Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Aiming for the first men's golf team podium finish at a CCAA national championship in program history this week, the MacEwan Griffins will need to lean on veteran experience and course familiarity, while putting the poor weather that's affected their preparation behind them.
Ranked fifth in Canada, the Griffins will kick off the four-round PING CCAA national championship on Tuesday at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat.
With a deep team comprised of fifth-year seniors Josh Gorieu (Stony Plain) and Christian Solkowski (Edmonton), fourth-year Noah Lubberding (St. Albert), second-year Justin Berget (Spruce Grove) and first-year Reid Woodman (Edmonton), MacEwan has as good a shot as they've ever had to contend for the title.
"(We need to) stay committed and trust what we've learned throughout the year," said Gorieu. "I think we have a pretty good chance at medaling this year. We're deep and we're talented, so I think if we all go out there and play our own game we'll be close, and we should have a good chance."
The Griffins traveled to Medicine Hat early to get in an extra day of practice at Desert Blume, hitting the links Sunday and Monday – practice rounds which might help make up for their lost preparation due to another early Edmonton snow that closed every course in the city last week.
"As soon as the snow hit the ground, the golf courses in Edmonton closed and we were instantly put in a position where we were connecting with a handful of different virtual reality golf companies in town," said head coach Jodi Campbell. "We connected with Evolution Golf, which is on the south side. We were able to get in there a few times.
"The priority was to just keep the players sharp in hitting golf shots and keeping the club in their hands, so it doesn't feel so foreign when we get into Medicine Hat. Really, that was the goal. It was less about other focuses that we would usually have at a practice and more about 'let's just go and get some swings in.' "
The teams they'll be battling with for the medals will no doubt have gotten many more rounds outside than the Griffins. The top-four CCAA ranked squads are UFV, Humber, D'Andre-Laurendeau and Fanshawe, who all come from fairer-weather locales in Canada.
"There is something to seeing the ball fly that is important when you're golfing," said Campbell. "Is it a disadvantage? Yes, it is, but we're not going to language it like that.
"There's nothing you can do about the weather and there's other teams in this province that are dealing with the same thing, so we're just going to do the best we can."
The advantage the Griffins will have, though, is they know the course better than most of the competitors this week, having battled at Desert Blume several times throughout their youth and collegiate golfing careers.
"We're actually going to treat Desert Blume as a home course," said Campbell. "We've played and competed there a number of times and I think that familiarity is going to help us."
"We're hoping to get into the medals."
Head coach Jodi Campbell, left, Josh Gorieu, Reid Woodman, Noah Lubberding, Christian Solkowski and Justin Berget captured MacEwan's fifth ACAC men's banner in the last eight years last month in Red Deer (RDC Athletics photo).
All the other outside factors aside, the Griffins are a talented team that captured the program's fifth ACAC men's team title in the past eight years last month in Red Deer. They know if they play well, they'll be right in the hunt.
"We're pretty excited about the team we've got going down to this event," said Campbell. "Certainly, the group is talented and is going to be ready to play when the time comes.
"The other thing I'm really excited about is the group has gelled together," he added. "I know that's a sports cliché, but we can chase some of the top teams in the country down if everyone's playing for each other, playing hard, come prepared and are mentally tough. Those are some key elements that are important for a tournament like this, even more so than skill."
Remaining focused all week will be key for the Griffins as they will need to stay sharp for four rounds – double the length of the usual two-round ACAC tournaments they're accustomed to. The top four scores each day will count towards the team's total.
"It's a four-day event, so keeping your body rested and ready to go for four days, rather than the two we normally play is a big deal," said Gorieu. "Then it's to realize that you might not have your best stuff one day, but you have three other days to make up for it.
"The main thing is staying focused and keeping it one shot at a time and following the process," he added of advice he'll be offering his teammates. "You have your scores adding up after four days, but it's a series of single shots that add up. If you can stay focused on the shot you have at hand, you should be OK."
Keep tabs on results from the CCAA nationals here.
