Lady Cougar golfers struggling to win

The Lady Cougars' golf team still seem to be playing in the rough this season and continue to search for what will give them a win.

"Midway through the season and getting close to sectionals is where you begin to see a team start to peak," said NPHS coach Linda Patrick. "This isn't happening for the Cougars. Practices and attending meets have been inconsistent for some players and this makes it extremely difficult to get lower scores individually which in turn help the team scores in the end.

Two players were out sick on Monday when the team traveled to Owen Valley. Taylor Dixon played well on the Pine Woods hilly and wooded course and shot a 55. Taylor is still struggling with putting issues but is doing a good job on getting to the green.

Anna Carrington carded a 68 and showed improvement in her drives but putting issues haunted her as well.

Being a very tight course in the woods and crossing over the same creek four times, both girls encountered several penalties, which affected their scores. With a full team on Tuesday the Lady Cougars traveled to Crawfordsville to play in a three way with Crawfordsville and Tri-West. Playing half of the course before sectionals there on September 19, the team was able to get a feel for the length and difficulty of getting over water. Dixon shot a 59; Emily Eltz a 69; Anna Carrington carded a 66; and Mary Timm a 70.

With just three regular season meets left and the county tournament and sectionals looming over their head, the Cougars are going to have to toughen up in a very short period of time.

Each individual is going to have to evaluate their own game and prepare their own game plan.

"The newer players cannot depend on the experienced players as in the past when you have three and four-year players on your team," Patrick said. "This team is a young team but they all need to realize what they can improve upon to contribute to the team. Whether there is a win in their future this year or not, they need to also start preparing for next season."

The younger players learn something new every time they practice or play and these skills will soon become second nature to them. The basics of golf, rules of golf, and strategy of golf is difficult to assimilate in just six weeks.