Jeralyn Wessel — Staff writer

While the bitter cold stayed in northwest Iowa during spring break, the Dordt University men’s and women’s golf teams escaped to enjoy the warmer climate of Texas and Oklahoma. The trip began with a thirteen-hour trek to the southern states, and the team quickly jumped into several rounds of golf involving intra-team competition.

The teammates were first grouped into pairs of one man and one woman. They competed against the other teams over two days and four rounds in a variety of styles including scramble, shamble, better ball, and chapman. While the teams stayed close in score until the end, the pair of coaches— head coach Jon Crane and assistant men’s coach Jonathan Beaver— managed to win by four strokes. Emily Knoche and Freddy Bullock took second place.

The team took time to visit a mall in Dallas, Texas, before heading to Ardmore, Okla., where the Aggie Invitational was hosted. A local Airbnb became home for the team for the next couple of days as they bonded over making spaghetti, playing games, and putting together puzzles.

On Sunday, the team went to church and then proceeded to scope out the course they would compete on over the next two days. The preparation served them well, as the women’s team claimed first place and the top three spots in the tournament. Olivia Olson took first place, Rachel Bostwick second, and Kerri Kroeze third. For the men’s team, Dutch Farr claimed third place and Freddy Bullock took fourth. The men’s team was third place in the competition.

Overall, the team was pleased with how they performed but also anticipate improvement over the next couple months.

“This was a fun tournament to kick off the spring season. I am excited to see how the players progress into the season and watch the scores go lower,” assistant men’s coach Jonathan Beaver said.

With the winter weather keeping the team from playing outside the past few months, some team members were eager to play on an outdoor course. Freddy Bullock, a senior, was glad to be “with [his] teammates for [his] last semester at Dordt and able to play outside and not just in the simulation room.” 

After finishing its first tournament of the spring semester, the team returned to Dordt’s campus on Tues., March 14 and have begun to prepare for upcoming competitions. The men’s team will compete on March 24-25 at the Doane Spring Invite in Nebraska, and the women’s team will compete in South Dakota at the Hardrocker Spring Invite on April 3-4. The women’s team is composed of 10 players, and the men’s team has 17, but each team only travels with the top five players.

Heading into the spring season, this trip allowed the golf team players to practice together and develop closer connections.

“The golf spring break trip was so fun, and we made so many memories,” Libby Douma, a sophomore, said.

As the weather warms up and outdoor golfing becomes more accessible, the team looks forward to improving scores and playing well at future competitions.

Contributed photo