Dogie Golfers Open Season at Sundance Invite

The Newcastle Dogie golf team teed off its fall season Friday at the Sundance Invite, taking on seven other schools in northeast Wyoming. In only their second year as a program, the Dogies fielded four golfers and posted a team score, showing flashes of potential even as they worked out the early-season jitters.

"They’ve taken us in with open arms because we are a new program," Coach Brad Troftgruben said of competing in 2A events, even though Newcastle is designated as a 3A school. The Dogies went head-to-head with Sundance, Wright, Tongue River, Upton, Niobrara County, Big Horn and Moorcroft.

"We are 100 percent self-funded and a lot of the 3A events are two days and involve hotels and meals and stuff like that," Troftgruben explained. Because of travel costs, weather, and limited tournament openings, the Dogies only managed two meets during the spring portion of last year’s season. The fall schedule is just as short, with three regular-season tournaments before Regionals and State. All of Newcastle’s coaching is volunteer, with Troftgruben joined by assistants Brad LaCroix and Wyatt Voelker.

Despite those challenges, the coaches were able to get freshmen Asic Dawson and Adryan Wolf and returning players Ty Stith and Coen Tavegie ready for the meet, and Wolf’s 97 was good enough for 15th in a 45-player field, while Dawson’s 102 placed him 23rd in his varsity debut. Tavegie finished 28th at 106, and Stith came in 33rd with 108. While the Dogies placed eighth as a team, they walked away with valuable experience and a pair of promising freshmen who cracked the top half of the leaderboard.

"It was the first tournament they ever played in, and they conducted themselves well," Troftgruben said, noting that he is a stickler for golf etiquette.

In high school golf, a varsity squad is made up of five players, with the top four scores counting toward the team total. Newcastle had just four players available in Sundance, meaning every stroke factored into their finish, and inexperience took a toll on the Dogies late in their rounds.

"When we got on the back nine, we started making some loss-of-focus mistakes. That is on me," Troftgruben said. 

He praised his players’ effort and sportsmanship, and said the team is aiming to build on its strong individual play when it travels to Sheridan this Friday to compete at Kendrick Municipal Golf Course.

"It will be a focus this week to really play a full 18 holes with concentration," Troftgruben added.

With such a limited schedule, the Dogies know they will need to improve quickly. Another boy has joined the roster and is expected to compete later this year, along with four girls who are also part of the growing program. The group hopes each round this fall will prepare them for the 3A East Conference Golf Tournament, scheduled for September 11–12 in Torrington.

Upton Bobcats Finish 4th

"Our team had a strong start to the season," Upton Coach said after the Bobcats placed fourth at Sundance. Chase Guliano led the way with a 4th-place finish at 82, and Nicholas Schiller followed in sixth at 87. Tristan McNutt contributed a steady 97 for 15th, while David Wozney and Ridley Butler each carded 124, rounding out a balanced team effort that helped Upton climb the leaderboard.