You’ve cheered at football games, you’ve screamed for the soccer team, and you’ve lept from the bleachers during volleyball games. But there’s another Enloe sport that deserves your praise: Women’s Golf. The all-star team, which had three players qualify for regionals this season, is a talented, passionate, and welcoming community, dedicated to the sport they love. I met with the team’s coach, Coach Simpson, players Phoebe Xu (10) and Parisa Majumdar (9), and captain Kayla Williams (12) to learn more about this incredible team and the sport of golf.

“It’s like a mind game, you know?” says Phoebe Xu about golf, “you have to train yourself to be so concentrated and aware […] of your thought process […] so that you can play the game.” The players I spoke to have all been playing golf for years, and each loves something different about it. “It’s something that’s calming in a way,” says team captain Kayla Williams, “you’re not really worried about other things going on.” From its connection to nature to the tactical side of it, even its calming capabilities, golf has something for everyone.

Beyond the sport itself, all the players spoke about the welcoming community on the team. “We’re all super supportive of each other.” says Xu, “We all try to help each other improve.” Every player spoke of the support they’ve received from other team members, and how they’ve all helped each other improve their skills. They also spoke of the connections and friendships they’ve made through the team, both by meeting other players at tournaments and on the team itself. “We keep in touch even though I’ve only known them a month,” says Parisa Majumdar, “if we have other tournaments that are not related to school golf, we’ll let each other know and stay in touch like that.” 

At the center of the supportive community is the team’s coach, Coach Simpson. When asked about the team’s coach, Parisa said “He’s one of the nicest coaches I’ve ever had, and he’s always so supportive. He’s always willing to open up practice, even if it’s just for one of us.” All the players

 spoke of his encouraging speeches and flexibility when it came to practicing and working with them. “I try to encourage the players to grow both in the game, and more importantly take the lessons learned and apply them to life,” says the coach, “Golf is a difficult sport.  The perseverance it takes to push through the tough times is an invaluable life lesson and increases the likelihood of success well after their time with the team is over.”

Everyone on the team has their eyes on the future. Senior members of the team have expressed interest in playing golf in college, which opens the opportunity for all kinds of scholarships– athletic and academic. The majority-underclassmen team is preparing to build on this year’s success and their Enloe-history-making turn at the regional championship.  In the words of Coach Simpson, “the future is bright”.