Oakland University’s Club Golf has been recently revived as a new executive board has risen to the call of management. The club has begun to share its love for golfing through a fundraising event to invite new members and start planning activities for better weather.
On Jan. 25, Club Golf met at Classic Lanes to enjoy food and bowling in preparation for the upcoming season. Raffle tickets and baked sweets also appeared to gather funds for equipment and entrance to competitions.
“We weren’t really sure where to start and plus, we can’t do anything golf-related right now because of the season change,” Joseph Wodowski, Club Golf president, said. “At the time, we figured Topgolf would have been too expensive for a first fundraiser, so the next one’s probably going to be Topgolf.”
Seasoned members, families and even sponsors attended the social gathering to meet the new e-board of a long-standing student organization.
“The fundraising came out to be very successful, and everyone has smiles on their faces and seems to be enjoying themselves,” Wodowski said. “It has been a very great night for our fundraising, and overall, a very good experience for our members.”
During the pandemic, golfing at OU halted for a while, leading to a decrease and eventual fading of Club Golf. With a fresh mindset, the all-sophomore E-Board seeks to rebuild the momentum of prior generations.
“Last year, there was no president and the club went silent,” Wodowski said. “I came in, stepped up and now I’m the president and I think I’ve provided the club pretty well so far, but we are looking for more people.”
The E-Board also has a long and personal golfing tradition.
“I started playing golf a long time ago since I was ten years old, and then I just played for high school,” Jeronimo Contreras, golf club treasurer said. “I wanted to play in college so I joined the club at OU and it has been a great journey.”
Christian Johnson, club vice president, plays mostly for fun as a way to unwind with friends and enjoy nature, he said.
“Sophomore year of high school, I used to be on the baseball team and I had shoulder repair surgery and they put me out of my season,” Wodowski said. “I figured I’d try giving golf a shot and I made varsity a season after. Ever since I’ve been loving the sport and have a great passion for it”
They play both recreational and competitions, accommodating all levels of golfers. During fall 2022, before the club halted for a moment, they competed in regional leagues and hosted bi-weekly training meetings — something the current E-Board plans to retake
“We have a competitive and an open play team, the non-competitive team is where anybody can join, if you don’t play golf or just to have fun and meet people,” Jeronimo Contreras, treasurer, said. “With the competitive team, we travel around Michigan and go through tournaments and enjoy the competition.”
The executive board expands on their passion for the sport as it allows for a couple of hours outdoors and provides time to enjoy new and old company. Whether you are an expert player, intermediate from laying throughout the summer or a complete beginner, the club invites you to join.
“It’s one of those sports where you can talk to people who are playing it, which is different to soccer if you play something like that,” Contreras said. “There’s no opportunity to actually talk to the person you’re playing with so golf is a great way to make new friends.”
The team is still planning out trials, meetings and enrollment on regional events with information scheduled to come in February.
