After a slow start to the season, the Washington Rams are looking to build on recent momentum to lead them to a great weekend at the GUHSD District Golf Championships on Sept. 21.

The Rams began the season 0-3 after a win against North High on Sept. 17, but they are hoping it propels them to a great day at the championships.

Head coach Brian Patterson is only taking positives out of his team's first few weeks.

"We beat North High School, and that was exciting," Patterson said. "Overall, it has been a good year so far."

Patterson said one of the toughest parts about the beginning of a golf season is to teach the young guys, many of whom have never played before, the game and what it takes to succeed. The Rams have an incredibly young team this year, but Patterson is not worried about their ages.

The Rams have two returners to the team in Angel Rios and Brandon Higbee. The rest of the team is made up of freshmen and players that have never played golf before.

"We are just doing a lot of building and rebuilding, as well as teaching kids how to play," Patterson said.

When approaching a tournament, Patterson tells his team to stay focused and not worry about how the round his going. Rios, who is in his second year on the team, says that winning a big tournament isn't everything because it is mostly about improving your game.

"My mindset is just do the best you can, and think about having the best time on the course," Rios said. "I am not focused on winning everything."

Higbee, also in his second year on the team, says that the key to having success in the championships is to not get frustrated.

"If you are stressing about it, then when you go up to the ball, you will hit a bad ball," Higbee said.

One of the biggest challenges they face this weekend is the overwhelming heat.

"This is probably one of the hotter summers, and hotter seasons we have had in a while," Patterson said. "As a coach, we do strongly encourage, and sometimes force, hydration."

Patterson said that his freshmen have found "walking nine holes in 110 degree heat" to be extremely challenging.

Season matches are nine holes, but in tournaments the schools play 18 holes. The championships will be played in Prescott Valley, which is about 90 miles north of downtown Phoenix.

Patterson is less worried about the heat and more worried about the layout of the course.

"The greens are typically a little bit faster, and being in elevation will cause the ball to travel a little further," he said.