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06/13/2019 12:00 AMAll it took was one trip to the driving range for Noah Kosh to get into the game of golf. Noah quickly took a liking to the links and began a journey that’s seen him become a steady member of the Guilford golf squad.
Noah had a monumental moment when he went to the driving range with his grandparents while vacationing in Florida in 5th grade. He started taking the sport seriously and then signed up for the Indians when he got to high school. After playing JV last year, Noah worked his way into the varsity lineup as a junior and finished with the lowest stroke average on the team this season.
Along the way, Noah helped Guilford win the SCC Division II title, finish fourth at the SCC Championship, and then come in a tie for eighth place at the Division II State Championship. At last week’s state meet, Noah posted a score of 84 for his 18-hole outing to finish tied for 26th place.
“I saw my grandparents hit the ball far and thought maybe I could do the same,” says Noah. “I started watching the PGA and listening to swing analysis. I went to see a Junior PGA tournament in Florida and then, seeing how good the guys were, it drove me to keep going. I had times where I hit low scores that I thought were impossible.”
Noah takes pride in the fact that his short game helped him enjoy a solid junior campaign. Looking ahead to his senior year, Noah wants to incorporate some long drives into his repertoire.
“The strongest parts of my game have been chipping and putting. I played on the JV squad last year, so we would go to the Guilford Lakes Course, and I just grinded that course every day,” Noah says. “My tee shots have been my weakness. At states, I didn’t use a driver the whole round, because I don’t feel I’m consistent with my drive yet.”
The Indians featured a young team that welcomed a crop of newcomers to the fold this year. Noah got along well with his new cohorts and relished the opportunity to help them learn more about the sport.
“Our first match, we had a couple new juniors to the team. Kyle Richard and I played together, so I wanted to teach him the courses and its rules,” says Noah. “We also welcomed a freshman, Miguel Pearce, and it was fun to show the new players around and playing competitive golf with them.”
Noah and his brother, junior captain John Kosh, were the only two players who returned to Guilford with any experience this spring. Head Coach Dave Esteban praises Noah for the way he handled the pressure of being relied upon to shoot solid scores for the Indians.
“He handled it very well and was a great role model for the new guys,” Esteban says. “Noah is a great leader and is well-liked on the team and at school. He is just a fantastic young man.”
With a great campaign in the books, Noah feels confident that Guilford can fare even better in 2020 as its young players grow a year wiser. From a personal perspective, Noah wants to match a feat that his brother achieved this season.
“I would like to see us finish at least runner-up at SCCs next year. I think we are also easily capable of finishing in the top five at states,” says Noah. “One of my main goals is to make the All-SCC Team after seeing my brother do it. That makes me want to do better.”