HOULTON, Maine — Entering his fifth season as Houlton’s golf coach, Dave Grant is always trying to find new ways to get the most out of his players.
“I have one of the best jobs,” he said. “I try to mix things up a little bit in practices. I have to keep their interest. You can’t just go out and play golf. I do things that I think are fun, but the guys might not think it’s fun at the time.”
Grant has molded the Shires into perennial contenders for the team championship, and this year should be no different. Houlton finished third in the state a year ago in the Class C division.
Houlton’s golf squad includes juniors Drew Marino and Devin Ivey; sophomores Nick Brewer, Wyatt Harvey and Duncan McCormick; and freshmen Isaac Vega and Carson Grant. All of the golfers, except the freshmen, played for the Shires a season ago.
“We are young, but we’ll be competitive,” Grant said.
The Shires lost four players to graduation — Ryan Dee, Parker Brewer, Aaron Sewell and Bill Phillips. The loses of Dee and Brewer are the biggest holes to fill as the two were the top golfers for the entire year. Dee finished second in the state individual tournament.
Coach Grant said he expects big things from his juniors, Marino and Ivey, particularly when it comes to providing veteran leadership. Marino is perhaps the best all-around golfer on the team, able to do all phases of the sport particularly well, coach Grant said. Ivey is one of the hardest working students of the game, the coach added.
“I think our three sophomores will surprise a lot of people too,” he said.
While his young charges may prefer to go out and see how far they can whack a golf ball, coach Grant said he likes to focus the bulk of his practice sessions on other aspects of the game.
“I like to have the guys focus on their short game,” he said. “That is what this game is all about. Anybody can go out there and drive a ball. I don’t care how far you hit it off the tee, if you can’t get it in the hole, it doesn’t matter. The whole game is about finesse.”
Mattanawcook Academy will likely be the toughest team on Houlton’s schedule. The Shires open the regular season Tuesday, Aug. 30 against the Lynx in Lincoln.
