WHHS women’s golf was introduced into the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) in 2022. Since then, the team has never had a winning record until this year. This losing streak was broken this year, with the ladies having a 5-3 record and being the fourth-ranked team in the ECC out of nine teams.
The team’s success can partly be attributed to a new coach, as they have previously struggled to find a coaching staff.
“We haven’t had a real coach until this year,” Himani Patel, ‘27, a third year golfer for WHHS, said.
Ella Griffin, ‘25, who has been on the team for three years, said that this vast improvement could also be credited to new players and consistency during the season.
“This year, we had a freshman who was able to score in that lower range [the goal in golf is to score lower.] When we had all four of our top players playing, we were consistently winning matches,” Griffin said.
However, the team also faced challenges typical of a newly established program.
“[We faced challenges because we were] a new team; the girls’ team didn’t start until 2022, so just getting awareness [for] players,” Griffin said.
Additionally, the team built a foundation for their success based on their new style of practices.
“Our practices have changed quite a bit; now that we are cut down to a smaller team [due to the former SENIORS leaving], our coach paid attention individually, on specific skills,” Patel said.
Griffin also agrees that there has been a change in how the team has been practicing.
“I would say just getting more practice in general [and] being ready for the season to start, because it gets going pretty quickly and it’s pretty short,” Griffin said.
Despite the team’s improvement and performance this season, they still feel a lack of support from the student body.
“I think some people aren’t aware that there is a girls’ golf team, and I think some people are embarrassed of it,” Patel said.
The team faces struggles that extend beyond competition, highlighting the need for greater support from both the school community and administration.
“I would say a lack of support from both coaching and from the athletic department, just because we play the least amount of matches out of any team, so there’s a lack of support in that area,” Griffin said.
This lack of support made it harder for the team to succeed, but it also gave them fuel to fight past it and strengthen as a group.
“I would say it gives us less opportunities to play,” Griffin said. “We had a lot of our matches really close together, so that affected our record, but I think we made the most of it and had a really good season.”
The future for women’s golf at WHHS is bright, and the team hopes to continue to prove people wrong and succeed.
“I think [the future] is really bright,” Griffin said. “I mean, considering three of our best players are underclassmen, I think as they progress as players and get more comfortable with playing competitively, they’ll have a lot of success.”
Patel also agrees that people should keep an eye on the women’s golf program.
“We have a team of just motivated players, and we’ve all grown close together, so I’m really excited to grow the girls’ golf team,” Patel said.