Golf Team Experiences Resurgence

ATHARVA INAMDAR ‘24

Golf season officially kicked off with the first match on April 1 against Woodbridge High School. What differentiates this season is the more than doubling of the team. 

Last year, the team had just five players, with four freshmen and one sophomore. Of those, only two had previous golf experience. Thrown together in the chaos of the pandemic, this team managed a 3-15 record, but 2022 is poised to be a new chapter. 

The first big team event  was fundraising at Shoprite to raise money for pullovers and clothing. New and old members alike came together to raise five hundred dollars and collectively offset all the cost of custom apparel. 

This year also features the return of Mohit Sanavaragapu ‘22 as captain., the winner of the Greater Middlesex Conference in his freshman year, and a Huntingdon College Division 2  prospect. All five players, Atharva Inamdar ‘24, Abhi Tamoli ‘24, Taha Shaikh ‘24, and Joshua Yap ‘23, from last year, returned with newfound experience and hope for the future. 

In addition, the club features six other new players of various classes and levels of experience excited to learn and compete: Ethan and Ryan Lin ‘25, Raaj Gajjar ‘25, Vedant Talati ‘25, Mason Manolopoulos ‘24, Siddhanth Vashisht ‘23, and Parth Patel ‘22. 

The coaches are just as excited with the surge of new and returning golfers and are confident that this deeper pool of players will lead to a season to be proud of. 

So far, the practices at TopGolf and Raritan Landing Golf Course have been valuable learning experiences for the team, with more experienced players guiding the newer ones while collectively improving their golfing skills. Everyone is hard at work developing their swings and building consistency across driving, pitching, chipping, and putting. Recently the team also played their first official scoring match to determine the top six players at Rutgers Golf Course, a long course of 6,300+ yards. 

Golf is a sport that offers many opportunities. New players have a chance to learn the skills of the game and experience the camaraderie of competition, while experienced players compete for the top six and compete against schools. This year’s resurgence has brought newfound life into the sport, creating a competitive and mutually uplifting top 6, and a pool of players for the future of the sport in Edison High School.