Girls golf: Princeton girls take a swing at new sport

Seven girls were looking to do something new and try something different this fall at Princeton High School.

They all came up with the same idea — let’s play golf.

Six of the seven had never picked up a golf club before, but that didn’t stop them from giving it a try.

Each had their reasons to come out for golf, but each one is glad they did.

“It’s senior year, so why not. I’m enjoying it a lot,” senior Morgan Forristall said.

“I just thought it was senior year and why not try something new,” senior Madison Doran said. “And I thought it would be fun to grab a bunch of friends and try something new and just have fun with it no matter what. Just making memories for our last year together.”

“I just wanted to try something new for my senior year, especially since I wasn’t doing anything else in the fall. And it’s a good thing to learn,” senior Hailee Pembleton said. “Even if you do bad, it’s still fun.”

“Just trying something new, something different. I’ve played volleyball for the past few years of my life. So, I thought it would be fun for a change,” junior Sophia Oester said.

PHS junior Addie Hecht had hip surgery last year and found golf to be more conducive in her recovery.

“I can’t really run any more. Just thought I would try something new. (It’s a) less vigorous activity. I’m having so much fun,” she said.

When asked if she’d ever pick up golf club before, junior Ava Morton said, “Never.” But that didn’t stop her from trying it.

“I just wanted to do a fall sport. I was debating it and all the girls said, ‘Oh yeah, we’re doing golf.’ I said that gives me another reason for doing it,” she said. “I’m having fun and it gives me something I can do the rest of my life.

Morton said the best part of golf is the “feeling when I do good.”

Four of the girls also team up as cheerleaders — Hecht, Doran, Forristall and Morton.

Addie Carr, a sophomore who played volleyball last year, is the one newcomer who has played the game before.

“I’ve always loved golf. It’s been like our family sport,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of fun. All the girls on the team, I didn’t expect there to be that many. It’s an odd group, but we all have a lot of fun together.”

Carr boasts that, “I’m going to beat my brother (PHS senior golfer Jarrett).”

Senior Emma Kruse-Carter, who is one of just two holdovers along with sophomore Halli Peterson, found herself in the same shoes as her new teammates three years ago when she came out for golf as a freshman having never played before. She said it was the best decision she’s made.

“I enjoy it. Gives me a chance to meet people I normally don’t talk to because a lot of these girls that joined played volleyball,” she said.

The senior captain known best as “EKC” was apprehensive at first with all the newbies coming out.

“I’m not going to lie, I was kind of scared at first when I heard how many people were joining. (I thought), ‘It’s going to be a long season,’” she said. “But these girls have grown so much in such a short amount of time. I love teaching these girls and giving them lessons that I learned.”

While Forristall showed promise with an early birdie 2 on the par 3 No. 3 hole at Wyaton Hills, success didn’t come overnight as a whole and they learned it would be a work in progress.

“It’s a learning process. Sometimes it’s hard not to get frustrated, but breathe through it,” Oester said.

“Some days I do really good and other days, I’m like wow, Its like I never swung a golf club in my whole life,” Morton said.

Doran said it was all overwhelming at first.

“Toward the beginning of the year, it was a lot to look at,” Doran said. “And then, once I went to the driving range more I realized it’s slowly getting better. It just takes time. It’s not going to come to me right away. I realize that. It just takes more time and patience.”

It helps Doran knowing she’s not alone in picking up a new sport.

“Sometimes I struggle. I’m getting a lot more confidence in myself and realizing everyone struggles in a certain spot and not everybody’s perfect and there’s a lot more to the sport than just swinging to the ball, swinging to the ball,” she said.

PHS head coach Brandon Crawford said they each have shown some great moments so far at both practice and in competition.

“I’ll tell you what, I am very pleased with how the girls have done the first few weeks of this season,” he said. “We have nine girls this season and seven of them are first time players. I love the energy they have, the camaraderie they show for each other, and the support and encouragement they offer their opponents throughout a match. They really are great girls and we are very lucky to have them as members of the PHS golf program..

“At our invitational last weekend I had a parent from a visiting school say to me how nice it was of my player to always be offering encouragement or praise to their daughter throughout the day. The game is about integrity and sportsmanship and that is what Princeton golf is all about.”