SPORTS

Sports & Recreation Scottsdale.org l @ScottsdaleProgress /ScottsdaleProgress

GBAC tournament kicks off summer football

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Progress Sports Editor

High school football programs from all over the East Valley and state have begun the transition from spring to summer, with team workouts on a near daily basis and various 7-on-7 and big man tournaments.

These events, typically held at various high schools, have exploded in popularity in recent years with local colleges jumping on board to host high school programs. The summer circuit of tournaments helps teams prepare for the full season in the fall. It builds team chemistry. It allows quarterbacks and receivers to work on timing and defenses to play fast and quickly recognize an opposing offense.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on all the tournaments in 2020 and most last year. But they’re now back in full swing. And it started in Mesa on Memorial Day weekend with the Gotta Believe Athletic Club’s annual high school championships.

“From a high school perspective running this tournament with the guys we have involved, it’s the best,” Mesa coach and founder of Gotta Believe Athletic Club Chad DeGrenier said. “IT’s been nice to see the competition, the sportsmanship, all those things that kinda got lost but hopefully it’s all coming back to center.”

DeGrenier is in his 12th year hosting the camp. In previous years, it was held at Fear Farm in the West Valley or Scottsdale. This year, however, he aimed to show off the upgrades to Mesa’s athletic facilities.

Some pool play games were played on Mesa’s new turf �ield. The big man competition was held on the football team’s practice �ield just behind the east bleachers. Other games took place on the baseball �ields.

Notre Dame Prep football coach George Prelock said this was the fi rst time things truly feel like they have returned to normal after the pandemic. He enjoyed being able to compete on a large stage at the GBAC tournament with his team over Memo-

rial Day weekend. (Dave Minton/Progress Staff)

���SUMMER ���� 36

Modernization, pandemic help revitalize golf

BY BRANDON BONAPARTE

Cronkite News

After a boom in golf’s popularity that followed the emergence of Tiger Woods as a sports superstar, the game slipped into a post-Tiger effect downtrend. Over a 15-year period from 2003 to 2018, the number of golfers declined in the United States by 6.8 million.

Then along came a global pandemic. At �irst, people were con�ined to the indoors when COVID-19 struck. Eventually, social distancing and small gatherings were encouraged. Outdoor activities were deemed safer, which aligned perfectly with golf.

In 2020, especially over the second half of the year, numbers for golf suddenly improved. And they’ve continued to sky-

rocket. “The golf course was considered a place for people to escape the pandemic,” Longbow Golf Club general manager Bob McNichols said. “You don’t play golf indoors where you’re restricted in the air you breathe and the access you have to the environment. So, golf became a popular activity for people who were no longer doing things the same way they always did and looking for not only activities, but At �irst, people were con�ined to the in- a way to get better at the game.” doors when COVID-19 struck. Eventually, According to the National Golf Foundasocial distancing and small gatherings tion, 2020 saw an increase of golfers by were encouraged. Outdoor activities were 500,000, a 2% uptick from 2019. An esdeemed safer, which aligned perfectly timated 502 million rounds of golf were played in 2020, compared to 441 million

In 2020, especially over the second half played in 2019. of the year, numbers for golf suddenly improved. And they’ve continued to sky-

Golf has returned with a vengeance, attracting players young and old, thanks to attempts at modernization and a pandemic that drove people outdoors.

“It’s really just great to be out here, especially after the last couple of years,” Notre Dame coach George Prelock said. “You see a lot of mental health problems with kids. Sports, I think, are a good help for that. It’s nice to see people out, it’s nice to see college coaches come out and just see smiles on everyone’s face. These kids deserve to have a great experience.”

This summer for football programs presents even more of a return to normalcy. Last year, restrictions were lifted and programs were virtually allowed to conduct business as usual.

Some 7-on-7 tournaments, including the one hosted by GBAC, returned. But colleges, most notably ASU, still held off from catering to high school football programs.

Prelock said even lest year things didn’t feel completely “normal.” There was still some hesitancy from schools. There was still the threat of the virus spreading at tournaments.

While that threat hasn’t been completely mitigated — and it most likely never will — the overall energy at the Memorial Day weekend event was better than in year’s past.

Higley was one of several Gilbert schools present at the tournament. Gilbert, Highland and Perry were also there. The Knights �inished the day 4-2, led by sophomore quarterback Jamar Malone’s big arm and the talented wideouts he has at his disposal.

Head coach Eddy Zubey was proud of the way his kids competed. Like the other coaches, he knows how much they enjoy the competition. It gives them a break from grueling summer workout programs that challenge a player’s mental toughness just as much as it does physically.

That is part of the reason Zubey started his own passing league at Higley, which will run every Tuesday for three weeks beginning June 14. His players enjoy it. He enjoys it and it provides more opportunities for athletes across the state to get noticed

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JUNE 5, 2022 before the season.

“It’s awesome,” Zubey said. “I was giddy last night knowing that we had the chance to come out here and get things going. It’s great for our players learning a new offense and playing different positions. This all helps out.”

The tournament featured more then 40 schools. Games took place all day on Mesa’s campus. It was the �irst time teams had a chance to face those in a different color uniform.

ALA – Queen Creek coach Ty Detmer said that in itself was a treat.

