Peter Williamson '12, a member of the Dartmouth golf team, will compete in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship for the second year in a row after winning the Massachusetts qualifier last week. The championship will be held in Aurora, Colo., starting July 14.
Williamson will likely continue to play in the tournament every summer until he loses his amateur status, he said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
A Hanover resident, Williamson has access to a practice course that allows him to maintain all aspects of his game, he said. Golfing this summer, however, has been more of a challenge than usual because of an injury last year and damage to the courses during the winter.
"I'm used to playing every day, but I've already taken off more days this summer than I have in about the last three summers combined," he said in the e-mail. "My game doesn't feel as sharp or as comfortable as it usually does at this point of the year."
Other Big Green golfers are training individually and playing in tournaments in the Upper Valley and their home towns.
Davis Mullany '11 is practicing three to four times a week and playing in several tournaments to keep his game in shape, he said.
"It's irresponsible not to do anything and then come back and not be ready," Mullany said.
One of those tournaments will likely be The Greenie, a tournament at Carter Country Club in Lebanon, N.H., organized by men's golf coach Rich Parker. Parker usually has athletes who are on campus for sophomore summer participate in the event, according to Mullany.
Mullany will also try to play in an amateur tournament in Pinehurst, N.C., to keep a competitive mindset.
Team member Ryan Choi '11, despite dislocating his shoulder last month, will continue to work out over the summer to stay in shape, he said.
"Everyone kind of does their own thing," he said.
Women's captain Katie Gulemi '11 will work both individually and with the team's coaches over the summer.
"Golf is weird because you can play on your own and that's good," Gulemi said. "It's a lot of one-on-one, how you're going to push yourself and how you're going to come off the summer and jump into it."
She added that it is a challenge to find tournaments for women during the summer.
To help prepare the rest of the team for the upcoming season, Gulemi met with each of her teammates to set goals and establish a level of commitment for the summer and 2009-2010 season, she said.
"We all have our goals, whether it's practicing four times a week or I'm gonna play in a couple of tournaments and meet with my coach and hit golf balls every day,'" she said.
Gulemi and women's coach Kevin Gibson have contacted incoming first-years on the team to encourage them to practice over the summer and come "ready to play," according to Gulemi.
"It's a very hard transition from senior year of high school to freshman year of college," she said. "We play a much harder course. We play the men's tees and the guys play the championship tees."
While high school golf is primarily about being able to hit the ball and play well, collegiate golf focuses on the player's mentality as well, according to Gulemi.
"I would say college golf is 90 percent mental," she said. "When you have to wake up at 5:45 in the morning and play a team that is technically better than you, you're going to go out and try to put your game together."
The team will meet with a special psychologist to improve their mental game this fall, she said.
"Even though we're in the snow and can't really play until [the Ivy League Golf Championships], which is a huge downside, we can be competitive because of our mental game," she added.
Williamson said that working as a team has been the unique part of playing collegiate golf.
"You're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for your teammates, coach and school as well," he said in the e-mail. "The experience of sinking a putt for your team on the 18th hole is a feel like no other and [is] certainly worth the subsequent all-nighters doing work."
