Through the help of current head coach Guy Oling, the Aragon Girls Golf Team was founded in 2002.
“We started PAL Golf in 2002. There were a couple of leagues in the South Bay at that time,” said Oling. “It began because there was an influx of more and more girls playing golf and we were able to get a league together. ”
Just three years after the team’s creation, the team made CCS. Led by Megan O’Sullivan and Candice Nishimura, the team went undefeated just a year later, winning their first PAL League Title and made the Northern California Championships.
“The 2004 and 2005 teams were very successful in CCS, solid teams from top to bottom,” said Oling. “In 2004, we went to CCS and [were] the best public school in CCS, which only has one division. We grew in ‘04 to [win] in ‘05.”
However, despite the leadership of Nishimura, the Lady Dons failed to win another championship for five years, until they went back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. However, the success was short lived, as the San Mateo Bearcats dominated the league for the next 2 years. The Dons took over the top spot their rivals in 2013, winning the PAL.
“It is not just wins and losses, it’s about success and camaraderie and team spirit. In this you have to be role model and a positive force.”
“It was exhilarating, because that was when we were really connecting as a team,” said former team captain Kelly Fang. “So we were stoked to trump our major rival, San Mateo, with a solid team score.”
Since then, the Dons have dominated, finishing in 1st place in the PAL every year since. They hold the record for most PAL League Titles with seven, six outright and one in 2015 that is shared with Menlo-Atherton. In almost every championship winning season, they have finished undefeated, just like last season.
“I think that it is due to the combination of having one and or two good players that play year round and balance around,” said Oling. “We’ve had great depth. We’ve had players that were [ladder positions] 3-6 and other players that were challenging for the Top 6, so scoring all those was so positive having to work with the whole team.”
A lot of the team’s success has to do with Oling. He is one of seven CCS honor coaches at Aragon, won the award in 2013 and has been influential to many players.
“It was quite an honor,” said Oling. “It is not just wins and losses, it’s about success and camaraderie and team spirit. In this you have to be role model and a positive force.”
Oling brought out the finest from even the best of his players, influencing them in a very positive way.
“To us, he was like having a parent who would unconditionally support us and root for us,” said Fang. “He gave it his all in trying to boost our confidence and mood, which is an important aspect when playing in a match.”
The Lady Dons have had several players that have had individual success. Many players have gone on to win the PAL individual tournament, including Tessa Ulrich in 2015 and Fang in 2011.
“It was shocking but also sort of funny,” commented Fang. “I was focusing on optimizing each shot, not on counting my score at all. As I finished the last hole, the girl keeping my score casually informed me that I won. It had not even occurred to me since I was so immersed in having a good time playing with everyone. It was only after the news reporters swarmed me that the realization hit me. After, Coach Oling came up to me with a big grin and shook my hand vigorously.”
With the Lady Dons beginning the 2017 season, they look to continue their successful history and win another league championship.
