When you’re on the green, club in hand, you’re not playing anyone but yourself.

That’s the message Old Rochester Regional High School golf coach Chris Cabe hopes to drill into his players.

Cabe took over the team this year following the retirement of former head coach Andy Santos. A physical education teacher at ORR, Cabe was assistant coach for seven years and said he foresees several good years for the team.

“It’s kind of a rebuilding year for us,” said Cabe. “The majority of the team is sophomores and juniors.”

A record nine freshmen tried out this year, six of whom made the cut.

“From what I’ve seen so far, we’re very deep in terms of talent,” said the coach.

Junior Jackson Mitchell has moved into number one place on the team.

“I have all of the confidence in the world in him,” said Cabe. He did say Mitchell is going through a little “funk” at the moment but said felt he would pull out of it.

Mitchell, 16, said playing Junior PGA tournaments over the summer helped him “get his head in the game.”

“I just love knowing you’re the only one who really causes the problems,” he said. “You’re the only one that can change what you do wrong. It’s a good head game for ya.”

In addition to Mitchell, Cabe listed Juniors Rylie Sherman and Kyle Sherman (no relation) and sophomore Jared Nye as his top four golfers.

As the team gears up for its first matches, Cabe has focused on helping the putters focus on the green.

“My job is not to overhaul their swing,” he said. “I’m here…to teach them how to play the course.”

He also emphasizes mastering the basics of the game. “They all want to try to be like the pros out there, hitting the ball 300,” said Cabe.

Last year the team won 12 of 16 matches, and it will have to work hard to match or exceed that this season. But Cabe says he’s got the right students.

“They’re all good kids. One good thing about coaching, you never get bad kids,” he said.