From left to right, Clarke Central High School golfers Anaiah Aziabor and Walker Bradberry, both seniors, practice putting at the University of Georgia Golf Course on Feb 17. Aziabor joined the team last year and feels the team is doing well this season. “With having a new coach this year, I was nervous (about) how the team would be able to bond with him,” Aziabor said. “However, (head CCHS golf coach Stephen) Howard allows us to laugh and play well so the team has gotten closer as well as our bond as one with the coach.” Photo by Luna Reichert
The Clarke Central High School golf team will compete against Winder-Barrow High School at the Pine Hills Golf Course on March 23.
This is the first official match of the season for both the boys and girls teams, although the boys competed in a scrimmage against Oconee County High School on Feb. 24.
“(The boys) did really well; they were holding their own until I think hole seven, they were only down by one. Then I think a wedge shot got away from a couple of them and they ended up (losing) by one or two strokes,” CCHS head golf coach Stephen Howard said. “But it was a really competitive match and really, really good for early on (in) the season (and) their first competition.”
Howard believes the match will be challenging but beneficial for the members of his team.
“(For the) girls, this will be their first real chance to compete against another team, and the boys will get to test their skills again,” Howard said. “I think it will be a learning experience but I anticipate them doing well, and again, I just hope they have fun doing it.”
On an individual level, CCHS golfer Anaiah Aziabor, a senior, has a positive outlook on her performance for the match.
“We build each other up so much through laughter and giving each other good feedback on our swings that we’ve been practicing. It allows us to know that we have support from each other.”
— Anaiah Aziabor,
CCHS golfer
“I’m feeling very confident in myself. I don’t see it as (a) competition due to how laid back the sport is, which makes it easier for me to prepare for these matches,” Aziabor said.
Heading into the match against WBHS, Aziabor feels that the team’s strengths come from the camaraderie between players.
“We build each other up so much through laughter and giving each other good feedback on our swings that we’ve been practicing,” Aziabor said. “It allows us to know that we have support from each other.”
