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Ridgway golf eyes vast improvement |
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Monday, 22 September 2008 |
With the district tournament on the horizon, Ridgway boys' golf coach Gary Gerber said his team has enjoyed considerable improvement since the inception of the 2008 golf season.
"They'll have a bad day here and there and we go from the basics all the way through, and we're improving," Gerber said. "From the older guys, we need consistency."
While Gerber has two seniors and one junior on the team, his band of golfers is primarily comprised of five sophomores, including Seth Feronti, who has been torching the course as of late.
"Seth works hard at his sports and he gets a lot of family support," Gerber said. "He's a confident young man and he's solid in all aspects of the game."
According to Gerber, by the time Feronti is a senior, he should be a "solid contender" for a district championship.
"He plays a lot year round and he has consistently been shooting in the low 40s since day one," Gerber said.
Another sophomore sensation is David Klein who, according to Gerber, has made the biggest improvements on the golf course.
"Easily the single biggest improvement I've ever seen," Gerber said. "He went from a 64 on his very first match to a 40 at Cameron County."
Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Klein's round of 40 came at Emporium Country Club, a course he had never before played on.
"That's a beautiful course," Gerber said. "But he had never seen it before and it was the first time he ever played it."
Gerber said Klein's dedication is second to none.
"He's very dedicated and, because of that, he's improved in every area," Gerber said. "After he shot a bad round, he played an extra nine, then chipped and putted until dark. He's very dedicated."
Another sophomore who has shown improvement is Ben Marroni.
"Ben is striking the ball very well," Gerber said. "His shortcoming is putting but, if he straightens that out, his scores will drop drastically. He's shown a lot of improvement, lag putting is what he needs to work on."
A new addition to the team is sophomore Dom Aiello who, according to Gerber, was previously an occasional golfer.
"He'd just play with his friends but his worst score was a 67, and he brought that down to a 52, so he's made steady improvement," Gerber said. "He wants to get better at it."
Gerber said Aiello's play off the tee requires some tweaking.
"He's hit and miss off the tee," Gerber said. "He has a little slice to the right, which is common to so many golfers."
While Aiello used to be an occasional golfer, fellow sophomore Angelo Armanini is not just a newcomer to the team, but also a greenhorn to golf.
"It's the first time he ever golfed in his life," Gerber said. "He's dropped, on average, probably five or six strokes off his score. He works hard and he's a beginner but he's improving and he's fun to have around."
Gerber's lone junior is a talented one in Kevin Marnatti.
"He's 'Mr. Intensity,' a lot of talent," Gerber said. "His weakness is when he gets down on himself but, when he's on, he's on, so when he gets off his back, he'll get back down there in the 40s."
Despite Marnatti's intensity, Gerber said he must work on his tee box performance.
"Off the tee, that's probably an area that he needs to work on," Gerber said. "This summer, he was on fire shooting 40, 41, then he got into a rut, and I think now he's getting out of it."
Despite a young team, Gerber has two seniors on his squad in Max Oknefski and Nate Maddalena.
"Max is hot and cold in that he can give us a good low score or have an off day," Oknefski said. "If he puts in the time, he can be a tremendous golfer."
Gerber said one of Oknefski's advantages is his strength.
"But he might be cutting down with the power off the tee in order to control the ball off the tee," Gerber said. "He started a little late this year but he's working hard and he spends a lot of time at the range. We want him to shoot in the low 50s and hopefully he'll be in the 40s by the end of the year."
The final player on Gerber's eight-man roster is Maddalena, a mainstay on the golf course.
"He's the senior captain and 'Mr. Consistency' for us," Gerber said. "He's dedicated and always working, always trying to help others improve."
According to Gerber, Maddalena illustrates his commitment to golf by pondering a possible career intertwined in golf.
"He may be looking at golf management or something like that as a career," Gerber said. "But on the course for us, his scores are lower and they're consistent. His scoring average is the lowest on the team."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 )
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