“You come out of spring ball and you’re kind of tired of practicing against yourself,” Detmer said. “It’s good to get out with other teams and see what the new look is because everyone changes from year to year. It’s an opportunity to get the boys out, compete and see what you’ve got to work on from there.” Hamilton, an Open Division semi�inalist last year and runner-up the year before, brought two teams to the GBAC tournament. The maroon squad, its varsity team, went 5-1 on the day, advancing deep into the �inal bracket before losing to Northwest Christian. The results, however, aren’t at the forefront of the minds of coaches during tournaments of this caliber. They want their players to enjoy the competition. “We just work on what we do schematically,” Hamilton coach Mike Zdebski said. “Win, lose or draw, we just use this as an opportunity to work on what we are going to do in the season schematically. We just want to get better.” DeGrenier said he will continue to host the GBAC tournament for as long as teams continue signing up to compete. He enjoys providing an outlet for high school teams to get geared up for the season. And they appreciate him for doing it. “I love doing this,” DeGrenier said. “I can go home and say we had a great tournament with great teams and had great refs. At the end of the day, kids got better. That’s why we do this tournament.”

GOLF ���� ���� 35

The popularity increase has helped golf course businesses boom.

“We got to the point now where we don’t really have enough tee times,” said Andrew Frazier, vice president of Paradigm Golf Group and director of sales and services at Dobson Ranch Golf Course, a municipal 18-hole course in Mesa. “There’s only so much sunlight.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, golf seemed to be still on a downward spiral. However, by November 2020, golf was well on its way, with a 56.5 percent increase in rounds played compared to November 2019.

In recent years, it’s apparent that more people are going out to the course and buying gear. While the COVID-19 pandemic is a big factor in the sport’s growth, golf courses and other sports entertainment companies are taking a more modern approach to their facilities and brands.

Golf courses such as Dobson Ranch bump music throughout their course, on the driving range and even on golf carts.

The atmosphere at Dobson Ranch Golf Course is modern and represents the changing culture of the sport. Cheyanne Stewart, the lead junior instructor at Dobson Ranch, said golf is adjusting to make everybody feel welcome and comfortable.

“When I started playing, it was the 50plus (age) and older always here every day of the week,” Stewart said.

Golf’s appeal appears to be changing, but one may think courses are now faced with an identity crisis. The old-timers of the game want to play a full 18 in collared shirts and slacks, while the next generation of golfers prefer to wear shorts, compete to see who can hit the ball the farthest and play a quick nine instead of 18.

Still, the fusion between traditionalists and the modern, younger generation has gone smoothly.

“It’s almost like a fountain of youth,” Frazier said. “You put on the music, you start doing games, you do contests. I mean, we’ve got cornhole out here. It’s just kind of bringing a breath of fresh air to (the older participants).”

Today’s golfers, many of them of a younger generation, crave shorter, more frequent competition. Courses are �inding ways to appeal to them. That’s where businesses like Topgolf, which “gamify” golf, have �lourished.

“I think it all goes back to that you have a younger crowd that is super into games and competitions,” Frazier said. “Finding ways to gamify golf for the traditional driving range experience is one thing.”

Despite the recent uptick in popularity, those in the golf industry are still looking for innovative ways to draw newcomers to the sport or make it more enjoyable for those who already play.

At Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, golfers can use GolfBoards to move between shots instead of two-person carts. The single-rider electric boards are reminiscent of electric scooters and are being used at more than 300 courses across the country, according to the company’s website.

Both Dobson Ranch and Longbow also utilize Toptracer technology on their driving ranges, giving golfers the kind of feedback on their swings that pros get, while also adding some fun to the experience.

“I guess the best way to explain it is that we have out�itted our range with Toptracer technology, which is a system of cameras and monitors that track your shots and allow patrons to practice with detailed information as well as play games like virtual golf, long drive, and accuracy contests on the monitors as opposed to just hitting range balls out at stationary targets,” Frazier said in an email.

The sudden spike in golf’s popularity isn’t just showing up on golf courses, driving ranges and game centers. It also is re�lected in television ratings.

According to golfweek.usatoday.com, the last round of the 2022 Masters attracted more viewers than any other golf telecast on any other network since the fourth round of the 2019 Masters, a tournament in which Tiger Woods emerged as the champion after a long hiatus from winning a major.

Woods again factored into the ratings, returning at the Masters from a one-car crash that left him severely injured and with a reconstructed right leg and ankle.

Woods also has played a part in another potential factor in the increase in golf’s popularity – diversity.

Diversity of race and gender are a recurring issue for golf. Zippia.com reports that 88.7% of professional golfers are male, compared to 8.6% women. Additionally, 67% of pro golfers are white, compared to 14% who identi�ied as Hispanic or Latino and 9.5% identi�ied as Black or African American.

However, Stewart believes diversity in golf is improving.

“A personal friend of mine, Christyn Carr… Grant Thornton, it’s an insurance company. They got in touch with her,” Stewart said. “She’s a college student right now and goes to an HBCU (North Carolina A&T). They reached out to Mariah Stackhouse and two other pros as well to do a commercial. They played a couple holes, and instead of the hole saying it’s a par 5 or a par 4, they called it equality or inclusive.”