As spring sports commence, the Berkley boy’s golf team prepares for its 2022 season. Golf is one of the most difficult sports to play at Berkley, and many students are unaware of the grueling nature of preparation and practice that the Golf team undergoes. I had the opportunity to interview some of the select few who made it onto varsity and ask them about their upcoming season. Despite this season’s rain and cold, the team is ready for its future success.
Every year there are the rookies (people making the varsity golf team for the first time). In this season, it’s sophomore Owen Stone; Stone was one of the standouts on junior varsity last year and is “very excited” for the season to start. When asked how he prepared for the three-month golf season, Stone explained, “I’ve been to the golf range and am attending lessons.”
The golf team only takes a select few students that participated in tryouts. Preparation is the key to success, but it is also the key to making the team. In the past, they have only taken around twelve people. Stone commented on how this year the team only took ten players. “Everyone that tried out was talented, and the team is looking good.”

I asked Stone if there were any players that fans should look out for, and he replied, “I think spectators should be on the lookout for seniors Mark Defur, Evan Blake, and Jack Qualman.”
Another standout from junior varsity last year is current junior Nate Jeup. When asked if there were any major differences between varsity and junior varsity, Jeup commented, “The practices are generally the same, but people hold each other more accountable.” Nate elaborated that “holding each other accountable” can lead to the team’s success in its league, the OAA White.
In the three-month season, the golf team plays league and non-league games. Senior Jack Qualman said that one of the team’s main focuses is to “have a successful season, especially in the white division…One of our team’s goals this season is to win the white division.”
I also asked Qualman, Jeup, and Stone what their favorite golf club was and why. All of them replied with the same answer: the driver. The driver is a club that’s usually used for the first shot of the hole because the ball travels the farthest off of the club. This is one of the reasons why all three of them like it so much. Stone said what everyone else was thinking, “I like to absolutely rip the ball.”
Finally, the golf team is prepared for the challenges that await them this season. The golf team will be in good hands for the 2022 season and beyond thanks to standout players like Qualman, and rookies like Stone.