Gamecocks focused on improvements in 2011
The Carolina golf team kicks off its fall season Friday at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Ga.
The opening tournament comes after a lackluster 2010-11 season that saw USC earn just two top-five finishes in ten events with no wins. Coach Bill McDonald hopes the team has learned from its struggles.
“We need to improve on everything from last year,” McDonald said. “We had a very young team with no seniors playing regularly. The result was that we got off to a very slow start, beginning with our last place finish {at Carpet Capital} last year. We were rarely in contention on the back nine and always behind the eight ball.”
Last year’s team struggled with youth and lack of experience, lacking a veteran presence on the roster. This year, however, is expected to be different with most of the team returning.
“The number one thing needed for a golf team is chemistry, which we obviously did not have last year,” McDonald said. “We have been getting it back this preseason and the guys are pushing each other to get better. The preparation has been better and we are developing leadership.”
The Gamecocks will face a tough 12-team field this weekend that includes elite teams in the ACC and the SEC among others. McDonald believes his team will be ready for the challenge and be a different team than the one from a year ago.
“We have had a really productive two weeks of preseason practice,” McDonald said. “There has been good competition among the guys and we are going to be a really improved team.”
USC also brings in its best recruiting class in recent years with three freshmen getting their first taste of collegiate action this weekend. McDonald believes they will make a positive impact as the season goes on.
“Our freshmen have made great strides this preseason,” McDonald said. “They were close to earning a couple of the starting spots for this weekend’s event. They have already been able to make the team better.”
Carolina also has another newcomer to the team in assistant coach Don Hill, who is replacing Michael Burcin after he left for Wisconsin. Hill comes to Columbia after eight years as an assistant coach at North Carolina, where he was also a two time All-American as a golfer. McDonald said he is looking forward to working with Hill, despite the departure of Burcin.
“Mike was a great guy,” said McDonald. “However, Don has a lot of experience coaching and he has already created bonds with our players after just a month. You spend almost as much time with your assistant coach as you do your wife, so I’m glad to get a guy like Don.”
Due to a large amount of rainfall the past couple of days in Dalton, the Gamecocks are preparing for a soft course. However, McDonald says it will not be too big of an issue.
“Our players that are starting there this weekend have a lot of experience in Dalton, so they know the course well, which will give them an advantage,” McDonald said. “Also, it is easier to prepare for a soft course than a hard one. We will get the technique down in our practice session Thursday.”