For Penn golf, the biggest challenges are the elements themselves

Spring officially started a few weeks ago, but don’t tell that to the members of Penn golf.

The men’s and women’s teams have been affected significantly by the bad weather that has plagued the Northeast recently. Rain, snow, and cold temperatures have wreaked havoc with the spring golf season in several ways, forcing Penn to find a way to adjust.

Some of the effects, like the shortening of the men’s Princeton Invitational from 54 to 36 holes last weekend due to inclement weather, have directly impacted tournament play. Others, as junior Josh Goldenberg noted, have affected the teams’ preparation.

“Our ability to practice is heavily dependent and predicated on the weather being good, and as of late it hasn’t been," he said. "That’s forced us to really utilize our indoor facility as much as possible and take advantage of the incredible opportunity that area has provided."

This indoor practice, which has gone on for much of the spring season so far, has allowed the Quakers to keep their games sharp. However, it's still certainly far from ideal.

“It makes it a little harder to get ready for tournaments and to prepare to get to the level that we are striving for,” Goldenberg said. “I think bad weather ultimately hinders us and forces us to change our plans and call certain audibles, but at the end of the day there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The bad weather problem is not that surprising considering the makeup of the spring golf schedule. The end of the season is marked by the Ivy League Championships from April 20 to 22, and both the men’s and women’s teams play in multiple tournaments before then. Late March and early April are rarely ideal times to play golf in the Northeast, and this year has been no different.

The lack of opportunity to practice outdoors has provided a unique set of challenges that transcends the physical part of the game.

“I think what the weather affects most is the mental aspect, because being outside and playing as much as possible really allows you to get reps in and get comfortable before a tournament,” Goldenberg said. “While it does affect the physical aspect of playing, it affects more the mentality that we have.”

Irrespective of the weather, however, the Quakers’ approach to tournaments themselves largely remains constant.

“We always have a game plan in place, and we discuss as a team how we are going to attack a course and what our goals are,” Goldenberg said. “Regardless of the weather, it’s really up to us to put that plan in place and execute it to the best of our abilities.”

In fact, the weather issues may have actually had a positive impact on the golfers’ mindset going into events.

“If anything, it really forces us to strive to achieve our goals even harder because we have another obstacle in the way,” Goldenberg said.

So cold or warm, rain or sun, Penn golf will be ready for the challenges ahead.