On August 12, the Parker golf team began their preseason practices, reserving times at Diversey Driving Range and various golf courses around the city. This pre-season preparation led to success throughout the season, with the team establishing school records and qualifying for state for the first time in school history. However, preparation and practice aren’t the only thing that contributed to the team’s success.
This year coaches were able to differentiate practice for the team. “We have big numbers now. This is my second year as the head coach. So before that, in years past, our development team would just go to the driving range. But last year, we took the development team and we started to give them a little bit of programming. Last year and this year, our development team has done a three day a week program where they get a lesson from our golf pro Ben Mutts on Tuesdays, and then they would practice on Wednesdays, then on Thursdays they would go to par three courses or they would have matches,” Head Coach Victoria Lee said.
“This year the programming for our competitive team was a little bit different than last year. In August, on Mondays and Fridays, they played 18 holes, and then on Wednesdays, they played matches. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they played against schools, like on Wednesdays, they played in tournaments,” Lee said.
This schedule allowed the team to grow as players. “They played a ton of golf in August, and then in September, we did more fine tuning, so they played more par three courses, and they did more of par three courses and skill training to get them ready for the end of the season tournaments,” Lee said
On October 18 and 19, the Illinois High School Sports Association hosted the 2024 Golf State Championships. For the first time in school history, Parker’s Varsity golf team qualified for the tournament. When asked about his goals for the state tournament, junior Captain Max Satterfield said, “Well, my goal going to the state tournament was to win, and I didn’t win. I got fifth, which is still a good finish.” Satterfield elaborated. “For the team, I think our goal was to make it to state. And once we made it to state, you know, I think it was just to go out there and have fun and play your best. And, I mean, the team didn’t play well at state, but we still, I think that’s a very big accomplishment. It’s the first time in Parker history that we’ve done that,” Satterfield said.
One of the highlights of the 2024 golf season is Logan Gupta’s hole in one. According to American Hole-in-One, the odds of shooting a hole-in-one is 12,500 to one, making Gupta’s achievement extremely rare. When asked if there have been any other hole-in-ones in Parker golf history, Satterfield said, “I think that was probably the first one. The coach we were playing with was, like, ‘in my 30 years, I’ve never seen a hole in one.’”
“We’re at Jackson Park, hole eight. I was with Logan when he hit the shot, and it was insane. I mean, it was a high draw, like, right next to this tree, it landed right in front of the pin. And I thought it stopped short, but just kept on going and it disappeared. It was insane and such a great experience,” Satterfield said.
Gupta was later recognized by the Parker community in various ways. First, this major accomplishment was recognized at the annual Corinthians MX, where head of Upper School Cory Zeller recognized Gupta’s hole-in-one, using his accomplishment as an example of the whole community celebrating an individual’s success.
Although the golf season has come to an end, coaches and captains are already thinking about next season, and how the legacy of Parker golf will continue to grow. When asked about his plans for the next season, Satterfield said, “Going forward, I’m gonna try and make sure that a lot of people are putting work in during the off season. I mean, I go to this place where you can practice during the winter, and a lot of people on the team are starting to go there as well. So we’re just gonna try and make sure people are practicing getting better during the winter.”
Lee elaborated on how she plans on maintaining the strength of the golf team. “ Some of our players go to SMART Golf. It’s a golf facility, so SMART Golf reached out to us.,…they said ‘Would you and your team like to come and view the facility?’ So next week, we’re going to go as a team over to SMARTGolf,” Lee said.
By introducing students to a golf facility “maybe they can either go to SMART golf and then go to another golf facility, and then they can play in the off season, because so many kids want to be on the competitive team. So hopefully we can have a nice, strong, competitive team next year,” Lee said
When asked about next season, Max Satterfield said, “I think one thing during the season next year is really important is to keep the environment with the team the same. We had a very playful, fun environment, but also, we knew when to play well and when to be serious. I think reinstating that environment and reinstating a hard working team is a big priority of mine.”
