The Falls Church Golf Team Tees Off
October 25, 2016
Some sports here at Falls Church High School receive less recognition than other sports. One of these under- represented fall sports is golf. Coach Seth Richardson, a math teacher as well as golf coach, was eager to talk about what makes golf an important part of the FCHS athletic community, as were some members of the team.
Golf is often the least known fall sport because the team begins competi- tive play before school even begins, and then their season is often over by the third week of September for the boys, but goes on until almost Halloween for the sole member of the girl’s team. Mr. Richardson also made sure to dispel the common held misconception that golf is just a game, or a weekend hobby. “It takes hand-eye coordination, a math- ematical brain, and a lot of finesse since every shot requires a different amount of power. It is a game for patient people since it often takes 4+ hours to complete 18 holes,” said Mr. Richardson.
With games as long as they do, golf also takes a great deal of determi- nation and perseverance to continue to play as well as you can. Some of the team’s key golfers include Ryan Haynes (12), Sarah Jones (10), and Alex Bruning (11). All three of these players are consis- tent performers who continue to put up good numbers all season.
In a competitive game of golf, six of Falls Church’s golfers will play nine holes each. The four lowest scores out of those six are then added together. Whichever school has the lowest score wins. Two of Falls Church’s biggest rivals are Stuart High School, as well as Edison High. The average week of train- ing for the golf team consists of a nine- hole practice round, two practices on a putting green, and a round at the driving range.
Mr. Richardson has been a golfer since the age of six, earning All-League honors. He then continued to play golf competitively even after high school, playing in US Open Qualifying tourna- ments, US Amateur Qualifying tourna- ments, and taking an impressive third place in the US Mid-Amateur Quali- fier Tournament, defeating his very own brother in a round of sudden death. He has now been the golf coach at Falls Church for two years.
Golf is a sport that continues to fly under the radar at Falls Church, and it is important to show support for all our athletes that compete for our school.