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Like Halley’s Comet, Red Hawk Golf is Coming Around
On the wall of Storzer gymnasium are a row of red shields bearing the dates of Red Hawk conference titles. Among them is a shield labeled “Men’s Golf” with one lonely date: 1936. Yes, the Red Hawk’s last conference title in golf predates World War II, Byron Nelson’s heyday, and even steel-shafted clubs. The youngest member of that team would probably turn 90 this year. Seventy-two years later, Head Coach Cody Pinkston says Red Hawk Golf is coming back around, this time for good.
"When I took over from Coach Ernst (prior to this season), he said there were was some promising young talent on the team, and I got to see some of it at the Lawrence Invite last fall when we finished second," Pinkston said. "That was with no practices, no swing work, nothing. If these guys are as hungry to build a strong program as I think they are, we’re going to change more than a few minds about Ripon golf this year."
Sophomore Rylee Berndt (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) finished in a tie for first individually at the aforementioned Lawrence meet last September, and might have won outright had it not taken most of the front nine to find his rhythm. Sophomore Raj Pelon (Racine, Wis./The Prairie School), senior Tyler Otto and sophomore Billy Kollatz (Greenfield, Wis/Thomas More) all finished in the top 20. It was Pinkston’s first opportunity to watch any of them play, and he liked what he saw.
"Almost everyone struggled on the front, then turned things around on the back," he said. "That says a lot about mental toughness and attitude."
The challenge with spring golf in Wisconsin is the same as with any other outdoor sport: how to keep up with your game during the winter. In the past, Ripon golfers have had to find their own ways of doing so, but with the addition of practice nets and mats, along with video-analysis equipment, Pinkston hopes to turn the liability of a long winter into an advantage for the team.
"The typical Wisconsin golfer spends the spring working out the kinks that crept in over the winter," Pinkston said. "Now that we have some indoor practice equipment, I can help the guys identify major swing flaws and set them on fixing it. Hitting into a net is actually beneficial in some respects, because it frees young players up to focus on the process and not be too concerned about the results. If they work hard, we can jump into the April meets as though they were in mid-Summer."
Also in the works for the team is a spring break trip somewhere slightly warmer, such as Missouri. This will give players an opportunity to get on a real course and see the fruits of their labor to that point. It should also be a valuable bonding experience for the young team. Pinkston also hopes to have occasional classroom sessions to discuss the Rules of Golf and key points about technique.
"The more the guys become students of the game, the better they’ll be able to think their way around the course and help each other," said Pinkston.
Returning players include sophomore Ben Lukoski (Ripon, Wis./Ripon), junior Tyler Nordman (Green Bay, Wis./Bayport), senior Bill Olm (Ripon, Wis./Ripon), senior Alex Royzen (Skokie, Ill./Niles North), and junior Matt Stensberg (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln). New to the team are sophomore William Chizek, freshman Michael Kocher (Random Lake, Wis./Random Lake), junior Eric Krueger (Markesan, Wis./Markesan), freshman Jeffrey McCarthy (Colorado Springs, Colo./Wasson), senior Ben Metzler (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) and sophomore Paul Williams (New London, Wis./New London).
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