In high school, I was way too lanky to try out for the sport I love, basketball. The only difference between my body and a toothpick (even today) was that I have a head and limbs.

So during my freshman and sophomore years, I figured I would try out for a different sport that I loved to play: golf. No muscle needed there, baby.

Nothing felt better than walking a fairway during an 80-degree sunny day, having zero obligations other than trying to get that tiny ball into the stupid cup. Was I any good? Absolutely not. The tryouts were a testament to how bad I really was:


Last cuts were among the golf faithful. It was a rainy day, and we had to finish our nine holes. All golfers walked into the clubhouse after finishing their respective front nine and were tallying their scores. Our coach then rounded us up and started calling out names for the scores.

As the coach was making his way around the room, I was still on the phone with NASA trying to figure out my round. After I hung up, I heard the dreaded, "Herman?"

At this point, some guys were spouting off scores of 35 and 36...on a rainy day. I swallowed my last bit of pride and squeaked out the words "68." Every person in that room turned their heads toward me, bug-eyed, as if the most attractive girl in the world had just walked in. I couldn't blame them...for those of you unfamiliar with golf scores, 68 is not only bad -- it's almost grounds for immediately being removed from society.

So that's why even today I have a huge amount of respect for those people who can play golf so fluidly. (Our own Dave McConnell is quite the golfer, too, I hear.) The boys golf season is quickly approaching. Some tournaments will be starting as early as April 8.

Here's a quick rundown of schools who did well last year and who have a chance to light up the greens again this year:

  • Cathedral: It won the Lawrence Central sectional last year, which included a plethora of teams, while also winning regionals. Cathedral also finished fifth at state, and Corey Ziedonis might be a golfer to watch.
  • Warren Central: The Warriors tied for second in that Lawrence Central sectional, and the team will only be losing one of its top five golfers (Michael Johnston).
  • Avon: Although the Orioles finished sixth at state and won the Martinsville sectional this past year, it has to replace three of its top five golfers. Avon will still be a team to watch, but maybe a team to watch in its rebuilding efforts.
  • Other teams of note: Carmel (finished second in state last year), Plainfield, Center Grove (won the Greenfield-Central sectional last year), Noblesville and Roncalli (won the Southport sectional last year).
Some of the April tournaments include the Cardinal Ritter Invitational on April 12th, the Noblesville Invitational on April 19th and the Bishop Chatard Invitational on April 26th.