Playing on varsity golf all four years at Westside and being a crucial part of the team, senior Lily Gutta waves goodbye to her last golf season as a Westside Warrior. From the unforgettable memories to the skills she’s gained, both in golf and in life, the Warrior is forever thankful for the Westside golf program and everything it has done for her.
“My favorite part has been just bonding with my teammates,” Gutta said.
“I love the van rides to every single tournament, because I feel like it’s a time to socialize,”.
Different from how golf is usually seen, Gutta has realized how important it is for the golf team to come together as one.
“Our coach always says the best thing about a team is that you can’t all be separate, you have to be all together,” Gutta said.
“It’s like the analogy of a slap with all your fingers spread apart, it’s less powerful than all them together, like a fist.”
Gutta has golfed her entire life, learning more and more as her golf careers progressed. Over the past four years though, she’s learned the most from her coaches and teammates at Westside. During her high school career, she’s not only became a better golfer but also gained skills that will take her farther than just in golf.
“I feel like I’ve been more focused on really improving my consistency and stuff,” Gutta said.
“I think I’ve also been better at sportsmanship and realizing that some days are bad and tough and some days are good. You just have to really power through those bad days and realize that the next tournament will be even better.”
Out of all the courses Gutta has played, one stuck out the most, but not completely in a good way.
“I have to say, my favorite one was the one that I had personal best at, Beatrice,” Gutta said.
“I remember feeling so sick after, from the 110 degree heat, because I thought I had heat stroke. But I loved the course because it’s very flat and not very many trees.”
Not only did the course stick out to Gutta, but so did the trip getting there.
“It was also not my favorite tournament because of this but it’s one of the most memorable stories from golf that I remember,” Gutta said.
“We were driving to Beatriz when we witnessed a car accident of someone getting T-boned. We pulled over and stopped to help them. I remember she had slashes on her legs, and we had to give our frozen water bottle to her. We ended up getting to the golf course with five minutes to spare and didn’t get to warm up. So it was a very crazy morning, but I don’t know if the pace of it helped me.”
Gutta doesn’t plan to play golf at a university next year, but she loves the sport so much that she knows she’ll keep playing it for the rest of her life.
“I think it’s a fun way to bond with everyone and just like a time to relax,” Gutta said.
“I like letting go mentally and playing a few holes. So it’s very fun and a very relaxing sport.”
The girls’ golf team ended the season with another state runner-up trophy, giving them back-to-back runner-up finishes. Once again, it came down to the Warriors and the Marian Crusaders to see who would take home the state title.
“I think it was a very amazing season and I’m glad that I got to play with the people I did because I think it was really fun and we created a lot of bonds,” Gutta said.
“But I do think we played our hardest and that’s all that matters.”
