The girls golf season is coming to a close with their conference tournament on Monday, October 9. The tournment will take place at the North Kent golf club and will include an 18 hole match contrary to the regular nine hole matches.
The girls have been putting in the work all season, practicing their swings, chipping and putting. They have made drastic improvements. Girls head varsity golf coach James Haveman recognizes their determination.
“We went from girls not even being able to hit the ball to being pretty competitive,” Haveman said. “There are three girls that came out never [having] played golf before and all of them are on varsity [and] doing really well now.”
Haveman is excited about the girls’ improvements and believes all their practice and time spent on the course paid off, especially on shots close to the greens.
“[Their] golf score has really improved in [their] short game which we spent a ton of time on in the last two weeks,” Haveman said. “I think the girls will have some of their best scores because they’re focusing on the right parts of the game.”
Sophomore Ella Leslie is a part of the varsity team and is looking forward to showing her skills in the tournament.
“[My goal is to] just play it out and have fun, not worry too much but also have [my] head in the game,” Leslie said.
The team’s accomplishments throughout the season doesn’t only come from all their time spent practicing, but also from the support the team gives one another.
“We’ve been pretty successful because we work together a lot and our team has a very good bond,” Leslie said.
Sophomore Grace Laflure an experienced golfer on the varsity team and has been at the top of the OK White conference throughout the season. She has placed sixth in Kent County and third in multiple conference matchups. She has been keeping an optimistic mindset throughout the season.
“Every match is different, so if you have a bad day you can always have a good one,” Laflure said. “Everybody staying positive and doing their best [is important].”
Haveman is proud of the team and how far they’ve come this season.
“[The girls are] really receptive, hard working and have positive attitudes so it’s been a really fun experience,” Haveman said.
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