The Scituate High School boys varsity golf team started their season off strong, defeating the team’s “biggest rival,” Hingham, on Tuesday, September 19th.
SHS physical education teacher William Seward, who has been teaching at SHS for 15 years and coaching the golf team for four years, has noticed increased participation in the sport since the pandemic: “It was one of the only things we were allowed to do,” he said.
Before coming to Scituate in 2009, Seward coached basketball at Boston University, Norwich University in Vermont, and UMass Lowell. Seward expressed that it was a “great life experience” and “helped prepare me for high school coaching and teaching.”
Seward chose to coach golf instead of basketball because he wanted to dedicate more time to his family, and it was easier if he was coaching and teaching in the same town. When comparing collegiate and high school athletics, Seward thinks one of the main contrasts is “dealing with the parents.”
Describing the team as hard-working, committed, and competitive, Seward said the team has high hopes for this year. Senior captain Myer Gack, who has been playing golf for six years, feels his role on the team is to “lift others up” on and off the course.
Gack’s favorite memory from his time on the team was “beating Hingham,” which hasn’t been done in years. The team often celebrates at Cosmo’s Caffe in North Scituate after “big wins,” helping promote strong relationships on the team.
Gack’s favorite golfer is SHS junior Luke Ryan, noting, “He’s always best dressed and has a great swing with a positive attitude.”
In the future, Gack hopes to attend a bigger southern school where he wants to continue playing golf on the club team.
Ryan started playing golf in the eighth grade in hopes he would get to play with his older brothers, Austin and Tyler. Similar to Gack, Ryan plays hockey in the winter. Ryan said he enjoys playing with “a lot of different people,” commenting, “There’s a lot of good guys on the team.”
With an impressive record of 46-5 the past five years, the team’s “goal” is to make it to states this year–missing it by a narrow margin during the past two years. Ending this year’s season with a successful record puts them in good standing for the playoffs.