By Maria Riegel, Special Writer
The South Brunswick High School girls’ varsity golf captain, senior Maggie Boyle, strives to be a great leader for the team according to head coach Joseph Dougherty.
”She leads by example and is a great role model,” Mr. Dougherty said.
Maggie began playing golf when she was 5 years old because of her family’s influence. Her father is currently a golf instructor at the Tara Greens Golf Center in Somerset, and her mother also enjoys playing as a hobby. Maggie said she was also a counselor for the Tara Greens Golf Camp for a few years during middle school and high school.
As a sophomore, Maggie began playing on the varsity team for the high school where she feels she has progressed tremendously.
”I definitely have gotten better with playing with people who are better than I am,” Maggie said. “I also learned from girls who were seniors before me and got experience from them.”
Maggie has seen herself improve from the time she played golf as a child through having a competitive edge now playing for the high school’s team. She said that when she was younger, she never found herself wanting to keep score of the games she played with her family, but when she began playing at South Brunswick she had to adjust to the competitive attitude the girls had.
According to Mr. Dougherty, Maggie has not just improved in her competitive edge, but has grown in using her skills for the game.
”She worked hard to develop her skills and improved her 9-hole average by 14 strokes,” Mr. Dougherty said.
Maggie’s two major goals as a golfer were to shoot a 45 for nine holes and to break 100 strokes on 18 holes and she was able to accomplish both this season.
”I’ve wanted to improve each year and I think that those are good bench marks,” Maggie said.
Although Maggie feels she has advanced in her game, she would still like to practice her half-swing so she can start chipping within 100 yards from the green and shoot lower than a 45 for nine holes.
Maggie said she would also like to bring the teammates closer.
”She helps develop team chemistry and does not hesitate to give the other girls a pep talk when needed,” Mr. Dougherty said.
As the team captain, Maggie would like the team as a whole to consistently shoot under 200 for a match and win the GMC Championship for this season.
”On the team, I wanted the girls to become closer with one another and I hope I did that,” Maggie said.
Despite enjoying golf, she does not wish to play for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she will be attending this fall.
Maggie feels that leaving the high school golf team is a relief as well as a disappointment because the time commitment the sport requires of her will be lifted.
She said, however, that she would definitely miss playing with the people she has met along the way and the coaches.

