Putting for birdies

Weekly senior spotlight feature was written by Connor Wagner for CUWFalcons.com

Golf is a game of inches, confusing subtleties and on every shot the result of success or failure is evident. It is a very rewarding and difficult game to play, but with more practice and experience a player can improve. One of those players who has made great advancements is Concordia Wisconsin senior Kyle Rebholz.

"I think my biggest strength is the mental aspect of my game," the West Bend, Wis., native stated. "I don't really ever get down on myself about hitting a bad shot because I know it's just a part of the game and things happen. My favorite thing about golf is actually hitting a good recovery shot around or over trees because I tend to hit my driver all over the place."

Since arriving at CUW as a freshman in 2014, Rebholz has approached nearly every practice and meet exactly the same – with the intention to improve.

"Every time I play I try to stay relaxed by talking with my teammates about other things besides golf before meets," he explained. "It helps keep me loose so that when we start to warm up I can really start to focus in on playing at my best without having anything else on my mind."

While his routine might have remained relatively the same over the years, Rebholz' role on the golf has had adjustments over the course of time. Now a senior and a captain for the Men's Golf team, his role has nearly come full circle.

"Having gone from being a freshman and only playing in a couple meets to now being elected captain this year has done a lot for me." Rebholz said. "I think I've not only improved as a player, but also as a leader on the team."

This season, the Falcons have brought back 11 returning players, most of which contributed directly to last season's team. In addition to returning a vast majority of the prior year's roster, the Falcons also made several new additions to the incoming freshmen class who, according to Rebholz, have already begun to make an impact and will only continue to make the team better.

"I think the team has added more depth with a couple of the new freshmen and we upperclassmen have gotten even better from last year."

With the golf season already underway, Rebholz and his teammates are ready to improve upon a 2016 campaign that ended with a fourth place finish in the NACC Championship and left them wanting more.

"As a team, we all have the drive to win. So every bad shot we make we tend to be really critical of it," Rebholz reaffirmed. "We work every day in practice to get better in certain areas of our game that needs improvement, so at the end of the day we can be the best team that we can possibly be."

The game of golf is generally viewed as an individual sport, but at the collegiate level is based heavily on team results. Concordia Wisconsin has risen as a unit, evident by a narrow defeat in a playoff of the NACC Championship during Rebholz' rookie season. While the team continues to improve each day, Rebholz has already begun to see results in his own game.

"I'd say the weakest part of my game is probably my putting," he said with a grin. "It's something I've struggled with in the past, but it's also something I've been working really hard to improve upon during the offseason and I'm already starting to see improvement in my own game."

While many a player has dreamed of becoming the next Tiger Woods or Arnold Palmer, Rebholz says he tends not to compare his style of golf to anyone else.

"There are and have been a lot of great players out there, but I like to think I play my own style," he stated. "Each person's style and swing are unique to them, so I'm not concerned about how I compare to other people. I'm just focused on myself and being the best golfer I can be."