We are swinging into the season and putting this years golfers to the test. Get ready Pitman because the girls golf team has a new coach!

Unfortunately, head coach Kris Shaw is no longer coaching the girls golf team. He was a great coach and led his team well, but he is moving on.  

This year the team has a new head coach, George Santos. George Santos, social studies teacher and former baseball coach, is taking on a new challenge this school year.

“There was a bit of learning curve because there were so many different things involved with being a head coach of a varsity sport…I have never coached a girls sport before, so there was a lot of ‘on the job learning’ and some trial and error.” says the first time golf coach.

Pitman’s girls golf team consists of 8 players and has had a multitude of different events going on this season. Their first win was against Modesto High and the team has a record of 1-9. They are gradually improving as the season progresses.

The season consists of two different type of events. They have league matches and invitationals/tournaments.

Their regular matches have the girls play nine holes against the other team. Six girls can compete, although only five of the lowest scores are counted. Whichever team has the lowest net combined score of their five players is the winner.

The invitationals/tournaments are handled in the same manner. The only thing that’s different is that it’s a larger event with more teams. They also have the opportunity to place the lowest score as an individual.

Of course training for these events take a lot of practice, skill, and dedication. This is where coach Santos comes in to train these girls and help them to best of his ability..

“I think we have a solid core to build on, and we made a lot of progress over this year”, says coach Santos. “There were some growing pains that come with a new coach taking over a program, but I am excited to see the girls grow and progress.”

This sport may seem like it’s very simple and easy but it’s actually a very hard sport to understand. It takes time to understand the rules and gain the skill for it, but it has great benefits.

This sport may appear to be easy on first glance but with the combination of complex rules, extreme concentration, emotional control, and overall skill it is far more difficult than it may seem.

Golf also teaches its players the value of sportsmanship. Every sport may teach you about the importance sportsmanship, but golf goes above and beyond. You get the opportunity to meet different players in a friendlier way and even learn from them.

This sport is a great way to develop teamwork and leadership skills as well and it gives them opportunity to make new friends and stay healthy.

Coach Santos is in charge of the development of his players and the amount integrity they take away from their experiences. With only one year under his belt as the head of the program, he is already instilling the values golf posses and the dedication it needs.

Everyone hear at The Roaring Times wishes luck to Mr. Santos in his future as the head coach of the girls golf team.