Veteran coach Frank Marchesi has a philosophy when it comes to coaching, whether it’s soccer, which he did for many years at Old Bridge High School, or his current job as mentor for Spotswood High School’s golf team — whether a player is experienced or new to the game, he or she must develop solid fundamentals.
So it is with golf, Marchesi said. Under his tutelage, the Chargers have consistently improved the past three seasons and will be looking to record a respectable mark when the season begins in April.
“We started practice on March 1,” Marchesi said. “Obviously, the weather has not been conducive for going out on our home course (Rossmoor Country Club in Monroe Township), so we’ve used the time to work on the mechanics of the golf swing in the classroom.”
Marchesi starts with teaching the basics, which includes gripping the club properly with the right posture and alignment of the body, as well as developing a one-quarter, half and full swing.
“Whether a golfer understands the game or is a beginner,” he said, “he or she needs to develop good habits. Hopefully, those habits will result in improved scores on the course.”
Spotswood will start two experienced golfers, seniors Chris Esposito and Trevor Miller. Both finished with near identical averages of 10 strokes over par last season and Marchesi is expecting steady improvement from his three-year veterans. They are joined by junior Mike Malloy, who saw frequent action a year ago and is also expected to lower his scores as the season gets into full swing. A fourth senior, John Socoloski, hasn’t seen much match action, but he has been working extremely hard, said his coach, and should be a positive asset to the team.
A pair of juniors, Carland Hunnaman and Patrick Ternyila, are out for the team for the first time. It is players like these that Marchesi will spend a lot of time teaching the fundamentals of the game. Three freshmen — Evan Esposito (Chris’ brother), Zackary Miller (Trevor’s brother) and Nicholas Harold — are also new additions to the Chargers.
“My role as coach,” Marchesi said, “is to give the proper amount of attention to each player on the team, regardless of their experience, so that each develops a smooth, rhythmic swing. This will instill confidence in themselves. Once we get on the course, it’s important to teach course management and make the players understand they have to play to their limitations and not try to go beyond their abilities.”
“Right now,” he said, “I really don’t have a fix on what our potential is this spring because we haven’t played a round of golf. My concern now is it’s quite possible that a number of the newcomers may not be ready to play a competitive match because we haven’t had adequate time on the course.”
Spotswood opens the dual-match schedule, weather permitting, on April 2 with a visit to Colonia High School. The Chargers are on the road again the next day when they play Edison High School.