The Stetson University men's golf team began preparation for their championship season in late January, and are just three weeks away from their first event of the spring.
The Hatters will serve as hosts at the inaugural Legacy Intercollegiate at The Legacy Club in Heathrow February 28 through March 1.The event will be played at the beautiful Tom Fazio-designed course, which will be a new venture for the private club.
“We are very excited to be the host team for The Legacy Intercollegiate,” Hatters coach Larry Watson said. “The club first approached me after Stetson Football had hosted its spring 'Tee It Up' event at their facility. I know the management team at Legacy was really glad to work with Stetson, and they wanted to have a college event to use as a showcase.
“We talked about a spring event being a natural for college teams in the northeast to get a chance to come and enjoy the warm Florida weather in March, so that was how we moved forward to select the dates.”
The Hatters will host 13 other teams in the tournament.
“I was very excited to see the response from other schools when we first sent out invitations to the Intercollegiate.” Watson said. “We'll play all 10 of our players in the event, splitting the group into Stetson Green and Stetson White teams. I am not certain how I will position the players, but I will look at our top five on one team to compete and try and move our national ranking up a bit.”
Stetson will be joined in the tournament by teams from Bethune-Cookman, Embry-Riddle, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Wofford, Presbyterian, Western Carolina, Savannah State, Morehead State, Keiser, Maryland Eastern Shore and the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I am very proud of the field we have attracted to play in the first event,” Watson said “We lost a couple of teams due to schedule conflicts, but they have committed to play in the event in 2017.”
After hosting the first event, the Hatters will be on the road often this spring. Stetson will play in events in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“We will have a nice advantage to have our first two events of the spring basically at home, since we'll play in Bethune-Cookman's Gary Freeman Invitational at the Hills course at LPGA International the first week of March, during our spring break,” Watson said. “Then, we will be off to Georgia for the Southern Intercollegiate at Athens Country Club, hosted by the University of Georgia.”
The Hatters will return to Florida with an event at FAU in Boca Raton at the end of March. Then, in April, they will travel to North Carolina for East Carolina's Invitational. Wofford University will host the Hats for the Coca-Cola Invitational in Spartanburg, SC, before the spring slate wraps with the Atlantic Sun Championship in Braselton, Ga., at the Chateau Elan Resort Legends Course.
“I am looking forward to our spring schedule,” Watson said. “First, the boys gained some very good experience in the fall and gained great momentum finishing so well in the last two events. Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, our new team van makes traveling so much safer and more comfortable for the entire team.
“The van has really been a big boost to the team and our program. The boys are proud of it and we make a substantial branding statement now as we travel around the country. It is a big move in the right direction; a statement to our dedication to making our program a significant contender in winning championships.”
Watson said the purchase of the van was made possible through the many donations from former players and alumni.
“I am grateful that we received approval to purchase the van, and the financial support from our alumni and other donors that was the start we needed,” Watson said. “Now, I will continue to seek support until we can pay off the van and move on to other projects the team looks to improve on.”
The Hatters experienced a sharp drop in scoring in the fall despite the graduation loss of seniors Dustin Dingus and Dirk Kueller last spring.
“Losing the scoring from Dirk and Dustin, and with Zach Stark transferring, left a big opening in our squad this year,” Watson said. “In the fall, I needed to see which of the freshmen were really ready to play at the college level. So, I used everyone to try to get each of them some experience.”
Watson said the strategy gave him a chance to evaluate what each of the young players needed to work on going into the spring.
“They now know what areas they needed to improve on, and they have an idea what college events are like. I can tell young players what to expect, but until they have to travel, learn a course in one day and then participate in the event under pressure, well, that is the true learning experience.
“I was very excited at the end of the fall because I saw the freshmen maturing. I look for all the boys to play better this spring. These young men have tons of talent, and so much potential. It's a bit scary. Now, all they have to do is play up to it. If they can do that, they will have a lot of fun and those long drives in the new van will be even more fun.”
