The golf team has emerged as one of the most cohesive and dominant forces of this spring sports season, starting the season with a 4-0-1 record. The team is optimistic for the rest of the season, which many hope will end undefeated. JaeYoung Moon ’29 describes their group of only 12 players: “We're not very menacing-looking, but we're a very strong team.”
One of the most distinctive aspects of the golf team is its co-ed dynamic. Captain Darby Yang ’27 described the shrinking gender divide compared to last year, when “the girls would kind of hang out with the girls, the guys would hang out with the guys.” Yang noted that “this year there’s more mixing,” which she partially attributed to the deliberate efforts by her and her co-captain Hayes Holmgren ’27 to foster more connection within the group. Golfer Alyssa Liu ’29 echoed Yang’s sentiment: “It's an interesting culture, because usually you only play with people of the same gender, but here it's different.” This year’s co-captains—one female and one male—mark a shift for the program, which has, in the past, historically had only one captain and has been overwhelmingly male-led.
This season, the team has won against eight schools by wide margins, including a 7-0 win over Brooks. The one blemish in their record was a tie with Noble and Greenough, which the captains attributed to the opposing team’s home course advantage and overall skill. Yang expressed confidence in the team’s overall performance: “I really hope we'll go undefeated.” She continued, “I feel like it's possible because we've been winning by very large margins.” Riley Donovan ’29, the team’s current No. 1 seed, admitted, “Golf takes a lot out of you. You get back late because of long bus rides and long matches. I'm proud of the team for sticking with it.”
Despite the hardships of the sport, multiple golfers highlighted unwavering team spirit.
In addition to standard skill work like range sessions, putting, and target practice, the team enjoys traditions such as the Ponky Cup at Ponkapoag Golf Course and a game in which players take one of their opponent’s clubs after winning a hole. Players described how these games bring the season to life. Liu recalled another highlight: “I started off with a birdie on the first hole of the first match of the season, which is something I've never done before.” Moon noted, “The BB&N match was pretty fun. We took them down with a lot of ease—it was a stress-free match.” Finally, Donovan described a moment of individual success: “I needed a 15-foot putt for birdie to win the match. My opponent was pretty close—about three feet—and I had to make it to win... and I made it.”
The team’s strong sense of camaraderie is largely owed to the efforts of captains Yang and Holmgren. Kailyn Love ’26 remarked how the captains “have added much-appreciated snacks to our van, making our bus rides more comfortable and inviting.” Many golfers commented on the benefit of the diverse roster. Yang said, “I like how our team has so many different people from different niches within the school who all support each other.” Yang continued, “I feel like we can be kind of divided sometimes at Milton.” Players said they rarely, if ever, feel the shadow of social cliques during practice. Ultimately, the golfers support each other throughout individual wins and losses. For example, Love told younger golfers to adopt the mindset of “being like a goldfish.” She explained, “if you make a mistake, forget it and move on to the next hole.”