NATCHEZ — The Natchez High School golf team is making a few more pars early in the 2012 season and better scores have already led the Bulldogs to a tournament win — something that they have failed to capture in a few years.

The Bulldogs beat Cathedral in the first tournament of the season, and head coach Jerry Baldwin said getting that win was a thrill for the team.

“It was the first time we won a golf tournament since I’ve been here,” Baldwin said. “I was extremely proud of our kids.”

Baldwin is in his third season as Natchez golf coach, and he said he has seen great improvement so far this season.

“We’re just getting better,” he said. “Our swings are getting better along with our course management.”

Improved swings and course discipline led to the team improving its score by 22 strokes from the first tournament last season to the first this season.

“It’s still all the same young men, so to improve that much over a year shows we are doing something right out here,” Baldwin said.

The biggest issue with the team right now is lack of course time, Baldwin said.

“I guess our main problem is we don’t play in the summer,” he said. “So we only have them for three months.”

Baldwin said one of the players that has been playing all year is senior Trey Hill.

“He has shown a big improvement,” Baldwin said. “He is a bright star so far (this season).”

It took until Hill’s sophomore season for him to start focusing on golf full time, Hill said.

“I’ve been playing since the ninth grade, but I didn’t get serious until the 10th grade,” he said. “I figured out that’s what I wanted to do, and the more I practiced the more I ended up enjoying it.”

Hill said he takes lunch breaks to practice his putting and any free time he gets he tries to go to the range and hit some balls.

Eventually Hill hopes that his practice will lead to a continued golf career, he said.

“I personally want to get to the point where college recruiters for golf will be looking at me,” he said.

Hill is one of three seniors, along with Jonathan Weir and Rodrick Lewis, on the team that Baldwin has high expectations for this season.

“I’d like to see all three seniors step up and be 80 golfers,” Baldwin said. “And I think they can do it, it’s just course management (they need to work on).”

Hill said he understands his role as leader of the team.

“I am trying to lead the way and set a good example,” Hill said. “I just try to, instead of being so conservative, have fun and at the same time have a competitive edge, and that helps (the younger players) out.”

Weir led the Bulldogs in Tuesday’s tournament at Duncan Park. He finished second overall, which led Natchez to a second-place finish. Franklin County won the tournament, and Cathedral finished third in the three-team event.

J’Briana Prater, the only female member of the Natchez golf team, shot a 58 to tie for second overall in the girls’ division.

The team will participate in 10 tournaments this season, one of which will be the Regional Tournament that Natchez will host at Duncan Park.

“We’re excited about that,” Baldwin said. “It will be nice having it here. I’m very proud of Natchez, and it will give us the chance to showcase the city and the people here.”

Hill said he expects this year’s team to be far better than last year’s.

“Last year we struggled, but this year we have more mature players,” he said. “This year we should be able to compete with some of the best and hold our own.”

Baldwin said he hopes the steady progress for the Bulldogs will allow the program to continue to build, and he is already planning for the future of the team when this year’s three seniors depart.

“We picked up three ninth-graders,” Baldwin said. “They are really looking good. They are new to the game and hadn’t played before, but they have potential to be good golfers.”