High School Girls Heeding the Lure of the Links

The tee shots that started the high school golf tournament at Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club last Tuesday weren’t extraordinary. The unique part was they were hit by girls.

Usually, high school golf in California is a boys’ club; the few girls who compete play for teams that are overwhelmingly male. But times appear to be changing.

In the past few years, several Orange County high schools have had enough girls in their golf program to put together teams. This year the trend is accelerating.

Newport Harbor and San Clemente have added teams, and Newport Harbor hosted the individual tournament on the back nine at Costa Mesa’s Los Lagos course last week. The event drew nearly 40 players from 10 high schools.

“Hopefully, CIF will pick up on this,” said Fletcher Olson, who coaches the Newport Harbor girls, “and say, ‘You know, we should do this.’ ”

In fact, the Southern Section is attempting to boost girls’ participation in golf. This year for the first time, the section will host a girls’ individual championship, April 29 at Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs.

And section Commissioner Dean Crowley said he hopes to organize an invitational for girls’ teams next year. Crowley met last week with Margaret Davis, CIF associate commissioner, and two Southern California PGA officials to talk about getting more girls involved in the sport.

“As an outgrowth of this meeting, we are going to try to stimulate some girls’ team golf,” Crowley said. “I’m glad to hear some schools in Orange County are doing that.

“I’m excited to see there is some interest already.”

The interest is perhaps highest at Newport Harbor, a somewhat unlikely place. Until this year, the Sailors hadn’t had a female golfer on their team since Cathy Mockett, now on the LPGA Tour, played a decade ago. Now they have 12 girls--10 freshmen and two sophomores--and could have had more. “We kind of had to put a limit on it,” said Newport Harbor Coach Jim Warren, “because it was growing so fast.”

The team was created almost by fluke. Last fall, Courtney Bennett, a sophomore in Warren’s typing class, heard him talking about golf and said she wanted to join the team. Bennett, a field hockey player, brought some friends to practice with her. A male varsity player’s sister joined too, and word of mouth did the rest of the recruiting.

The Sailor girls’ team is made up of golf neophytes--Bennett said her previous experience in the sport was limited to miniature golf. Many didn’t have equipment, but members at Santa Ana and Big Canyon country clubs donated used golf clubs and shoes and the Santa Ana pro shop pitched in a new putter for each player.

They are the type of players who almost certainly wouldn’t be playing if they were thrown in with the boys. “I think I would have felt a little too challenged,” said freshman Kate Enriquez, between shots on the par-five 14th hole at Los Lagos.

Usually, girls who play high school golf are standout junior players. Sometimes they are among the best players--boy or girl--on the team. For instance, Kellee Booth helped Santa Margarita win a CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. team title in 1993 and Jenny Lee helped Sunny Hills win a section team title in 1994. Currently, Brea Olinda’s Lisa Costello, Foothill’s Julia Allison and Woodbridge’s Yoon Yim are among the top varsity players at their schools.

For such girls, playing with boys from the same tees is probably an advantage. And some of the players at the girls’ tournament said they enjoyed playing on teams with boys.

“It’s kind of neat being the only girl,” said Lauren Brown, a freshman who plays for the Edison junior varsity. “I always get some hassle from the guys but it’s pretty cool.”

Brown won the tournament at Los Lagos, beating Capistrano Valley sophomore Jennifer Tunzi in a one-hole playoff after each shot four-over 40.

Catherine Martin, a junior and one of two girls on the Corona del Mar junior varsity, said she doesn’t mind playing mostly with boys. “I like it and the boys are really nice, surprisingly enough.”

Others said they were more comfortable playing against girls. “My teammates are supportive,” Huntington Beach sophomore Robin Shaft said. “But if a guy doesn’t know a girl out there, I think he tunes her out. I don’t know, some guys are like that, I guess.

“They take it more seriously than they should. I mean it’s not life or death out there. You’re playing for the team but you could at least laugh if you make a bad shot.”

San Clemente junior Heather Anderson, who plays on the Triton girls’ team and the coed junior varsity, agreed.

“I can relate more to playing with girls,” Anderson said. “They seem to be more open and talkative. Guys are a lot more focused; girls are just out there to have fun.”

Not that she isn’t serious about golf, Anderson was quick to add. She hopes to improve her game enough to earn a golf scholarship.

At this point, Katie Dunne is more concerned about finding her ball that she had hit off the 14th fairway. “Does anybody have a clue where I am?” asked Dunne, a Newport Harbor freshman. “Is that a ball or a wrapper? I always get deceived.”

Dunne, who played for the Newport Harbor varsity girls’ basketball team, has a nice swing for someone who has been only playing several months. She might develop into a fine golfer. She might not. Either way, she is happy to get the opportunity.

“I’m glad,” said Dunne, “that we are finally being validated.”