High school golf scores are getting a new look for the fall season.
The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association has changed the scoring format for teams in Divisions II, III and IV. Instead of the traditional stroke play scoring, where players simply total the number of strokes it takes them to complete a round, the D-II, III and IV teams will now use Stableford scoring where golfers get six points for a double eagle, five for an eagle, four for a birdie, three for par, two for a bogey and one for double bogey. If a golfer shoots more than a double bogey, they just pick up the ball and receive zero points.
“This came from our coaches on the golf committee,” NHIAA executive director Jeff Collins said at the organization’s annual media day on Thursday. “We’re starting to see lower numbers (of high school golfers) and they felt we had to do something to keep kids from being discouraged, to help them feel like they’re part of the team.
“This way, one bad hole’s not going to kill you. You can pick it up and still contribute.”
The new scoring format has already drawn praise locally.
“We’re looking forward to the new scoring format to help us, not to hurt us,” John Stark coach Matt Caputo said.
Kevin Charleston, who is entering his 16th season as the Belmont High golf coach, echoed that sentiment.
“We hope to improve throughout the season and look forward to the new scoring format,” Charleston said.
Concord, which started its season on Wednesday with wins against Londonderry and Dover, and the other D-I teams will still use stroke play scoring. And come tournament time, all of the divisions will use stroke play.
Here’s a preview look at the local D-II, III and IV golf teams:
Division: II
Coach: Beth Hamilton (9th year)
Last year: 6-21, did not make tournament
Returning starters: Garrett Frew, sr.; Finn Riccio, so.; Pete Landry, jr.
Top newcomers: Nate Carter, jr.; Ben Sporcic, jr.; Max Lemaire, so.; Josh Gifford, jr.
Outlook: “This is a very young team as we lost five starters from last season, so it is hard to predict an outlook to this season,” Hamilton said. “The boys are very enthusiastic about playing golf and that is always a positive.”
Teams to beat: Windham, Goffstown, Portsmouth
Division: III
Coach: Kevin Charleston (16th year)
Last year: 6-21, did not make tournament
Returning starters: Will Robarge, jr.; Michael Marrone, sr.; Paige Irving, jr.; Eamon Kelley, so.
Top newcomers: John Phillips, fr.
Outlook: “This preseason we have been spending most of our time at the range and putting green, building better mechanics and improving consistency,” Charleston said. “The players are putting in the work and each day improvement is noticeable. One challenge we are dealing with is losing our No. 1 player, Will Robarge, to an injury. Hopefully, he will return mid-September.”
Teams to beat: Bow
Division: III
Coach: Phil Davis (4th year)
Last year: 6-21, did not make tournament in D-II
Returning starters: Nick Grimbilas, sr.; Max Marinance, sr.; Jon Tauscher, sr.; Arthur Snow, sr.
Top newcomers: Matthew Wiley, fr.; Katie Shoemaker, so.; Isabella Payne, so.
Outlook: The Green Giants are hoping to improve on last year’s season, and they appear to be in good position to do just that as they move down a division and return four starters. Grimbilas, who Davis called “one of the best golfers in the state,” finished eighth in the D-II championships last year and will lead Brady from the front. Davis also expects big things from the freshman Wiley, who will start the season in the No. 2 spot.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs this season and improve on our regular season record,” Davis said.
Teams to beat: Bow, Derryfield
Division: III
Coach: Matt Davis (2nd year)
Last year: 21-6, 3rd
Returning starters: Jake Mielcarz, jr.; Jason Howe, sr.; Nate Benoit, so.; Justin Murphy, so.; Tony Sampo, sr.; CJ Smethurst, jr.; Aiden Roy, jr.
Top newcomers: Matthew Lamy, fr.; Amelia Soucy, fr.
Outlook: The Falcons have a talented top four, and Davis also believes his team’s depth will be a real strength.
“I’m excited to see that we have great depth for matches where one of our top players is having an off day,” Davis said. “We are lucky to have many players on the roster that can shrink the courses because of their length. Our youth will mean that we need to learn how to attack a golf course and think our way through each shot and situation.”
Teams to beat: Derryfield, Kearsarge, Plymouth, Lebanon
JOHN STARK
Division: III
Coach: Matt Caputo (2nd year)
Last year: 7-20, did not make tournament in D-II
Returning starters: Tyler Hazzard, sr.; Kolby Spiers, so.; Hunter Patterson, jr.; Ian Lamphere, sr.; Jacob Greene, sr.
Top newcomers: Anthony DeTone, fr.; Jayden Lamonth, fr.; George Reph, fr.
Outlook: “We’re excited about our season, we have great attitudes with a willingness to learn and grow,” Caputo said. “Across the board, our strength will end up being our mental game.”
Teams to beat: “Not sure, first year in the division,” Caputo said.
Division: III
Coach: Bubba Williams (1st year)
Last year: 24-3, D-III runner-up
Top newcomers: Molli Mayo, jr.
Outlook: The Cougars return nobody with varsity experience from last year’s runner-up team. Mayo played some JV golf, but the Cougars are a very young team with limited experience.
“Every day is a learning experience with a very sharp learning curve,” Williams said. “This is definitely a building year.”
Division: III
Coach: Dave Chase (3rd year)
Last year: 10-9, 6th
Returning starters: Larsen Burack, sr.; Andrew Fairneny, jr.; Brandon Boris, sr.; Colby Marshall, jr.; Ryan Hughes, sr.; Colby Malcolm, jr.
Top newcomers: Dan Miner, jr.; Kody Dexter, fr.
Outlook: The Hawks return their Nos. 2-7 golfers and have newcomer Miner challenging for a top three spot and Dexter challenging for the top six. The Hawks have shown during the preseason that they have eight different golfers who can score for the team and have the experience of a four-year starter in Burack, who Chase expects to be “one of the better golfers in Division IV.”
“With that type of competition every day at practice the hope is that the team will qualify for the state tournament,” Chase said. “We have a good bunch of golfers who are focused on the season. I am excited to coach them this fall.”
Teams to beat: Mascenic, White Mountains, Moultonborough