Hewlett golfers win conference

In his first year as Hewlett golf coach, Dave Yaker had nearly 20 kids at tryouts and saw a select group of six lead the Bulldogs to the Conference I title and a spot in the Nassau County tournament.

“We accomplished a lot with a young team,” Yaker said. “We had no seniors, and four of our six golfers were playing in the county tournament for the first time. It was a great year.”

Junior Taylor Heath came within a stroke of qualifying for the state tournament after an impressive showing at counties at Bethpage State Park on May 25-26. Heath opened the county event by shooting 78 on the Blue course and came back the next day to fire an 81 on the Red course. “Taylor always puts himself in position to score well,” Yaker said. “He had a nine on the front nine on the Red, but he didn’t let it blow up in his face. He came back with a par on each of the next two holes. That’s the type of mental toughness he’s got.”

During the regular season, Heath averaged 39 over nine holes. His best round came April 15 at Woodmere Country Club when he shot par-36 to lead a win over Bellmore-JFK. “It’s rare for him to hit two bad shots in a row,” Yaker said. “He’s phenomenal around the green and with recovery shots. If he’s off the fairway or in a bunker, all he needs is one shot to get out of trouble.”

Heath also served as a mentor to eighth-grader Michael Kreisman, the team’s youngest player who averaged 46.6 and shot a season-best 42 at Woodmere in a win over Mepham on April 28. “Taylor’s an extension of a coach on the course,” Yaker said. 

Sophomore Austin Huth ranked just behind Heath in stroke average at 39.6 and had rounds of 84 and 83 at the county tournament. Huth went into the event on a high note, shooting 37 on a challenging Lido Golf Course on May 3 to help the Bulldogs defeat Long Beach. “Austin’s consistent with a great short game,” Yaker said. “He’s usually going to shoot somewhere between 37 and 41.”

Sophomore Avi Gamliel was Hewlett’s wild-card factor. New to the school—and country after moving from Israel—he ranked third on the team in stroke average with a 42.7. He had a 39 at Lido, and his best round at Woodmere was 40. Junior Mat Michaelson (45.4 average) shot a season-best 41 at Lido, and sophomore Michael Frost (49.3) tied his best round of the spring with a 43.

The Bulldogs went 10-0 during the regular season, beating each of their conference rivals twice, and placed eighth out of 13 teams in the county tournament.

“With everyone coming back, it’s exciting to think about what we’ll be able to do next year,” Yaker said.