The 2018 season for Fountain Hills High School golf was a strong one, as well as a promising one as an indicator of what is to come in the next few years.

Falcon golf finished its season with a solid showing at the state tournament, shooting a team score of +101 which netted them seventh place in the state.

By the end of the season the Falcons’ average score was +23, which is right around where head coach Willie Dudley was aiming to get FHHS’s team score.

“I thought the players all showed great improvement all throughout the season,” Dudley said. “You could really tell by our end-of-year scores, which were lower than they were at the beginning of the season.”

In one of their first matches of the year against Arete Prep one of Fountain Hills’ top golfers, Collin Robbins, shot a +6. In the last regular meet of the season Robbins carded a +1.

And with individual scores falling, so too did the Falcons’ overall team score. In that first match against Arete the Falcons shot a +41, whereas the team score for the last meet was a +23, right at their average.

With a squad of talented golfers whose scores only improved as the season went on, the hardest problem Dudley faced was who should compete in which spot.

“The biggest problem this year was which golfers would play in the top five positions,” Dudley said. “There were too many talented golfers and not enough spots. This is a good problem for a coach to have.”

On the course, Dudley said the Falcons’ weak point was the short game.

“Our team needs to work on the short game,” he said. “We could always have chipped and putted a little better. Also, course management and the mental part of the game is something the boys need to work on, too.”

Dudley’s favorite moment of the season came at the tail-end, watching his team play in the state tournament.

“My favorite memory was the way we finished the season at the state tournament,” Dudley said. “The team was competitive and able to score well when we need them to.”

With the top three golfers of the season set to return next year, Dudley is hopeful for the future of Falcon golf.

“I’m pretty excited with the top three golfers returning, three or four JV players coming up and a few coming from the middle school,” Dudley said. “I believe the future looks bright.”