As the season concludes for the Central Kitsap Boys Golf the team begins to unwind and debrief. The Cougars finished their season second in their league (SSC 3A) with 8 wins and 5 losses for league matches, and 10 wins and 5 losses overall. On Tue, May 8 the League tournament was played at The Home Course in Dupont, Washington. This is a tournament where players compete with other players from teams in the league for a chance at qualifying for Districts or for State tournaments. The following day on Wed, May 9 players who scored well enough on Tuesday competed in a second round for a shot at qualifying for Districts or direct qualification for the State tournament which is held on May 22 and May 23 at Qualchan.  

Players have mixed emotions over the season ending, but overall many view the season as a success.

“Overall it was a fun season. This year we had lots of new players on the team who improved a lot. It was really fun to watch them grow as players,” stated Senior Logan Jacobson.

A major theme of this season on the Central Kitsap Cougar golf team was team development and bonding.

“It was a really good season. I really enjoyed getting to bond with the team and as well as really focusing on improving my individual golf game,” stated Junior Colin Biel.  

Competing and playing competitive matches is not the only focus on the Cougar Golf Team.

“McCarthy does a great job bringing our mood backup as a team after a poor match. It’s hard to do, but after playing poorly it’s really nice to have a supportive coach who understands the game,” stated Jacobson.  

Along with that mentality a lot of players expressed that there is strong camaraderie among the team. Even though players love competitive golf there is a lot more to being on the team then just competing. Many players recalled good memories of the van rides to tournaments and eating with the team afterwards and stated that those were some of the moments they remember best throughout the season.

“For me there was no specific memory that stands out, but I will definitely remember all the times that we would play nine holes after practice for fun. Those were always fun times,” stated Colin Biel.

For Jacobson one of his favorite memories was playing in the Duke Streeter Tournament.  

“The Duke Streeter is forsure my favorite tournament. Everyone who played had a really good time. It’s been my favorite tournament and I have been lucky enough to have played it all 4 years. All in all it’s always a really fun low stress day,” stated Jacobson

It’s a scramble tournament which means you are paired with a partner from your team and both hit a shot, then you decide which shot is best and then both players hit from that location. This continues until the you hit the ball into the hole.

Additionally the Cougars hosted a new tournament this year, The Kitsap Invitational. It is an 18 hole tournament for local teams to compete in at the Cougars home course, Gold Mountain.

“I really enjoyed the Kitsap Invitational it was cool to play the tournament in its first year,” stated Biel.  

Jacobson moved to congratulate Coach Kevin McCarthy with his success hosting the tournament “Coach McCarthy put on an incredible tournament. For being the tournaments first year it was incredibly planned and worked out fantastic. He’s a incredibly passionate coach and did everything he could to put on a fantastic tournament.”

Another change that occured this season was the course switch form Kitsap Country Club to Gold Mountain. The idea behind the switch is that practicing and competing at Gold Mountain would allow players maximum practice due to the available facilities.

Previously when the Cougars home course was at Kitsap Golf & Country Club there was a limited amount of space to practice. This was difficult for the because there was no option for the team to work in unison practicing putting, chipping, and driving.

“It was nice to be at a course where we could truly practice. We were able to get a lot more practice putting, chipping, and playing which is all crucial when trying to improve,” stated Jacobson

Jacobson stated “It was a good feeling to feel like we were accepted by the course and fellow players.”

Now that the 2018 Cougar golf season is done players begin to move on and focus on their new goals and aspirations.

Jacobson who plans to graduate this year states that  “I’m just looking forward to having a really good freshman season playing at Olympic College. It will be fun to travel with the team, get to know the players, and possibly place in a tournament, who knows?” stated Jacobson  

Junior Colin Biel states “I really just want to keep improving and getting better at the game. The goal is to keep putting up good points and scores for matches and tournaments. Overall I just want to have a successful fun Senior season.”

The 2018 season was a new interesting season for the Cougars Boys Golf team. There were many changes these included practices,  switching the home course to Gold Mountain, and the creation of The Kitsap Invitational. All these new changes are beneficial when attempting to grow the Cougar Boys Golf program, but also provided players with opportunities to improve their golf game and play a variety of courses.

“It really was a memorable season,” stated Biel.