Golf team gels, looks forward to a great season

With new leadership and revived interest, this year looks promising for our St. Martin’s Episcopal School golf program. Athletic Director Sue Bower is taking on the role of golf coach. She brings experience and coaching prowess to the team and hopes for a promising future for golf at St. Martin’s.

Bower’s main goal for this season is to get a team ready to compete at the state level. Although individuals have competed in the state tournament in the past, Bower hopes to prepare four golfers to play as a team. With more than four people interested, she is optimistic about their chances of forming a team this year.

Sophomore Jack Fleishmann, who has played golf since eighth grade, is also hopeful for this year’s golf team.

“We’re practicing more, so hopefully we can go farther in the tournaments,” Fleishmann said. “We have

more kids playing, so there might be some more competition just to get the starting four in the tournament. We might have to compete with ourselves some.”

Bower also has some long-term goals for the future of the St. Martin’s golf program. Bower hopes to evolve golf at St. Martin’s over the next couple years and get kids interested at a younger age.

“It has never been a focal point for St. Martin’s to have a successful golf team, but I’d like to change that,” Bower said. “I’d like us to have one of the premier golf programs in the city.”

However, Bower realizes that she has to take a realistic approach to the golf team. Many of her golfers play other sports and haven’t had much experience with the sport.

“I want to start slowly,” Bower said. “I don’t want to inspire them and teach them enough technical

know how that they’ll want to practice on their own. Bower’s past experience

􏰊􏰋􏰆 􏰌􏰏􏰎􏰜􏰆 􏰝􏰊􏰎􏰎􏰆 􏰓􏰂􏰑􏰋􏰊􏰀􏰂􏰎􏰃􏰆 􏰙􏰂􏰆 􏰍􏰋􏰆 asset to the golf team. She was a College All-American golfer, played professionally for five years, and was the head golf coach at Tulane University from 1992 to 2006. She’s been a golf instructor for over 25 years and is no stranger to bringing a team on the bottom to the top of the rankings. She brought the Tulane golf team from the bottom􏰙 of the national rankings into the Top 10 in 10 years.

Bower’s experience, combined with interest from new players, is a good sign for the future of golf at St. Martin’s.