Golf is a sport that rarely receives attention on the high school level, but this fall, the Bethel team proved why we should be paying more attention to this sport.

 The most popular sports at Bethel include the usual suspects, such as basketball, volleyball, football, and track. However, some of our most successful athletes participate in lesser known sports, like golf. This year, the golf team made it to regionals, finishing the season ranked 3rd in the district.

During the season, two players’ performances really shone: juniors Luke Boulais and Chloe Barnes. Luke made it to the state tournament, while Chloe participated in the Girls Open Zone Qualifier.

“My dad got me into golf a few years ago around when covid started,” Boulais shared. “I decided to play school ball just for fun and something to do during baseball offseason.”

Like Boulais, Barnes king of just fell into the sport. 

“I started golfing in 4th grade,” Chloe stated. “I was just putting and somebody was like come on out and try it, and [I] just started playing after that.”

As part of the Virginia High School League (VHSL), Bethel players participated in golf matches against teams in our district. Because they performed well this year, they moved on to regionals, where they competed against teams from throughout the area.

“Qualifying…was an interesting experience because we all went into …[it] for fun and for the experience,” Boulais said.

All of the Bethel players did well at regionals, but Boulais’s and Barnes’s performances secured them spots in tournaments at the state level.

“I guess I was just the lucky one who happened to do good that day,” Boulais stated. “It was good, and I can’t wait to experience states.”

“I improved a lot from the beginning [of the season] to the end,” Barnes shared. “Everyone is improving with the practice.”

 For the athletes, playing golf has been a positive experience, and most of them plan to continue playing next year.

“I think it is a good experience,” Barnes enthused. “I would definitely do it [next year], and I would have played 9th grade year if I could have.”

The golf season has concluded for this school year. The State Tournament was October 9th, while the Girls Zone Open was on October 16th. Neither Bethel player won, but they “got really good experience” out of the matches, and the team’s coach, Chris Oschenfeld, is optimistic about the team’s prospects for next year.

“We’ve improved each year,” Oschenfeld observed. “I really think that next year we’ll have a really solid team …to build on from this year.

If you are interested in joining the golf team, you will need a physical by July at the latest for the upcoming school year. Email Ochsenfeld ([email protected]) to learn more about the tryout process.