The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bulldogs among teams adjusting to guidelines
Players getting more individual instruction with coaches split between range and practice green
As Morgan Demooy and Sydney Ott walked down the fairway after teeing off on the second hole at Mallard Creek at Olmsted Falls’ golf practice on June 16, Demooy had a simple inquiry for Ott.
“Am I in a bad spot,” Demooy asked as the duo got closer to their balls.
“Eh,” Ott said. “It could be worse.”
In many ways, Ott’s response also defines the status of high school golf.
In the three weeks since the OHSAA allowed schools to reopen for individual skill training on May 26, Demooy and Ott have been part of a contingent of about 20 girls visiting Mallard Creek Golf Club twice a week for Olmsted Falls girls golf practices.
And while the team has some social distancing guidelines to follow, the amount of change is arguably the lowest among OHSAA sanctioned high school sports.
“Normally we practice on Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the summer, but this year we’ve split the team up into different waves,” Olmsted Falls coach Emily Nagle said. “We’ll have eight come each hour and four of them will be on the range with me and four of them will be on the putting green with my assistant and then we’ll switch after a half hour. It’s actually working out better because they’re getting more one-on-one instruction.”
That wave mentality was on display June 16, as Demooy — a senior — and Ott — a sophomore — worked on the putting green with sophomore Angelina Ward before moving out with Nagle to golf nine holes with Nagle while assistant coach Alan Evangelista stayed behind to work on the driving range with newcomers to the team.
“It’s kind of sad that we don’t get to all be together, but practices are a lot more structured now,” Demooy said of the practices being split up. “When we get to practice, we know what we’re going to do at specific times.”
When Nagle saw the OHSAA’s announcement about practices reopening, she immediately scheduled a Zoom call with her teammates and their parents to discuss what it meant for the team’s practice schedule.
After waiting an additional week for the school year to finish, Nagle scheduled practices for twice a week, the same schedule they’d had if there hadn’t been a pandemic.
“They’re super excited to get back out there,” Nagle said of her team. “We’ve actually gained seven additional players so we’re up to 20 girls who want to play for us. I just think a lot of kids just want to get out and do something since they’ve been cooped up for so long and are willing to try something new. We have almost 16 girls at every practice, they’re very motivated this summer, it’s really awesome to see.”
If there’s one golfer who knows about how social distancing is impacting other sports, it’s Ott. A three-sport athlete, Ott is juggling golf practices along with softball and basketball practices.
“Golf is most normal of the three sports,” Ott said with a laugh. “We had to adapt a lot in basketball and softball since those sports have a lot more sharing and contact. Golf is kind of like a breath of fresh air right now because everything in the other sports is changing so quickly. But with golf you’re kind of distanced already so this is just helping us even more with communication.” While no official changes to the golf season have been announced, all signs point toward fragmented starts being the norm once August rolls around, as well as the other current distancing guidelines like not sharing clubs and not taking the pin out of the hole when putting.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems like the OHSAA is open to allowing some sports to play even if other sports can’t,” Nagle said. “At first I was a little worried it was going to be all or nothing. I’ve spoke to the girls and parents about it and they all seem comfortable with how we’re doing things and having the girls out at the golf course in general. We also tell them don’t group up and don’t share equipment.
“We’re also limiting one person in the clubhouse at a time and have them be mindful of who they’re riding with. It honestly hasn’t really affected us too much with how we would typically practice. A lot of my girls do tournaments and I haven’t heard from any big changes from them.”
The biggest thing working in favor toward there being a high school golf season is the uptick in activity in the professional ranks. Last weekend, the PGA Tour restarted from its coronavirus-induced hiatus with the Colonial in Forth Worth, Texas.
While the event was held without fans, the play of professional golf, coupled with golf courses slowly reopening across the country, has Nagle optimistic that high school golf will be played in Lorain and Cuyahoga county later this summer.
“Golf courses have been open so I’m hoping we’ll be able to get through our season and the girls will be able to finish,” Nagle said. “I think that everybody has to be super flexible with the changes that can be thrown at us last second, but making adjustments is better than not playing, so I’m OK with making adjustments as long as we can have some type of season.”