Evan Rieser is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Notre Dame Prep for AZPreps365.com.

Pinnacle High School’s home golf course of Dobson Ranch Golf Course hosts one of Arizona’s largest high school golf events beginning Wednesday, Sept. 22. The Dobson Classic will host 15 high school golf teams, including Notre Dame Prep, over the next two days. Each player will play 36 holes, 18 on Wednesday and 18 on Thursday. Notre Dame Prep will bring five golfers to Dobson Ranch including sophomore Jack Taylor, junior Nicholas Stafford, sophomore Matthew Gahan, sophomore Jackson McLaughlin, and junior Charlie Gerut. Dobson Ranch is a unique golf course due to its shortness in length and its difficult greens. 

The 6-foot-1 Taylor, like three of his teammates, has played Dobson Ranch before. Taylor believes that the course plays to his strengths, he told me that the shortness of the course will allow him to perform well with his iron play. 

While Taylor has played the course before,  Stafford looks to take on Dobson Ranch for the first time. While Stafford believes that not seeing the course will be a disadvantage, he is still confident. He is focused on his putting as the tournament approaches. 

“I’ve heard the course’s defense is the greens out there,” Stafford said. “I heard they were pretty sloped so just having good roll and good speed tomorrow is important.” 

Some other Saints are looking for a form of redemption in the Dobson Classic. Last year, both Gerut and Gahan fell short of their own expectations. Gerut shot an 85 on both days and his target score this year is exactly 10 strokes less each day. Gerut looks to be just 6-over-par across the two days. He said he traditionally plays well on shorter golf courses that include tough greens, and Dobson Ranch does just that. Gerut believes he will be able to separate himself from the pack with his ability to putt. 

“The greens are hard for everyone else,” Gerut said. “I think they’ll still be hard for me but I think I can take advantage of my putting and try to go low.” 

Gahan is one of the most interesting stories for Notre Dame Prep going into the Dobson Classic. This year will be Gahan’s second appearance in the event after things did not go his way last year. In 2020, Gahan scored a 17 on the No. 10 hole. Golf is a mental game and it is important to learn from your mistakes. 

Gahan said that to improve this year he needs to do a much better job of keeping the ball in play. With a short course, he believes he holds an advantage with his shot length, taking advantage of the short holes and limiting penalties. Gahan is excited for what this team will be able to do this year at the Dobson Classic.

Notre Dame Prep’s first tee time will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Thursday’s tee times will be determined based on the leaderboard after Wednesday’s round.