Soon the only white objects to be sailing through the Hanover sky will be the precision-aimed Titleists of the Dartmouth men's golf squad.
Though still young and lacking experience, the team hopes to improve on its respectable fall showing.
The team returned from a spring trip in Panama City, Florida, where beautiful weather, good golf and an occasional bungee jump prevailed.
"[The trip was a] great chance for the team to come back together," Jay Lavender '98 said.
"The team is now set," co-Captain Mackenzie Hurd '98 said. "We have our core group and we are set to make a new beginning."
As the team's top player, Hurd believes that he enters this season more relaxed than previous years. After reworking his swing with Coach Bill Johnson, Jay Danzi '98 also looks to be a strong part of the squad this year as well.
Judging from his solid spring break play, co-Captain Steve Sugarman '97 should return as a major force. Likewise, hard work in the winter and spring have payed off for Lavender.
Completing the squad is freshman Jon Heaton, whose newfound confidence should pave the way for a great season.
The spring season kicks off next weekend with a trip to the Campbell Invitational in North Carolina. Afterwards, the team moves on to the Yale Invitational on April 13th.
The Ivy League tournament over the weekend of April 20th-21st is the main focus of the entire team.
Hurd hopes to repeat, if not top, his performance last year that earned him All-Ivy status. This year the tournament will be held at the Bethpage Black Course in Long Island, New York. The course will benefit the top three players, all of whom have played there previously.
Though Johnson notes that the beautiful par 71 course will play relatively long in the spring, he believes his team has the mental and physical capacity to master it.
The following weekend the team will travel to Connecticut for the New England Championships. The season is capped off with an informal match with Harvard and Brown on May 4th.
Dartmouth will look to capitalize on every opportunity, paying special attention to Princeton, Yale and Harvard, the three teams to beat this season.
Johnson insists that he is "pleased with the work ethic" of his squad. As he said in the fall, Johnson believes this team is "going to surprise a lot of teams in the spring. We have the ability to win the big one."
