Aliso Niguel’s boys golf program has recently started up their preseason matches in anticipation of the regular season to begin. The start of some preseason games gets the team ready for their upcoming season and gives some insight on what to expect in the following months.
Currently two varsity preseason matches have been held with another to come before the official start of the regular season. The first preseason match was against Dana Hills on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Aliso Viejo Country Club, the boys pulling out a win of 195-206.
Another of these matches took place on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 3 p.m. against Laguna Beach. As a home game, the event took place at the El Niguel Country Club. The team also took the win at this event with a score of 187-208.
Their last game, against San Clemente, took place at El Niguel Country Club on Thursday, March 7 with a close loss of 211-209.
The current overall game summary is 3-2 with three wins against Dana Hills and Laguna Beach and two losses both against San Clemente.
The team usually practices at the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club with a practice schedule that is not regularly set, but most practices take place on weekdays.
The team competes in only six league games before finals due to the small size of the league in which they compete, that being the Sea View League. There are only three other schools that compete in this league: El Toro, Trabuco Hills and Capo Valley. The first league game will take place on Wednesday, April 10 at 3 p.m. against El Toro.
Coach Turney, the co-head coach of the team says about the current team, “This is a young team that is enthusiastic and eager to learn. I think we’re looking forward to a successful season this year.”
The team is led by Coach Westling, the head coach, and Coach Turney, the co-head coach.
The student base of this team consists of only ninth through 11th graders with a lack of upperclassmen. Thus, there are currently no captains for the team. There are also only eight members on the varsity team.
One of the members of the Boys Golf program, Ari Bilewitz (11), shares, “My experience on the team has been great. The coaches are very supportive meaning every match is extremely fun. I’m looking forward to a lot of fun and good golf this season.”
Another member of the program on the varsity team, Nate Beckner (11), comments on his time on the golf team, “I enjoy being around my friends and also making friends from other schools along the way. This year I’m looking forward to improving my golf game.”
The next varsity match will take place against Irvine High School on Thursday, March 14 at 3 p.m. at El Niguel Country Club.
