The 2022 St. Paul Academy boys golf season has officially started, even though the weather has not been cooperative. Rain almost every day and temperatures underneath 35 degrees aren’t the ideal conditions to play golf, but the team is staying positive. Although the weather has not been on the golf team’s side, they have been practicing inside and outside at Hyland Golf Course even through the cold weather.

This year, the varsity team is not huge with six players, but they do have many loyal team members who have returned year after year. George Peltier is a junior who has been on the SPA golf team since he was in 7th grade. Since he was little, Peltier has been playing golf with his two younger brothers, Henri and Ethan, who are also on the varsity team.“I love playing with them because we are all so competitive; it really pushes me to be the best player I can be. We give each other advice on the course, but we are also friends and enjoy each other’s company,” said Peltier.

A common theme of the golf team is friends sticking together and supporting each other.

The JV team has many new sophomores that are trying out golf, Sam Murphy being one of them. Since he was little, he has played golf but is playing for SPA for the first time. Sam really likes the team’s community, saying, “everyone’s really supportive, and even if you mess up, no one is going to be super mean to you.”

Sam is excited for matches because he has a lot of friends on the team, and the community is super supportive.

Another reason the boys love the team and sport so much is because of their coach, Chris Pope. He has been with the SPA golf team for 19 years.

The athletes love him.

“He is very committed to coaching the entire program and will stay at Highland after practice ends to work with the guys that want to stay,” Peltier said.

The dedication Pope has to coach is part of why George has stuck with the team since 7th grade. One fun activity Pope does during practices is having competitions to win candy bars. Sam likes the competitions, and he and his friends have a lot of fun competing with each other.