It's one thing to be a first-year varsity program. It's another to be a first-year varsity program comprised mainly of middle schoolers.

Not since 1978 has Port Byron fielded a golf team. That is, until this spring.

The Panthers are young and inexperienced, but head coach Steve Leary sees few disadvantages to being a first-year program.

“There's no pressure to win right away,” Leary said. “We're realistic about our chances. The huge advantage is these kids get a love of the game and if they stay together there's an opportunity for some of the middle schoolers to play five or six years of varsity golf. You wouldn't have that opportunity in a larger school district.”

The discussion to add a varsity golf program has been ongoing among Port Byron Board of Education members. The goal was simple - add a sport that can develop into a lifelong activity.

Golf was the easy answer.

“It's something these kids will hopefully be doing the rest of their lives and that's the value the school board saw,” Leary said. “That's the emphasis of physical education.”

After some recruiting throughout the district, Leary and assistant coach Mike Hermann were able to piece together an 11-man roster filled with five middle schoolers, five ninth-graders and one junior.

The first hurdle was filling the roster. The next was preparing them for a full varsity schedule.

“Some of our kids, they're constantly paired up with seniors so you sometimes lose sight of where they're at,” Leary said. “For example, my son (seventh-grader Andy Leary) goes from varsity golf practice to Little League. That's not something you always see at the varsity level.”

Through four matches, the Panthers have already evolved. Their first match of the season, against Bishop Grimes, Leary said the nerves were palpable. Two days later, Port Byron went out against Cato-Meridian and their team score dropped by 20 strokes.

“We're were much more relaxed,” Leary said. “We've played four matches now and we've seen it, we've been exposed to two of the best teams already and we're handling it.”

In that second match against Cato-Meridian, the Panthers lost by just four strokes.

Andy Leary has remained the team's No. 1, averaging a 44.8 on the season. Eighth-grader Dan Wilkinson has played in the team's second slot while seventh-grader Dan O'Hara and Zac Leja have rotated in the third position.

The team's oldest player, junior Mike Bernardoni, has snuck into the top five recently while freshman Jamie Cuff has scored in all four matches.

His scores may be improving, but Bernardoni's biggest impact won't be on the scorecard.

“Mike is a tremendous role model,” Leary said. “He brings so much to the table - honesty and integrity. He's very important to the younger kids.”

And right now, Leary is more interested in honesty and integrity than he is winning. The Panthers aren't just looking to enhance their golf games.

“The biggest things are taking care of the course, the rules and being able to manage the course and get around in a reasonable time,” he said. “We're absolutely concerned with how we handle and conduct ourselves. We promote honesty. We're not all that concerned with winning.”

With such a lack in age, Port Byron will have to deal with growing pains. Inconsistency is always a problem with youthful teams, no matter the sport.

In a sport filled with so many obstacles and so much potential for failure, Leary is already pleased with his squad's mindset. Any victory, no matter how big or small, is a big thing with this growing program

“Golf is one sport where the team can struggle but you can still enjoy yourself,” he said. “When a couple of guys improve and you see the look on their face after a round, it's fulfilling. They're getting better and they're starting to notice it. That's the best part of my job.”