Golf teams getting into the swing of things

The snow on the ground, frigid temperatures and cutting wind couldn't stop the Superior and St. Regis golf teams from breaking out their clubs last week, but as the golfers try to shake off the rust and adjust their swings from the long winter layoff, they will also have to adjust to having new coaches when their season starts.

Dan Park will take over for John Douglas at the helm for the Tigers and Seth Kuhl replaces Terry Skantel as the coach for the Bobcats.

St. Regis Tigers

With every new coach there are going to be uncertainties about what kind of team they are taking over, but after the Tigers first practice at the golf course Tuesday, Park said he is certain of a couple things. “I'll say one thing, they're going to be tough. It was snowing, cold and windy and they stuck it out and didn't want to leave,” he said.

After the first day of practice, Park was also certain that his team was eager to get the season underway. “They wanted to crush the ball last night. They were definitely excited to get out,” he said.

It's not only the players who are excited to get the season started, Park said he has pretty high expectations for this season and for seasons to come. He said most of the 22 players are pretty young and should be the start of a strong program. “It was a good turnout and a good base to start with,” he said. Even though there was only about 75 yards of open grass to hit the ball, Park said he liked what he saw at the practice. “Their swings looked pretty good,” he said.

Two Tiger golfers made it to the Class C State Championships in Lewiston last year. Junior Cody Roper and sophomore Zane Worrall are both returning. “I definitely believe they'll make it back to state,” Park said. And when they do, Park expects they'll be a little bit more relaxed than last year. He said the state tournament is intimidating and he thinks Roper's and Worrall's experience last year should really help out this year.

Park said he doesn't think Roper and Worrall will be going to the tournament alone. “I'm hoping to get at least four qualified for state,” he said. He said senior Johnathon Kelley just missed out on state last year and he sees no reason why he shouldn't make it this year. Park also has high expectations for Nate Cantrell-Field. Even though the senior hasn't been out for the golf team before, Park knows what to expect from Cantrell-Field from coaching him in basketball. “I know the way he works. I'm sure he'll be good in no time,” he said.

Park said the rest of the boys on the team have enough experience and talent to make some noise in the tournaments. “Six boys have been through the lessons before, so they're not starting from scratch,” he said.

None of the three girls that made it state last year for St. Regis are returning, but Park isn't worried. He said he likes the way junior Ashley Ramsey swings the clubs and hopes for big things this year from her. “She should be able to qualify for state,” Park said. He said he has also been impressed with newcomer Dallas Ward and thinks she can also qualify for the state tournament in Livingston. “Her swing looks pretty good,” he said.

Park is hoping that another girl will improve enough to join the two at the state tournament. “I would love to have somebody step up to be the third girl to qualify,” he said.

St. Regis start their season at Deer Lodge April 4.

Superior

It can be pretty tough for a new coach to come in and evaluate his team after only one week of practice, It's even tougher when the practices are limited because of the weather. With snow covering the Trestle Creek Golf Course, the Bobcats have no course to practice on and have been holding all their practices at the driving range, but still the new coach likes what he sees.

“Their swings looked pretty good,” said Kuhl. He said he would really like to hit a golf course to see how his teams' whole game is.

The two Bobcat golfers who made the state tournament last year graduated, so the only one with experience at the state tournament is their coach. Kuhl was on the 2002 Superior team that won the state championship.

Kuhl said he sees no reason why some of his 14 golfers couldn't make it to the state tournament, but said it was in their hands. “The more practice you put in, the better you play,” he said. He said if his golfers practice daily and hit some courses on the weekend they should do fine. “I think we'll do all right,” he said.

Out of the 11 boys that came out for the golf team, three of them played a lot on last year's team. Kuhl said that Rollin Rennick, Dylan Williams and Luke Regan all got a lot of experience last year and that should really help them this year. “Golf is a game of experience. The more you play the more you learn,” he said.

Only three girls came out for the Bobcats, but Kuhl said all three of them played last year and have a lot of potential. He said the swings of Tamara Rennick, Tara Bauer and Jordanna Loewen all look great and he thinks all three can go far this year.

Even though Kuhl thinks his team can win a couple of tournaments this year and have several players advance to the state tournament, he said that's not how he is going to measure the success of the season. “I just want them to have fun,” he said. He said golf is a great sport and he just wants to teach it to them, so they can play it for a long time to come. “Golf is a lifelong sport. It's something they can play for the rest of their lives,” he said.