Font ResizeGROTON -- Golf gives the students at the high school an opportunity to participate in one of the most challenging sports out there. "You need to work on skills year round at the driving range," said Dave Bean.
"The sport builds character. You need to accept defeat as well as winning."
Dave Bean, who is the head coach for boys' golf at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, is preparing to coach his team through a series of challenges as they set out to accomplish their goal of heading to districts and states this fall. "We have a strong front four, but we are building the sixth, seventh and eighth players," said Bean. "I would like to make it to districts and make state play."
This season, the chances of the Groton-Dunstable golfers having a winning record are boosted by the team's top players, Brendan Hunter and Evan Bunis. "Brendan Hunter is the captain and the lead player in our competitions. He has been on the team for four years and Brendan went to states last year in Division Two," said Bean. "Evan Bunis is our second player. He is a strong player and has played some competition golf."
This year marks a fresh start for the boys' golf team. "Last year we were rebuilding," said Bean. "There are a lot of freshmen golfers that will show a lot of promise in a couple of years." Bean is always looking for new people to join the golf program at Groton-Dunstable. "I always encourage people to join the golf team. I also coach girls' golf in
Brendan Hunter, the captain of the boys' golf team at Groton-Dunstable, has been playing golf since he was 8 years old. Hunter also recently won the Mens' Championship at Sky Meadows Country Club in Nashua, N.H. He is prepared to lead his team as they face their share of challenges throughout the season. "The biggest wall in our path is that the third, fourth and fifth players are playing at the same ability," said Hunter. "They need to work on having more consistent scores."
Hunter knows that there will be some towns out there that will offer a tough competition. "There will be a couple of towns that will be hard matches, like Marlborough, Algonquin and North Middlesex," said Hunter. With some major improvements on the team, beating these towns should be a reasonable task that can be achieved. "There is a freshman that shows potential named Mike McAuliffe," said Hunter. "There is also a junior, Ryan Doody, who improved his score a lot from last season."
Like Hunter, Evan Bunis is also an excellent golf player showing great potential this season and hopes team does well. "I want the team to play well and to make districts and states," said Bunis. "The golf team isn't as big deal in our school as the football or the basketball team, but if we went really far in districts this fall, then maybe we would become a big deal."
Helping with the teams' victories this year are the third and fourth players for Groton-Dunstable, Ryan Bunis and Greg Preston. With these young golfers showing strong performances on the green, there still will be some schools that will be difficult to beat. "Westborough and North Middlesex will be tough teams to beat," said Bunis. "We had a few good matches last year. We beat North Middlesex at Townsend Ridge Country Club."
As a four-year veteran, Brendan Hunter would like to see the boys succeed during his final year with his team. "Last year we didn't have the best team, and we didn't make districts as a team," said Hunter. "This year Evan and I want to make districts, but at the back of our minds we really want to make it to states." As a captain, he keeps the team grounded and makes sure they don't get ahead of themselves. "Every round is a new round," said Hunter. "Every course is a new course that just helps you get more experience."
