The winter puts any spring sport at a disadvantage, but this especially holds true for golf. The course closes when the first snow hits and doesn't open until the grass is healthy enough to play, which can take weeks from when the snow finally melts. Obstacles aside, the team still makes sure to get enough practice during the winter months.
"During the winter term for those of us who are here, we have a great spot in Leverone Field House where we can hit balls into a net and chip and putt on a putting green," captain James Pleat '13 said. "It's obviously not the same as seeing where your ball ends up in the air, but we do what we can to stay in mid-season form."
Peter Williamson '12, a Hanover native now playing on the professional circuit, recalled the difficulty of working on his game during many long New Hampshire winters.
"I understood the balance of practice time throughout the different seasons," Williamson said. "I always put a premium on putting and chipping because the winter months limit what you can learn from full swings. College golf is about scoring it's not necessarily pretty from tee to green. A good short game can hide a lot of errors, and even par is generally competitive in college."
At a certain point, a golfer must move beyond simply surviving on a stellar short game. The men's golf team looked to spring break to get more course experience.
"Over spring break we got to go down to West Palm Beach, Fla. and play a lot of great courses there," Pleat said. "It was really nice, because coming out of three feet of snow and 30 degree weather to play every day was great. On our way up we also stopped in Furman [University] and played in the tournament this year. It went okay, we got some rust off for sure but the tournament experience was great."
Both the men and women's teams look to warm up quickly in the spring, with only two tournaments each before the prized Ivy League Championship.
Coming off of a brutal second-place finish in extra holes to the University of Pennsylvania in the Ivy Championship last year, the Big Green men hope to finish what they started by winning the title. The men began their spring season with a 19th-place finish at the Furman Invitational on March 22. The women's team looks to bounce back from a seventh-place finish at last year's Ivy League Championship.
The green and white had a tough fall season, finishing in the top half of the field in only two of five tournaments.
"We just couldn't play well in tournaments and it was a disappointing fall," Dylan Rusk '16 said.
Pleat was not happy with the fall season but optimistic about how they finished.
"As a team, we struggled a little bit in the fall," Pleat said. "We ended the fall season on a high note with a second-place finish, which we probably should have won but still it was a good way to finish the fall."
The women's golf team similarly struggled, finishing in the top half of the field only in two out of five tournaments. The team looks to get hot in its final two tournaments before the Ivy League Championship.
Coming off of a great year, the men's team will sorely miss Williamson, who won the individual Ivy championship three of his four years at Dartmouth. Arguably one of the best golfers in the history of Dartmouth and the Ivy League, Williamson transformed the Big Green to a perennial title contender. Since graduating, Williamson has already won the North and South Amateur and the prestigious Southern Amateur tournaments. He also played in his first PGA tour start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
"My four years at Dartmouth were great," Williamson said. "I couldn't have asked for a better coach and group of teammates. We always wanted to have more fun than the other teams and I believe we accomplished that goal."
Despite losing its top player, the team remains focused on remaining competitive in the Ivy League.
"Our main goal is to win Ivies," said Rusk. "It's interesting, we play in eight or nine tournaments over the course of the season and none of them really matter compared to the Ivy League championship."
Rusk pointed to Yale University and Princeton University as the other top Ivy title contenders, and the reigning champions, the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, also threaten the Big Green's chances to win it all.
As the Big Green hones its skills in anticipation for the Ivy Championship from April 26 to 28, Williamson has been in Jupiter, Fl practicing for the pro circuit.
"I love New Hampshire, but it's not ideal for developing golf skills that are required all 12 months," Williamson said. "Florida has been great thus far. Last summer gave me some great opportunities this year to learn and grow. I intend on playing a composite schedule of amateur and professional events this summer, and, if all goes well, turning pro around September. I'm going to enjoy the process of becoming a world class golfer, not rush it."
The spring golf season is short and has few days with playable conditions. Entering his final season, Pleat aims to keep things simple.
"I am just trying to play solid and lead the team," Pleat said. "I want to post some scores for my teammates to go after and just play consistent throughout the year."
