GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WOMEN’S GOLF PREVIEW:GCC women tee off

GLENDALE — Things are looking up for the Glendale Community College women’s golf team.

The squad is already blessed with a well-known and respected coach, a dedicated group of girls and an immaculate course serving as its home.

Not bad for a team in its inaugural season.

New team or not, Coach Kirt Kohlmeier plans on wasting little time in developing a reputation as a winner.

“I think we’ll make an impact this first year,” he said.

The golf team joins the ranks of volleyball, soccer and cross-country as fall women’s sports at the college, and like the others will be placed in the competitive Western State Conference.

But unlike the others, building a roster from scratch was at the forefront of the to-do list.

Open tryouts for the Vaqueros were held on Aug. 15, drawing a nice blend of local talent.

Allee Forsling and Emily Moniz are both Crescenta Valley grads and former golf team members. Joining the duo will be Ruth McNevin of La Crescenta, Rebecca Cate of La Cañada and Jennifer Chung of Los Angeles.

“The girls are enthusiastic, they want to play and they want to improve their game, that’s the exciting part about it,” said Kohlmeier, a former Glendale college athlete and Hoover High basketball and softball coach.

Equally exciting is the prospect of calling Glendale’s own Oakmont Country Club the Vaqueros’ home

“For our girls to get to play here and practice here, it’s a dream come true,” he added.

Just a week after organizing the team, which was approved by the college’s foundation board nearly a year ago, the Vaqueros have little time before jumping right into their schedule.

A full slate of conference play, which extends into late October, will kick off after the team begins its season Sunday and Monday with the Santa Barbara Invitational.

According to the coach, there is no better way to see where you stand than to go up against your competition.

“You can only practice so much, you need that game mentality, that pressure on you to give your best,” Kohlmeier said. “I think the best teacher is experience.”

With the men’s team, which has been extinct since 1985 because of budget cuts, not slated to begin until the spring, it will be up to the women to pave the way.

The highlight of their season comes on Sept. 24, when the Vaqueros host their conference foes for a meet at Oakmont.

It will be an experience that Kohlmeier hopes leaves a lasting impression on the visiting competitors, as he is always looking to expand his roster.

“My hope is that once everyone sees Oakmont they will want to come to Glendale college,” he said.

In the meantime, the team will forge ahead, trailblazing a path for future women golfers at the college.