Zachary Sanford–Staff Write

Golf season this year has been snowed out on several occasions, causing the players to miss valuable time on the course. With the GPAC Championships this week, players will have little chance for practice.

The weather has hindered players to practice on the courses, leaving them to scramble last weekend in the nice 50- and 60-degree sunshine to get on the nearly dried-off course.

The Women’s GPAC Championships start April 27 at Quail Run in Columbus, Neb. The women have consistently placed lower in the past at invitationals, but have gotten to travel around to play other schools from Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska.

The spring golf season started in late March for the men with their first match at Doane Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. They placed third of 13. The women’s team first played at the Morningside Invite in Sioux City in late March and placed second out of two teams.

One thing Dordt does well on and off the 18-hole course is maintaining a respectable attitude. In a Christ-centered school, this shows well for the players and members of the coaching staff.

“You can tell in the way they act,” said freshman Dylan Van Ruler. “After a bad shot you can see less clubs thrown or in a bad round you have a bad shot and you’re obviously mad, but you don’t go throw a club about it.”

It’s not just Dordt College that is affected by this way of living, but also fellow Christian colleges. The reason they play is to have fun and be competitive, while not letting the game take control. Having fun and talking on the course is part of the game.

Ryan Feauto is a freshman and plays for varsity, hitting one of the best scores for Dordt College this year.

“You are playing with a guy from Northwestern versus a community college opponent and someone hits a bad shot,” Feauto said. “The Northwestern opponent is going to be totally cool about it and not get upset, while with the other guy, you don’t know what he’s going to do. There are higher priorities at a Christian college than golf. So you can’t really take it all that seriously. If you are having fun, you are going to play a better game of golf anyway.”

The annual Northwestern Match Play was held April 30 and May 1 at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City. This was the final meet for the men’s team. The woman’s team’s final meet was the GPAC Championships on April 27 and 28.