The 2014 golf season is set to move into full swing next week as local linksters get ready to hit the course.

Following the departure of former coach Matt Johnson, Jim Fairfield will be taking the reins this year, guiding the team through a dozen matches throughout the next few months en route to the post-season tournament.

Local sports fans will know Fairfield for his long-running work as the head coach of the high school football squad, but he’s no stranger to fairways and greens, either.

“I play golf all of the time and I helped [former head golf coach] Roy Burcham out for a couple of years,” Fairfield said.

“I wanted to make sure the program stays alive and thrives, so I took the position.”

Fairfield’s team consists of 10 athletes this season, a group of young men and women who aim to keep their scores low and hopefully get a crack at the state tournament once again in 2014.

The season begins next Monday, March 17, with a 3 p.m. outing hosted out of the local Eagle Mountain course. That match is set to play host to the team from Wickenburg.

The Wickenburg squad will return the hospitality a week later on March 24, as the Falcons head to the Wickenburg Country Club for another 3 p.m. match.

The Falcons have been practicing for a few weeks now and, just like in years past, We-Ko-Pa, FireRock, SunRidge Canyon and Desert Canyon have all opened their doors to the local squad, giving the athletes plenty of options for daily practice on a weekly basis.

When it comes to coaching the golf team, Fairfield said there are definitely some differences.

“It’s a very different sport,” Fairfield said.

“You still have the disciplines and a focus on staying consistent, but it’s more skill oriented and focused on the mental aspects of the game, especially strategy.”

Fairfield said that the local golf squad graduated a few seniors last season, which means he’ll be working with a pretty fresh squad.

“We’re a little younger, with only one senior this year, and we have two freshmen who have made the cut for the top five,” Fairfield added.

“In our group, Griffin Peters is currently our number one. We also have Lucas [Johnson] and Reece [Bailey] filling it out. They’re going to be solid this year.”

Featuring a bit of experience and a bit of new blood, Fairfield said that this year’s squad gets along really well.

“They’re picking up different skills quickly, too,” he added.

“We try to work on a different aspect of the game each day, from long ball to short game and putting, and then they go out and play. But they’re getting better at all aspects of the game and their scores have gone down tremendously since we’ve started.”

Similar to the sports themselves, Fairfield said that leadership is also different between sports like football and golf.

“In golf, you don’t really need a captain like you do in other sports, because you’re not always hitting the ball from the same place as everyone else. It’s a very individual sport,” he said.

“What you need, as far as leadership goes, is someone who will keep them focused on their own golf game.”

During matches, Fairfield explained that coaches can’t be out on the greens with their players and, for the most part, can only watch as athletes make their drives hole by hole.

“They kind of have to be their own leaders,” he added.

Looking ahead, Fairfield said the goal is to get better on a daily basis and improve scores as the weeks tick by.

“We want to improve our game from top to finish and be one of the best in the state,” he said.

“They work well together, they feed off of each other and help each other out. That’s probably the biggest strength that we have; that there are a lot of them and they seem to like helping each other out.”

For those who wish to come out and watch, Fairfield said the Falcons are simply aiming for good golf and solid performances, week in and week out.