While many golf tournaments take place in the spring, men’s and women’s golf head coach Karen Exon plans to put more focus on the fall golf season this year.

Exon said the fall golf season is an opportunity to take advantage of pleasant weather and to allow the players to prepare for the spring season.

“I can’t control when conference, regionals and nationals are, but I can control the events leading up to it, so why not play more events in the fall when it’s front-loaded in the semester then play more when it’s back-loaded in the spring,” she said.

Players will not be the only ones facing changes. In the past Exon has been responsible for teaching duties along with her coaching regimen.

“For the first time in 19 years at Baker, I’m not formally teaching any classes this year. Instead, I’ve been in charge to develop an internship requirement for certain Exercise Science and (physical education) majors,” she said.

On the men’s team Exon will look to Michael Kahler, the lone senior, for leadership as he takes the reign of captain this year.

“He was all-conference and just missed all-region last year,” she said. “He showed a great deal of maturation and I was extremely pleased with his productivity in the classroom.”

Kahler said he is going to set an example by focusing on academics as well as putting in extra hours to improve his golf game.

“I need to be a model golfer. I want to get there as early as I can and stay as late as I can,” he said. “The young guys don’t know what to expect and this is what it’s all about: getting good grades and taking care of classes and getting serious with golf and getting into the top five.”

Junior Chase Day said he looks forward to the fall season and getting experience to prepare for the spring competition.

“We have some good experience and some guys coming back,” he said. “We only lost one guy, so it looks to be a pretty bright season coming up.”

Like the men’s team, the women will look to a lone senior, Ashley Johnson, for leadership as this year’s captain. Exon said she was very pleased with Johnson’s play last season.

“She had a fine junior campaign,” Exon said. “She was named all-conference and really gave a go at all-regional. I really like the way she came on in her junior year. She really matured on and off the course.”

The men’s team will begin its fall season Sept. 9 against Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. The women’s team will begin Sept. 20 against Missouri Valley in Marshall, Mo.