Colonel golf ready for the start of their Spring season

The Nicholls State University men’s golf team gets set to play in their first competitive tournament since November of last year. The Colonels are looking for their first tournament victory of the season.

“I feel like if we can play 54 holes, the experience that the team has over that duration of holes will show,” Nicholls golf head coach James Schilling said. “We try to simulate tournament conditions, but it’s still not the same pressure or feeling you get when you’re playing in the real thing.”

The golf team will play five total spring events after competing in just three during the fall semester.

“I think it will be a better sample to see how the team really is,” Schilling said. “Nerves can be a factor when you’re just starting out.”

Schilling said it’s easier to play well if there’s an extended amount of time for preparation beforehand.

“You trust that the preparation and planning you’ve done for weeks in advance is going to benefit you,” Schilling said. “[You have to] visualize what you want to happen and don’t worry about what’s happened in the past.”

Junior golfer Albert Badosa-Soler uses breathing techniques to keep himself relaxed throughout his rounds. Clearing his head in this way is something he learned from playing at his high school in Barcelona, Spain.

“Mentally, it’s a pretty hard game,” Badosa-Soler said. “You have to be able to control yourself emotionally in some situations.”

Badosa-Soler said playing at their home course and how the weather shapes out could play a factor in the team’s performance. The team’s first spring tournament is on Feb. 20 at the Atchafalaya Intercollegiate golf course.

“We have an advantage being on our home course, so we should be able to play well,” Badosa-Soler said. “Hopefully the weather is not bad and it’s not really windy.”

Even if balls aren’t going his way, Senior golfer Peyton Mcculloch said he keeps his approach simple to be more consistent.

“I just try to hit the middle of the green and shoot for par,” Mcculloch said. “You’re not always out there trying to Birdie every hole.”

Mcculloch said he has confidence that the team will perform better this spring since they will have more tournaments to prove themselves.

“If we can just work well together and play well together for a consistent year ,,I think we can easily jump up in the standings, if not win a tournament, this semester,” Mcculloch said. “If we can get five guys playing good together, I think we’ll be fine.”