Orlando-area players rule girls golf world
There’s a written rule in high school golf that spectators are not supposed to get within 50 feet of players during a round.
There’s an unwritten rule that teams outside the Orlando area are not supposed to come within a mile of winning the Class 1A girls state championship.
Area teams like Windermere Prep and Circle Christian have won the past six titles.
When their state tournament begins Friday, undefeated The First Academy of Orlando is favored to make it seven in a row.
Unless two-time defending champ Lake Mary Prep beats the Royals to it.
“This is a hotbed for golf,” Lake Mary Prep coach Mike Jamison said.
So much that if there were a national girls golf poll like college football has, Orlando would be the SEC with brains.
“These girls are playing golf at a level I haven’t seen in high school before,” said TFA golf coordinator Kacey Kowars.
In a tournament, five golfers comprise a team but only the top four scores count. Orlando’s top teams sometimes have to throw out a 75 or 76, which often would be a record low score for most schools.
TFA’s Kelsey Zeng is the defending state individual champ and has shot a 64 this season. As good as she is, Royals coach Chris Bateman said the Royals have three players who might beat Zeng this weekend.
Students and faculty have been asking Kowars for directions to the state tournament at Mission Inn in Howey-in-theHills. That’s unusual enough, considering girls golf typically doesn’t attract a lot of spectators.
It’s also unusual that Kowars is leery about telling people. First, the opening round is Friday, a school day.
Second, the fans might not be up on all those rules. So Kowars is considering typing up a spectators guide to pass out. It would answer any questions they might have about fan behavior but probably wouldn’t address the overall one:
How did Orlando become the Death Star of girls golf?
You could begin with the things that make it popular with pro golfers — weather, courses and access to coaching. Those also attract some of the best young talent in the world, and those players usually matriculate to smaller, private schools offering top-notch educational and golf programs.
Lake Mary Prep’s Claire Hodges is typical. She was a junior golf whiz living in St. Louis, where it’s hard to play golf in the winter. So her family moved to Orlando five years ago so Hodges could keep developing her game.
Most of her teammates came from a lot farther than Missouri. Golf’s popularity in Asia has led to a pipeline to America for aspiring pros.
The small private schools routinely destroy larger ones by 100 strokes or more in regular-season matches. Their players say the intrasquad competition keeps them motivated, though it’s never cutthroat.
“We just love being out there,” said Hodges, who has a golf scholarship at Virginia. “Every girl loves each other’s company.”
They compete yearround and have their own swing coaches. Jamison, who runs a golf media-relations company, jokes that his main job is just to drive around in a cart and make sure his five players stay hydrated.
“I can haul water with the best of them,” he said.
Jamison won’t pretend to know more than David Leadbetter or Mike Bender or other renowned coaches. TFA’s approach is more comprehensive, with 13 players on the roster.
Bateman was the first golf coach at Florida Technological University in 1968. Now it’s known as UCF, but the 71-year-old Bateman can still shoot his age or better.
He also can’t drive a ball as far as some of his players. Their power and precision will be unleashed Friday.
Novice fans should remember — don’t get too close to the players, but feel free to cheer. Chances are if you’re rooting for an Orlando team to win, you’ll go home happy.