Sparkman has many great sports teams, but some of them are overlooked. One of these overlooked teams is the Golf team. Usually, high schoolers don’t find golf exciting to watch due to the slow-paced nature of the game. Students would rather watch something fast-paced like football, soccer, and basketball. Ever since the new Happy Gilmore 2 movie, starring Adam Sandler, came out, golf has started to trend again. One big fan of the new movie is Sparkman Golf Head Coach James Arnette, a 27-year veteran of the sport who has been playing since he was 7 years old.
When I sat down with Coach Arnette, he was very enthusiastic about this upcoming season and thinks he can build a great team and have a chance to make it to the state tournament. He also mentioned he hopes that this can inspire more students to try out for the golf team.
Q – Who inspired you to coach?
A – All of my previous coaches. I grew up playing lots of sports and had great coaches and I wanted to give back by being a great coach.
Q – Who inspired you to start playing golf?
A – I grew up in the Tiger Woods era and when I turned on ESPN, I would see Tiger Woods and he inspired a lot of people like me to start playing.
Q – What is it like coaching at Sparkman?
A – I love it here. This is what I’m used to. I coached 5 years at Florida, so this is my 12th year, and it feels natural to be at a big school.
Q – What’s your favorite part about coaching?
A – My favorite part is the everyday conversation with the kids and getting to know them.
Q – How long have you played golf for?
A – I’ve been playing since I was 7 or 8, so about 27 years.
Q – What is your favorite golf course to play at?
A – Around here, it would probably be at school master course RTJ [Robert Trent Jones]. It’s my favorite because of the challenge and how they utilize the landscaping and it’s very natural.
Q – What is your favorite golf movie?
A – I’m a really big fan of Happy Gilmore 1 and 2.
Coach Arnette’s passion for the game and players is truly inspiring. He was inspired by his former coaches and Tiger Woods, and loves to interact with his athletes. He’s excited about the upcoming season and believes his team can have a chance at the state tournament. If you want to try out for the golf teams, tryouts for boys are on Wednesday and Thursday, October 1st-2nd, 4-7 PM and for girls, tryouts are on Wednesday, October 1st, 4-6 PM. You can find the QR code for tryout signups posted outside room 157 or on Sparkman Golf’s social media.
