Woodberry Forest Golf: Varsity golf edges #2 St. Christopher's; JV remains unbeaten

Friday, April 19, 2019

Varsity golf edges #2 St. Christopher's; JV remains unbeaten

The #7 ranked Tigers hosted the #2 ranked Saints in the first of two regular-season tilts between the two most accomplished independent golf programs in Virginia. The two schools have combined for 39 of the 43 Prep League titles--Woodberry has 30--and seven of eleven VISAA state titles--Woodberry has four.

Playing in windy conditions, the Tigers prevailed 151-153. Senior Jack Stein was medalist with a one over par 36, followed closely by Benny Haggin's 37. Hughes Edwards (38) and Matthew Durham (40) rounded out the scoring. Also playing for the Tigers were Luke McNabb (41) and Jack Malone (46).

Woodberry improves to 5-3 overall and next plays at Salisbury CC vs. Trinity Episcopal on Tuesday, April 23.

In Richmond, Meade Seay (40, 4 over) was the medalist at Richmond Country Club, leading the JV Tigers to a 169-175 win over the St. Christopher's JV. Alex Forward (42), Pipes Fitz-hugh (43), and Winslow Newton (44) completed the scoring. Also playing were Beau Watts (47) and Thomas Mills (48).

JV Golf improves to 6-0 and plays on Tuesday, April 23 at Windy Hill vs. St. Catherine's and The New Community School.

Golf Facilities

Our golf facilities are unmatched. The only high school in Virginia with its own course, Woodberry plays its home matches on a nine-hole golf course designed in 1926 by Donald Ross. We also have the Graves Golf Practice Area, built in 1991, which has a driving range, two practice greens and sand bunkers. With our Doppler-based TrackMan launch monitors, we can track each player’s clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle, and carry distance. We can then use this data to test different equipment. Our indoor putting green allows us to practice putting and short-game skills in any weather.

Coach’s Corner: Varsity Golf Coach Marc Hogan

Of the campus’s many resources, the school’s golf facilities truly set it apart. With a nine-hole Donald Ross-designed golf course and a range of other amenities for the teaching of golf, Woodberry is poised to nurture the young golfer. And no one is more suited to bring together the promising golfers who choose Woodberry Forest with traditional techniques honed at the Graves Practice Area and modern-day technological tools installed in the Squash Pavilion than Marc Hogan.

Having worked with the golf program for over twenty years, Marc holds a Level III golf teaching certification from the United States Golf Teachers' Federation and a Level I golf fitness instructor certification from the Titleist Performance Institute. He was the first coach certified in the DECADE course management system, which teaches players course strategy. His contributions to the game have been honored by the Virginia Prep League, which has named him Coach of the Year nine times, and by VISAA, which has awarded him the title six times.

As he does in his English classroom, Marc embraces technology in the teaching of golf. With particular support from Mitch Hull ’77 and past parents Hallie and Ed Pettegrew, as well as an anonymous gift, the school has video-recording devices, computers, and three launch monitors that analyze a player’s stroke and help him match it to swings used by the world’s most successful golfers.

Marc is a Greensboro, North Carolina, native and earned his BA and MA from the University of Virginia. He has taught English at Woodberry Forest since 1987. A scratch golfer, Marc has qualified for the Virginia Senior Amateur Championship six times and made match play four times in 2017, 2019 (round of 16), 2020, and 2021. He has also qualified for the VSGA Amateur Championship in 2021 and 2022. He lives in the Rapp House with his wife Linda, who works in Culpeper. They have three daughters, Miranda, who lives and works in Staunton; Anna Grey ’14, who lives and works in Charlottesville; and Cordelia '17, who lives and works in Charlotte.