With spring in the air, sun breaks gracing Bellevue College campus daily, and spring quarter off to a start, it’s that time of the year again for BC Men’s Golf to open up to another season. With Coach Kirk Johanson and Captain of the Men’s Golf team Colten Kleis at the lead, the seven man team is ready yet again to take on its opponents for the season.
Kleis, Captain of the BC Men’s Golf Team, has been under Johanson’s coaching for the past two years, this being his last season on the team. His journey with golf began his freshman year at Juanita High School.
“My favorite part of being on this team is playing competitively against some good players and also being able to play and practice at a nice course with great facilities.”
When it comes to coaching, Johanson said, “My favorite part of being the BC Golf Coach is helping the players. I really enjoy teaching and helping the kids get to the next level. Whether that’s playing golf at a four year school, or moving on to another college to finish their degree. It’s very rewarding and I’m very proud of the student athletes we have in our program.”
With the season beginning, both Johanson and Kleis both have one goal in mind for the team: winning the Conference Championship at the end of the season.
“I feel we have a great chance to do it. The guys have been working very hard and it shows in their results,” said Johanson.
In order to get ready for their upcoming tournaments and championships, Kleis said the men practice four to five times weekly, and sometimes more if they have a tourney approaching.
According to Captain Kleis, the team specifically gets excited and looks forward to the tournament hosted in Southwestern Oregon at Coos Bay. “We play at Bandon Dunes, which has 5 courses cut right along the Pacific Ocean,” Kleis said, “Coos Bay is also a really fun town to stay in. It’s a pretty small city so you’re always within walking distance from the beach.”
While this season is already off to its start, the BC Men’s Golf team will have tryouts in the fall and again next spring. They practice Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Glendale Country Club located in Bellevue. For those that are planning on trying out, Johanson said, “Typically the players that are on the team have tournament experience, either previously playing junior golf or in high school.” For those who are interested in the BC Men’s Golf team, keep an eye out for their results from their upcoming matches.
