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Introduction
I am just beginning to post the history of Trinity golf. I have been the coach of the team since 1993 and have records of matches dating back to 1992. Dale Travis preceded me as coach, and according to Will Towles, Ray Nelson, the former headmaster, preceded him. Beyond that, I don't know much. I am going to do some research into the years prior to 1992, but I fear my only source will be old Trinity yearbooks. If there is anyone who knows about the early years of Trinity golf, please email me at the address below.
Seasons
The Last Ten Years
In my ten years as coach there have been four distinct yet slightly overlapping eras. The 1993 and 1994 seasons were dominated by Knox Milligan and Jim Schnell. Both of these fine young men were juniors in 1993 and had been on the team for at least one year prior to that. They were complemented in those first two years of my tenure by Thomas Lancaster, another fine young man who was an eighth grader in 1993. As far as I know, these were the two most successful seasons in Trinity golf history. In 1993 our regular season record was 8 - 6, and we came in second in the Prep League Tournament. In Prep League Golf the only thing that really matters is the tournament. It, not the regular season record, determines the final standings in the league. Also, Woodberry Forest dominates the tournament. It is always played on their home course, and they have won it for the last eleven years, so coming in second is almost like winning the tournament for the rest of the teams in the league. The 1992 team had a regular season record of 11 - 5, and Dale Travis was voted Coach of the Year, but they came in fourth in the tournament. In 1994 we had a 12 - 6 record, came in second in the tournament again, and Knox and Jim earned All Prep honors. What a season!
Knox and Jim graduated in 1994, and the next three years were dominated by Thomas Lancaster. Thomas' nine hole average over five years and 45 matches was 39, and his score counted toward the team total in all but two of those matches. He was also All Prep and team MVP for 1995, 1996, and 1997. It was tough to say goodbye to Thomas after the 1997 season as he had been on the team for all of the five years I had been coaching.
The next two years were dominated by Will Winslow who had been an integral part of the team since he was an eighth grader in 1995. Will started in every Trinity golf match from 1995 to 1999. He missed being All Prep by one stoke in 1998 and by two strokes in 1999 and was MVP on the team both years.
After Will graduated in 1999, Trinity golf was dominated by Eric Bliley, although he shared the MVP award with four year veteran Stanley Hammer in 2000, Stanley's senior year. Eric, who had been on the team since his eighth grade year in 1998, won the award all by himself in 2001 and 2002 and was All Prep in 2001.
The 2003 season marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. Seniors and four year veterans Michael Staples and David Isaacs departed as co-winners of the Titan/Coach's Award. These two young men exhibited both the demeanor and level of play that
With Eric's graduation, we face the beginning of a new era in Trinity golf. Who knows what the future will hold, but veterans David Issacs, Michael Staples, Rich Aust, John Duni, Kevin Greene, and possibly Wingate Gate are sure to figure prominently in 2003.
