This year, the girls golf program started the year off with a total of four girls coming out for tryouts and all four making Varsity. For their tryout, the girls played a round of nine holes at St. Andrews Golf Club. Now that the season is in full swing, the girls meet everyday after school at various golf courses in the Overland Park area with the new coach, Eric Gonerc, for practice.

“Our strengths are: positive attitudes and patience but we need to work on our short game…I’m excited to see the team improve,” Gonerc said.

On most days, the team plays nine holes, but on Fridays and sometimes Tuesdays, they will meet for practice and spend an hour or so chipping and putting or hitting balls at the driving range.

“I really like Coach Gonerc! He is really good at helping me with my technique and he’s funny and easy to get along with.” junior Elena Nanneman said.

The girl’s first tournament is coming up fast and the girls are working hard everyday to be prepared to compete. Since all four girls are new to the golf team this year, the team spends lots of time in practice going over the rules of the game and how to handle special situations such as: what to do if you lose a ball while playing.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in tournaments,” Nanneman said.

While golf is one of the world’s more serious sports and requires a lot of silence and patience, the girls always find a way to make practices fun. Whether it’s putting competition on the practice green or riding on the back of Coach Gonerc’s golf cart with their bags still on their backs, the team is always laughing and having fun.

“My favorite part about being on the team is my teammates. They make the game and practices so much fun! We are always cracking jokes and laughing,” Nanneman said.