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04/30/2014 12:00 AMAfter five seasons of sharing head-coaching duties, Tim Payne is taking the reins on the links for Old Saybrook.
The former Stonington basketball head coach came into the Rams' community a decade ago by teaching special education prior to coaching Rams' JV baseball and Old Saybrook Middle School soccer. Now this spring, Tim is setting out on his first campaign as the sole head coach of Old Saybrook golf.
"[Former co-head coach] Tim Arsenault brought me on as a co-coach five years ago, but he decided to step down as he is on the NEASC [New England Association of Schools and Colleges] committee for Old Saybrook," says Tim, a former golfer with Sacred Heart University. "There have been a couple of adjustments, but it's been good so far. We graduated four of our top five kids from last year, but the upside is that we have a lot of seniors with leadership."
As Tim and the Rams opened up their campaign last week, he is still trying to piece together his starting five. But no matter their grade or age, Tim plans to give everyone a fair shake to drive the ball for his club.
"Golf is different because the scores show who's doing the best versus, say basketball, where everyone has a role on the team," says Tim, who still teaches special education. "I will give everyone a fair chance, watch everyone, and play the best five guys, whether they are a senior or freshman. It's going to be good to have different kids out there battling for different spots and they will try their best."
Doing what he loves, Tim takes pride in imparting knowledge on young athletes. He adds that he wants the squad to enjoy the sport while he helps them perfect their scores down to the very last swing.
"Growing up, I played a bunch of sports so it's been a joy to coach them, which is why I've been doing it the past 13-14 years or so," says Tim. "I love teaching the kids new skills or techniques and I'm trying to help them save even one or two strokes per round. It's all about how you score. It doesn't matter if the guy you are facing used a pitching wedge to drive a certain distance-just keep your strokes lower. I'm also hoping to do things to make it enjoyable for them."
Although Arsenault misses being on the fairways with Old Saybrook this year, he's glad that Tim is the guy who's piloting the Rams.
"I am grateful to Tim for taking over. I am the chairperson of Old Saybrook's New England Association of Schools and Colleges Steering Committee and, therefore, would miss too many practices and matches for meetings to coach this year," says Arsenault. "I am missing it, but it was unavoidable. I was able to decide in mid-March only two weeks before the season to step down and it was great to have Tim in place for a smooth transition."
The squad's starting lineup may be a work in progress, although Tim says the pieces will come together in due time. For the future and beyond, he just wants to keep the program's history of state-championship caliber golf alive.
"For right now, we are just trying to figure out our No. 4 and 5 guys. We have three or four guys battling for those two spots, but we will figure out that top five," Tim says. "In the long term, we want to improve as the year goes on. We've made the state tournament for about the last eight or nine years so I hope to keep that tradition going."
Consequently, the name of the game for Tim is to have his young Rams get stronger as the calendar moves forward.
"We hope to make states. Losing four of our top five starters makes a huge difference versus last year, but I want us to keep improving on a weekly basis," says Tim. "I also hope we can make some noise in the Shoreline Conference Tournament."
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