The 2019 Deer Isle-Stonington golf team includes, from left, Mason Woodman, Tommy Hutchinson, Coach Terry Siebert, Wyatt Eaton, Trevor Bubar and Rachel Shepard. By Monique Labbe
Deer Isle—After a brief hiatus, Deer Isle-Stonington High School is a school with a golf program again.
The five-person team played its first match against Calais on September 3 at the Island Country Club, marking the first time in over five years an athlete has teed up in a Mariner uniform.
“For the most part, they’re all beginners, but they have determination and that’s what you want to see,” said coach Terry Siebert.
Siebert was the golf coach for several years in the early 2000-10s, as well as the softball coach until 2016. He thought he had hung up his coaching hat, he said, until Athletic Director Betsy Woodward approached him this year to see if he would take over the golf program again.
“I had always said that after 40 years of coaching I’d never coach again, unless it was maybe golf,” he said. “And here we are.”
One of the DISHS golfers, Tommy Hutchinson, was a member of the George Stevens Academy golf team last year, but he and a couple other students approached Woodward and asked if they could start a golf program of their own. When Woodward got confirmation that Siebert would coach, the team was formed after a little recruiting.
Siebert had to start from scratch with many of his players, some of whom have never swung a golf club. The team starts practices on the putting green, learning the short game with the putter and chipping wedges. From there, the team hits the course, playing as many holes as they can while learning the basic fundamentals.
“We try to talk about what clubs to use at what yardage, how to keep track of your strokes, proper etiquette like not standing in someone’s line on the green. It’s a lot for them to learn but they want to,” said Siebert.
The team is made up of Hutchinson, Mason Woodman, Wyatt Eaton, Trevor Bubar and Rachel Shepard. Bubar is a two-sport athlete this fall, and will also be competing on the soccer team. While the experience varies in each golfer, Siebert said it is important for them to be out on the course, have fun and learn and enjoy the game.
“I tell them, you won’t be playing basketball or soccer when you’re in your 50s, but golf is a game you can play in your 80s,” he said. “I’m so happy to have the golf team back, and I hope interest will continue to grow.”
Those who are interested in joining the team still have time, and can hand in athletic forms to Siebert or Woodward.