Shelter Island School golf team wraps a season of learning and growth

The Shelter Island High School varsity golf team saw tremendous improvement this season, which concluded on Monday, Oct. 7.

Our team, composed of underclassmen and two 8th graders, with a total of seven players, entered the season with limited experience. We’re fortunate to be hosted by the Gardiner’s Bay Country Club (GBCC), the private 18-hole course on the Island.

Unlike most teams in the league that play at mainly public courses, and some private, all pay to access their facilities, while GBCC generously provides us free access to their facilities during the golf season.

Bob DeStefano, who retired from GBCC as their head professional after 50 years, has been coaching the school’s varsity golf program for many years. Reflecting on the season, Coach DeStefano said, “I was excited for this year’s season because we had a lot of people to shape into golfers.”

Assisting Coach DeStefano were Father Peter DeSanctis and Jay Card II. In addition to the coaching staff, Dan Lockhart, Jay (Jake) Card III, and Matthew Dunning were instrumental this year, offering guidance and feedback to the team.

In each match, six golfers compete against the opposing team, while any additional players participate as exhibition players. At the end of the round, all six scores are totaled, and individual wins are tallied.

The younger side of the roster consists of 8th graders Elizabeth Weslek and William Marshall. This season was Elizabeth’s first year on the team, and she embraced the challenge head-on.

From the start, Elizabeth made consistent contact and secured a spot in the middle of the lineup. Throughout the season, she focused on improving her putting, but unfortunately sustained a wrist fracture a few weeks ago, sidelining her for the remainder of the season.

William was eager to return for his second year on the team. After a year of learning and playing as an exhibition player, William spent the summer participating in junior golf programs and tournaments, preparing to fill a varsity spot. This season, he primarily played in the 3rd or 4th position and shaved nearly 20 strokes off his scoring average since last year.

The majority of the players are 9th graders. Lily Brigham, now in her second year, first picked up a golf club during practice last season, and she’s made significant progress as a golfer since then.

Over the summer, Lily practiced at the Shelter Island Country Club and was excited to rejoin the team, despite balancing her commitment to the junior varsity volleyball team, which made attending practices difficult.

Even with those challenges, Lily earned a spot in the lineup and plans to play again next year. Maeve Springer, another first-year player who also plays JV volleyball, was motivated and eager to learn. Maeve, who worked at the Shelter Island Country Club this summer,  practiced routinely leading up to the start of the season, and she earned individual wins against Greenport/Southold.

Lastly, Liam Sobejana, in his third year on the team, played as the 2nd seed on the roster. Liam spent his summers developing his game and was dedicated to being a key contributor. His focus on improving his short game paid off, helping him shave nearly 10 strokes off his scoring average.

On the upperclassmen side, we had junior Mae Brigham and myself. Mae has been with the team for five years and held the third seed this season.

She works at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, where she practices regularly, and has focused on improving her iron play. Despite also playing varsity volleyball, Mae managed to attend most practices and matches.

As for myself, this was my second year on the team, and I played in the first seed position. I play year-round and work at the Shelter Island Country Club. This season, my focus was on improving my putting and increasing my greens-in-regulation percentage.

Coach DeStefano expressed his satisfaction with the team’s progress. “At the beginning of the year, most of our players had no clue how to conduct themselves on a golf course, let alone swing a club,” he said.

Despite their inexperience, the team showed up eager to learn every day. “Every week brought consistent improvement, and we now have seven real golfers,” Coach DeStefano added.

At the end of our season, we all had time to rest and focus on other sports and academics. However, each team member has been given free memberships at the Shelter Island Country Club, allowing them to continue playing throughout the year and prepare for a more competitive season next year.