As the sun sank over Buenaventura Golf Course on Tuesday, the girls’ golf team tallied up their individual scores and announced their close loss to Nordhoff High School. The Dragons were beat by the Rangers with a final score of 288 strokes to 282.

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As the sun sank over Buenaventura Golf Course on Tuesday, the girls’ golf team tallied up their individual scores and announced their close loss to Nordhoff High School. The Dragons were beat by the Rangers with a final score of 288 strokes to 282.

Despite the loss, Coach Janey Dunn felt that the match went “very well” even though the team was missing their sixth player.

“The girls all played really well. We only had five today because one of our girls is out of town so that meant that all of their scores had to count, we didn’t get to drop one,” Dunn said. “They played well, 288 is one of our better scores so I’m happy with the way that we played.”

The match marks the team’s final home match of their inaugural season, and although the team has “gained a bit of confidence on this course,” according to Dunn, the players still found trouble with the hazards.

“We know the course, we know how the puts slope, we know where to hit the balls,” freshman Sydney Roman said. “[But] the hazards like the water hazards and sand hazards I got stuck in a couple times.”

Freshman Paris White, who scored a 45, reiterated the point that the hazards could have been most improved.

“The hazards [could have been improved] because always getting stuck in those is so challenging. You always get one stroke more or you always have to figure it out on your own or ask somebody,” White said.

However, several of the girls believed that the season was a success even with a smaller team mostly comprised of players who did not have prior golfing experience.

“The girls that have never really played before like Elizabeth [Callahan], Ky [Zickafoose], and everybody really got to know how to play golf more and they’ve done so much better. Starting from the beginning they’ve learned so much,” White said.

Junior Olivia Cate, who shot her best score of a 55, agreed with White and also noted the team’s advancements.  

“I think [the season] went really well, especially for our […] inaugural season. I think we all collectively did really well and we each have gotten lower scores as the season’s gone on and I think we’ve progressed as a team,” she said.

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Dunn is already looking ahead to next season and how the team will continue to improve under her coaching.

“There’s a lot that I’ve learned just in watching other coaches and what they’re doing and in the way I run practices and certain things that I want to work on more next year,” Dunn said. “Definitely I’ve learned a lot, I started basically at the bottom going off my playing experience and so I’m looking forward to next year and being successful.”

The team will play their final match of the season tomorrow at Montecito Country Club in Santa Barbara.

Background Photo Credit: Grayson McCoy/The Foothill Dragon Press