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The Carroll boys golf team has a secret weapon: the ability to make the golf ball go far. Right off the tee, all five starters can swing with the best of them, and that power could prove pivotal.
“The boys are really good ball strikers. They hit the ball really well,” says Paige Martin, associate head coach for Carroll golf. “They’re also really creative around the greens.”
A balance of solid hits off the tee and good putts in the short game is something the Dragons have displayed this season. Both proved to take them far through the season, but not enough to earn them a spot at state. Senior Braxton Naimon and juniors Jack Beauchamp and Gabe Post have led the way this season. Senior Mitchell Greenberg has also stepped up to make his mark, qualifying for region as an individual from Carroll’s second (Green) team.
Neiman and Beauchamp are the only players from the 2019 team that finished eighth at state, and that experience benefited the team throughout the entire 2020-2021 season.
SEASON RECAP
Competing in six regular season tournaments, the Carroll boys golf team didn’t walk away with any first-place finishes in the fall or spring. But they took second four times, including the one that mattered most — a challenging 4-6A District meet that sent them to regionals.
Surviving a difficult course in Fossil Creek, and battling with a Keller boys team ranked third in state by Texas High School Golf, the top Carroll team — Carroll Black — finished second at district after shooting 41-over as a team after two days on the par 4 course. Carroll Black trailed first-place finisher Keller by just 14 total strokes, but earned a spot in the regional competition, while Carroll Green — the second team for the Dragons — finished third overall, ending its run.
“I think our kids really pride themselves on out-prepping and out-working everyone else,” says Paige Martin, Carroll associate head golf coach. “Once you get down there, anything can happen.”
The performance sent the top Carroll team to Tangle Ridge Golf Club in Grand Prairie April 21-22. Despite their best efforts over the two-day tournament, the boys finished fifth at regionals, which ended their season prior to state.