Get a change from the basic contact team sports, Girls Golf is ready and able for all kinds of players.
The hustle and competition of many contact tactile sports are not for everyone, but is that a reason to deny sports completely? Of course not, and the alternatives available have enough merit and strategy to match any football team, including our very own girls golf team! With a unique combination of individual intense concentration and a fun personal atmosphere of 10 players, the sport is known by the introspective skills developed person to person and the care and caution it takes to zero in on the goal you’re reaching for. According to one of the unofficial team captains, Maycie Parmenter, year 12, “It’s something much different than team sports, it calls for patience and mental focus.” She shares this captainship with Christina Reason, and has worked hard to get to where she is now.
Don’t think you have the concentration for it? “If someone wants to learn to focus well, golf is definitely the right sport.” says Maycie. Less tactile, the idea is to train your body to prepare for where you aim, and if your mind is focused on nonlinear ideas and fears and worries, that’s where the ball will go. “Golf is a mental game. If you’ve had a bad day, you have to push past that attitude and put your negative energy into the ball, and hit it with precision.” This clearly shows the care that goes into a good game of golf, and the therapeutic benefits of doing so. Another tip offered from this captain is “To point your feet where you want the ball to go. Be sure to line up your feet properly.”
The team itself consists of 10 people, with 6 people rotated through the tournament when going against other schools. The difference, though, is that the more people that join the golf team, the fewer and farther between you are required to compete for a score. That’s why the reputation of the team is a relaxed, mentally focused game where you compete for your own self betterment! The coach of the golf team is Shane Sutcliffe, and he coaches with patience, care, knowledge of the sport and a liberal amount of humor. According to Maycie, “He knows what he’s talking about, his father was a pro golfer.” So his experience is high, thanks to his upbringing and the “sick days” with Mr. Parmenter.
The benefits to being on a tight-knit team like girls golf shine through in many ways, including the opportunities for scholarships, since “There aren’t a lot of girls golf teams, scholarships are a great opportunity” For Maycie, at least, it also helps her connect with her father, because it feels like she can go out and play a game of golf with him and his friends, based on the new skills she has learned. In addition to this, being on the girls golf team has enabled the players to finally understand the interest in the… less than riveting televised golf matches.
by Mira Wichelmann
photo by Delaveaga golf course
The Claw 