By Justin Feil, Packet Media Group
Just like Erin Buckman’s game, the Hillsborough High School girls golf team has been on the rise.
In just her second season of high school golf, the Raiders sophomore significantly lowered her average and played more consistently start to end.
“Last year I only shot in the 40s maybe three or four times, if I was lucky,” Buckman said. “This year I was consistently in the 40s and a couple times I was in the 50s when I was having a bad day. My average overall went down from 52 to 48, so that got me really excited. I feel like if I put in as much work as I did last year this season coming up, I’ll be a doing a lot better.”
Buckman’s improvement has been steady, just as her dedication to golf has increased. She is starting to focus on golf, though last year she also ran cross country and played basketball for Hillsborough.
“I started when I was around 11,” Buckman said. “I went to the driving range and that was it. Then I started a league in eighth grade and I realized I really liked it so I’d do it in high school. I picked it up and just kept with it and began to like it.”
Buckman got her first taste of high school golf last year. It was a jump for her, but it also helped to push her to being a better player.
“There was a lot more competition in the high school league,” she said. “It was good for me to get experience and see how good I’d have to be to play with these girls and how much practice I needed to play with these girls. Even though it was harder, it was much better for me to play in the high school league because I saw how competitive everyone was and how much better I had to work.”
Buckman used her first year of golf with the Raiders to motivate herself to develop her game. She poured more time into it and saw the results as the spring season picked up.
“Once it got nice out, I was outside trying everything to prepare for this year,” Buckman said. “Whenever I could swing, I tried to swing, whether it was going to X-Golf in the winter for lessons or just going to the range, I tried to get out there.”
Buckman wasn’t the only HHS player to improve, and it showed. The Raiders finished the season officially10-8, according to the state, one win away from qualifying for the sectional state tournament.
“It went a lot better than last year,” said Buckman, who fired a season-low 39 for nine holes against Watchung Hills in a promising early match. “Last year, states wasn’t even an option for us. We never even thought we’d be close. This year it came down to one match, and we only lost by two strokes. It was our second-best match of the year. This year was an amazing year for girls golf.”
A late run by Hillsborough put them in position to vie for a state slot. At 8-7, the Raiders needed wins in their final three matches for a chance to make the 60 percent winning percentage necessary to qualify for the sectional tournament. The Raiders won the first two to pull just over 60 percent at 10-7 before they lost, 205-207, to eventual South/Central Jersey Section 2 runner-up Montgomery.
“I’m really proud of them,” said Hillsborough third-year head coach David Drake. “Everyone knew what was on the line that day and we shot our second-lowest score. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough, but they stepped up and did what they had to do and played good golf. I was very proud of them.”
Buckman’s 48 led the Raiders on that day, and it was the second lowest score among both teams. The Raiders proved that they could compete with the best and just narrowly lost out on a state qualifier.
“That day when we lost, we were all pretty upset,” Buckman said, “but knowing we didn’t even expect to come close, we were OK with that.”
The Raiders had just three seniors on their full roster — Erika Borras, Rebecca Delaney and Jenna Landesman. Delaney is the first starter that Drake will graduate since he took over.
“She played softball most of her life and just came out to play golf last year as a junior and stepped right into a starting role,” Drake said. “She brought a lot of competitive experience because of her softball background. I think her competitive experience and background helped the team in that area and helped them concentrate and focus to do their best. She helped everyone realize you can’t get too emotional. You can’t think about your bad shots. You have to stay focused and put up your lowest number.”
The Raiders have four juniors who could return next year — Danielle Ferrera, Grace Kim, Chitra Parikh and and Sydney Townsend. Buckman is one of three sophomores, along with Hanna Hopson and Caroline Pabst.
“We all came in much better than last year,” Buckman said. “We never thought we’d have to talk about states. As the season started, we realized we were shooting really good numbers and states could be an option this year. My coach brought it up to us and said it was down to one match. It’s something that came up in the middle of the season that we never thought could happen.”
Drake explained: “I think it’s just maturation. They have been playing together and they keep improving.”
The Raiders have to play well as a Skyland Conference member. That helps motivate the players to work on their game.
“It’s the best golf in the state, bar none,” Drake said. “It’s a double-edged sword. It forces them to play better and to practice in order to compete. By the same token, if we were playing with these same kids with these same numbers pretty much anywhere else in the state, I feel sure we would have qualified for states. And we can compete in the state.”
Kim was the Raiders top player all year with several rounds in the 30s. Buckman’s play definitely bolstered the Raiders’ chances, and she is looking to build on the improvements that she saw.
“I learned how to get more distance out of my clubs so instead of taking three or four shots on the fairway I’m on in two and putting,” Buckman said. “My irons were barely going anywhere last year so I’d betaking four strokes on the fairway. This year, I’d take two or three and I’m on. So I definitely gained distance and my putting got really good this year.”
Buckman is fueled to continue to develop her game after the success of this season. She will play more tournaments, possibly at the expense of her cross country season, and she intends to continue with lessons and spend time working at her weaknesses.
Said Buckman: “My dedication to golf has become so much more now that I realize I could actually get good, and if I practice more I could get competitive with these girls.”
Buckman sees the same promise in her teammates. They all made significant strides from a year ago, and with all but one starter set to return, they figure to be improved again next year. With more progress, they will be coming back with the plan to reach the state sectional tournament.
“We all have to be more consistent,” Buckman said. “Some of our scores, we go from 42 to a 51. We have to stay more consistent, like 43s and 44s, we have to stay down there.
“Coming back next year we’re going to know we had the chance the previous season and we’re all going out to work that much harder to get to states.”
Most of the work will be done on their own in the off-season. The players only get to play four days per week in-season and they use the off-season to develop. It paid off this year and sets them up for a promising 2017.
“The potential for the coming year is great,” Drake said. “It’s awesome. I’m only losing one starter to graduation. I have a couple talented freshmen that were playing No. 1 and 2 with the JV. The future looks very bright.”
