FROM THE TEE

A Whale of a Fight

This year was curious for Central Alabama Community College golf. It was mandatory that I take the team’s temperatures daily, and I had to ask health questions of the athletes before practice, play or competition could begin. Online and virtual classes were the only means to pursue some of the most challenging and demanding academic subjects, but the boys persevered. Social distancing was required. Restaurants were closed to the public, so meals were eaten on the road or in a hotel room. Still this golf team faired quite well. They respected the ever-changing rules with good attitudes, and they did well in the classroom and on the golf course. I cannot allow one tournament to define this past year.

This year at our national championship in Lubbock, Texas, we found ourselves out of our element. West Texas is well known for its weather extremes, and this year was no different. For the past two years, Lubbock experienced freezing temperatures more than usual that caused much of the golf course to be covered in winter-kill grass.

During our practice and preparation in Central Alabama leading up to the tournament, Willow Point Golf and Country Club and the other nine golf courses we frequent were greening up and were getting into their prime. That’s not what we found in Lubbock.

The golf course wasn’t firm, it was more brick-like, much like the runways at Hartsfield Airport, and the wind blew from 20-30 mph every day with gusts up to 40 mph. We can simulate a lot of conditions, but we cannot simulate wind, especially heavy wind. Unfortunately, we finished in the middle of the pack at the national tournament and were never really in the fight. For those who follow CACC Golf, everyone knows very well that it isn’t normal for us. It certainly wasn’t a good feeling either.

The boys fought hard each of the four rounds. There was never any give-up in them. It amazed them that this kind of wind could have a four-club difference for the exact yardage from one day to the next.

On the first day, the wind was blowing 35 mph out of the southwest. On the second day, the wind blew just as hard from the northeast, and the temperature dropped 25 degrees. The weather conditions were not conducive to our game.

Though the team remained focused and their attitudes never waivered, they could not get a positive feel for what they were facing; however, what they were doing was learning.

We could be in store for something similar next year when Nationals will be held in Odessa, Texas and this group will be much better prepared.

The national championship didn’t go our way, but the year itself, for golf and academics, became a year to remember. Here are some of the highlights of the 2020-2021 year for CACC Trojan Golf: n Six tournament wins n Two individual wins n Conference Champions n Hayden Carner earned Jack Nicklaus Team n Hayden Carner and Tanner Guthrie earned AllRegion Honors n Hayden earned First Team All-American Honors n I earned Conference and District Coach of the Year Honors n The team earned Team Academic All-American Honors n Tanner Guthrie earned All-American Scholar Honors

n Hayden Carner earned the Alabama Sports Writer’s Junior College StudentAthlete of the Year Honors. n Eight of my nine golfers earned President’s List or Dean’s List grades in either the fall, spring or both.

As I look back and pause to absorb the whole year, I believe that it was a very good year. I cannot make one tournament ruin all the good that happened with these boys. Do I want them to experience the excitement of winning a national championship? You bet your Lifesavers But a national championship win is no easy task.

Every year, there is a champion, and I know of many coaches that have been working hard at their trades for 20, 25 and 30–plus years who have never brought a national championship trophy home.

I have been blessed to win two while coaching for CACC, and our Trojan golfers won five other championships before I got here. The ring is the icing on the cake, but it’s not the whole cake.

I have been blessed to have this experience of coaching at CACC for 21 years now. Seeing these young guys turn into men and move on to earn their Bachelors or Masters degrees and start their lives has been an experience that many people aren’t privileged to live. The relationships that I maintain with former

From the Tee players and their families are priceless. To see first-hand the financial and moral support that many of you and others have given to this golf program is humbling to me. I adore what I do, and I thank all of you and the parents who trusted me to mentor their sons during their time in Alexander City. This year, like so many others in the past, I will look back and remember it fondly, regardless of the crazy hoops we had to jump through because of COVID-19. I am now in the planning stages for the 2021–2022 seasons and searching for players for the 2022–2023 academic year. Many new experiences are lying ahead for Dave Jennings CACC Golf and me. Next year, most of my team will be returning, and I feel confident that they will be better prepared and focused. They will know how they are going to wrestle to get that championship trophy back home. All I can say is, “God bless the competition. They are in for a whale of a fight.” Until next time, go Trojans! ~Dave Jennings is the men’s golf coach at Central Alabama Community College.