Shire golfers young, but talented

    HOULTON, Maine — A new coach and a bundle of new faces grace the Houlton golf team this season, but that has not stopped the Shires (2-0) from a scorching hot start.
    The Shires hosted Presque Isle Wednesday in a season-opening match at the Houlton Community Golf Course. Houlton (1-0) emerged victorious 161-173.
Individual results for Houlton were: Cole McLaughlin, 38; Ryan Dee, 39; Cameron J. Clark, 41; Garrett Putnam, 43; Alex Donovan, 44; Lucas Peabody, 47; Cameron E. Clark, 50; Parker Brewer, 51; Aaron Sewell, 51; and Lexi Emerson, 53.
  Results for Presque Isle (0-1) were: Adam Flynn, 38; Josh Gordon, 45; Gabe Player, 46; Liam Hughes, 48; Jenna Hallett, 48; Karson Eaton, 49; and Carter LaPointe, 52.
Co-medalists for the match were McLaughlin (Houlton) and Flynn (Presque Isle), both 38.
The next day at Fort Kent, the Shires had a tougher time, but still managed to notch their second win of the season, outshooting the Warriors 173-214. Cameron J. Clark finished as the medalist on the day, shooting a 40.
Results for Houlton were: Cameron J. Clark, 40; McLaughlin, 44; Putnam, 44; Dee, 45; Parker Brewer, 49; Cameron E. Clark, 50; Peabody, 51; Donovan, 52; Emerson, 59; and Sewell, 60.
For Fort Kent, Ali Prescott shot a 42; Bryce Carter, 49; Boo Prescott, 61; Lane Jandreau, 62; Eric Deschaine, 63; and Ryan Riff, 64.
Dave Grant has taken over the golf program from Marty Gervais. Grant led the Hodgdon golf team for two seasons before switching over to Houlton this year.
“I had to make a tough personal decision,” Grant said of the switch. “It was very hard for me, but my grandson (Brewer) is playing as a freshman and the opportunity to coach your grandson doesn’t come around very often.”
McLaughlin and Donovan are the only seniors on the team, which bodes well for the future of the club. The sophomores are Cameron J. Clark and Peabody, while the large group of freshmen includes Dee, Putnam, Brewer, Cameron E. Clark, Sewell, and Emerson.
“It was a very difficult decision to leave Hodgdon,” Grant said. “The administration treated me well and the kids were super. But I had to do it. Houlton is also my alma mater.”
Grant said even though his squad is young, they are extremely talented.
“This program is young, but it’s built to succeed,” he said. “I coached many of them as junior golfers, so there is some familiarity there. I am looking forward to a really excellent season.”
His expectations for the new season are for Houlton to qualify for the state competition, while also sending a few individuals to the state meet. Grant, a certified teaching pro, said he plans to spend extensive time during the season working on the Shires’ short game and the way they approach the game of golf. He has been golfing for most of his adult life.
Picking a top five to score for each match is going to be one of his biggest challenges since any one of the 10 golfers could fill that role on any given day.
“There is so much talent on this squad,” he said. “The sky is the limit for them. I really feel I have seven players who can break 40.”