Nebraska Golfers Seek To Learn From Experience

(UWIRE) LINCOLN, Neb. — Coming into the spring of 2008, the Nebraska men’s golf team seeks one word.

Improvement.

One way the team seeks to get better results is where it finishes at tournaments. In five contests during the fall season, the Cornhuskers, led by coach Bill Spangler, finished 14th, 7th, 13th, 15th and 16th in their tourneys, with just one top-10 finish in those five competitions.

"I would say a team goal is to get top 10 in the majority of the tournaments," said NU junior Trent Price.

Others, like Nebraska junior Mark Pillen, say they hope the team is at its peak by the time the Big 12 Conference Championships arrive. The tournament will take place April 25-27 in Trinity, Texas.

"I think probably (our team goal is) just continue to improve so that by the conference tournament, we can have a good showing," Pillen said.

One variable the team has in its favor is experience. Though four of the seven players are freshmen, Pillen said that the team has gained a lot of experience through the fall tournaments.

"I don’t think a whole lot has changed," Pillen said, "because we’re essentially the same team, but more experienced."

Pillen also said that the added experience should help the Huskers garner more top 10 finishes than the team had in the fall season.

One factor that works against the team as it moves into the spring season is the weather.

"Going into the spring season, it’s harder (to prepare) in the aspect of the weather," Pillen said.

Pillen said that what helps the team in the fall season is that golfers are able to play summer tournaments and are ready to jump right into the fall season.

In the winter, Pillen said, things are different because the team practices a lot more indoors to get out of the frigid winter conditions.

"In the fall," Pillen said, "we do a lot more drills outside,"

Price said he thinks the weather isn’t that much of a factor, even in the winter.

Still, one major variable does surface.

Part of this, he says, is that while the team practices indoors, it plays outdoors in warm weather at tournaments. The Huskers will open the spring season with four tournaments in warm climates including Houston and Tampa Bay, Fla.

"I think the weather varies, but in the spring it’s a bit more windy," Price said.

The individual players are also attempting to improve their performances to help the overall team, and they are using different methods to accomplish that goal.

Price, for one, is hoping to lower his score. After all, improvement shows itself in better scores in competitions.

"The only way you can improve the team performance is by shooting lower scores," Price said.

Pillen, on the other hand, is hoping to improve by simply continuing what he’s done to be successful thus far.

Pillen pointed to experience once again as his needed improvement, saying that the more experience he gets by playing in tournaments and various competitions, the better a player he has a chance to become.

"Every tournament in which I get more experience is going to help me," Pillen said.