PHS Varsity Boys Golf Enjoys Successful Season

John Snellenberger serves as coach of the Portland High School Varsity Boys Golf Team. He said that the boys had a positive and successful season in 2026.

“We improved from start to finish,” he said. “All of the boys showed improvement.”

The team this year was composed of six seniors and of one junior.

“Our strongest showing this year was at the league tournament,” said Snellenberger. “We took third place at the tournament, having had a great day at MSU’s Forest Acres West Golf Course.”

PHS’s top scorer at the tournament was junior Joe Nobis, who shot an 82 at the challenging MSU course. It was good enough to secure him a third place finish as an individual.

For the year, the team itself finished in the fifth place slot of the league. Coach Snellenberger feels good about the boys.

“I’m proud of the team,” he said. “They proved to be a close-knit group who developed a distinct camaraderie with each other. They shared common goals and found a good experience with one another.”

Golf, according to Snellenberger, is much more than simply fun.

“The boys learned to work together to achieve team goals,” he said. “This sense of teamwork is essential to their adult development. They also learned to take personal, individual responsibility for their actions. While they are on the golf course, they are away from their coach and they are forced to make critical, independent choices regarding their game. This requires discipline on their part. As a coach, I’m a resource for them, but considering the way high school golf is set-up, the boys themselves must assume responsibility for themselves and to take charge of their game. This helps make men out of boys.” 

Snellenberger plans to return next year as coach.

“Next year, we will have a completely restructured team,” he said. “I am losing six seniors with one returning player. It means that we will have an entirely new team except for Nobis.”

Snellenberger looks back on twenty years as coach and he feels good about what he’s done.

‘It’s been an honor and a privilege to be a coach,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed leading these teams. Golf is a special high school sport, both for the coach and for the competitors. It has been worth every effort that we’ve put into it.”

Courtesy photos.