Newtown High School’s boys’ golf team will look to the emergence of their younger golfers and continued success of standouts as the Nighthawks go after a South-West Conference success this spring.

The Nighthawks lost four team members to graduation last year, opening the door for some team members to step up. Newtown went 9-6 to finish fifth in the regular-season conference standings but raised their game for a fourth-place finish in the South-West Conference tournament led by standout David Brestovansky.

Brestovansky, who was the individual SWC winner last year, and Tim Davis are senior captains.

While there were some significant losses to graduation, many of the team members competed in matches and have plenty of course time under their belts.

“Experience will be the greatest strength. We have a lot of golfers that played in matches last year. They are now upperclassmen, and they must lead by example during matches and practices,” Coach Bobby Pattison said.

“We expect to be in the hunt for an SWC championship. We have a few golfers back this season with experience which should help,” Pattison added. “Jake Mailloux and Jack Mulligan also saw varsity time last year and will be an important part of our success this season.”

Pomperaug of Southbury, Immaculate of Danbury, Weston, and Masuk of Monroe are always in the mix to win the SWC, Pattison said.

Mindset management as much as course management will be key for the Hawks to thrive.

“The players have to be mentally tough. We need to make sure we stay focused and play smart golf. We cannot let emotions or conditions impact our play,” Pattison said.

Newtown’s season begins Monday, April 1, when the Hawks visit Weston at Aspetuck Country Club at 3 pm. The Hawks will have their home matches at Rock Ridge Country Club again this spring.