Bearden’s girls golf team is growing – and not just in numbers.
With only one returning player, the Lady Bulldogs are building confidence and learning to love the game together.
Many of the new athletes joined the golf team with no prior experience. Coach Billie Davis said he appreciates the new members’ willingness to jump into a new sport.
Senior Taisya Metchikoff is the one returner on the team, but last year was her first year playing the sport.
“It was definitely a learning curve,” she said. “But I’ve learned a lot this year and last year, and I’ve definitely improved a lot since I started.”
Sophomore Caroline Sellers experienced a similar hesitation.
“I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what other people think of me because they’re worried about their own performance,” she said.
Joining a sport where there are fewer girls than boys can be intimidating, but that hasn’t stopped this team from forming strong bonds.
“I feel like all the girls on the golf team ended up being really close because there are so few of us,” Metchikoff said. “I was super nervous my first year because golf felt like a male-dominated sport.
“But honestly, that created a stronger environment and more support for each other.”
Despite all the players being new to the sport, Coach Davis said they have shown strong improvement.
“It’s changed because they’re learning the game,” he said. “It’s more of an intermediate level now, and we’re having a lot of fun with it.”
Coach Davis said he hopes to instill an appreciation for the game in the novice athlete.
“I want them to focus on having fun,” he said. “Golf is a really hard game, and once you have that love for the game, you’ve got an itch, and so you’ll continue to play.”
Coach Davis said he has observed big improvements in the athletes’ technique.
“They’re hitting the ball better and straighter, and their short game is really coming along,” he said.
Added Metchikoff: “I’ve already seen a few improvements in my swing and confidence. I want to see that in my score by getting fewer over-par rounds or hitting par more often.”
Sellers’s original fear was proven to be a misconception after experiencing the lively atmosphere on the course.
“At first I was nervous about performing under the pressure of my parents and my coach,” she said.
For Coach Davis, a light-hearted environment remains his top priority.
“Competitively, I’d love for both the boys and girls team to get to state,” he said. “But beyond that, I want them to be good stewards of the game. Golf is a gentleman’s and gentlelady’s sport.”
Bearden golf will put their progress to the test Sept. 18 at Fox Den against Farragut. Players will tee off at 4 p.m.