Golf is often overlooked at Aragon. Considering that competitions are off campus, the sport often does not receive as much attention as the football or baseball teams.
“Unlike other sports, we play off campus so it’s not a sport like basketball, football or soccer, where you can come watch the game; so they really don’t get the publicity exposure that other sports do,” said head coach Guy Oling. “But, you know, they’re humble guys [and] they respect each other.”
The Central Coast Section first included boys golf in 1972, when Kelly Whalen of Aragon and Rich Gordon of Woodside tied for the top individual performance with 75 strokes.
Since 1998, the Aragon boys golf team has won six Peninsula Athletic League championships in total. They started off in the Bay Division, where they won three championships. In 2006 they transferred into the Ocean division and won another three since then.
“I inherited a good group of guys … We were at CCS last year with the younger squad, including freshman and sophomores ”
Oling has been the head coach for both the boys and girls golf teams since 1998. Under Oling, the program has flourished.
“We’ve had about five championships, including my first year of coaching,” Oling said. “I inherited a good group of guys on the boys side. We were at CCS last year, and with the young squad, including freshmen and sophomores, mostly. We did very well, so that group is all the way back.”
As a part of that CCS team from last year, sophomore Alex Kao looked back on the tournament and the work leading up to it.
“For golf in our section, there’s only one division of CCS,” Kao said. “So within PAL, only two teams qualify. So we were actually in a playoff for that last spot last year. And we managed to win it. The seniors on our team last year seemed to be very excited for CCS, as I believe that it’s the first time we’ve qualified in a while. The whole trip down to Monterey was a good team bonding experience.”
Although Aragon has a record of championships, Aragon’s golf program still welcomes athletes who are new to the sport.
“In golf, unlike some other sports, you have a range of skills,” Oling said. “You’ll have players that play year round and junior golf and then you’ll have some beginners. So we have quite a range of skill levels and I work with them all to get them used to the game or learn the game better.”
This year’s team has a mix of the CCS team from last year and a few freshmen. Among them is freshman Sam Higaki, who’s been playing golf since he was six-years-old.
“The season just started, but the team’s looking pretty strong,” Higaki said. “Who knows what could happen. It’s still early in the season, but [we have] high hopes going into it. There’s a balance between the inexperienced and the experienced.”
Oling feels another CCS championship is in sight, especially because of the team’s work ethic.
“Since we have a young squad and with success, winning [a] championship and CCS is always a goal for any year but this year especially with a talented squad. They’re really a dedicated crew,” Oling said. “They take practice seriously. They practice outside of our practice, too, so they enjoy the game.”
Looking to the future, Kao sees the golf team strengthening as the players themselves get stronger and better at the sport.
“While the team is important, I feel like each individual is able to contribute a lot,” Kao said. “And as everyone on our team currently improves, and we and incoming freshmen do well, I can see us doing even better next year.”
