Eighteenth hole. Twelve yards to the pin for birdie. Slight breeze. Sloped right to left. Two practice swings. Deep breath. Straight to the hole.
Junior Max Weil’s golf journey began at seven years old, on a par-three course in Israel with his grandfather and older brother. Weil eventually tried out for the school team his sophomore year and, after finding his footing this year, Weil has emerged as an elite competitor on the course, finishing the season with the highest point average on the team.
What started as a casual hobby quickly turned into something more once Weil was inspired to follow in his brother’s footsteps and take the sport seriously.
“I tried to play soccer, but I realized that golf was always there for me,” Weil said. “Ever since I tried out, I just kept wanting to get better and better.”
Weil elevated his game this year, making him essential to the team reaching sectionals, according to senior and captain Jack Herman, but he also distinguished himself as an exceptional teammate. Herman was Weil’s playing partner this year and said Weil left an impact on his teammates.
“He was definitely a standout player just by leading the team,” Herman said. “He spoke what he thought and tried to help everyone out. Even though he may not be a coach, he definitely improved other players on the team by helping them with whatever knowledge he had at the time.”
Boys varsity golf head coach Dave Ford has only been working with Weil for two seasons; however, he said he immediately noticed Weil’s strong work ethic and levelheaded approach to golf.
“With golf, 90 percent of the game is from the neck up: the mental game,” Ford said. “A lot of guys have great swings… but if you can’t keep your mental game together, that’s when the body gets tense, scores tend to go up, and I think Max is able to control those emotions.”
To mentally prepare for a match, Weil said he finds it key to try and visualize his plan for that day’s round.
“I think there’s two ways that you can think about it; you can either overthink it a lot, and that can be a good thing because you want to think about each shot. But at the same time, you don’t want to think about it too much because then you start to second-guess yourself,” Weil said.
Aside from the competition, Weil said he loves playing golf because, once you start, you never want to stop.
“I want to keep playing; it’s really addicting. You just keep wanting to get better and better,” Weil said. “Even when I’m at home, I can practice and get better, and I know that that’s going to help me on the course.”
Ford said Weil has played a large role in elevating the entire team’s game.
“He’s a team player, someone who guys want to be around,” Ford said. “Guys like to converse with him, and he’s definitely someone I know can help the program moving forward.”
