Going (to the) green with the girls golf team

   To some people, golf is viewed as a boring old man sport where someone just swings a club and tries to get a ball into a hole. Playing golf takes more than just doing that. “People argue that golf isn’t a sport,” said golfer Claudia Chia ‘20. “It’s not only a physical game but a mental game as well.” A lot goes into the sport, and the skills one develops from playing golf can eventually help with future success as well. “You learn to be patient, and golf will be useful for networking in the future to conduct business,” Chia said.

       West High School’s girls golf team has 15 golfers in the 2019 season and has a wide range of talent on the team. In the past, the girls golf team has been strong with having been to four state championships, and it has only been growing in size. The team is led by Mary Goodfellow and Donald Bristow. Goodfellow has been coaching the girls golf team for the past 20 years. “My ‘day job’ is teaching fourth grade at Twain Elementary,” Goodfellow said. “I love working with 10-year-olds but working with high school girls is a whole other level of fun. I love their sense of humor, how quickly they learn …, how willing they are to try new things, and how they begin to develop a love for a game.”

       With golf season being during the spring, practices are all to the mercy of the weather. The season, being about two and a half months, the first few weeks of practices are usually inside where the team begins talking about rules. They also practice chipping and putting in the wrestling room. “Once the courses open up, our home course is Finkbine. We try to play at least a few holes every night. We also work on our swings on the driving range,” Goodfellow explained.

This year, many girls who had never even picked up a club before decided to join the team. “It’s been going well so far! Golf is a hard sport even though people think it’s easy, but the friends I’ve made and how supportive and fun they are, really helps,” says Sophia Kouba ‘22, who just recently joined.

       This year, Leigha Pacha ‘22 has been playing on varsity. “If I’m being honest, it’s really stressful but I love it at the same time. It challenges me and pushes me to be my best,” said Pacha. As someone who has participated in many golf camps and is in a family of golfers, Pacha has developed an affinity for the sport. “Golf is special to me because it is a sport that I love and I can play it forever. I love playing golf with my family and spending time with them while doing something that I love!”