{"id":46664,"date":"2023-09-28T17:50:29","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T17:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelandmark.com\/?p=46664"},"modified":"2023-09-28T17:50:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T17:50:29","slug":"wrhs-golfers-set-sights-on-playoff-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/2023\/09\/28\/wrhs-golfers-set-sights-on-playoff-run\/","title":{"rendered":"WRHS golfers set sights on playoff run"},"content":{"rendered":"
By John Orrell<\/em>
\nLandmark Correspondent<\/em><\/div>\n

HOLDEN \u2014 Four seasons ago, the Wachusett Regional High boys\u2019 golf team adopted Rutland\u2019s Bedrock Golf Club as their home course for practices and matches, and based on the results, no one is questioning the merits of the move. The Mountaineer boys have been victorious on the new links in all but one match, giving credence to the term \u2018home course advantage\u2019 for the green and white.<\/p>\n

\u201cBedrock is a significant advantage because it\u2019s tight and you have to know which club to hit where,\u201d veteran head coach Nick Guerin explained. \u201cYou can\u2019t look out there and see the layout and try to hit it as far as you can. You have to use every club in your bag and scramble. We use that to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Joey McGlynn agreed with his coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying at home is a big advantage,\u201d McGlynn said. \u201cYou know the layout and how the greens run. Plus, we all come together and work, and we\u2019re all friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a team, it gives us an advantage because not many teams play out at Bedrock, but I personally play better at other courses just because they fit my game better,\u201d said senior co-captain Perry Flagg.<\/p>\n

This year the team is out to eclipse the successful season of 2022, when the squad recorded a record of 12-6, qualifying for District playoffs. As of this writing, they sit at 4-2 with a full slate of matches ahead. Many of their opponents will be stout, so no letdowns can occur if they hope to engage in postseason competition. Of note on the schedule are powerhouse teams Nashoba Regional, Bishop Feehan and, perhaps most challenging of all, perennial foe St. John\u2019s High of Shrewsbury.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the way that this team has bonded, and how we put our heads down and play,\u201d said senior co-captain Jason Manxhari. \u201cWe\u2019re a good team, and we have confidence in our abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI like all the people on this team,\u201d said senior Ayden White. \u201cWe have pretty good depth. It\u2019s a good team.\u201d<\/p>\n

What most players and coaches focus on is avoiding lapses where mental miscues can affect match outcomes. That cannot come into play. The team must surmount the mental challenges of the game and need to leave occasional poor shots squarely in the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentally, everyone has to be fully focused on their game and be calm,\u201d Manxhari said. \u201cWe can\u2019t let nerves get to us. If we play our own game, I think with our skills, we all have the potential to go under par. But it really comes down to our minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGolf is mental, 100%. The other day, I wasn\u2019t playing well and just broke down mentally,\u201d said White. \u201cOne bad shot can cause a bad round. That can\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another crucial point of Wachusett teams past and present is the concept of teamwork, which may sound anathema to golf, a game seen largely as an individual sport. But Guerin and his troops know that when one player may have an off day, another may be stepping up to make a difference. Flagg provides the perfect anecdote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other day, for example, I shot poorly and other guys made up by making the shots that I couldn\u2019t that day. The other days it\u2019s the reverse, in that I\u2019ll play better and pick them up if they\u2019re having a not-so-good day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of the 2023 Wachusett Regional High School boys\u2019 varsity golf team are Perry Flagg, John Kalinowski, Jason Manxhari, Andrew McCarthy, Joey McGlynn, Ricky Narain, Vincent Palumbo, Andrew Victor and Ayden White. Captains are Perry Flagg and Jason Manxhari. The team is coached by Nicholas Guerin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Orrell Landmark Correspondent HOLDEN \u2014 Four seasons ago, the Wachusett Regional High boys\u2019 golf team adopted Rutland\u2019s Bedrock Golf Club as their home course for practices and matches, and based on the results, no one is questioning the merits of the move. The Mountaineer boys have been victorious on the new links in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}