense of a new season.
“[Starting back up in the spring] basically feels like a fresh start,” said sophomore C.J. Karrer. “It takes a few weeks to get back into the swing of things.”
The Ithaca weather does not allow for too much outdoor practice, but the installation of a new golf simulator, along with a week-long trip to Orlando, Fla., has allowed the players to get in good practice and stay on top of their game throughout the winter offseason.
“Being able to swing the club during the winter at the new simulator has helped a lot,” said senior Austin Lord. “Plus we were able to get a ton of good practice in during our week in Florida.”
The Red finished the fall season with victories in its last two tournaments, sharing the title with Iona at the Delaware Invitational and capturing victory at the Big Five Invitational in Philadelphia. omething that the Red gained from its two victories was a strong sense of confidence.
“I would say winning those last two events gave us a huge confidence boost,” Lord said. “We’ve always known we could beat a lot of teams, now we have the confidence to go out and execute. It’s a nice feeling”
While there is no specific area of their game that the team needs to focus on going into the spring, the overall aspect of execution and consistency will be critical to its success.
“I would say we need to focus on execution more than anything,” Karrer said. “We all know we can hit the ball well, it’s just a matter of executing.
Cornell will be led by its four seniors: Chad Bernstein, Robbie Fritz, Bret Perry and Lord.
“We’ll be looking to our seniors to put in good rounds,” Karrer said. “They’ve definitely got the most experience.”
The Red will also look to its two sophomores, Robert Cronheim and Karrer. Cronheim frequently led the team in scoring throughout the fall.
“Rob Cronheim is a really good player,” Lord said. “I think it’s fair to say that he didn’t play his best during the fall season and still put up [good scores]. Also, Robbie Fritz is a tough competitor and has been putting up low scores for four years now,” Lord continued. “We will rely heavily on his leadership as well.”
The team also found got some low rounds from freshman Matt Jaye, who “played really well in the fall,” Karrer said. “We’ll be looking to him.”