Chapman men’s, women’s golf teams first to finish fall season: what now?

Men’s and women’s golf players talk about what they do in the large gap of time between now and the spring season. DANIEL PEARSON, Staff Photographer

It’s over before it even started. Chapman men’s and women’s golf teams both concluded their fall seasons by Oct. 3, and they now have a large gap of time until the spring season.

Even with only a couple of competitions in the fall, freshman business administration major Dylan Horowitz had a great experience just competing with his peers.

“For me, I placed well in the tournament, but I don’t think I played my best,” Horowitz said. “I shot two over three over, and I had a couple of bad shots that cost me a couple of strokes. I know I could play a lot better, but it was fun just hosting (the competition at home), getting all the guys out there and it was a good time.”

Similarly, sophomore business administration major Kaila Higgins pointed out the women’s golf team’s success and credited senior human physiology Kristen Lee for an exceptional performance.

“Last weekend, I didn’t play super solid personally, but I know Kristen won, so that was super cool to see her do that — especially as a senior,” Higgins said. “It was cool because we won as a team, but we also know where we need to improve on (from) the (last) event.”

Horowitz said the team’s hiatus until the spring semester is an entirely new experience for him coming out of high school, where for four years in the spring season he played golf. For some players, there may be pressure to fill this large gap of time with plenty of golf activities, but this isn’t the case for Horowitz.

“I never really had any time off, so for the first time in probably four years, I just took a week off, which for golfers is a long time,” Horowitz said. “It’s definitely weird, and it’s kind of nice to be able to be open and do other things, because thankfully Coach Lao is pretty laid back. As long as you stay in shape and you still do your golf stuff, he wants us to enjoy our school as much as possible.”

One way that senior Kristen Lee is trying to stay busy, like many athletes during the offseason, is through training. However, she also plans on continuing to compete in other competitions outside of campus.

“I’m hoping to look for some tournaments just to (play and) keep competitive, and also we’re still practicing and working out,” Lee said. “You (can) look (these tournaments) up… it’s competitive, it’s like an (actual) tournament, so it’s not like practice, but it’s kind of getting (players) more experience to get ready for the season.”

Higgins is planning on pursuing outside competitions as well. Typically, she and her teammates will send each other information about upcoming tournaments and oftentimes compete alongside one another, she added. 

Both men’s and women’s golf players agreed that — now more so than ever — there’s a lot more time to get involved in other activities outside of their sport. Lee said she and her teammates spend much of this time in Chapman’s Athletic Training Room, focusing on functional strength training through rotational exercises, squats and trap deadlifts.

“A couple of us go every Monday and Wednesday to work out for an hour … and (we do) different things every day,” Lee said. “It definitely makes you stronger, and it does help with your swing.”

Though golf may not be as physically strenuous as other sports like football or basketball, weightlifting can play a critical role in bettering one’s athletic performance — specifically with arm strength and swinging. 

“I think that weight training just adds on to the amount of power and the amount of swing speed that you can get,” Horowitz said. “But a big thing for me personally is flexibility … you can do a lot more stuff if you’re a lot more flexible.”

Horowitz also plans on using his newfound free time to get involved with a fraternity and a couple of clubs on campus like the film club, surf club and ski club.

“We’re starting a new fraternity (on campus, called) Kappa Sigma, and I got invited by a couple of friends, so I'm going to be joining that (and will become) a founding father of that, which is really cool,” Horowitz said. “I would (also)  like to meet a couple more surfers, because I like to go (to the beach) a lot, and I want to meet people who can go with me as well.”

Higgins also expressed interest in joining the surf club now that she is no longer bound by her golf schedule and is eager to explore the various other extracurriculars offered on Chapman’s campus.

“I want to see like a whole list (of clubs), and I want to go to meetings and explore a bit,” Higgins said. “I haven’t been super involved with it just because of golf, but I’m excited to start doing that.”

Sometimes athletes can run into issues of finding motivation as they prepare for the next season. But for Higgins, she is confident that what she has planned in her schedule will keep her focused until the team resumes playing in spring.

“I have a pretty set schedule that I like to follow, and I see my coach in San Diego every week (to) go through a game plan of what we want to work on every week,” Higgins said. “And then, especially with, like, outside of school tournaments, it allows you to stay motivated and work hard still.”

Many Chapman students are still in the process of getting settled in, moving from an online to in-person schooling environment. For Horowitz, golf has been something that brought a sense of comfort while navigating the start of his freshman year.

“For me, golf is home, so it’s definitely helped out with my transition because it makes me feel comfortable, because it’s just what I know,” Horowitz said. “So, whenever I’m going through something tough here, if I’m just really stressed out with a lot of homework at school, I’ll just go to the range for an hour … It keeps me hungry, I really like it and the transition’s been pretty great for me.”