Peninsula golf hopes for spring season with new coach at the helm
Matt Robles is a second-year coach for the Peninsula boys golf team, but has yet to coach an event.
Just two weeks into his first season with the Seahawks, the coronavirus pandemic canceled schools and their athletic programs, putting last spring’s golf season -- and the upcoming one as well -- in jeopardy.
The shutdown occurred in March, shortly after some thirty student-athletes turned out to try out for Peninsula’s golf team. The Seahawks made their roster cuts, formed their varsity and junior varsity squads, and prepped for a Friday jamboree -- one that would have been Robles’ first event as head coach.
Fast-forward six months, and the Seahawks remain in waiting mode.
“I’m just hoping for the best for all of the student-athletes we have,” Robles said. “We just want to get out there. I feel so bad for these kids because they’ve had a few things taken away from them, but to see the resilience and look forward to possibly getting out in the spring… that’s something that we’re very excited for.”
Peninsula golf began its search for a new head coach for the boys golf team after the spring 2019 season. They wanted to bring in a coach with experience, and preferred to hire from within the high school.
Matt Robles was exactly that; already the head coach of Peninsula’s boys basketball team, Robles had a year of high school golf coaching under his belt in California, and more recently at the helm of the men and women golfers at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.
After an interview and the official job offer, Robles accepted.
Now, he’s advocating for his golfers to get out and play when able.
“If they can get out and golf, get out and golf,” Robles said. “The cool thing is (that golf) is one of the sports that we’re allowed to do, in the general public. … Hopefully when the spring season comes around, we’re all ready to roll and we’re back and playing matches and competitive events.”
As for the coaching period that runs through late November -- a window of time where teams can meet, practice and work out contingent on following distancing guidelines -- Robles plans to host non-mandatory gatherings for the team, depending on access to team facilities at Canterwood Golf & Country Club and rules that could dictate the practicality of holding practice.
“Any chance to get any high school athlete outside the house after sitting in front of a screen for six hours… we’re going to make it happen,” Robles said.
Already a sport of consistent physical distance from your competitors, golf courses remain open to the general public, with small, yet noticeable safety changes.
On public courses in the area, golfers must leave pins in while putting, wear masks in and around pro shops, and refrain from using rakes to clean bunkers, though most maintenance crews have removed their rakes altogether.
The guidelines are expected to remain in place throughout the spring, as Peninsula prepares for their season, though Robles says nothing is confirmed as to how matches will take place to adhere to safety regulations.
“I’m assuming those safety measures will remain the same for a while, and probably through our season,” Robles said. “But nothing is confirmed yet.”
Regardless of how sports play out this year, Robles has one message for his Seahawk golfers, who hope to build on an 8-1 regular season record from 2019.
“It’s about having the right mindset,” Robles said. “Golf is obviously an individual sport, and you can’t rely on anyone else. The beautiful thing about it is … when things go bad, you can’t call a timeout and try to right the ship, so to speak. You’re gonna have to do it on your own. Having a sort of mental toughness and a little perseverance, and taking the good with the bad and being able to handle that, that’s what makes golf so special.
“We’re looking forward to being able to get back and get some sense of normalcy, just like everyone else, and I think athletics can provide that. Golf is one of those sports where we can get out earlier than some other sports, and we’re looking to take advantage of it the best we can.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM.