Golf: The other tough sport

To those unfamiliar with the sport of golf, it may seem like a sport of leisure and relaxation; you know a break from the office at the local country club. To golfers like SCC's Jeff Emmerich, golf is a much harder sport than people realize.

"It's one of the toughest sports out there," Emmerich said.

Still, many have gone as far as to say that golf shouldn't even be considered a sport. Just because golf doesn't feature hard-hitting tackles or long-range three pointers, doesn't mean that it's easy. In fact golf is the complete opposite; it is a mental game. As a player you have a limited amount of strokes to get a small ball through a course that ranges anywhere from 100 to 690 yards in length. Don't forget about hazards such as lakes and sand traps that also threaten the chance of you making your ball into a hole that is 4.25 inches in diameter. That's enough pressure to make the most mentally-stable person begin to lose it.

"You have to be so focused, and if you mess up one little thing it won't go the way you want," said freshman golfer Ty Hageman.

The SCC men's golf team has stayed focused this season; they currently sit in third place in the ACCAC. Even with the success they've found this year, the team is still looking for improvement in its quest for a win at Nationals.

"We still have some work to do if we want to continue progressing," said SCC golfer Marc Watkins.

Assistant coach Ray Almada is in his second year with the team, and has a lot of love for his athletes and a lot of optimism for the team.

"The season has been tremendous, these are great kids," said Almada.

With Nationals nearing, the pressure for the team to be at the top of its game is mounting. But in their sport, pressure comes with every swing of a club.

Imagine yourself on a green 20 feet away from the hole with nothing but your knowledge and a putter to guide a ball along the curves and slopes of the green to sink the shot. Not to mention that all of your 18 holes of work will only be rewarded with a second-place finish. To the SCC golf team second place is just the first loser. When asked what their favorite thing about golf was, a majority of the players replied "winning" without hesitation.

So the next time you catch a golf tournament on CBS, put the remote down and observe for a little while. You may be watching one of the toughest sports around today.