The Camosun Chargers golf team travelled to Medicine Hat, Alberta last month to compete in the 2018 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championships. The team competed at Desert Blume Golf Club from October 16 to 19 and placed 8 out of 11.
Chargers golf head coach Doug Hastie says that although the team “actually overperformed to make it to nationals” they didn’t do as well at nationals, but it was still a good trip.
“[The team] definitely underperformed a little bit at nationals, [but] the guys got to know each other a little better and they had a great weekend.”
Before nationals, the team received a silver medal at the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) championship, where they qualified for nationals. Hastie says that he feels the team considers the trip to Medicine Hat an “added bonus” to their overall successful season. He says that they couldn’t have prepared any differently for nationals, but that improvements can always be made.
“The players didn’t adjust to the wind and fast streams as well as we could have,” he says. “I’m still pleased with the team. They did their best, but the first couple of days they definitely didn’t play up to our potential.”
Chargers golfer Tyler Robertson, who has been playing golf since he was 13, says he had a great last round despite “not really playing well during the week.” Even though he’s played with the Camosun team for the past four years, this was Robertson’s first year competing at nationals.
“Although the golf didn’t go too well at nationals,” he says, “the team connected very well and I feel like we bonded on the trips we had together.”
Hastie says that golfers Scott Merriam and Mike Flegel “hit the ball a lot better than they scored.”
“They just didn’t get much out of the rounds, unfortunately,” he says. “They were missing a few strokes here and there, and that adds up at the end of the day.”
This was Hastie’s first time attending the nationals since he took over as coach in June.
“It was a good season,” says Hastie. “I’ve been getting used to PACWEST and the CCAA… It’s an interesting golf season; it’s all packed in because it’s such a short season and you don’t have a lot of chances to do a lot of coaching.”
Robertson says that the “positive vibe” Hastie brings to the team is one of the reasons why they made it to nationals. He says this will be the last season for a couple of his teammates, and is glad that they were “able to have a fun last year and to have the chance of going to nationals.”