By Tyler Hanck

Sitting in the car, speeding through the night, (well not exactly, I was traveling the posted speed limit, I’m no Matt Caminiti ’13) Macward bound, I found myself marveling at the passage of time. It was just one short year ago I arrived at 1600 Grand for the first time. One year in the books, of hitting the books and a lot of golf shots. The promise of another exciting year was drawing closer by the minute. Golf preseason at Mac is a lot like tailgating a football game, even if your team loses, you still have a great time. People make places remarkable, and that’s how I feel about Macalester and more specifically how I feel about the golf team. Sit back, open a can of ginger ale, and listen as I share the happenings of Macalester Golf and its colorful cast of characters…

Day One: “Meetings, Meetings, Meetings and the Tale of Two Maddies”

Wednesday, Aug 18, was move-in day. It was a day of insufferable (okay definitely a little over dramatic) meetings, concussion testing, form filling, and catching up on everyone’s summer. Matt Caminiti was so excited to see Mark Thomson III ’13 his pulse was a life-threatening 142 beats per minute. He could almost say, “Mark you make my heart stop.” Cardiac arrest- a small but well-attended funeral would follow. On his tombstone the words, “Preseason 2010: Something to die for”. The two first-year players Maddie Arbisi ’14 and Maddie Brasunas ’14 (a.k.a. Kelso) quickly became acquainted with everyone, and Grace Caird ’13 clarified that we are not allowed to wear white t-shirts to practice- even if it is under a handsome sweater vest. Exhausted after a long day, we called it an early night.

Days Two-Twenty: Golf, Golf, Golf

A brief summary of days two through twenty: The wagon wheel putting practice drill took hours on the undulating greens at The Wilds. The tips at Majestic Oaks are for “highly skilled players only”. Sometimes you just can not make it all 18 holes- just ask Mark. Nick Santrach ’11 went low at the Links at Northfork firing a smooth 73. The slick greens at Mendakota Country Club proved to be a formidable test for the greatest putter and fastest player in the MIAC- Matt Butler ’12. Ben Langworthy ’11 beat Mark at a game of one-on-one basketball. Nick edged out Matt C. in a matchplay tournament at Peter’s Resort. Assistant coach John Morgan remarked at Bunker Hills, “There’s a lot of wind up there.” The men’s team knocked off Northwestern-Roseville with a convincing score of 310-330 at St. Paul’s Hillcrest Golf Course, and about a week later knocked off St. Mary’s with a 318-354 score at the Tom Lehman signature design course Troy Burne in Hudson, Wisconsin. The women’s team also defeated Northwestern-Roseville with a score of 420-459, and Grace finished 39th in a field of 114 competitors at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Georgianni Memorial Invitational at the Mill Run Golf Course in Eau Claire. The preseason was capped off with a round at the TPC Twin Cities – the acclaimed Arnold Palmer design home to the Champion’s Tour 3M Championship. We were allowed to take carts, something we never do, and in the process of zipping between the native grasses and the fairway we spotted ex-governor Jesse Ventura in the group behind.

We are on red alert this weekend going into tournament play. The men compete in the Augsburg Invitational at Majestic Oaks Golf Course, and the women tee it up in the Cobber Open at Wildflower Golf Course in Detroit Lakes, MN.