Lafayette club golf team finishes second at high point golf club in their sec- ond regional tournament

Photo Courtesy of Lafayette Club Golf

Only one semester into their inaugural year, the newest club sports team at Lafayette is already enjoying abundant success. The Lafayette Club Golf team, founded by Matt Barrett ’17 and Nick Segar ’17 is the latest addition to the school’s 35 club sports (Editor’s Note: Matt Barrett is a sports editor of The Lafayette). And with second-place finishes in both of their fall tournaments, they might be one of the most successful teams as well.

The idea of a club team started last year when both Barrett and Segar were freshman. Having both played varsity golf throughout high school, the pair wanted to continue to play the game they loved in college.

“Starting the team was tough at first,” Segar said. “We ran into some problems with creating a constitution last year. But once we got through creating the constitution the school has given us a lot of support.” After overcoming the challenges of getting the team started last year, the team has been running smoothly.

This fall, with funding from the school, the team has been able to compete in two National Collegiate Club Golf Association Metro Regional 36-hole tournaments. Playing against other local school like Rutgers and Kings College, the club members have the opportunity to get out on the course in a competitive, yet casual setting. While there are many pressures that come with competitive golf, the team makes sure that they remember to enjoy whatever chance they get to hit the links.

“The competitions are serious but definitely very fun for everyone,” Tom Kovar ’17 said.

“Nobody out there thinks that they’re on the PGA Tour so it keeps things light,” Evan Kenagy ’16 added.

Despite their casual demeanor, the new team has stormed onto the club golf scene, taking home two second place finishes on the season. Their success has even set them up for a potential trip to the NCCGA National Tournament in November.

While the team has had great success on the course, they are still getting their bearings organizationally. Almost their entire budget has been devoted to tournament fees, leaving the players to pay for practices out of pocket. Barrett and Segar are also in the process of establishing a partnership with a local course that would be willing to host practices for the 18-person team.

Nonetheless, the team is optimistic about their potential for growth. “Participation has been great so far,” Segar said. While most of the tournament players have had previous golf experience, there is a wide range of abilities on the team.

“The team is only going to get better with time and I look forward to seeing what we can do in the future,” Kovar said.