The Bruins golf program started its fourth season this fall and has grown and improved since its start in 2013.

The team qualified for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national competition last year and won the opening tournament, the Bruins Golf Classic, this fall.

The team has grown in number from last year’s five golfers to this season’s eight.

The team consists of  two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors  and two seniors.

Micah Gold, a senior on the team, is the first Bruins golfer to compete on the team throughout all four of his years at BJU.

Gold and Matt Shannon, who is a junior, are co-captains this season.

Even though there are eight golfers on the team, only five will compete in each tournament according to the rules of the NCCAA.

Before each golfing tournament, the team has a qualifying practice.

During this practice, the golfers compete against each other to see who will go to the tournament.  The golfers with the five best scores compete in the tournament.

The tournaments are held at local golf courses near the competing colleges.

Collegiate golf tournaments are typically held on Mondays and Tuesdays since local golf courses are in high demand by their regular golfers on the weekends.

The golfers often miss many of their Monday and Tuesday classes because of these tournaments. However, the University provides academic help. Mrs. Kim Daulton serves as the first-year adviser and academic coach for all student-athletes.

“Golf is not as physically demanding as other sports,” Coach Denny Scott said. “But it is a bigger time commitment.”

Other sports may only practice for around two hours, but the golf team’s practices last about five hours.

The golfers do not miss classes for practices.

Scott’s goal for the golf team this year is to compete consistently with other schools in the Bruins’ region.

“I believe we are on the right track, and I am excited to see where the journey takes us,” Scott said.