Red Oak sets sights on top half of the conference
As John Gambs begins his 27th season as head coach of the Red Oak golf team, he is doing it with more new faces than old ones.
Gambs only has four returning letterwinners from his team last season and 11 total.
Connor Johnson, Ethen Hewett, Justin Bernard and Christian Horn return.
Gambs said he sees potential for a strong season for the boys team.
“We have the kind of team that can probably finish in the middle of the conference,” he said. “We think we can field a competitive team.”
Gambs said he is looking at the conventional powers of the Hawkeye-10 as the Tigers’ biggest competitors.
“The usual golfing towns are going to be tough,” he said. “Carroll, Atlantic and the Creston boys have always been tough.
For leadership this season, Gambs said he is looking towards two past letterwinners to anchor the boys’ team, Connor Johnson and Justin Bernard.
“It’s a little early, but the boys do have some potential, “ he said.
Last season the boys competed in six nine-hole matches and the top four scorers were able to average a score of 211.67. They also competed in four 18-hole matches, and in those matches the top four averaged 350.75.
Last season the team had nine athletes compared to 11 this season.