Even before the grass regrows its verdant spring color, the Girls Golf team will be at Hyland Range or Somerset Country Club putting holes and cracking jokes to build team unity for their upcoming season, especially the competitive conference and sections matches in May.  

“Even though we aren’t super well known, we have fun and that’s what’s important,” senior co-captain Kathryn Schmechel said.

The team consists of 12 members, including the senior captains, Shelby Tietel and Kathryn Schmechel. The small size of the team fosters a close knit and supportive community.

“The team is rooted in having fun and getting to know each other, but we can be competitive too,” Schmechel said.

This competitive side of the team comes out later in the season. Tietel hopes to make it to the second day, which requires qualifying on the first day of the match.

“[Our goal is] getting as many girls to sections as possible,” Tietel said.

Under the guidance of Coach Dlugopolski, or “Coach D” as the girls call her, the team has sent seven players to the second day of sections in the past two years.

But the captains strive for more than external recognition and creating competition.

The main focus for the captains is “to create a team that truly cares about and wants to get better at golf,” Schmechel said.

In the past, methods for creating the fun and supportive team dynamic include lots of snacks and jokes.

“Before sections [last year] we were standing in the parking lot eating bagels while the other teams were practicing,” sophomore Lily Nestor said.

The captains encourage this laidback attitude.

“Since the game is very complicated and a bit frustrating, we all make fun of it and ourselves,” Tietel said.

While golf is a “mental game” according to Schmechel, it involves elements of teamwork because individual scores are added up for the overall team score.

“Golf exists in an interesting place between individual and a team sport. In a match it is only you out there, essentially against the course,” Tietel said.

Although golf might not be as widely celebrated as other spring sports, the Girls Golf team strives to build a positive atmosphere for its players. The team traditionally stops at Dairy Queen after their four-hour long conference match to celebrate. Eating Blizzards on the bus while swapping stories and jokes bonds the team and makes the long day out on the range worth it.