Competitive depth could be development key for BHS boys golf this fall

After years of fast starts and disappointing finishes, the Basalt High School boys golf team is taking a slightly different approach this fall. A focal point as the season gets underway is staying close to home and putting a touch more emphasis on practice over just playing in tournaments.

“There is that fine line of going and getting tournament experience and being able to work on the facets of your game that you need to in between,” BHS head coach Travis Stewart said. “This year, we are trying to stay close to home, trying to really hunker down and get more competitive. That’s one thing I’m excited about with having a deeper team is we can be a little more competitive with our practices. There is something to be said for that, having that daily sharpening of the steel, if you will.”

He’s back at the helm this season after previously being the team’s head coach in both 2021 and 2022. Joey Chandra was the head coach in 2023, with Stewart serving as an assistant.

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Also back is Stewart’s son, senior Jackson Stewart, who is the frontrunner to be Basalt’s top golfer this season. He’s coming off another strong season that saw him qualify for the state tournament, although an injury kept him from competing last fall in Windsor.

“It is hard not to. He’s been a steady performer for the program since he was a freshman,” Travis Stewart said when asked if he had high expectations for Jackson this fall. “He’s really been preparing himself to be the leader he always wanted. When he was younger, I think he remembers what were the positives and negatives from the prior years.”

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The only Longhorn who competed at state last fall was then-senior Jase Joslin, who finished tied for 47^th place. While the returning experience may lack, Travis Stewart was enthusiastic about the younger talent that will get the chance to shine this season.

This includes sophomores Griffin Didier and Hudson Arnold, who are firmly in the top three alongside Jackson Stewart following tryouts.

“What we could see a lot is opportunity for players to step up and make of it what they can,” Travis Stewart said. “These guys, our top three, golf is their main sport. They love it, and that’s really cool. That’s unusual for us in the last five years or so.”

One more note about all three is they each attend Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. The BHS team is the de facto district team that also includes students from Glenwood Springs High School.

The Longhorns open their season Monday at Aspen Golf Club. On Tuesday, they will get their turn to host with their own tournament at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale.

An exciting prospect this fall is the proximity of the regional tournament, scheduled to be hosted by AHS on Sept. 30 at Snowmass Club. The Class 3A state tournament will be held Oct. 7-8 at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.

“We are excited. You never know until you get into the tournament season and see how guys perform, but we’ve got some young players that really like golf,” Travis Stewart said. “All in all, I feel like we are as deep as we’ve been in a long time.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com