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GIRLS’ GOLF PREVIEWS: Eagles up for defense of Putnam County title as Clovers continue program growth, Cougars consolidate around experienced upperclassmen
The wait is finally over.
Starting July 31, all fall sports teams have begun practice ahead of the 2023 fall sports season.
In the next few weeks, the Banner Graphic will provide previews ahead of each team’s respective sports seasons.
With girls’ golf already beginning matches as of Monday, the first of these previews will take a look at those taking to the fairways and greens over the next six weeks.
South Putnam
The defending county champion Eagles will have to retool quickly to hold on to their spot on top as four seniors graduated, including regional qualifier Madie Newby and all-county golfer Ava Watson, from a team that finished fourth at the Northview Sectional and fifth at the WIC.
Further changes come at the top as Jill Newton takes over for Brian Gardner as head coach, though the new skipper has plenty of experience in both playing and coaching to draw on.
“I’ve filled in before as coach and play golf regularly,” Newton said about taking over for Gardner. “I went with Madie to regionals a couple of years ago.
“I will be working with the girls on the mental aspect of the game and keeping calm, as golf is a fluid game from hole to hole. We’ll talk about keeping composure while playing and, knowing some of the courses in the area, I’ll help them size up holes, where to play, lies and other things.”
South Putnam returns regional qualifier Alie Newby and Mackenzie Lovett as seniors with sophomores Faith Wiggins and Bella Fanning rounding out the current squad, though Newton said there was a possibility of further additions to the team possible.
“Alie is going to be our No. 1 this year after coming off a regional appearance,” Newton said. “Mackenzie, a senior, was just a few strokes off from also being a regional qualifier and we’re expecting some big things from her.
“Faith and Bella will also be out, and we have a possible fifth that might be out later. Even though that individual is a newcomer, golf is a sport you can jump into and pick things up as you go. We’ll also be looking to recruit a few under underclassmen, so we’ll wait and see how that goes.”
Though the squad will not have much margin for error early, Newton said the girls were eager to get things rolling Wednesday when the Eagles host Greencastle.
“This is a good group of girls and we’re excited to get out and play,” Newton said. “We’ll take each match one at a time and have a good season as we get out on the course.
“Personally, I’m ready to get the first match over with to be able to get the logistics of matches down to know what to expect. I’m happy we get to start on our home course and it will be good for the girls to get their season underway.”
Cloverdale
A slow and steady build up has seen the Clovers continue to build the program under Jamie Steffy with seven golfers out to start the year, a marked improvement from just two years prior.
“The first year I coached, we had two golfers and last year we had five golfers,” Steffy said. “Once we had everyone eligible and healthy, we had a solid year, winning a couple of dual matches, the first time Cloverdale has done that in about 12 years, while having close to middle of the pack finishes in both the WIC and sectional.
“The improvement we have made with our winter hitting program and getting girls out has been a big help. As we come to this year, we have seven girls out and have had steady turnout for our five preseason practices, which has helped us build depth for this year.”
Cloverdale’s core will revolve around juniors Aliyah Maldonado and Autumn Wheeler and sophomore Celeste Terrell, the trio having helped the school to eighth place finishes at both the WIC and Northview Sectional.
“We have three returners in Aliyah, who has been with me for three years, along with Celeste and Autumn,” Steffy noted. “Those three have started to build experience in the system and you could see it in their scores and confidence level on the course.
“With the rate that she’s been improving, Aliyah could be one of the best golfers in the county and conference this year. Celeste, as a sophomore, hadn’t played golf before last year and is very long off the tee; with some work on her short game, she can be very good.
“Autumn is the opposite of Celeste in that she’s not as long off the tee but is very solid in her short game,” Steffy added.
The Clovers add four new players in seniors Gracie Haga and Keiria Allen, junior Millie Hag and sophomore Payten Watkins to start the year off with the largest squad in the county.
“For our new girls, who are an athletic group, they’ll improve as they know the rules, know which club to use and play the game, something we spent a lot of our preseason work on,” Steffy said. “As a team, we have a goal of not wanting to putt more than twice on a hole.
“As we continue to get better, the scores are going to continue to get lower and we’re happy with the development of the program going into year three. We’ve got a couple of weeks to fine tune some things before we open with Indian Creek.”
Starting with the Braves on Aug. 10, the Clovers will jump into action later than the rest of the county but will be on a whirlwind tour from that point forward, routinely involved in three or four matches a week for the duration of the season.
“Even though we have experience, we still have a lot of new girls and having our first two matches at home helps,” Steffy said about facing Indian Creek and South Putnam to open the season. “If we can continue to show improvement like the last two years, it’s going to be a competitive season for us.”
North Putnam
The Cougars come into the 2023 season with a squad lighter in numbers than had been hoped for but still has plenty of players with county-winning experience for head coach Earl Hall.
“Having lost three players from last year’s team and having no incoming freshmen looking to play girls’ golf, the North Putnam Cougars will play the 2023 season with five players,” Hall noted. “With one gone via graduation and two players matriculating to other schools, the Cougars lost some talented players.
“While the cupboard might not be full, what is in the cupboard is filled with substance, experience and previous success.
Seniors Gabbi Simonson and Morgan Mason, along with junior Madison Houser, all return with at least one county title to their names, while senior Kaitlynn Jacobs was part of the varsity roster last year while sophomore Aubrey Crowe will join into the varsity mix this season.
“Gabbi is a two-time All-Putnam County team member and a member of a team that won two-straight Putnam County Championships,” Hall pointed out. “Morgan was a member of the 2021 Putnam County Championship team while Kaitlynn played in the Putnam County Championship on a team that finished second in 2022.
“Madison was a member of the 2021 Putnam County Championship team while Aubrey, a sophomore on this year’s team, will see her first action in both the Putnam County and WIC Championships.
Hall said North Putnam would be faced with another tough schedule, including multiple challenging tournament fields to end August, but said the squad would learn a great deal each time out, starting at home with Greencastle Aug. 7.
“For the Cougars to be effective, these five young ladies will need to bond together, share encouragement with one another and overcome a bad shot or a missed putt by staying focused and upbeat,” Hall said. “As always, the Cougars will face stiff competition with the likes of Northview, Western Boone, North Montgomery and Southmont just to name a few.
“For three-straight weekends in August, the mettle of these young ladies will be tested by the likes of the Terre Haute South Lady Braves Invite, the Southmont Lady Mounties Invite and the WIC Girls’ Golf Championship. And of course, the ladies know that they will see great play from the three other Putnam County schools and will see it early as the Cougars open their season against Putnam County foe Greencastle.
“I believe the girls are excited and they will give their best effort each time out,” Hall added. “They will play a lot of golf in a very short time span but I look for improvement from each player throughout the season because that is what we have seen in the past.”