Senior Series - Michael Temesi

It's been a great three years playing for the Hawken Boys Golf team. Heading to the 'Mill

each day after school can really change a man; the course is enchantingly whimsical and oddly

difficult all at once. If your ball survives the second hole of the Maple nine (nicknamed 'Slide'

because the sloped fairway will send any Titleist or TopFlite straight to the Metroparks), you

should consider yourself fortunate. If the bugs don't break you down, then surely the marsh will,

with the 8th hole of the Maple course being, usually, a squishy sodden bog. Try not to slice on this

hole … or on any hole, for that matter. Yes, our home course, Fowler's Mill on the border of

Chesterland and Munson, always provides a tricky yet beautiful practice space for the team, with

the 7th hole of the Maple nine being my personal favorite. I cannot recall all the memories made

on that course, for there are just too many rounds to remember.

The constant practice and constructive environment of the team has improved my game

twenty-fold: playing golf competitively has made me reconsider what the game is. "The worst

thing about a bad shot is its ability to affect the next," a fellow teammate once said. The mental

aspect of golf is the subsisting issue of the game. Anyone can swing the club, but only a few can

maintain the mind. I am blessed and fortunate enough to be surrounded by teammates who keep

brilliant composure under immense pressure. They inspire me daily to keep at the sport and

continue pursuing small goals. Each day, the game gets a little easier … the key is, you have to do

it each day.

I would not be the person I am today without the support from the school and coaches. A

special shoutout to Coach Scott Burns (JV 2021), Coach Frank Manning (JV 2022), and Coach

Bert Kavorik (varsity 2023) for all the seasons along the way. When I think about the morals of

golf and what the sport has taught me over these years, I can only smile.