Back in the swing of things
Though it was a week later than anticipated, spring golf is under way for the Dogies. Coaches Brad Troftgruben, Wyatt Voelker and Brad LaCroix welcomed seven boys and one girl to the links April 7, and the crew is working hard to knock the rust off after winter forced them to put away their clubs.
Five young men are returning from the fall season, including Thatcher Troftgruben (No. 1 finisher), Coen Tavegie, Tyler Stith, and Caden Hall, who all played varsity, and then Ethan Parsons who golfed junior varsity. DeLaney Fullerton returns as the only lady on the squad.
New to the sport are freshmen Troy Christensen and Gustavo Munoz.
“I’m excited to see how these new kids do as we get the season rolling,” Coach Troftgruben said. “Hopefully these guys will stick with it and I’m excited to see what they turn into as golfers.”
The Dogies played mainly a 2A schedule last fall due to being a self-funded program in these initial, pilot years. Regular 3A meets are generally two-day events, meaning that hotel rooms and meals need to be provided for the kids, which isn’t really feasible to do on their own.
The team did compete in 3A for regionals and state, however, and Troftgruben was pleased with how they performed at that level.
“I was really proud of the crew we had. None of them had ever played real competitive golf at all before the fall, so they did a good job of adjusting to the pressure of the meet and how to get through the day with the ups and downs, and learning the rules and strategies,” Troftgruben said. “We got accolades for our golf etiquette and how we handled ourselves. They couldn’t believe how well our kids managed themselves for never having played competitive golf before.”
In looking forward to the spring season, Troftgruben admitted there are some hurdles that must be overcome for both the individual athletes and for the fledgling program.
“All of our returners are coming back strong, but it’s tough because you haven’t swung a club in four or five months so we’re trying to clean the cobwebs off the clubs,” he said. “Some of the kids worked with the golf simulator over the winter, but it takes a minute for them to get back into the swing of playing outside.”
Scheduling can also be a challenge for the squad because, as a new program, getting into competitive meets can be challenging.
“The issue is that these golf meets have been set for so long and they are filled up, so we kind of have to wait for a team to back out to allow us in,” Troftgruben said.
Golf meets are limited in the number of kids who can participate. Factors, including time management and course maintenance, mean that once the docket is full, more golfers cannot be added.
The Dogies were able to find a slot for their first meet, though, which will take place on the 25th in Sundance. Troftgruben is pleased that he will be able to bring his whole team for competition so that all will have the opportunity to get that first meet under their belts.