As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, there is a rush to schedule the boys’ golf postseason. The IHSA regional meet is on October 3. The team has multiple golfers with state-level scores, including senior Scott Boyajian, a back-to-back regional champion, and freshman Arjun Vyas.

When you reach scores around par in golf it becomes harder and harder to make substantial improvements. The difference between shooting a 76 and a 72 on 18 holes puts you thirty golfers behind at the state level. Golf being an outdoor sport makes for a difficult offseason. Boyajian was able to make improvements in a dome over the winter. “I was just trying to get constant swing repetition in the dome just trying to feel it out,” Boyajian said.

There is a lot of talent in the state of Illinois, coming from the suburbs in particular. Golf becomes a hobby passed down from parents, and golfers play from a young age. Freshman Arjun Vyas is a member of the varsity golf team and he has been playing for the past six years himself. Coming onto a high school team, the change has been a welcome one. “It’s definitely a new experience,” Vyas said.

The individual sport makes for an interesting team dynamic. Golf is one of those games where there is no defense, you play against yourself and your score is only compared to others, not in one on one competition. This means you have to keep your mind relaxed and not worry about how opponents are playing. Senior golfers know this best, and have been giving their younger teammates advice, “During matches, we try to tell [the freshman] to keep their head high,” Boyajian said.

In postseason golf, there is an even bigger emphasis on mindset. No matter how many times you’ve messed up a certain shot, you have to stay confident in your abilities and the developments you have made. Because when just a few strokes can change your placing drastically, and keep you from making it further in a tournament, you have to keep your composure. “Even if you hit a bad shot, you want to keep moving forward because every stroke counts,” Vyas said.