For a while it was looking as though there wasn’t going to be a girls varsity golf team this season.
A lack of players forced Coach Terry Kelley to cancel Oxford’s appearance in the first 18-hole tournament of the season at the Lapeer Country Club Aug. 17.
Fortunately, four more girls signed up, giving the team a total of seven, more than enough to keep the entire season from being cancelled.
With a team dominated by underclassmen, Kelley expects this season to be more of a rebuilding year.
‘This is not going to be a year where we’re going to be focusing on wins and losses,? he said. ‘We’re going to focusing on enjoying the game, enjoying being part of a team, improving to be ready for next year.?
Returning players, junior Anna Moses and sophomore Anna Tomaka, will be expected to help make up for the team’s lack of experience and provide leadership.
Moses is ‘playing pretty well right now,? according to Kelley.
‘She’s pleased with the way she’s playing and that’s usually a pretty good sign,? he said.
Tomaka is a quiet player who’s strength is precision play. ‘She places the ball well,? Kelley said. ‘She doesn’t hit it real far. So she has to put it exactly where she wants it.?
?(Tomaka’s) a very good putter. The best putter that we’ve had for a while. And that can really make a difference in scores,? the coach added.
Senior Kelsey Oliver has never played golf before, but she’s a ‘very strong athlete,? Kelley said.
Being brand new to the game, the coach said she was ‘a little surprised at how difficult it can be.?
Kelley said Oliver will have to learn that ‘you don’t overpower the game of golf. You learn to adjust, to live with it and to take what it gives you. It will take her a while to figure that out, but once she does, she’ll be fine.?
Sophomore Kate Wolanin is expected to bring to the golf course the same athletic ability that’s made her a valuable member of the cross country team. Kelley is particularly impressed by Wolanin’s swing, which has a ‘good wide arc.?
‘She can really hit the ball a long way,? he said. ‘She can send it pretty good. That can really help us.?
Wolanin just has to focus on control to turn that swing into an effective weapon.
Sophomore Susan Reynolds also ‘shows a lot of promise? in Kelley’s opinion. ‘She says she’s never played golf before, but, boy, when you watch her swing a golf club, it doesn’t look like it,? he said. ‘She hits shots that are just perfect. That’s encouraging to me.?
The ‘key? to Reynolds? success will be getting her to eliminate those ‘poorer shots,? according to the coach. He wants to see her hit ‘fewer and fewer? of those every time she’s on the course.
Sophomore Sarah Decker is ‘surprisingly strong? despite her smaller stature, Kelley said.
‘She generates a lot of club head speed,? which results in some ‘shots that roll 150 yards,? he said.
Freshman Emilie DeFrain spent the summer playing in a nine-hole league at Mulberry Hills.
‘She shows some real promise,? Kelley said. ‘She’s a good listener and works hard to do what’s suggested and what she’s asked to do.?
The young golf team’s next match is against Brandon at the Goodrich Country Club on Sept. 5