Out on the green

UAU’s Golf Team

“I’m addicted to smacking a stationary white ball with a big hunk of metal in an open field,” Jair Sosa, a senior IT major from Minnesota, said. “At anything less than a professional level, you’re pretty much doing this for fun, but you can really nerd out on this stuff.” And with that, Jair proceeded to explain his extensive knowledge of clubs, hitting, and face angles. 

Golf is a sport that few of us ever venture into beyond our local putt-putt course. At least, that’s the case with me. I’d fear for the safety of anyone who happened to be near me if I were given a club and a ball.

However, for the fifteen Union students on the Warriors golf team, the green is a place to escape the routine of school and enjoy some sunshine and a little competition. 

Golf tryouts were held September 18 and 19 at Holmes Park Golf Course, and 15 of the 18 people who tried out made the team. The athletics department provides each team member with free access cards to the golf courses (Holmes Lake, Pioneers, Highlands, and Mahoney) that the city of Lincoln maintains. The courses are kept open year-round, and while the weather is nice, the team heads out once a week to play a round. When the season takes a turn and there’s too much snow on the ground, the team will make use of the golf mats, nets, and simulator in the Thunderdome. 

Tournaments are another part of being on the golf team. Although there are no tournaments planned for this year as of yet, we hope to host one in the spring. Tournaments normally consist of 5-7 golfers per team showing up at a course to play a round (18 holes). At the end of the game, the five best scores of each team are added up, and the lowest overall score wins. Over the past few years, Union hasn’t had enough golf players to participate in many tournaments. This year, the team has grown, and skill level has increased. Hopefully, in the next few years, our Warriors will participate in tournaments with other Christian colleges across the central region of the Midwest. These would be against the same schools that our basketball, soccer, and volleyball teams play. 

Curt Carlson is entering his second year as head coach for the golf team. He was an assistant coach for three years before he took the head coach position. Curt said, “I just want the team to enjoy playing, seek to get better, and build relationships. Golf has been a great lifetime sport for me, and I’ve met so many awesome people through playing.” 

Stay tuned for more info about golf and watch for next week’s article on the start of the basketball season! 

Team Members

Curt Carlson –head coach

Jair Sosa

Braden Essex

Nolan Shea

Liam Cassel

Cort Trana

Elisha McKenzie

Jacob Sauser

Lincoln Buxton

Daniel Martinez

Storm Slupianek

Damon Strong

Jeremy Marburn

Aaron Mirasol

Christian Huenergardt

Eric Sitorus

By: Sami Hoffer