Bean Town Times

Boston College's 2020 golf season was greatly hampered by the effects of COVID-19, according to Eagles head coach Drew Kayser.

Golfers continued to practice when competition was impossible due to NCAA restrictions, but there were even limitations on that.

“For a junior or senior, they've spent two to three years in college being a student-athlete while maintaining the academic workload of a regular student,” Kayser told the Bean Town Times. “It’s part of them and their wellbeing. So, it’s about having them remain consistent so that they haven’t diminished what they've done in the past and, obviously, to maintain competitive levels even though a lot of spring sports didn't compete until the fall.”

The most difficult coronavirus precaution to implement when training the golfers, Kayser said, was the social-distance protocol.

“Wearing the mask can be overcome, but traveling and remaining 6 feet apart on the way to your practice facility, that can be challenging because of the 15-minute rule,” Kayser said. “It’s 15 minutes to 6 feet. You just have to find different ways to instruct and train.”

Kayser added that the freshman class had an easier time acclimating to the coronavirus protocols than upperclassmen.

“It’s not the normal practice environment that a lot of student-athletes are used to but freshmen coming in don't know very differently, so it's probably less of an acclimation for them,” he said. “The pandemic in and of itself is obviously a challenge. Also, the athletic department and the coaches not traveling and competing is a challenge for everybody.” 

One way the golf team navigated around social-distancing rules was through Zoom calls.

“We would also have team meetings in open areas like the stadium that were set up with distance protocols in place,” Kayser said. “Everybody has become acclimated to the Zoom environment. It’s become a useful tool for team-building.”

Before the coronavirus, coaches would hit the recruiting trail during the off-season to scout at tournaments, Kayser said, but the NCAA has declared a dead period during the pandemic.

“During a dead period, it's impermissible for prospective student-athletes, such as high schoolers, to visit campuses and meet with coaches and it's impermissible for college coaches to go out and evaluate student-athletes,” he said.

Instead, the goal for the 2021 spring season is the welfare of the student-athletes. 

“We want to keep everybody safe and make sure that the protocols are met and exceeded,” Kayser said. “It's an entirely different competitive environment and landscape and, as most athletic departments across the country, we are focused on everybody staying healthy while trying to make small steps back into the competitive environment, even if it means canceling games or competitions.”