This is Gary Hughes’ third spring coaching golf, but first at Oglethorpe County.
He replaced Dale Blaylock, who stepped away from coaching.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the kids compete,” Hughes said. “We’ve got a very large group of participants.”
He previously was at Johnson in Gainesville, and said his own time as a golfer didn’t begin until he was in college.
“I wasn’t good, and I’m still not good, but I enjoyed the challenge,” Hughes said. “I had the opportunity to coach golf at a previous school, and I learned I loved it.”
The boys team returns six seniors and 12 underclassmen. Hughes is coaching both girls and boys for Oglethorpe County High School.
He has a goal to teach the team the game and strategy.
“Every hole, you don’t need to pull out your driver,” he said.
Without a golf course in Oglethorpe County, the Patriots drive to neighboring counties to practice their game.
“We practice behind the weight room,” Hughes said. “There’s a small putting green located behind the weight room at the high school for our chipping and wedge, short wedge play. Then, when we want to get out the big stuff, we go to UGA.”
Not having a course in the county is tough for the team, Hughes said, especially because of the number of athletes who aren’t old enough to drive.
“I wish there was a course in Oglethorpe County that we could go to for practice or even just to play,” he said. “Our middle school coach has his CDL (commercial driver’s license), so he can drive the big yellow bus.”
Senior golfer Ethan Dodd is in his second season. He had a personal best of 92 last season and hopes to improve on that this year.
“I think, overall, my goal this season is definitely just to shoot a better score,” Dodd said. “I think that’s everybody’s goal. It’s an individual sport, so in the end, we’re all trying to do our best, but we’re still a team.”
As for having a new coach, Dodd said, “I think he’s going to do his best to build a program, and I believe in him, so we’re just trying to help him as much as we can.”